"This is one of the things that I envied about her" - When Andre Agassi discussed why he was not worried about Steffi Graf getting affected by his drug use revelations
American tennis legend Andre Agassi once shared his thoughts about bringing his wife Steffi Graf, a tennis icon in her own right, back into the public eye during his drug scandal.
In his autobiography "Open," Agassi not only discussed his tennis career but also revealed that he experimented with crystal meth in 1997. He said that had lied after receiving a positive drug test by claiming he had ingested meth unwillingly. He was later required to submit a letter to the ATP explaining that he had consumed a drink laced with the substance by his drug-using assistant Slim.
In light of this, in a 2009 interview with SPIEGEL, the eight-time Grand Slam winner was asked if Steffi Graf was worried about being thrust back into the public spotlight following her husband's admission to using drugs. Agassi responded by stating that Graf is someone who can't be pushed anywhere if she doesn't want to, a trait the American envies and wishes he possessed.
"You cannot push Stefanie anywhere. She doesn't go where she doesn't want to go. This is one of the things that I envied about her and one of the things that I wanted from her before I even met her. I wanted to know this person who was how I wanted to be, somebody who knew herself so clearly, without doubts or hesitations," Andre Agassi said.
Agassi and Graff, two of the greatest tennis players of their generation, decided to tie the knot 21 years ago. Graf gave birth to their first child, Jaden Gil, on October 26, 2001, and their daughter Jaz Elle was born two years later. They remain happily married, living in Las Vegas, and have been involved in a lot of work for charity work over the years.
"She trusts me a lot and she could tell that this was a story that was important to me" - Andre Agassi on Steffi Graf
Discussing Steffi Graf's reaction to him revealing his controversial drug use to the public in his autobiography, Andre Agassi claimed that his wife had full trust in him and understood the significance of the information he had to share.
"I think, first off, she trusts me a lot. And she knows that if I do this, I will make sure that I maintain and protect what's important to her. But she also has a tremendous amount of love and respect and support for me. And she could tell that this was a story that I needed to tell, that it was important to me," Agassi said.
The 52-year-old also said that they continued to play tennis together occasionally even after retirement.
"We go out occasionally; and when we do, we enjoy it. I enjoy it if she doesn't make me run. If she hits it to me, I'm happy; and if I make her run, she's happy. She likes the exercise; I just like to hit the ball," Andre Agassi said.