"I'll have 50 years with her to be mad at me about more things" - When Andre Agassi bet Steffi Graf to be his doubles partner at 2003 French Open
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are one of the most famous couples in tennis history. The pair started dating in 1999 and got married in 2001.
Back in 2003, Agassi made a bet with Graf when he was competing at the Australian Open. According to the bet, the German would have to partner her husband in the mixed doubles tournament at the French Open if he triumphed in Melbourne.
“If I win here, Stef has to play doubles with me in Paris. You can print that and I’ll hold you to it," Andre Agassi told former doubles World No. 1 Mark Woodforde.
Agassi went on to win the Australian Open in 2003 by beating Rainer Schuttler 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the final. When the American was asked about the possibility of Graf partnering him at Roland Garros, since he had won the bet, Agassi joked that the German was not too pleased about it.
"Yeah, she's not too pleased about that, but hopefully I'll have 50 years with her to be mad at me about more things," he said.
"It's going to be my responsibility to make it happen. I'm the one that said it, so I got to make it up to her somehow. Count on me to work on it," he added.
Ultimately, Graf and Agassi did not compete in the mixed doubles tournament at the 2003 French Open. The former did not take part in the event while the latter competed in the men's singles, where he made a quarterfinal exit following a defeat to Guillermo Coria.
Andre Agassi won four Australian Open titles in his career
Andre Agassi had an impressive record at the Australian Open, winning 48 out of 53 matches at the Asia-Pacific Major. His win percentage of 90.6% is his personal best among all the Majors.
The American won four titles at the Australian Open, the first of which came in 1995 when he beat his rival Pete Sampras 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(6), 6-4 in the final. His second triumph at the event came in 2000, when he defeated then-reigning champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov 3-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 in the title clash.
Agassi successfully defended his title in 2001, triumphing 6-4, 6-2, 6-2 over Arnaud Clement in the final. His fourth and final title at the Australian Open came in 2003, when he beat Rainer Schuttler 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 in the final.
The American's last appearance at the tournament came in 2005 when he was the eighth seed. He reached the quarterfinals of the tournament before losing to Roger Federer.