"He doesn’t care where or when or how I make Stefanie my wife" - When Andre Agassi described how his father reacted before his marriage to Steffi Graf
Andre Agassi's incredible on-court achievements, his fairytale marriage to Steffi Graf, and the tell-all autobiography 'Open' have ensured that the Las Vegas native remains one of the most popular players in the tennis world. Agassi, who won eight Grand Slam titles over the course of an eventful career - including four Australian Open titles - married German tennis legend Graf in 2001.
The American previously dated singer Barbra Streisand, and he was also married to actress Brooke Shields between 1997 and 1999. Agassi shared a difficult relationship with his father, which was highlighted in his book.
He also mentioned that while his father wasn't interested in being part of his marriage with Graf, he did not disapprove of her either. The marriage took place in the presence of both the couple's mothers, with Emmanuel Agassi describing the 22-time Grand Slam champion as "the greatest women's tennis player of all time."
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"My father insists he’s not the least bit slighted by not getting an invite," Agassi wrote in his book. "He doesn’t want an invite. The last thing he wants to do is attend a wedding. He doesn’t like weddings. (He walked out in the middle of my first.) He doesn’t care where or when or how I make Stefanie my wife, he says, so long as I do it. She’s the greatest women’s tennis player of all time, he says. What’s not to like?"
"The judge runs through his legal rigmarole, and Stefanie and I are just about to say I do, when a team of landscapers arrive," Agassi added. "I run outside and ask them to please turn off their lawnmowers and leaf blowers for five minutes so that we can get married. They apologize. One holds a finger over his lips. By the power vested in me, the judge says, and at last, at long last, with two mothers and three landscapers looking on, Steffi Graf becomes Stefanie Agassi."
"I was in a marriage I didn't want to be in" - Andre Agassi on his relationship with Brooke Shields
In his autobiography, Andre Agassi made the shocking revelation that he got into drugs to cope with his difficult marriage to Brooke Shields. He also admitted that he had written to the ATP to avoid a ban.
Agassi disclosed in his book that he had consumed crystal methamphetamine but told the ATP that he accidentally drank a soda spiked with the drug, which was done by an assistant of his.
While promoting the book in 2009, the American elaborated on the circumstances behind the dark chapter in his life. Andre Agassi also explained that no one really understands the "power of drugs" when they do it, after being asked if he knew the dangers involved.
"I don't know if anybody really understands the power of drugs when they choose to do it. It was at a time when I was depressed, I mean I was at a low point. I was in a life I didn't choose, I was in a marriage I didn't want to be in. Somebody came along and offered me an escape and so I took it. Do you realize the trappings of it when it happens? No, I couldn't understand the full implications," Andre Agassi stated.