The name definitely appears in all sorts of lists of the best female tennis players of all time and, as a rule, in first place. The champion of 22 Grand Slam singles tournaments has set many records, as well. Let us remember that tennis was part of the Olympic “family” from 1896 to 1924, and then returned in 1988. Few could imagine that the first champion after a 64-year break would win four Grand Slam singles titles in addition to Olympic gold.
Of course, the Grand Slam itself is a unique achievement. In the women's category, only Maureen Connolly in 1953 and Margaret Smith Court in 1970 won all four trophies in the same season. After 18 years, Steffi became
Born June 14, 1969 in Mannheim, Germany.
Height: 176 cm. Right-handed. One-handed left strike.
Beginning of professional career: 1982. End of career: 1999.
Career prize money: $21,891,306.
In singles there are 902 wins and 115 losses.
Highest place in the rating list: 1 (August 17, 1989).
Number of titles: 107.
Grand Slam tournaments:
Australian Open- victory (1988, 1989, 1990, 1994).
Roland Garros - victory (1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999).
Wimbledon - victory (1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996).
US Open - victory (1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996).
Final tournament - victory (1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996).
Olympic gold medal - 1984, 1988.
Silver medal of the 1992 Olympics.
IN doubles 173 victories and 72 defeats.
Highest place in the rating list: 3 (March 3, 1987).
Number of titles: 11.
Grand Slam tournaments:
Australian Open - semi-final (1988, 1989).
Roland Garros - final (1986, 1987, 1989).
Wimbledon - victory (1988).
US Open - semi-finals (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989).
Bronze medal of the 1988 Olympics.
Tennis is designed in such a way that even best players in the world usually reach all the tops at the end or at least in the middle of their career. By 1995, Andre Agassi had won three Helmets and Olympic gold, but he had to wait another four years for his career Golden Helmet - only at the age of 29 did he conquer Roland Garros. By the age of 20, Chris Evert had collected three components of the Grand Slam, and the fourth part of the “puzzle” was completed only seven years later. Serena Williams already owned all four major titles at the age of 21, but she won the single Olympic gold at 30. Rafael Nadal conquered almost all the peaks before the age of 25, but he has never won the Final Tournament.
Steffi Graf won everything under 20! Absolutely everything. All Helmets, the Olympics, the Final Tournament, the Federation Cup. Of course, she was the first racket in the world. There was no prestigious tournament that did not have the name of a German woman engraved on the championship cup. At the age of 19, Graf understood that she could no longer win anything new, but only had a chance to repeat her successes again and again. And she did this for 10 years. Back and leg injuries that hampered her in the second half of the 1990s forced her to end her career at a rather early age- at 30 years old. One can only wonder how many more records she could have set if not for these injuries.
We will try to talk about interesting and unusual facts of her biography.
The Count tried her best to avoid scandals and not give the yellow press even a reason to invent anything. For journalists, Steffi was a truly difficult “client” - she extremely rarely complained about anything or hurled an unflattering word at her opponents, and Graf did not like to talk about her life off the court. There was nothing to cling to in her biography either. As for her opponents, not everyone remained equanimous. Arancia Sanchez-Vicario, either jokingly or seriously, asked Steffi to quickly get married and end her career. In the collections of the best quotes from today's birthday girl, nothing offensive, even in jest, can be found.
However, a funny fact is known, dating back to the mid-1970s. The teacher at the tennis school where Steffi studied united the most gifted girls and the least successful boys into one group. The Count was one of the best and for some time played with... Boris Becker.
From the late 1980s to the end of the 1990s, Graf regularly won all significant tournaments, and the press, apart from direct successes on the court, had nothing to write about. Yes, it is known that throughout three years Steffi dated a little-known player, Alexander Mronz, and then began a relationship with racing driver Michael Bartols, but journalists were unable to obtain any details.
