"Roland Garros is like Mount Everest, one step at a time with no oxygen" - When Andre Agassi and wife Steffi Graf won 'special' French Open together
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf are arguably the best "It" couple in tennis history. The two players achieved quite an elusive feat in 1999, each triumphing in the singles event at the French Open.
Agassi began dating Graf in 1999 after divorcing his first wife, Brooke Shields, earlier that year. The couple arrived in Paris as underdogs in their respective events. The American was seeded 13th and hadn't won a Major title since 1995, and the German was seeded 6th and had been on an injury layoff during 1997-98.
Both players, however, went through a rejuvenation during the fortnight in Paris. While Andre Agassi won some gutsy early-round matches to reach the semifinals, Steffi Graf had a relatively easier time than the American, only dropping one set en route to the last four.
The going got tougher for Agassi and Graf in their respective semifinal and final outings. Agassi needed four sets to douse an inspired Dominik Hrbaty's challenge in the last four, before coming from two sets down to beat first-time finalist Andrei Medvedev in the championship match to win his maiden Major title on the clay.
Graf, meanwhile, would beat then-World No. 1 Martina Hingis and her arch-rival Monica Seles from a set down in back-to-back matches, recording her 23rd and final Grand Slam triumph in the process. She retired from pro tennis a few weeks later, as she admittedly had "nothing more left to accomplish".
The German's husband looked back fondly on their respective arduous Roland Garros campaigns in 2011.
"We don’t really talk about it, but the memory is so alive. But you also live with the fact her experience was way different than mine," Andre Agassi told The New York Times. "This was a hard tournament for me, so to get over the line at that moment was something special."
"She had certainly a great moment in 1999 not being favored to win, but my memory of Roland Garros is like Mount Everest, one step at a time with no oxygen. And I finally got there and the weather broke, and I had my window and made it to the summit. Quite a moment," he added.
Andre Agassi won four more Majors before calling the curtains on his career in 2006
Andre Agassi won the 1999 US Open with Steffi Graf cheering him on in the stands. The American then swept the Australian Open in 2000-01, before suffering a championship-match defeat to archrival Pete Sampras at Flushing Meadows in 2002.
Not to be deterred, Agassi secured his eighth and final Grand Slam a few months later at the 2003 Australian Open. As a consequence of his triumph, he also enjoyed two stints as the top-ranked player on the ATP Tour in April-May and June-September that year.
Agassi would then succumb to Roger Federer in his last Major final at the 2005 US Open. He bid goodbye to tennis the following year, after losing in the third round of the New York Slam.