"I think at that time of life, I couldn't have been married to anybody" - Andre Agassi on wanting a decoy groom on his wedding day with Brooke Shields
Andre Agassi's first marriage was to actress Brooke Shields, which eventually ended in divorce. It was a relationship that had its troubles and did not last long.
The American spoke about it in his autobiography "Open", writing:
“I have a thought no man should have on his wedding day: I wish I were leaving too. I wish I had a decoy groom to take my place,"
In an interview on The Today Show in 2009, Agassi was asked if his desire for a decoy groom was more than just plain jitters. The former World No. 1 said that he couldn't have been married to anyone at that point in his life.
"It was. I think at that time of life, I couldn't have been married to anybody and I think timing is really important. You need a marriage, two people that understand themselves before you can start to figure out how life's gonna work together. I certainly didn't understand myself," Andre Agassi said.
"It was so familiar to me. I mean I played tennis, something I didn't want to go. I was very familiar with the feeling of doing something that I just don't want to do, I just never had a choice and I didn't make a good decision. But, it was a familiar feeling. I said 'Why not, I've always given up on relationships that had two-year blocks in my life historically', and here was this two-year and it's like, 'Maybe I could figure this out'", he added.
"I was depressed, that's really the big reason" - Andre Agassi on taking banned drugs
When asked about his consumption of crystal meth, Andre Agassi said that depression was the big reason behind it. The eight-time Grand Slam champion stated that he found himself in a life he didn't want to be in and that the drug "offered him an escape".
"Well, I was depressed, that's really the big reason. I found myself in a life I didn't want to be in. I was doing something that I hated, that I hadn't chosen for myself. I was in a marriage I didn't want to be in and you know, I was depressed. No energy, pulling out of tournaments, and here's something that comes along and offers me an escape, and I do it, Agassi said.
"anI thought of quitting many times and it was just hard for me. I never quite had the strength to quit, I wanted to continue in some way. I had this conflict and I thought 'Maybe this will just remove the choice for me'. It's like wishing yourself injury on court," he added.