 You moved to France at the age of 14, why did you choose Bordeaux out of all places?
For the education. Bordeaux has great colleges and my 3 oldest brothers respectively got their higher education there in medicine, economics, and political science. My two sisters studied biology and foreign languages.
You live now in Los Angeles with your family.
Yes, probably one of the best places in the world to live. I met my wife, Tonya, during a tournament in Italy. She was there on modeling assignments, but her home was in Los Angeles. I told her one day that "I would never live in L.A." Well, that's exactly where I ended up living!&nbs
p; Los Angeles has a lot to offer and the climate is some of the best you can find. This is a place you either hate it or love it, I have been living in L.A now for 10 years,
Do you go back to Haiti often?
My first time back was in October 2007 after almost 10 years. The country has been affected by a lot of years of political turmoil. It was shocking to see how difficult life is for millions of Haitians. The poverty is extreme and the natural resources
are limited. In Haiti you have 2 extremes, you are either rich or you're poor. Having people dying of hunger or diseases
within 1 hour from the United States is an aberration to me. Haitians also die in big numbers trying to reach the US shores illegally by boat and when they do make it to the US coast they are sent back right away.
You started coaching in 2002 and opened the Ronald Agenor Tennis Academy in Los Angeles, CA. How has this initiative gone?
I started coaching soon after September 11. I was a little worried about traveling around the world. I had a group of players that were competing in the future level tournaments and asked me if I could help them out.
Any prospects?
I had a few. Americans Zack Fleishman and Lesley Joseph had a promising career in front of them. I had predicted that with 5 years of dedication and hard work, Fleishman could win the US Open and Joseph had a shot at making at least the top 50 in the world. My relationship lasted only one year with Fleishman and 3 years with Joseph. They both got the chance to play in the Grand Slams while training with me, which is OK, but for different reasons they have not achieved their potential.
How is life in the United States?
Very different than what I have experienced before from Europe or Africa but I really like the way we live in America. You basically have a country with fifty states that offers fifty different lifestyles, this is very unique. America is also a great country for diversity and freedom but unfortunately September 11 has changed a little bit the freedom this country has always enjoyed. I also like what people of colour have been able to achieve in the United States.
You are one of the very few “Black” tennis players to have reached the top 20 in the world, how do you explain so little numbers in the tennis history to have reached the top?
Tennis has been and still is in a lot of places in the world the sport for the rich only and for a long time it was for "Whites" only. In Europe, tennis is more of a middle class sport and you see more and more Black players coming up. Despite the intense level of segregation, America has still produced the best and the biggest number of Black players in the history of the game. The two main problems have been access to the best coaching and sponsorship opportunities.
Do you have an idea about why American tennis is not playing the top roles anymore?
American tennis is still greatly represented on the women's side with Venus and Serena Williams still winning one or two Grand Slams every year... But I think overall it is a combination of things. First of all I think September 11 has done a lot of damage in the minds of American players, including me. The fear of traveling and also the hate towards US citizens around the world after the invasion in Iraq has probably scared some players into not traveling around the world as they could also be targeted. Don't forget that being a professional tennis player requires extensive traveling around the globe. US basketball athletes for example, don't have to travel outside of the US to earn their money, so more than ever, young American players and parents are driven towards getting a college degree in the US rather than pursuing a professional tennis career.
The second problem is the teaching in the clubs. In the US the level of tennis required to be certified is not as high as a place like in France for example where you must be a good player first and then spend nine months studying the sport before being certified.
Third, the academies in the US are applying the same technique to every single player they train and therefore do not leave any space to a player’s natural talent and personality. Parents are also part of the problem as most of them are all of a sudden "a coach”. In Spain and in Europe for example, 99 percent of the coaches of the top players are former top pro players. Hiring a former top professional player is of course not a total guarantee of success, but at least it reduces considerably the errors that parents and other “sudden coaches” can make due to a lack of experience.
Also, Harry Hopman and Nick Bolletieri academies used to be the best training places to produce top American players (I attended a two week camp at Hopman’s when I was 16 years old). Saddlebrook has not produced the same results since Harry Hopman passed away and Nick Bolletieri has not produced a top player since Andre Agassi.
