TENNIS: Agassi should get serve for putting wrong spin on dad

I T'S just too easy.
Every time you fail, blame somebody.
What the heck, go for those who are the closest. Just kick your parents in the teeth for all your woes.
Andre Agassi is blaming his father, Mike, a first-generation immigrant from Iran, for driving him so hard that by the age of 6 he was practising four to five hours a day.
Oh, boo hoo hoo, Andre.
Almost four decades after he was born, the retired tennis professional enjoys a life many dream of - mega bucks to feed the habit of the life of the rich and famous, marriages to two stunning women, and two adorable children from his second marriage to fellow retired tennis player, Steffi Graf.
I suppose it's his parents' fault, too, that his marriage with Brook Shields disintegrated.
There's only one word to describe Agassi's blame game - pathetic.
If his "Pops" is to cop the blame for Agassi popping recreational drug crystal meth in 1997, then his old man should also be culpable for turning him into a superstar and multimillionaire.
So be a man, Andre. Hand everything back to Iron Mike, because anything your father ever forced you to do is something you don't want a bar of.
Former champion Marat Safin and scores of other tennis rivals from his heyday also have a point in demanding he hand over his tainted prizemoney, titles and medals.
It's pitiful that Agassi should humiliate his father internationally for driving him so hard to be successful.
What the hell? He should have just let his father turn him into some obese little boy content with scoffing burgers and doughnuts.
I wonder if Agassi would speak highly of his father today if he had metamorphosed into a total loser, sitting around flicking the remote control of his plasma TV screen, wondering what life would be like to be a Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, Michael Jordan, Williams sisters or, ironically, himself.
Let us not forget Agassi will make millions from the sale of his recently published memoirs, Open.
Funny that, Agassi is still making money from his father who, by implication, brought about his state of depression and even forced him to wear a wig to combat baldness.
I'm afraid, the parents are guilty as charged for passing on suspect genes.
Really, it could have been worse for Agassi.
He could have been the son of an immigrant popping pills and pushing needles on the streets and no one would have given a damn.
Agassi reveals in his recent interviews he was scared to tell his father that he didn't want to play tennis. So he should be. I have children whose body language tells me they would prefer to watch TV or hang out with mates, rather than study.
Does that mean I should say: "It's okay, sweetheart, just quit education."
So why should Papa Agassi be made to look like a monster.
If anything, parents who don't enforce study and exercise routines and impress good eating and behavioural patterns on their children should be charged with gross negligence.
Hard work never kills anyone. In fact, it's the lack of it that does.
Was Agassi's father living his dreams through his son's life? It appears so, but why should that be a crime?
The Agassis of this world could do worse.
For immigrants and those less privileged in society, the drive to succeed can be a life-changing experience if they start with little. Nothing is more gratifying then seeing your children acquire what you couldn't.
Was Tiger Woods' late father, Earl, a monster? What about Venus and Serena's father, Richard?
Is golfer Anthony Kim's Korean immigrant father, Paul, driving him to booze?
What utter nonsense.
Parents, such as those of the late Michael Jackson, may have robbed their children of a decent childhood but, in all sincerity, what use is a memorable childhood when adulthood equates to a dog's life?
Take a bow, parents who look outside the square to give their children alternatives for a fighting chance in the cut-throat game of life.