‘A Hole in the Whole Family Structure’ – When Andre Agassi’s Mother Opened Up About the Dangerous Aftermath of Cancer

American tennis great Andre Agassi has seen many difficult days in his tennis career. The former world number one never loved tennis and still went on to achieve tremendous success. As he grew older in his career, the American had a failed marriage and a few other personal issues as well. While the eight-time Grand Slam champion’s career started returning to the track, another challenge awaited.

Back in 2001, the Agassi family had some serious challenges. Andre’s sister and later his mother, Betty Agassi, were diagnosed with breast cancer. However, the family stood strong and the bad time passed. Betty later recalled the impact of disease on the family and what she does to help others facing similar health problems.

Betty Agassi speaks about her battle with cancer

Betti Agassi successfully came out of a tough phase in her life. Now, she is giving back to society by helping spread awareness about cancer. Speaking about her own battle with the deadly disease, she said, “It took me quite a while, quite a while. It was a bad experience.”

She further added, “I’m trying to tell other breast cancer survivors that they have a big fight on their hands and that there’s always a chance that it might return… It does affect the whole family. It puts a hole in the whole family structure. Everybody is changed.”

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Agassi’s family had to go through it twice as both Betty and her daughter Tami went through the same ailment. However, the way they supported each other is a perfect example of families dealing with such situations.

Andre Agassi on post-retirement life

Andre Agassi is a rare tennis great who hated the game. While his father pushed him into the game, he went on to become one of the best, even after resenting it. Meanwhile, alongside his career, life kept changing for the American. He fell in love, married, divorced, and married again. In between, he had a rough phase in his career as well, but he overcame that too.

After a pretty successful career when the time came for giving up the game, Agassi was not ready. It was all he wanted. He no longer had to play the game he hated, but still, Agassi was not happy. Back in 2015, in an interview, the eight-time Grand Slam champion revealed it was tough to retire.

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He was not sure what he will do next after retirement. For a person who has spent all his time playing tennis, it was difficult to see a future without it. Agassi said it felt like, “Planning for death.”