"You don't want to mess with him" - When Steffi Graf responded to a fan asking her about Andre Agassi at her tribute ceremony
Turning pro in October 1982, Steffi Graf enjoyed an approximately 17-year-long glorious career before she hung up her racquet in August 1999. The German legend won 22 Grand Slam titles, and is widely regarded as one of the best players in the history of the sport.
Graf's biggest achievement was winning the Golden Slam in 1988. She captured all four Majors as well as the Olympic gold medal that year; no other player, male or female, has been able to repeat the feat.
A few months after Graf shocked the world by announcing an early retirement from professional tennis at the age of 30, a ceremony was held at New York's Madison Square Garden to honor her decorated career. Countless words of praise and a heartwarming video made Graf really emotional, and she found it difficult to hold back her tears during her speech.
However, there was an interruption from a spectator that made her laugh.
"This is just overwhelming, this is incredible," Steffi Graf said. "All the things that have been said, all the presents that I've received tonight, I want to thank everybody for getting it together, it's so special for me. It's been crazy looking back, seeing the video and hearing about what you've achieved."
"I started playing here 15 years ago and tonight brought back a lot of memories that I've had. I could not have asked for a better place to have this ceremony. To me, this is the greatest arena around the world. I've enjoyed so much being and playing here, so thanks for being around all those years for me," she added.
At this moment, one of the people from the crowd yelled:
"Where's Andre?"
Graf and the rest of the spectators chuckled for a while before the tennis star jokingly warned the person to be careful of Andre Agassi.
"He's probably at home, watching, and he's checking you out. You don't want to mess with him," she said.
Iga Swiatek declines marriage proposal at San Diego Open, bringing up famous Steffi Graf incident
Last Sunday, Iga Swiatek beat Donna Vekic 6-3, 3-6, 6-0 to clinch the San Diego Open. It was the eighth singles title for the World No. 1 in 2022.
During the trophy presentation ceremony, a spectator yelled in the direction of Swiatek, proposing to her. With a smile, the Pole turned down the offer, stating that she wasn't going to repeat what Steffi Graf had once said in a similar situation.
"I'm not going to repeat what Steffi Graf said, but you probably know what she said," Swiatek said.
During one of her matches at the 1996 Wimbledon Championships, Graf received the exact same proposal from a fan. The German star responded by saying:
"How much money do you have?"