Foreigners are also not coming to compete in the US in big numbers like they used to, especially in future and challenger level tournaments. Europe have now a lot of tournaments and many good academies. I think it is important that American players get exposed to the different styles of tennis that is being developed in other countries. It helps them become better players. Last but not least, the desire for success among youngsters in America is not what it used to be but I am sure that at some point a new generation of American players will dominate the game again
 Greatest and worst moments of your career?
My Gold Medal for Haiti at the Central American Games in Cuba was one of my greatest moment. I was 18 years old and received the Medal from Cuban President Fidel Castro. My first pro tournament win in Marrakech, Morocco as I was born there and my first ATP Tour event in Athens, Greece are something I will always remember. My quarterfinal at the French Open in 1989, my record of the longest match in the history of the French Open in 1994 (71 games) since the open era, and my comeback in 1999 at 35 years of age are also great moments to cherish. The worst moment is probably my loss to Jimmy Connors at the French Open in 1991. I had 3 opponents in that match: Connors, the umpire, and a French crowd of 17,000 people. I had beaten him the previous year and the way I lost to him was difficult to handle. I cried for the first time after a tennis match.
How is family life?
I am enjoying my family a lot. They mean the world to me. My wife is doing a fantastic job with the kids and I am giving my family everything that I can to make them happy and to build their future. It is a big responsibility to raise children and I want to be the best father I can possibly be.
Are your two daughters set for a professional tennis career?
I think going to college is the right thing to do. I would like for them to get an education and a college degree at a great college. I would also like for them to be involved in sports and so far they like tennis. I try to make it fun for them and we will see where it goes from there. They are at the same time involved in so many different activities and you really do not know where they will excel the most.
In 1999 you have attributed your incredible comeback to Tonya your fiancee back then and now your wife. What has she meant to you?
Tonya has been my backbone for a long time. She has supported me all along during my difficult comeback. I should write a book about it. She is a strong woman and again a fantastic mother. I remember that at some point during my comeback people would come to see my matches so they could also see "The American Model" I was with. She took some time off her modeling career to travel with me. She was featured in several magazines.
If you have not been a professional tennis player…what would you have been?
A Diplomat, (International Relations) or an actor. An actor It is definitely "The real deal" as you can play so many different roles, including being a tennis player!
What is the present and future for Ronald?
I am running coaching programs to help American players as well as players coming from all over the world achieve their goals. I have training bases in Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and I hope to extend it to Europe. I will also pursue the work that I have started to help Haiti's youth through sport and education and continue writing my book that will hopefully come out in 2009.
Do you still play the guitar?
Not as much as I would like to. The last couple of years have not given me any free time to play, but I hope in the near future I will have the opportunity to get back in the recording studio. Playing the guitar and composing music was essential to my well being when I was on the Tour.
How is tennis different today for guys like Tsonga and Monfils compared to when you were 20 years old and trying to make it on the tour?
They are coming from a country and a tennis system that provides absolutely everything a French player needs to succeed. They have top coaches, top sponsors, top facilities, and top tournaments at their disposal. Together they should win a few Slams with all of this. Tsonga was close to achieving that this year at the Australian Open.
What is your vision for tennis in the Caribbean and Haiti (specifically)?
Putting a Caribbean Tennis Training Center where all Caribbean countries can have a place to train to start with. Also, putting up some Challenger level tournaments and having programs where the players can play around the world to get a global approach of the game. .
At the end of your career you followed your wife back to her country of the USA. What have been the biggest challenges for you in adjusting to life in the USA?
Everything has been difficult for me to adjust. It took me about 3 years to feel good in the American way of life. The biggest challenge was to find the place where you “fit” culturally.
France was a base for you throughout your career. Do you keep in touch with friends and colleagues there and what do you think about French tennis today?
With the Internet, it is so easy now to stay in touch with friends and colleagues. I do keep in touch as often as possible with former players, classmates, and friends. The French Tennis Federation has always done an incredible job with its tennis structure. They have a great support system for their many talented players. I greatly benefited from their system at the beginning of my career in Bordeaux.
What has your tennis success meant to Haiti?
Joy and pride in the hearts of Haitians around the world. I have been a positive example of what Haitian and Caribbean people can achieve on the world stage. I have symbolized an island of positivity in the sea of negative press coverage that Haiti and the rest of the region tend to get. In a sport that is so dominated by players from the big countries, I have given tennis fans from all small countries something to be proud of.
