"Just that day, I was late because of a traffic jam" - When Steffi Graf talked about the only time she played tennis with Princess Diana
In 1988, the late Diana, Princess of Wales, caught up with Steffi Graf as the two of them inaugurated the Vanderbilt Racquet Club in London. That was the same year the German legend went on to become the only player till date to achieve the Golden Slam - winning all four Grand Slam titles and the Olympic gold medal.
After posing for a few photographs, Princess Diana teamed up with Club Secretary Charles Swallow for a mixed-doubles match against Graf and David Verney (Lord Willoughby de Broke).
Tennis champ Steffi Graf and Princess Diana at practice in 1988. 🎾 https://t.co/xeoHIstXNv
During a 2021 interview with magazine Gala, 22-time Grand Slam champion Graf revealed how she was late because of a traffic jam on the only occasion where she played tennis with Princess Diana in 1988.
“We even played tennis together once. Just that day, I was late because of a traffic jam," Graf said.
"All I knew was that he's married, I had no idea that he was going through a divorce" - Steffi Graf on how she ended up with Andre Agassi
In another old interview, with former Indian player and commentator Vijay Amritraj, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf opened up about how they got together despite the former being married to actress Brooke Shields from 1997 to 1999.
Agassi admitted to having a huge crush on the German star during the early '90s, but his attempts to talk to her always failed. When his first marriage was about to end, he gave a thought to what he really wanted for himself. It was then that he decided to approach Graf.
In the same interview, Graf stated that she was baffled as to why a married man had sent her a bouquet of roses, especially given that he knew she had a boyfriend. She revealed that she found out about Agassi's divorce after some time, after which things started moving quickly.
The two icons tied the knot on October 22, 2001.
"Our coaches set up practice in 1999 and I was like, 'Why does he want to practice with me? He's married, I've got a boyfriend.' It was all a little confusing to me," Steffi Graf said. "But after the practice, I found this beautiful bouquet of roses in my hotel room with a beautiful letter. We had a brief conversation after that where I said that I've got a boyfriend and all I knew was that he's married. I had no idea that he's going through a divorce. A few weeks later, I heard about the divorce and understood things a little clearer. It took us a few months, but then, everything went really quick."