"You choose your wife and you have difficult moments with your wife" - When Andre Agassi spoke on 'strictly plutonic' relationship with Boris Becker
Andre Agassi once spoke about his relationship with Boris Becker in a post-match press conference in 1998.
The American entered that year's Eurocard Open and partnered with the German in the men's doubles event. This happened just a few years after Becker said that Agassi was not well-liked on tour after beating him in a Wimbledon semifinal.
The American was asked about his relationship with the German and he said that it was "strictly plutonic."
When asked about his "quarrels" with Becker, Agassi likened them to having difficult moments with one's wife. He said that while the two had a difficult moment, they put it behind themselves.
"We spent most of our career with great admiration for each other and we had a difficult moment in 1995, but, you know, you choose your wife and you have difficult moments with your wife, so we have been competing together for twelve years and we had a difficult moment. But it is way behind us.
Agassi competed in the singles event at the Eurocard Open as the sixth seed. He defeated Andrei Pavel to reach the third round where he was beaten by 11th seed and eventual champion Richard Krajicek in straight sets.
Andre Agassi leads 4-1 against Boris Becker in Grand Slams
Andre Agassi and Boris Becker have faced each other in 14 matches, with the American leading 10-4 in the head-to-head between the two.
They squared off in five Grand Slam fixtures, with Agassi winning four of them. The first Major meeting between the two came in the semifinals of the 1990 US Open, with the American coming back from a set down to win the match in four sets. The following year, they locked horns in the final four of the French Open, and Agassi once again won in four sets.
He also edged out Becker in five sets when the two squared off in the quarterfinals of the 1992 Wimbledon Championships. The only time the German beat Andre Agassi in a Grand Slam match was in the semifinals of the grass-court Major's 1995 edition.
Their last meeting at a Major came in the final four of that year's US Open where Agassi came out on top in four sets. Overall, the last encounter between the two came in the final of the 1999 Salem Open, which Agassi won after being a set down.