After his first-round loss in Hamburg two weeks ago, Andre Agassi complained about cold weather, rain, and sluggish conditions that transformed fuzzy tennis balls into solid rubber.

Playing the opening match of his 17th French Open yesterday, Agassi found himself in Hamburg all over again, but there was a more pressing concern than the cloudy skies and cool temperatures. This time, the 35-year-old had to worry about his age.

The sixth-seeded American lost in the first round in Paris for the second straight year, largely because of an inflamed nerve in his back that has bothered him for months. A cortisone injection in February had calmed the pain, though with diminishing returns as the weeks passed. Then, in the third set yesterday against Finland’s Jarkko Nieminen, sharp pains began shooting from Agassi’s right hip down to his ankle.

“It was getting worse by the minute,” Agassi told reporters after the match.

Agassi salvaged the third set in a tiebreak, but he limped around and played listlessly in the final two sets, vainly trying to quell the pain with ibuprofen tablets in a 7-5, 4-6, 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-0 loss. On one short forehand early in the third set, Agassi hobbled toward the net and fired long by a few feet, his swing stiff and his expression sober. Other times he simply did not give chase when Nieminen hit a ball out of his reach.

Agassi said he did not expect the nerve to flare up as soon as it did. He added that a trainer would not have been able to alleviate the problem, nor does he know of any procedure to cure it.

“It comes quick,” he said. “When I go home in the evening and I’m walking three blocks from the restaurant, you wouldn’t guess I’m a professional athlete. Usually it’s not a problem when I’m active. But when there’s temperature issues … and I’m getting a little stiff, and it starts, there’s nothing to turn that around.”

Though Agassi thought about conceding the match, he said he could not make himself walk off the court.

Nieminen was not about to treat his recent practice partner with kid gloves. The lanky, left-handed Finn hits looping balls off his forehand and excels at the art of “junking”: heavy topspin here, a little sidespin there, maybe a slice drop shot for good measure. A top-30 player two years ago, the 23-year-old has slipped to no. 95 in the rankings and had to win three qualifying matches for a spot in the main draw.

Inevitably, the subject of Agassi’s retirement – now nearly 10 years in the making – was broached at the postmatch press conference. This Grand Slam appearance was his 58th, more than any player in the history of tennis, and it would be no surprise if this were the aging champion’s last fling in Paris.

Yet Agassi has proven resilient in the past, especially when he was injured, exhausted, and seemingly at his most vulnerable. If he continues his cortisone treatments – at most three in a year, Agassi said – he might feel well enough to compete for three or four months at a time. As for Wimbledon, which begins next month, and the rest of this season, Agassi said he intends to play on and take stock at the end of the year.

“Something tells me I’m at the stage of my career where I’m going to be living with these injections,” Agassi said. “If I’m getting a few months out of it, it’s fair enough for me.”

In other men’s matches, Andy Roddick, James Blake, and Vince Spadea did their part to soften the blow of Agassi’s defeat, each scoring straight-set victories. Roddick and Blake have landed in the weakest quarter of the draw, and with Agassi gone, either one could carve a path into the second week.

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Before Agassi faded away, women’s favorite Justine Henin-Hardenne almost performed a disappearing act of her own. The Belgian came out looking like a woman on a 17-match winning streak as she pelted Conchita Martinez 6-0 in the first set of the Spaniard’s 18th French Open. As she has been wont to do of late, though, Henin-Hardenne began playing loose points and showing a lack of patience. She hit a second rough patch in the third set with a 5-1 lead before prevailing, 6-0, 4-6, 6-4.