It was the 1999 French Open. Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi had entered the final of the tournament and had one hand on the illustrious trophy. The two produced tremendous fightback in the summit clash to emerge victorious. It was the beginning of a fairytale for both players.
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After Agassi’s marriage with actress Brooke Shields ended, he pursued Graf by sending her a note. It turned out to be a successful move, as the two later met in California. By that time, Graf was at the end of her illustrious career and subsequently, the two tied the knot in October 2001. The two legends once sat down for an interview and talked about their beautiful love story.
Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf open up about their relationship
During an interview featuring Agassi and Graf, the interviewer asked them, “Would the relationship have worked if you’d both been on the tours?” Replying to this question, Graf said, “Would have been very very difficult.”
Subsequently, Agassi added, “I always considered myself a moody person, you know, and then I realized when I retired that it’s not really me, it’s like, tennis is moody, you know. Tennis is so demanding and timing in life as everybody sort of knows and probably has experienced one way or another is everything.”
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Graf ended her career at the 1999 TIG Classic in Carlsbad, California. In that tournament, she was the third seed but bowed out of the second round against Amy Frazier. She retired midway through the third set due to a strained hamstring. Shortly after, she announced the end of her playing career at the age of 30.
Agassi’s emotional farewell to tennis
The eight-time Grand Slam champion bid an emotional adieu to tennis after his third-round loss at the 2006 US Open. Addressing the crowd in his farewell speech, Agassi told, “The scoreboard said I lost today, but what the scoreboard doesn’t say is what it is I have found.”
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Further, he added, “Over the last 21 years, I have found loyalty: You have pulled for me on the court and also in life. I have found inspiration.” Subsequently, the crowd gave a lengthy standing ovation to Agassi, one of the country’s greatest tennis players.