"If I dress like my wife, I can play like Steffi Graf" - When Andre Agassi joked about changing his early flamboyant appearance
Former World No. 1 Andre Agassi once joked about changing his early flamboyant appearance on the court and dressing up as his wife Steffi Graf to play like her.
Agassi and Graff, two of the greatest tennis players of their generation, tied the knot 22 years ago. The German gave birth to their first child, Jaden, on October 26, 2001, and two years later, their daughter, Jaz, was born. The couple remain happily married and have been involved in a lot of charity work over the years.
Andre Agassi attended a press conference during the 2005 US Open after defeating Tomas Berdych in the third round and commented on his early flamboyant appearance and how he gradually changed it. The American said that, at the beginning of his career, it was all about bringing something new to tennis and pique the interest of those who did not previously follow the sport.
"Yeah, the beginning I, you know, sort of wanted to bring something to the game that would maybe impact those that don't normally watch it, maybe to draw interest to the game, to the fans out there that might not necessarily ever have taken the time to appreciate the sport of tennis," Agassi said.
Agassi added that he was at a point in his career where he was inspired by his wife Steffi Graf's fashion sense, joking that he could play like the 22-time Slam champion if he dressed like her.
"You know, now, I'm at the stage where I've just thought to myself, 'If I dress like my wife, maybe I can play like my wife' (laughter). Been working, by the way," he said.
When asked if he felt nostalgic about his 'legendary outfits,' Agassi replied that he didn't want to 'dwell' on it too much.
"No, no. That's like my hair, it's all gone (smiling). Yeah, no, that's gone. It served a purpose, and hopefully parts of it served good purposes. But, yeah, no, I like to -- I don't like to dwell too much on that," he said.
Andre Agassi lost to Roger Federer in the US Open 2005 final
Andre Agassi sought a third US Open title in his 20th consecutive Grand Slam campaign in 2005, but his hopes were dashed in the final by Roger Federer. The defending champion defeated Agassi with a score of 6-3, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-1.
Agassi beat Razvan Sabau, Ivo Karlovic, Tomas Berdych, Xavier Malisse, James Blake and Robby Ginepri en route to the title bout. That also marked his last appearance in a Major final.
The American retired from tennis a year later, after being eliminated in the third round of the New York Slam by Benjamin Becker. That drew the curtains on a two-decade career that included eight Grand Slam titles among other achievements.