Q & A Andre Agassi

The 33-year-old top seed at this week's U.S. Open is the oldest
man to hold the world's No. 1 ranking. He and wife Steffi Graf
are expecting their second child in mid-November.

SI: When it comes to the question of your age, are you motivated
by defying conventional wisdom?

Agassi: Quite the opposite. At this age I don't want to be doing
it. I'm thinking about being at home with the family. But I do
find myself challenged. I still feel I can be better, and I still
feel like I can win championships. And that needs to exist for me.

SI: What has surprised you about fatherhood?

Agassi: How much I enjoy discovering who my son [22-month-old
Jaden Gil] is every day. I truly feel that every day there's
something that happens that's a gift and a discovery.

SI: So how many kids are in the ideal plan?

Agassi: I'd say four, but that's from a man without that
experience. We'll start with two and go from there.

SI: Do you think a part of your tennis life ended when Pete
Sampras officially retired on Monday?

Agassi: Something did end, yes. No athlete is ever guaranteed to
have a rivalry no matter how great his career is, and Pete and I
had that. It was incredible, so something's gone that can never
be recreated.

SI: Does it bother you that you'll never get another shot at him?

Agassi: It bothers me that we'll never get to play again. We
played 34 times, and a lot of those were big matches. So it's not
that I wish I had another shot at him, it's that we were pushed
by each other.

SI: What does your gut say about playing at the U.S. Open in
2004?

Agassi: Something would have to drastically change for me not to
be back here.

SI: Tell us what you think will be a typical day in your life 10
years from now?

Agassi: Ideally, I'd love to be spending my day taking care of a
lot of children. Picking the kids up from school. Making their
lunches. Cooking dinner.

SI: Andre Agassi, Mr. Mom?

Agassi: Well, let's put it this way: I look forward to having
that option. --Richard Deitsch

For more from Andre Agassi, go to si.com/magazine.

COLOR PHOTO: AXEL/ZUMA PRESS, INC. (AGASSI) Not his last Open