‘Found Myself in a Marriage I Didn’t Want to Be In’- Andre Agassi on Marrying Hollywood Celebrity Brooke Shields

Andre Agassi is one of the most well-known personalities in the sporting world. He is infamous for wearing his heart on his sleeve during his playing days. The eight-time Grand Slam champion often indulged in verbal wars with his opponent and chair umpires.

Unfortunately, his on-court aggression and explosive nature often seeped into his personal life, especially during his first marriage. The American legend recently shared the reason behind his overall aggression and behavior.

Andre Agassi shares his story

Agassi was carrying a lot on his shoulders; from carrying the weight of fans’ hopes to proving himself worthy of his father’s efforts. As he said, “The truth is, every time I won, I was letting on this dirty little secret that it doesn’t change anything. You are still expected to go out there and do the same thing next day, be judged for what you are and what you aren’t.”

“It was all a bit of a whirlwind for me. I was so disheartened with it all that I just hoped being no.1 is fulfilling what my father always wanted me to do. Which sort of answers that disconnect and I never forget the day I became no.1. I actually felt nothing,” he explained.

Thereafter, the 52-year-old added. “As a result, I really started an inward spiral. I completely gave up tennis inside the lines, fell to no. 141, found myself in a marriage I didn’t wanna be in, and found myself using recreational drugs to the point of destroying my body.”

Agassi’s connection with tennis started when he was 12-year-old when he won the National Indoor Boys 14s Doubles Championships trophy. His father Mike Agassi, a former Olympic boxer from Iran, gave his all to help his son enter professional tennis. He used what he had and managed three months’ worth of Nick Bollettieri’s Tennis Academy fees.

Read more: Here Is Why Michael Jordan Once Made a Switch From His Brand to Andre Agassi’s Air Challenge LWP

Speaking of his first marriage, he tied the knot with the American actress Brooke Shields in 1997 and in just two years of their marriage; they parted ways in 1999.

Agassi found his soulmate in a fellow tennis star

After his divorce, the former World no.1’s life started getting back on the track. He exchanged vows with fellow tennis ace and 22-time Grand Slam champion Steffi Graf in 2001. They have been happily married for over two decades and are parents to Jaden Gil Agassi and Jaz Elle Agassi.

Further, his career bloomed in the early 2000s as he claimed three Grand Slam trophies at the Australian Open. Also, he became the second oldest Cincinnati Masters singles champion in 2004 and made a run till the finals of the US Open the following year.

Watch this story: Martina Navratilova once chastised American icon Andre Agassi over his substance abuse confession