Some of them crossed the line in 1993, when there was an attack on the Count's main rival at the time, Monica Seles. Let us remember that this happened in Hamburg. During the change of sides, Günther Parhe ran up to Seles and stuck a knife in her back. Parhe was
Vivid sayings:
“I am a person who is responsible for my words.”
“When I wake up, I don’t think how many tournaments I’ve won. I don’t care too much about that.”
"Age? What is this? It's not a number that means anything to me."
“After a few losses, you realize how difficult it is to win.”
“I don’t like the word ‘businesswoman’. The term “devoted mother” is more appropriate.”
was a fan of Graf and wanted to help her win even more tournaments. Journalists tried to find some connection between Parhe and Graf, but to no avail.
A few years earlier, reporters tried to stir up interest in Steffi through her father, Peter. He cheated on his wife with a model. There was even information that they had a child. The German herself, who tried to limit her communication with the press to mandatory press conferences after matches, easily repelled all the attacks of journalists - just as she hit the vast majority of balls on the court. Despite her outstanding achievements, Steffi was and remains modest - she considers Martina Navratilova the best tennis player of all time. She has an excellent relationship with the American, and the meetings on the court ended in a draw - 9:9. With all the other strong players, the German has a positive balance of personal meetings.
It is to Peter that the tennis world should be indebted for such an outstanding player. He headed a small tennis club and became his daughter’s first coach, but then he sold his business, hired Steffi a real coach and advised her to quit school to switch completely to the game. True, Peter forced his daughter to play basketball, but at some point she had to choose one sport.
Many did not believe it when it became known that the shy Count was dating Andre Agassi, a tennis showman and brawler. But this is how Agassi was in the 1980s and 1990s, and after the start of the relationship he changed. In 2001, a wedding took place, which was closed and secret. None of the journalists were able to get to her.
Now the Count lives in California with his husband. She brings up two children and occasionally takes part in exhibition tennis matches, and devotes more time to her projects - in particular, the non-profit Foundation Children of Tomorrow. In addition, she is interested in contemporary art and photography - as a child, Steffi wanted to become a photo reporter for the National Geographic channel. And in Leipzig since 1991 tennis center for the training of young players named after Steffi Graf.
Steffi Graf, as journalists say, is exactly the case when dry numbers are enough to realize greatness. For my professional career The German tennis player has won Wimbledon seven times, Roland Garros six, US Open five and Australian Open four. In total - 22 Grand Slam tournaments won. In total, over the years brilliant career she won 107 titles (the third-most in history) in singles and 11 more in doubles. As a member of the German national team, Graf twice won the Federation Cup. She also won the Hopman Cup together with Michael Stich.
Steffi Graf didn't just win every possible award in tennis. She became the first and remains the only tennis player to win the Golden Slam. The German showed a unique result in 1988, when she not only won all four Grand Slam tournaments, but also won gold medal at the Olympic Games in Seoul.
Steffi Graf spent 186 consecutive weeks as world number one (an unsurpassed record in women's tennis). In general, at different times she spent a record 377 weeks in first place in the world rankings. The German superstar was ranked number one in the world eight times at the end of the year.
Steffi Graf is one of the few tennis players who has played several matches in the five-set format. From 1986 to 1996, she reached the finals of the final championships six times, and in five of them she needed to score three sets to win. The Count defeated Gabriela Sabatini, Martina Navratilova and Arantha Sanchez-Vicario in four games, but she played all five sets against compatriot Anke Huber in 1995 and Martina Hingis in 1996. And she won, of course.
Steffi Graf won the heart of another tennis legend - Andre Agassi. On October 22, 2001, a modest wedding ceremony took place, attended only by the mothers of star players.
According to Steffi, she and her husband don’t talk about tennis at home. “Unless we are watching the Grand Slam tournament on TV, we very rarely talk about tennis. Our lives now have slightly different priorities,” she emphasizes. “Now we discuss our children, the affairs of our foundations and other projects.”
