James Blake did his best Andre Agassi impersonation at the U.S. Open, donning Day-Glo spandex tights, hot pink vertical bars on his shirt, white bandanna atop his head. Before the coin toss for his 6-3, 6-4, 7-6 (5) second-round victory over Teimuraz Gabashvili of Russia, Blake was greeted with chants of "Andre! Andre!" from the stands.

That might be as close as fans get to cheering for Agassi for a while, because the rain that postponed Friday's night session at Flushing Meadows was expected to carry right on through Saturday.

And that, of course, would be just fine with Agassi. The eight-time major champion has needed two injections this week as he tries to push his 36-year-old body and bad back to the limit in the last tournament of his career.

"I would only imagine that any additional rest would be a help," said Gil Reyes, Agassi's trainer.

Agassi was given an injection of anti-inflammatory medication Friday, Reyes said. Unlike Tuesday, when Agassi went to a hospital for a cortisone shot, this procedure was done at Agassi's hotel, because his back hurt too much for a car ride.

"The hope is obviously that Andre be able to compete and that his body can match his heart," Reyes said. "There is no big picture. This is the big picture. He must bring his all and leave his all. Once Andre announced his intention to retire, everything became about getting him here. Now that he's here ... he has no option but to do everything he can to fight to the finish."

Agassi was to play German qualifier Benjamin Becker in the third round Saturday. Other players scheduled to be on court, weather permitting, included past U.S. Open champions Lindsay Davenport, Marat Safin and Andy Roddick — who could face Agassi in the round of 16.

Roddick and Blake both have been dealt the unenviable task of following the great generation of U.S. men who won Grand Slam titles: Agassi, Pete Sampras, Jim Courier and Michael Chang.

"It does give me pause to realize why American tennis fans have been somewhat spoiled in the past 20 years," Blake said. "We're doing our best to represent them, and hopefully make it another great era."

A year ago, Agassi made a run all the way to the U.S. Open final, beating Blake along the way in a five-set quarterfinal that was every bit as theatrical as Agassi's win over Marcos Baghdatis on Thursday-into-Friday.

It was the sort of thing Blake might be excused for having wondered if he'd ever get to be a part of, given the illness and injury that forced him off tour and dropped his ranking out of the top 200.

At No. 5, Blake has his highest seeding at any Grand Slam tournament, and the top placement for any American here (Roddick is next at No. 9). Being a bigger deal than ever does have its downside, however.

"I know I already have a target on my back," Blake said. "Being a top 10 player, No. 1 American, all that kind of stuff — I understand the pressure that comes with it."