Ailing Agassi To Miss Davis Cup Final Against Host Russia

They have seen Red Square and Lenin’s Tomb, and have smiled for the camera in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral. The only tourist attraction the U.S. Davis Cup team has not seen is Andre Agassi.

It remains unclear whether Agassi will make an appearance in Moscow for the Davis Cup final against Russia that begins Friday. But this much is clear: Agassi will not be playing in it.

“You’ve got to go with healthy people,” said the U.S. team’s captain, John Gullikson, after naming Richey Reneberg as Agassi’s replacement on the four-man United States squad that already included Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Todd Martin.

Agassi, the world’s No. 2 player, stopped being healthy in September during a Davis Cup semifinal against Sweden in Las Vegas, Nev., when he injured a chest muscle. Since then, he has played only two matches - both in Essen, Germany, in late October - and lost his hard-won No. 1 ranking to Sampras.