Unfortunately for many tennis fans, specialists and bookmakers who started taking bets, the children Graf and Agassi are not going to become tennis players. The star couple's son Jayden Gil, who will turn 13 in October, plays baseball and supports the San Francisco Giants, and 10-year-old daughter Jazz Elle prefers horse riding.
In addition to tennis, Steffi Graf herself is interested in many other sports. For example, athletics and basketball. She has been following NBA matches for many years. Thanks to my son, I also became interested in baseball. And also, together with his family, he watches with interest the winter extreme games and is looking forward to more tricks from "The Flying Tomato" Shaun White. The famous tennis player herself tried snowboarding and even skateboarding, but in the end “decided to leave it to those who are younger.”
Steffi Graf is the founder and chairman of the non-profit foundation Children for Tomorrow, which supports children affected by war or in other difficult life situations.
In her youth, Graf dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, filming documentaries or take up photography. After retirement professional tennis player She managed to fulfill her last wish. While traveling to Eritrea, a country in East Africa, where she opened a kindergarten, Steffi shot a photo report for National Geographic magazine about the lives of children and their families in a poor neighborhood of the capital Asmara. “Photography, working behind the camera, has always been my passion,” she admits.
Another hobby of the Count is art. "I really like the free time go to museums,” she says. - The career of a professional tennis player gave big advantage: traveling through cities and countries, one could visit all kinds of exhibitions."
“It’s difficult to choose one favorite artist,” she adds. “But I especially like Giovanni Giacometti and other impressionists.”
Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf(German: Stefanie Maria "Steffi" Graf); June 14 (1969-06-14 ) , Mannheim) - German tennis player.
Achievements
- Winner of the 1988 Golden Grand Slam. The only one who has achieved such success on four different types of surfaces (grass, clay, hard Rebound Ace, synthetic Court Supreme).
- The best in the world of sports based on the results of 1988.
- Owner of "non-classical" Grand Slam in 1993-94.
- She was declared world champion at the end of the seasons 7 times (record) - 1987-1990, 1993, 1995, 1996.
- She finished a record 8 seasons with the rank of first racket in the world.
- She reached the finals of Grand Slam tournaments a record thirteen times in a row (from Roland Garros '87 to Roland Garros '90).
- Five-time winner of the Women's Tennis Association Final Tournament (Virginia Slims Championships, Chase Championships) (1987, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996).
- Together with Australian Margaret Smith-Court, they are the only players in tennis to win three Grand Slam tournaments five times in one calendar year (for Graf these are the seasons , , , , ).
Grand Slam winner
- Australian Open - 1988, 1989, 1990, 1994
- French Open - 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1999
- Wimbledon tournament - 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996
- US Open - 1988, 1989, 1993, 1995, 1996
Winner and medalist of the Olympic Games
- 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul - singles gold
- 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul - bronze in doubles (paired with K. Kode-Kielsch)
- 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona - silver in singles
Biography
The Count is one of the best tennis players of the 20th century. The Graf era began on August 17, 1987, when she officially became the world number one, pushing Martina Navratilova to second position. With short breaks, Graf was the best for 10 years.
In total, she won the Grand Slam tournaments 22 times in singles and once in doubles (paired with Gabriela Sabatini, Graf won Wimbledon in 1988, defeating Soviet tennis players Zvereva and Savchenko in the final). In the period from 1986 to 1999, she repeatedly won various WTA tournaments. Won 107 singles in total WTA tournaments(third highest in tennis history after Navratilova and Evert).
Steffi Graf participated in three Olympics and won in Los Angeles (1984) (the tennis tournament was an exhibition) and Seoul (1988), and in Barcelona 92 she received silver, losing in the final to Jennifer Capriati. In 1996, Graf was intensively preparing for performances in Atlanta, but literally before the start of the Olympics she was injured. She considers this fact the biggest failure in her career.
Twice Graf brought the German national team the Fed Cup championship title - in 1987 and 1992.
