Beaten Agassi ponders future

Andre Agassi was considering his future after leaving the Australian Open following a quarter-final defeat by defending champion Roger Federer yesterday.

The 34-year-old four-times champion, who departed Melbourne Park as a loser for only the fourth time, would not be drawn on whether he will return.

"I plan to be back, but a year's a long time," he told reporters.

"It's hard to say right now. You know me. I have to play it by ear and make some good decisions."

Agassi gave little away as he waved to the crowd on his departure from Rod Laver Arena but with his 35th birthday just three months away, he knows time is against him.

The world number one Swiss had an answer for everything, breaking Agassi early in each set on his way to a comprehensive victory in 99 minutes.

"He just outplayed me, he was too good," Agassi said.

Those who have condemned Agassi to the history books, however, have been proved wrong many times before.

Having burst on to the scene as a brash 16-year-old in 1986, Agassi won the biggest prize of all when he triumphed at Wimbledon in 1992.

After a few years in the doldrums, he staged an unlikely comeback to complete the set of all four grand slam titles and become the oldest world number one in history.

¤ The future of the women's Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Eastbourne was secured for two further years yesterday with a sponsorship deal worth more than £600,000.

The new deal is an extension of the agreement with current title motor insurers Hastings Direct.

The tournament, which offers £487,400 in prize money, was won last year by Svetlana Kuznetsova.