Fatherhood may end Agassi's Grand Slam dreams

He has already been hailed as a future Wimbledon champion and his every move will be scrutinised by the world's media fascinated by his spectacular sporting potential.

But his father Andre Agassi had better watch out because the arrival of Graf-Agassi junior in mid-December could spell the end of his own impressive sporting career.

While Agassi and his partner Steffi Graf, the former world number one, eagerly await the arrival of their first child, Agassi should worry about his own career as history is not on his side.

Australian Evonne Goolagong may be the only mother to have won a Grand Slam in the open era at Wimbledon in 1980 but since then only six men have managed to win a major title after experiencing the joys of fatherhood.

While three -- Pat Cash, Andres Gomez and Petr Korda -- were one-slam wonders, multiple champions Boris Becker and Yevgeny Kafelnikov managed to add just one further Grand Slam title after becoming parents.

Jimmy Connors was the only player to successfully combine family life with playing on the tour, winning three of his eight majors after the birth of his son Brett in August 1979.

For the likes of John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl and Stefan Edberg, the titles dried up as soon as they embraced the new additions to their family.

LITTLE TO PROVE

And with Agassi approaching a crossroads in life at the age of 31, there is bound to be speculation that the Las Vegan will slowly apply the brakes to his career and ease off his demanding schedule.

Having won all four Grand Slams at least once, Agassi also has little left to prove.

But the world number three, who has already learned that the baby is a boy, says he has no intention of easing up.

He plans to defend his Australian Open title in January, only a month after becoming a father.

"I have no plan on missing anything, including the birth of my child," said Agassi, the winner of seven Grand Slams, after his quarter-final loss to Pete Sampras at the U.S. Open last month.

"I'll do my best to balance everything. I have every intention of working hard and coming back next year and I think I can do that.

"My goal has always been to play this game as good as I can, as long as I can.

"My goal has also been for a while to have a family. I don't know how it's all going to play out. I feel a strong sense of responsibility and obligation to the game."

Although Agassi believes he can win more major titles over the next few years, three-time Wimbledon champion Becker said the American should be more realistic.

"(Fatherhood) is going to change his life dramatically and he still has no idea how big the change will be," Becker told Reuters on Tuesday.

"Yes Andre's a good enough player to win again but it would be more difficult to focus on one thing alone because your main focus is for your child and your wife, and tennis becomes secondary. That's a fact.

"It changes your priorities and it is a healthy change but I would be very curious to see how Andre would handle that," added the former world number one, who won the 1996 Australian Open after the birth of his first son Noah.

PROFESSIONAL DISASTER

Agassi's last journey into personal happiness almost ended in professional disaster. Having married actress Brooke Shields in April 1997 after a highly-publicised romance, Agassi tumbled to 141 in the world rankings.

Their divorce two years later in early 1999 was followed by an astonishing run that won him the French and U.S. Open crowns and a place in the Wimbledon final.

If a marriage results in a ranking of 141 what will the arrival of a child do?

"It's going to be harder to be consumed by tennis," admitted Agassi.

"If the birth of your child isn't a surprise enough, then there's something seriously wrong with your perspective.

"I can't quite tell how I'm going to respond to the whole thing...I've never been a father before.

"But you get smarter at how to focus on it. You know when to cut yourself some slack and you know when to ask yourself to dig a little deeper."

While children often spell the end of a professional tennis career, Agassi could perhaps look to other sports for inspiration.

The arrival of Brooklyn Beckham did little to thwart dad David's enthusiasm for playing soccer.

In fact two months after the birth, Beckham senior played a vital role in helping Manchester United to complete the treble of European Cup, English league and F.A. Cups in May 1999. That December he was also named runner-up to Rivaldo in the European Footballer of the Year awards.

Agassi, with his record of achievement and his strong mental outlook, could perhaps succeed where many of his predecessors failed.