Steffi Graf's game was originally built around athleticism. Her strongest forehand (forehand) was her main trump card for a long time. Graf's noticeable advantage came from his footwork and very fast movement around the court. She often ran under her forehand and opened up a significant portion of the court. However, the opponents could not take advantage of this game advantage, since Graf's movement around the court was very fast. Over the years, the game Graph has improved, the technical level has increased. During the confrontation with Seles, Steffi Graf began sending the ball towards her opponents with a twist and very low above the net, which forced her opponents to hit the ball from a low point and make mistakes. In the future, she will only improve this element. Graf was also highly concentrated and unwavering throughout the match. The mental component of her game was extremely high. One of the strongest and most varied serves in the women's Tour was also an advantage for the German. The only non-attacking blow in the Count's arsenal, the backhand also turned into a serious weapon over time. In the 90s, the tennis player increasingly began to use slices, which, due to their camouflage, baffled her opponents.
For my long career The Count was injured many times, but each time she returned victoriously to the court. In 1997, old problems with her back and legs worsened and Graf was forced to interrupt her performances for almost a year (she did not perform from June 1997 to May 1998). The return in 1998 was painful and difficult, but in 1999 she again entered the top three in the world. After winning Roland Garros '99 over Hingis and the Wimbledon '99 final against Davenport on a positive note, Steffi Graf ended her professional career.
Throughout Graf's career, journalists tried to make money on her name. The athlete’s reputation was so untarnished and her achievements high that the press tried to find at least some “fried” information regarding Graf. So in 1990, the press burst out with piquant details from the personal life of the athlete’s father, Peter Graf. The media featured photographs of Steffi Graf's father in the arms of a young model on the front pages (at that time Peter was married to Steffi's mother). Journalists wrote about the illegitimate child of this union. There was also a lot of hype surrounding the attack on Monica Seles by Steffi Graf fan Günter Parche, which tarnished Graf's reputation. In 1995, a financial scandal was associated with the name of Peter Graf. He was charged with non-payment of taxes on the huge amount of prize money won by his famous daughter, whose affairs he managed single-handedly. In 1996, Peter Graf was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
During her career, Steffi Graf earned over $21 million. This record for prize money among women was surpassed only in 2007 by American Lindsay Davenport.
Life after career
From 1989-92, Steffi had a romantic relationship with little-known tennis player Alexander Mronets. Between 1992 and 1999, Graf dated German racing driver Michael Bartels. But in 1999, Graf’s romance with another world tennis star, Andre Agassi, began to develop rapidly. On October 22, 2001, Steffi Graf married Andre Agassi in Las Vegas. On October 27, 2001, they had a son, Jeden Gil, and on October 3, 2003, a daughter, Jaz Elle.
Steffi Graf did not compete for almost 8 years, but since 2006 she resumed participation in exhibition and charity matches.
Currently, Steffi Graf is actively involved in charity work and is the head of the children's charitable foundation “Children for Tomorrow”. Owns shops sporting goods under the brand of your name. In Germany, she plans to build a clinic for refugee children in 2008. The great athlete is the face of the Swiss watch brand LONGINES. Advertises clothing and interior items from the most famous companies in the world. In addition, Graf financially supports some junior tennis players. At home in Germany there is sports grounds named after Steffi Graf, there is even a monument with her image. Having become the best tennis player on the planet, Graf was elected an honorary citizen of her native Bruhl. And on the eve of 2000, the Germans chose her “athlete of the century.” Steffi Graf is often invited as a guest of honor to important tennis competitions. So, in 2009, she presented the winning trophy at Roland Garros Russian athlete Svetlana Kuznetsova.
On the eve of her 40th birthday, Steffi Graf said this about the role of tennis in her life: “ The greatest gift that tennis has given me is my family... And in second place is the ability to freely choose what I would like to do. I'm happy to be involved in some great projects. I can travel, visit museums, exhibitions, admire architecture, study different cultures. And the experience that comes with this, I can use in all my endeavors.».
The Count speaks German, English, French and Spanish.
Lives in Las Vegas with her family - her husband, famous tennis player Andre Agassi, and two children.