No trace of Ronald on the Senior Tour?
I have been “On hold” for about nine years now. They keep changing the rules and it is not easy to be included. Past and current people running the Senior Tour have said that maybe I will get in as a wild card, but let’s be serious here. First of all you never know who is running the Senior Tour. The ATP is promoting it and yet it does not represent its players as there are no ATP rules for participating. I have made several attempts to have a clear answer about the rules while Mark Miles was the President of the ATP without any success, it is basically a "Private Business". Too bad because I am sure the are a lot of players out there that would have loved to keep competing after 35 years of age and make some pretty good money.
Serbs and Chinese women have been emerging as players to watch in tennis. Is the future of tennis on a global scale in these countries?
Definitely. Tennis is a way to succeed in life and it is also a very political sport. Next to each player there is a flag of the country he or she represents.
 Is racism still a problem in tennis?
I think racism is an everyday thing that goes around the world, not just in tennis. In the USA it is in your face and in Europe it is more underhanded. Coming from a mix background, (my father is Haitian and my mother is a Haitian born with Lebanese descent), I have a very open mind about the world and people. We live on the same planet with so many different cultures and religions, so we must accept each other's differences.
How can Black players overcome the problems put in their way by racism in the sport?
The demographics in tennis are different than other sports. For example in soccer in the French national team, 90% of the players are Black. In the NBA in the US, 90% of the players are Black and in tennis 2% of the players are Black. Tennis is also a big problem because it is an expensive sport and you play for yourself as oppose to playing for a team that pays everything for you. So Blacks need to have major money in their pockets to play this game and have the drive and the determination to make it happen by all means.
As of today, there is no tennis academy in the world that has produced a “Black Professional Tennis Player”. Most Blacks in the United States made it with the help of their families where in France for example the Blacks that have made it such as Noah, Tsonga, and Monfils made it with the help of the French system. This is the great thing about France, because of their former colonies they have always opened the door to Black athletes in every sport, as long as they have the skills. However this French “Open mind” has never been translated in the other parts of the social life in France.
You became a US Citizen in 2006?
Yes. It was very emotional. About 80 different countries were represented that day with a crowd of 1,200 people coming from France, England, Canada, Congo, Australia, China, and other parts of the world. It took me 7 years to obtain my citizenship and I am proud to have obtained my US Citizenship. I could have been a French citizen at the beginning of my career, but winning the Gold Medal
for Haiti at the Central American Games in Cuba in 1982 made me a sudden National Hero in Haiti. At my arrival in Port-au-Prince from Cuba, a huge delegation was waiting for me. At that point I felt that it was my mission to represent Haiti around the world.
Have you thought about how much more money you would have made by representing France during your career?
I did, but only at the end of my career. It is obvious that I could have tripled my income by representing France. Just think that ranked in the top 20 in the world, I was virtually the second best player in France after Yannick Noah and I could have played Davis Cup with him. World Group Davis Cup Teams make a lot of money without forgetting the endorsements. United States could have been better for endorsements as a foreigner because in general Americans do not care where you are coming from. If you have a good marketing power then you are good to go. In France they are more I would say “Nationalists”.
How much do you think of your parents these days now that you are a father yourself?
I think about my parents every single day, they are resting in peace in Bordeaux, France. I miss them a lot and wish they could have seen my daughters. I wish also that they had traveled more to my tournaments, but they gave me their very best and I am grateful. They made sacrifices for me to make it along with my other brother and sisters who have chosen the path of professions. My brother Patrick is a Cardiologist in France and Pierre-Richard is a world renown Economist (IMF, World Bank, Hallsworth Professor of International Macroeconomics at Manchester University) and has published several books. My parents, my brothers and sisters were essential to my success.
What was the one quality your father had that was key to your success in tennis and off court?
Dedication and the fighting spirit. Never give up. I remember him giving me the Rudyard Kipling writing "IF". Those lines say it all...
Do you see yourself as a father figure now to the players you train?
Nobody and nothing can replace a player’s own father or parent, but it is obvious that coaching players requires other tools and skills other than correcting a forehand or a backhand.
One last word?
May this world live in peace and harmony for the sake of our children.
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