"She fell, the horse went up & down next to her head" - When Steffi Graf explained why she and Andre Agassi stopped daughter Jaz's horse riding events
Steffi Graf once opened up about how she and fellow tennis legend Andre Agassi's daughter Jaz had developed an interest in competitive horseback riding. However, a frightening incident caused the tennis power couple to end their daughter's participation in those tournaments.
Graf won 22 Grand Slam singles titles during her illustrious career, including seven impressive victories at Wimbledon. Since the former World No. 1 was typically gearing up for the grasscourt major in London during the time of the annual Royal Ascot horse races, she was only able to watch the prestigious event on television.
As such, the German was thrilled to finally experience Royal Ascot for the first time in 2014, even having the honor of presenting the winners of the King's Stand stake with their first-place prizes. In an interview with Hello! at the races, Steffi Graf expressed her excitement for the event, sharing how much she had enjoyed picking out the perfect dress and hat for the special occasion.
"It’s so exciting. From picking out the hat last night, picking out the dress... I’ve been in London during this period before getting ready for Wimbledon, so I’ve seen Royal Ascot on TV and seen pictures of it, and now here I am!" Steffi Graf said.
The 22-time Grand Slam champion disclosed that horse racing was a very popular sport during her childhood in Germany, recalling that she would often visit the racecourse with her family and place small bets for fun.
"You know, as a young girl in Germany, racing was really popular. We actually had a race track maybe seven or eight minutes from home, so we would go there often on weekends and watch the races as a family, do little bets," the German said.
"And now through Longines I’m getting to enjoy bigger races. We went to Kentucky Derby for the last two years and that’s been incredible, and now here we are at Ascot!" she added.
Steffi Graf also opened up about her own experience riding horses as a child and how her daughter Jaz had developed a similar passion, even competing in various tournaments.
However, the German revealed that she and Andre Agassi had decided to pull their daughter away from competitive horseback riding after witnessing a scary fall, when Jaz was thrown off a horse that reared up and brought its hooves down dangerously close to her head.
"I rode a little bit myself, and now I have a ten-year-old girl and she rode for a few years and then started some tournaments. I’ve got to say, we’ve kind of pulled her a little bit away from riding. She fell and the horse went up and down next to her head and we had to watch that, so she still can ride now and then but no more tournaments for a while," she said.
Steffi Graf on her and Andre Agassi's son Jaden and daughter Jaz: "They’re keeping us very busy, they’re really into sports"
During the same interview, Steffi Graf opened up about how she and Andre Agassi's children kept them on their toes with their interest in sports and active lifestyles. The German disclosed that their son Jaden had developed a passion for baseball over tennis.
Graf expressed her appreciation for the community aspect of American sports like baseball and football, highlighting the various youth leagues for children to compete in. The former World No. 1 shared that Jaden had also competed in a soccer league before ultimately deciding to focus on baseball.
"They’re very active, very active. They’re keeping us very busy. They’re really into sports. Our older one plays baseball and it’s a lot of fun. He plays more baseball tournaments than we played tennis tournaments when we were young," Steffi Graf said.
"In America they have a lot of organised sports for baseball, football, the big sports. They’ve got a kind of community; they have a lot of leagues. He did try soccer first. He tried one season but didn’t like the contact of it," she added.
Steffi Graf also shed light on her and Andre Agassi's decision to raise their children in his hometown of Las Vegas. The German expressed her delight at Jaden and Jaz getting the opportunity to grow up with their cousins, as her mother and brother had also moved to the area along with his four children.