History of Grand Slam singles performances
| Tournament | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | Number of titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | 1/32 | 1/8 | - | - | - | P | P | P | 1/4 | - | F | P | - | - | 1/8 | - | 1/4 | 4 |
| Roland Garros | 1/32 | 1/16 | 1/8 | 1/4 | P | P | F | F | 1/2 | F | P | 1/2 | P | P | 1/4 | - | P | 6 |
| Wimbledon | - | 1/8 | 1/8 | - | F | P | P | 1/2 | P | P | P | 1/64 | P | P | - | 1/16 | F | 7 |
| US Open | - | 1/64 | 1/2 | 1/2 | F | P | P | F | 1/2 | 1/4 | P | F | P | P | - | 1/8 | - | 5 |
| Rating | 98 | 22 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 28 | 9 | 3 | - |
History of performances at Grand Slam doubles tournaments
| Tournament | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | Number of titles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australian Open | - | 1/16 | - | - | - | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/32 | - | - | - | 1/32 | - | - | - | - | 1/32 | - |
| Roland Garros | - | 1/32 | 1/64 | F | F | 1/2 | F | - | - | 1/2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Wimbledon | - | 1/64 | 1/64 | - | 1/16 | P | 1/4 | 1/4 | 1/64 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1 |
| US Open | - | 1/32 | 1/32 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/2 | 1/4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Facts
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World number one at the end of the calendar year (8)
| WTA ranking (December) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Tennis player | Glasses | ||
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 280,20 | ||
| 2 | Martina Navratilova | 231,21 | ||
| 3 | Chris Evert | 165,76 | ||
| 4 | Pam Shriver | 137,27 | ||
| 5 | Hana Mandlikova | 120,96 | ||
| WTA ranking (December) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Tennis player | Glasses | ||
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 325,78 | ||
| 2 | Martina Navratilova | 211,89 | ||
| 3 | Chris Evert | 161,86 | ||
| 4 | Gabriela Sabatini | 143,37 | ||
| 5 | Pam Shriver | 120,68 | ||
| WTA ranking (December) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Tennis player | Glasses | ||
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 300,99 | ||
| 2 | Martina Navratilova | 208,19 | ||
| 3 | Gabriela Sabatini | 166,55 | ||
| 4 | Zina Garrison | 128,49 | ||
| 5 | Arancha Sanchez-Vicario | 121,22 | ||
| WTA ranking (December) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Tennis player | Glasses | ||
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 278,10 | ||
| 2 | Monica Seles | 203,75 | ||
| 3 | Martina Navratilova | 199,42 | ||
| 4 | Mary-Jo Fernandez | 147,02 | ||
| 5 | Gabriela Sabatini | 137,01 | ||
| WTA ranking (December) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Tennis player | Glasses | ||
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 409,17 | ||
| 2 | Arancha Sanchez-Vicario | 243,55 | ||
| 3 | Martina Navratilova | 221,49 | ||
| 4 | Conchita Martinez | 192,33 | ||
| 5 | Gabriela Sabatini | 146,40 | ||
| WTA ranking (December) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Tennis player | Glasses | ||
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 353,29 | ||
| 2 | Arancha Sanchez-Vicario | 311,70 | ||
| 3 | Conchita Martinez | 180,21 | ||
| 4 | Yana Novotna | 164,09 | ||
| 5 | Mary Pierce | 155,73 | ||
| WTA ranking (December) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Tennis player | Glasses | ||
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 393,50 | ||
| 1 | Monica Seles | ----- | ||
| 2 | Conchita Martinez | 255,60 | ||
| 3 | Arancha Sanchez-Vicario | 228,77 | ||
| 4 | Kimiko Date | 165,83 | ||
| WTA ranking (December) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Tennis player | Glasses | ||
| 1 | Steffi Graf | 4.649 | ||
| 2 | ||||
The birthplace of Stefanie Maria Graf is the German city of Brühl. She was born on July 14, 1969 in the family of used car dealer Peter Graf and housewife Heidi Graf. Steffi's father, without being professional athlete, was fond of football and boxing, and already at an adult age he managed to qualify as a tennis coach. Peter took the birth of his daughter as his chance to become a mentor to a future celebrity.
