"She must like her husband very much, I don’t think it’s very appropriate" - When Steffi Graf was stunned by Jeff Tarango's wife slapping umpire
Steffi Graf once shared her thoughts on the controversial incident involving former tennis pro Jeff Tarango's ex-wife, Benedicte, who was accused of stalking and slapping an umpire. The German tennis legend admitted she found the situation quite amusing, even though she acknowledged it wasn’t “appropriate.”
Tarango made headlines at Wimbledon in 1995 for an unforgettable outburst during his third-round match against Alexander Mronz. Frustrated with umpire Bruno Rebeuh's calls, he accused him of being "corrupt" and shockingly walked off the court, forfeiting the match.
The drama didn't stop there—Tarango's wife, Benedicte, later confronted Rebeuh in the players' area and slapped him. The incident sparked widespread controversy, resulting in fines and a suspension for her ex-husband.
Many players, including Steffi Graf, were asked to weigh in on the incident. The 22-time Grand Slam champion joked about it with the media, saying that Benedicte "has a lot of guts" and must "love her husband very much."
"She must have a lot of guts to do that, and she must like her husband very much," Graf said with a smile before turning serious. “I don’t think it’s very appropriate. I think she must be - no, I don’t want to say it - maybe a little out of her mind for a couple of minutes."
Benedicte later explained her actions, stating that if Jeff Tarango had slapped the umpire, he would have faced severe consequences. Instead, she took the burden upon herself.
"If Jeff slaps him, he’s out of the tennis tour, so I do it, because I think I should do it. Somebody should defend him at some point," she said.
Tarango said he was proud of his ex-wife for standing up for him, adding:
"I’m glad you did that without me telling you beforehand."
Steffi Graf's husband Andre Agassi once claimed Jeff Tarango cheated on him
Steffi Graf's husband, Andre Agassi, shares a long history with Jeff Tarango. In his 2009 autobiography, Open - An Autobiography by Andre Agassi, the eight-time Grand Slam champion claimed that Tarango cheated during a juniors tournament in 1977, which resulted in his first competitive loss.
Years later, in a 2019 interview with InsideHook, Agassi reflected on the incident, saying while he had forgiven his compatriot for what happened, he would never forget the situation.
"Forgive, yes. Forget, no," he said.
On the main Tour, Agassi and Tarango faced each other seven times, with the former winning all those encounters.