LONDON, July 6: If raw courage is what it will lake, Andre Agassi will find himself severely tested when he faces

Boris Bi t ker in the Wimbledon semifinals on Friday, reports Reuter.

Uis the other hand, past performance might be the determining factor. If so. Agassi will make it nine successive victories over the German in a streak wlikh began early in 1990.

Becker showed the guts and determination he w ill ixxd in his semifinal when he came up against unseeded Frenchman Cedric Pioline on Wednesday, refusing to buckle or surrender his self-control in the face of a remarkable comeback.

This Friday marks the 10th anniversary of Boris Becker’s first Wimbledon title, one of modern tenuis' most itKmorabie landmarks.

A decade is a long time in profes-sional sport, but July 7, 1995 will find tlx- boy ciumpion back on the same court where it all started as a 17-year-। ild finalist with too much firepower tor an unsuspecting Kevin Curren.

Becker will never recapture the freshness which spurred him to that initial triumph, yet Wednesday 's five-set victory over Frenchman Cedric I’foline w as further evidence of his

status as one of sports most extraor-dinary competitors.

My desire for tennis hasn't changed at all... in fact it's gone more the other way." admitted Becker, reflecting on life after six previous Wimbledon finals.

There was a time in my early 20s when 1 wasn't hungry any more, but that passed a long time ago.

"I was a bit disappointed a year and a half ago when I did decide to start a family and get married and the saying was 'he’s over the top. He’s not hungry any more'. It's very normal at a certain time ... you can't pretend to be a teenager when you get a bit older."

"If you compare my game 10 years ago. I'm play ing much better in all areas. Either you improve a little bit each year or you go down."

The other benefit of being a three-times Wimbledon champion, albeit one who has failed to reach the last four of any other Grand Slam event since the 1991 French Open, is that the newspapers have begun to look ehew here for their gossip items.

What the hell can they say about me in the papers tomorrow?" asked Becker. It's very hard to write a new story about me. Everything's been said and done. I mind my own business. take care of my wife and soft

and I m happy w ith that "

As for playing Agassi, who beat him in a 1992 quarter final here before going on to take the title, Becker said: "Hopefully the way I'm going to beat him is going to the net He’s the best baseliner in the world and it would be foolish of me to stay back a lot

"I haven't played him in a while. For a white he read my game very writ and he had all the answers to the questions I asked him on the court

We can only play five sets and hopefully I'll be able to stay as long as it takes in there and make the last shot"

.Agassi, despite his recent superiority over Becker after losing his first three encounters with the German, insisted he would be taking nothing for granted.

Everybody takes these matches tor granted for me. except me. I don't do it. I just don't", he said.

"Boris is without question one of the best players in the game, (foe of the most explosive players in the game, if there's any surface not to take him for granted on it's going to be (entre Court here at Wimbledon.

Tm going to have my hands full out there."