"I remember trying to get her a seat in my box and she wanted nothing to do with it" - When Andre Agassi recalled how Steffi Graf refused his help ahead of 1999 US Open final
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are one of tennis' most prominent power couples, if not the most. They got married on October 22, 2001 at their Las Vegas home and have two kids together — son Jaden Gil and daughter Jaz Elle.
During an Australian Open event a few years back, the former American World No. 1 was asked about his relationship with Graf, specifically on the day of the 1999 US Open final, which was contested by himself and Todd Martin.
"Let’s see how much I remember," Andre Agassi recalled. "I remember that I broke Martin in the first game of the match and we proceeded to not break each other for three hours. I beat him 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2 so it was a good to the evening portion."
It was an important day in Agassi's life, both professionally and personally. With the victory in the US Open final he returned to the top of the ATP rankings, which ended Pete Sampras' six-year streak of ending the season as the No. 1 ranked player.
The eight-time Grand Slam winner also recalled how he tried to get his wife a seat in his player's box but she refused to let him worry about it.
"That was a wonderful time certainly in our lives. I remember trying to get her a seat in my box and she wanted nothing to do with it. She said to me, 'Don’t worry about me, you worry about Todd Martin. I’ve been around the stadium a few times and I will be fine.' So she figured it all out and that was the start," he stated.
The pair then went out for dinner that night and the 52-year-old stated that she traveled with him to his house after that and "never left."
"She came [home] with me from New York and never left. I don’t know what else to say. My hope and desire was to you know dream about a future but future doesn’t happen unless you live everyday the way you believe in. She teaches me every day that that’s achievable," he added.
"I was depressed, I was in a marriage I didn't want to be in" - When Andre Agassi opened up about his drug use
Before Steffi Graf, Andre Agassi was married to Brooke Shields for almost three years. The pair married in 1997 before parting ways in 1999. Speaking about that period of his life several years later, Agassi revealed that he had consumed a highly addictive illegal drug in 1997 and lied to the ATP to avoid a ban.
He stated that he was very vulnerable while going through a bad marriage and that he consumed a drug called 'crystal methamphetamine.'
"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 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 I took it," Andre Agassi said.
"And do you realize the trappings of it when it happens? No, I couldn't understand the full implications of what it means. I think that's part of the trappings of drugs and that's part of the truth that has to be talked about," he added.