"We didn't have to explain everything" - When Andre Agassi opened up about his and wife Steffi Graf's understanding of each other's 'sufferings'

Andre Agassi once opened up about the unspoken understanding he shared with his wife Steffi Graf, which was rooted in the similar challenges they faced in their tennis journeys. Agassi and Graf had started dating in 1999 and tied the knot two years later.

Agassi made no secret about his complicated relationship with tennis after retiring, admitting in his autobiography 'Open' that he "hated" the sport. While speaking to Spiegel International in 2009, the eight-time Grand Slam champion revealed that when he had expressed these sentiments to Graf, she had simply responded, "Don't we all [hate tennis]?"

Having both grown up with fathers who exerted control over their careers, Andre Agassi disclosed that he and Steffi Graf didn't need to explain everything in words to understand one another's 'sufferings.'

"I was the better talker; she was the better listener. But we did not have to explain everything," Andre Agassi said.

However, Agassi also pointed out that a crucial difference between them was that Graf had chosen to play tennis herself, whereas he had been thrust into the "wrong life" by his father.

"We both knew a lot, yes. But there is a very significant difference between us: Stefanie wanted to play tennis, it was her decision; and I did not, but I had to. For me it was the wrong life; it was not mine," he added.

Andre Agassi further pointed out that Steffi Graf "did not have to give up her family or her childhood" while pursuing a career in professional tennis. On the other hand, Agassi's father sent him to train at Nick Bollettieri's academy in Florida when he was just 13 years old, an experience that the American has likened to being in a "glorified prison camp."

"Steffi Graf is much more secure, much clearer and stronger than me" - Andre Agassi on what he has learned from his wife

Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi - Source: Getty

In the aforementioned interview, Andre Agassi candidly shed light on the other differences between him and his wife Steffi Graf. The American said that Graf was much more secure and resilient compared to him.

"Oh, no, there are a lot of differences. Stefanie is much more secure, much clearer and stronger than me," Agassi said.

When asked what he had learned from the 22-time Grand Slam champion, Agassi was quick to express admiration for how Graf confronted her fears and lived life on her own terms. He also credited the German for teaching him to rely on his emotions when it came to tennis, rather than overthinking his every move.

"The way she faces and confronts her fears, how she lives the way she wants to live -- I did not know this was possible. She was the one to show me, with her life, how to care about something every day. This, too, was new to me. Or, in sports, she told me: "Stop thinking; it's about feeling,"" he added.

Andre Agassi further asserted that Steffi Graf had dealt with the "high stakes, heavy pressures, and high expectations" life of a professional tennis player with a lot more grace than he had.

Edited by Urvi Mehra