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EVENTS
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Gracious loser Clement beaten in final, wins over crowd
Updated: Thursday February 08, 2001 4:19 PM
MELBOURNE, Australia (CNNSI) -- After his first Grand Slam final, Frenchman Arnaud Clement read the speech he had anguished over. All it required was some tinkering, depending on a loss or a win. "I just have to change a few words if I win," Clement said after losing to Andre Agassi. Before a packed Rod Laver Arena, the runner-up stepped to the microphone with a couple of crumpled sheets of paper and began: "OK. First I would like to apologize for speaking English so badly. That's why I prepared a little speech on a piece of paper." Then he congratulated Agassi on picking up his seventh Grand slam title in straight sets and greeted his parents and brother -- "I send them kisses" -- who had watched the final on television in France. "To compete in a Grand Slam final is something that seems unreal to me," said the No. 15 seed, who was playing in that hallowed forum for the first time. He was the first Frenchman to reach the Australian Open final since Jean Borotra won it in 1928. Pausing and rustling his papers, Clement apologized to his coach Phillipe Rosant for his "temper" and to the tournament ball retrievers for being too "demanding". He thanked Sebastien Grosjean, the friend and compatriot he beat in the semifinals in five sets after being down two sets to love. "He called me this morning and he told me he was behind me," he said. The 15,000 fans in Rod Laver Arena loved it. They laughed and applauded him loudly, as they did for Agassi when he took his trophy, turned to Clement and joked: "I didn't prepare anything, can I borrow your speech?" Agassi was in control of the 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 match from the start and overpowered Clement, also a baseliner. The most spirited rallies were at the beginning of the third set, with both players slugging down the line and crosscourt groundstrokes. "Today, his game was two or three levels higher. For me, it was impossible to beat him today," said 23-year-old Clement, who speculated that a serve-and-volleyer might have given the American a tougher time. But from the baseline, Clement said, "he's the best." Clement, whose head-to-head record against Agassi had been 2-2, beat him last year at the U.S. Open and again in Lyon, France, when the American retired with a hip injury. Clement went on to win that tournament, his first ATP title. "He's small and he's probably the fastest player on the tour, and he can really hurt you with his speed," said 30-year-old Agassi. "There's a lot of guys that are bigger and more powerful. You don't play against a player like him very often. When you do, there's a whole different rhythm. "He's always going to have to work hard to win. That's where the heart comes in. He's proven to be a great fighter, certainly down here," Agassi said. Clement, who wears bandannas on court and prescription, wraparound sunglasses for his poor eyesight, also demonstrated a theatrical touch. After his quarterfinal win over Yevgeny Kafelnikov, he celebrated by taking off his shirt and shoes and tossing them into the stands. He later said that was his last pair of shoes.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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