"I've been losing my hair for quite some time" - When Andre Agassi opened up to then-girlfriend Brooke Shields about wearing a hairpiece
Andre Agassi wrote in his autobiography about the time he told Brooke Shields he wore a hairpiece due to his hair loss.
The American was known for donning a mullet when he first burst onto the scene, but later began to use a hairpiece. In his autobiography "Open," Agassi narrated how he informed his then-girlfriend Brooke Shields about his hair issues.
Andre Agassi mentioned that it was on his third date with the actress that he decided to tell her the truth about his hair.
"My third date with Brooke is the night before her foot surgery. We’re in Manhattan, in the ground-floor sitting room of her brownstone. We’re kissing, on the verge, but first I need to tell her the truth about my hair," Agassi wrote.
"She can sense that I have something on my mind. 'What’s wrong?' she asks. 'Nothing.' 'You can tell me.' 'It’s just that I haven’t been completely honest with you.' We’re lying on a couch. I sit up, punch a pillow, take a breath," he added.
Agassi wrote that Shields eventually asked him herself what he wanted to say. He then told her about the hairpiece which he used because he had been losing hair for a while.
"Still searching for the right words, I look at the walls. They’re decorated with African masks, eyeless faces with no hair. They’re eerie. Also, vaguely familiar. 'Andre, what is it?' 'This isn’t easy to admit, Brooke. But, look, I’ve been losing my hair for quite some time and I wear a hairpiece to cover it up,'" Agassi wrote.
The American said that Shields told him it was no big deal since she found his eyes and heart attractive, not his hair.
"I reach out, take her hand, put it on my hairpiece. She smiles. 'I had a feeling', she says. 'You did?' 'It’s no big deal. You’re not just saying that? It’s your eyes I find attractive. And your heart. Not your hair'. I stare at the eyeless, hairless faces and wonder if I’m falling," Agassi wrote.
Andre Agassi won eight Grand Slam singles titles during his career
Andre Agassi won eight Grand Slams over the course of his glittering tennis career. The first of those came at the 1992 Wimbledon Championships, where he beat Goran Ivanisevic in the final in five sets.
His second Major title came at the 1994 US Open, where he was unseeded. The American triumphed over Germany's Michael Stich in the title clash.
He then won the 1995 Australian Open, getting his only win over rival Pete Sampras in a Grand Slam final.
Andre Agassi won two Majors in 1999. The first of those came at the French Open, which saw him complete the Career Grand Slam. He also triumphed at that year's US Open, beating compatriot Todd Martin in the final.
The American clinched three Majors in the 21st century, all of which came at the Australian Open - in 2000, 2001, and 2003.