Steffi Graf has revealed the unusual marriage rule with husband Andre Agassi that has been key to their 25-year union. The tennis star has given insight into one unlikely way the sporting legends help maintain their healthy relationship.
The former tennis star, 56, revealed to People magazine last year that the couple ensure they always play on the same side in pickleball doubles matches. "We don't play against each other," she said. "We prefer to be on the same side of the court."
Pickleball is a favourite of the tennis legends. "Andre still plays tennis, but I don’t much anymore," said Steffi of her 55-year-old husband. "We really liked learning a new sport during the pandemic and meeting new friends through pickleball."
The German sportswoman won 22 Grand Slam titles during her tennis career, while her American other half secured eight Grand Slam titles. They retired from the sport in 1999 and 2006 respectively.
© Getty ImagesTheir pickleball rule seems to be an effective one since their relationship is still going strong. They share two children - a son Jaden, 24, and a 22-year-old daughter Jaz.
Streffi and Andre - who was previously married to actress Brooke Shields - first met at Wimbledon in 1992 when they were both triumphant at the tournament. However, they didn't start dating until 1999, and married in 2001 in a private ceremony at their Las Vegas home with only their mums as witnesses.
In 2014, Andre told The Cut that, before they got together, he had admired Steffi "from a distance and marvelled at her" early on. However, the tennis star was wed to Brooke from 1997 to 1999, and they had dated for four years prior to that.
© WireImageSpeaking to AARP: The Magazine in 2024, the model and actress, 60, said: "With Andre, it also felt good to feel smaller than another, because he was so famous and number one in the world. Everywhere we went, he had tons of bodyguards. I could sit back because it wasn't my world."
However, in her 2014 memoir There Was a Little Girl, Brooke admitted that the couple hardly saw each other after they had walked down the aisle. "It hit me all of a sudden – I knew I had made a mistake," she explained. "For the next two years, we saw very little of each other. I was working on my show, Suddenly Susan, and he was playing at various tournaments."
