Agassi finds fault in Williams’ tirade

Andre Agassi had tough words for Serena Williams after her threatening outburst at the U.S. Open. Agassi and I were talking Tuesday about his upcoming charity concert on Saturday, the Grand Slam for Children, when I asked for his thoughts on Williams.

"Certainly, what she did was beyond out of line. It was quite despicable," Agassi said.

He's also disappointed Williams, in apologizing, suggested she's an intense competitor who lost her focus for a moment, and the rest of us should move past it.

"That," the retired tennis hero said, "is not an excuse for the lack of accountability that should exist with actions like that. It's one thing to argue an issue on the court. It's another thing to threaten a person. And that's a line that shouldn't be crossed."

Williams, you know, screamed at a line judge, "If I could, I would take this (expletive) ball and shove it down your (expletive) throat."

If Williams had a more thoughtful post-outburst follow-through, she could have turned her worst moment into her best, Agassi said.

"In life, some of our darkest moments can be our finest, depending on what we choose to do with it."

Agassi said he or any other player could have done what Williams did. It's not easy to judge her because "you don't know what it's like to walk a mile in her shoes."

But if Agassi had melted down like that, "I know one thing for sure. It'd be really hard for me to live with myself if I didn't continually express my deepest regrets for how I conducted myself."

As for the foot fault that led to Williams' tirade, Agassi couldn't tell on TV whether Williams stepped on the line or not. If Agassi had been the linesman during that match point, Williams would have to have violated that line "by a significant margin for me to pull that trigger."

But a linesman's call is a linesman's call, he said.

By the way, on Monday, Tampax said it signed Williams for its October ad campaign called "Outsmart Mother Nature."

STARS AND AUCTIONS

The Andre Agassi Foundation's Grand Slam probably will raise millions more dollars on Saturday night, as it stars Tim McGraw, Dane Cook, Daughtry, Brian McKnight and Lionel Richie at Wynn Las Vegas.

Last year's event took in $5 million for the foundation and the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, which sent all 34 of its 2009 graduates to college, he says.

Grand Slam money comes from sponsors, donations, tickets and auction items. This year's auction items are impressive:

• Private lessons with David Beckham (and first-class airfare to get to him), Mia Hamm, Tony Hawk or Annika Sorenstam.

• A first-class flight to a movie set, to hang out with Matt Damon for the day and lunch with him.

• Dinner cooked and served in your home by Emeril Lagasse.

• One-week vacation for up to eight people with Agassi and wife Steffi Graf in a four-bedroom cottage in Sea Island, Ga., with tennis lessons from Agassi, Graf and Darren Cahill, cooking lessons from chef Michael Mina, a party in your honor, a personal concierge, golfing and massages.

• A 32-day expedition for two to the Antarctic with BBC documentarians Doug Allan and Sue Flood.

Plus, backstage passes to the Jonas Brothers, box seats for the Tennis Open in South Africa, a trip to Fashion Week in New York provided by Diane von Furstenberg and Tony Burch, artwork by Romero Britto, a VIP package to see Rachael Ray's show, an evening with sculptor Richard MacDonald, and golf with Justin Rose.

Available tables for Saturday run, gulp, $17,500-$85,000, or seats in sets of two are going for $3,500-$8,000. Donors big and small can browse or give at AgassiFoundation.org/grand-slam-for-children.

THEIR SPARE TIME

Agassi says his family loads into their minivan about twice a month to hit the Strip for dinner or to stay in Summerlin for an outing. Regarding Strip performers, Agassi, Graf and their son (who's taking guitar lessons) are also "huge" Santana fans, planning to see him at the Hard Rock soon.

And Agassi likes Terry Fator.

"He's such a sweet and generous person," Agassi says. "There's only one problem with Terry Fator. That is, every time you try to get tickets, he's sold out. The problem is everybody likes him as much as we do."

Contact Doug Elfman at 702-383-0391 or e-mail him at delfman@review journal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal. com/elfman.