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Monday, July 29
 
Tour doubles Agassi's fine due to second offense

Associated Press

TORONTO -- Andre Agassi was fined $80,000 by the ATP Tour for his late withdrawal from a Tennis Masters Series tournament that opened Monday.

The penalty is twice what it otherwise would be because it's Agassi's second late pullout this year. He was fined $40,000 for skipping a Tennis Masters Series event in Hamburg, Germany, in May.

"I have had success at the events in Canada before," Agassi said in a news release. "I regret not being able to take part this year in Toronto amongst a great player field. I wish the players and the tournament all the success this week."

Agassi said Sunday he wouldn't play in the Toronto tournament, citing a lower back and hip injury. He showed no signs of being hurt while beating Jan-Michael Gambill 6-2, 6-4 Sunday in the final of the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles.

Agassi won $51,500 for winning that tournament.

He would have been seeded seventh in the Toronto event and was scheduled to play wild-card entry Daniel Nestor of Canada in the first round Tuesday.

"He's looking at himself and the U.S. Open," Nestor said. "Obviously, he just wants to be ready for that. This tournament doesn't fit into his plans."

Alex Corretja of Spain also withdrew from the Tennis Masters Series Canada, blaming an abdominal strain. Like Agassi, he also won a tournament Sunday -- the $1 million Generali Open in Kitzbuehel, Austria.

Radek Stepanjek, a native of the Czech Republic, will take Corretja's place in the Toronto tournament and will face American Alex Kim in the first round.

The Masters Series tournament still has a solid men's field that includes world No. 1 and Wimbledon champion Lleyton Hewitt, second-ranked Marat Safin and 13-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras.




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