Stefania (that’s what she always preferred to call herself) took to the court at the age of three. Peter Graf's coaching methodology was based primarily on encouragement - for 25 repelled hits, the daughter was entitled to cookies, for 50 - ice cream. Tennis occupied all the girl’s free time from school. Thin, with braces on her teeth, withdrawn, Steffi lived in her own isolated world - but at the age of six she won her first competition, at twelve she became the world champion among schoolchildren and earned the name “prodigy of the century.” From the age of fourteen, the girl switched to a correspondence course in school, began participating in competitions for adults, and at eighteen she took first place in the ranking of professional tennis players.
Since 1986, Graf began to beat the legendary Martina Navratilova. In 1987, Steffi won seven tennis tournaments in a row and won 45 matches, becoming the youngest winner of Roland Garros. And although she lost to Navratilova in the Wimbledon final, Graf became the world champion of the 1987 season. The title of Best Female Tennis Player unconditionally belonged to Steffi until 1990, when Seles and Sabatini joined her longtime rival Navratilova. Moreover, in 1991, Graf held first place in the world classification for 186 weeks, and this record belonged to her until 2008; In addition, to date, Steffi holds the record among men and women for the total duration of the top tennis ranking of 377 weeks. Since 1989, uncompromising battles have begun between Steffi Graf and young Monica Seles, in which the Yugoslav tennis player receives several convincing victories. However, in 1993, Seles was the victim of an attack by a mentally ill fan, Count Günter Parche, and subsequently was never able to recover from the psychological trauma.
For three years, the athletic, fast and balanced Steffi had no worthy rivals. In 1996, Graf was the most likely contender to win the Olympics in Atlanta, but due to an injury she suspended training. In the future, the consequences of injuries did not allow the star tennis player to rise to the heights that she had previously occupied, although in the 1999 season Steffi entered the top three, won Roland Garros and the Wimbledon final, after which she announced that she would stop playing. In 1999, Graf was awarded the Olympic Order by the IOC, and in 2004 she took her place in the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Star status had little effect on Steffi Graf's appearance and character. She practically did not use makeup, preferred to wear jeans and T-shirts, and did not share the details of her personal life. The tennis player starred in advertisements for sporting goods and deodorants, but categorically refused a photo shoot for Playboy magazine and advertising underwear; however, in 1990, Vogue published photographs of Steffi in a low-cut black dress and high-heeled shoes.
Peter Graf, who is still with childhood handled his daughter's financial affairs and her relations with the press, surrounded Stefania's house with a high wall and paid neighbors considerable sums to drive away journalists and photographers. The scandal surrounding the attack on Seles, as well as Peter Graf’s tax fraud that was revealed in 1997, did not affect his daughter’s reputation. The manners of a true lady contributed to the friendship of the great tennis player with Princess Diana - the Count gave tennis lessons to Princes William and Harry. Both fans and rivals of Steffi noted her friendliness, calmness, decency and met with understanding the tennis celebrity’s reluctance to reveal her personal life. After Peter Graf was sentenced to almost four years in prison for tax evasion, and the champion herself had to pay a considerable fine, she was forced to perform intensively with untreated injuries, which, of course, shortened her sports career.
Steffi's appearance, ideal for sports, was far from the replicated standards of beauty. However, there were rumors that her relationship with future husband Andre Agassi began back in 1989, during Roland tournament Garros; however, at the same time Stefania was also credited with an affair with tennis player Mronc. Since 1992, the press has written about Graf's meetings with racing driver Michael Bartels. A strict schedule of training and tournaments did not allow the couple to see each other more than twice a month, and Michael’s numerous affairs did not contribute to the development of a relationship that faded away by the end of the 90s.
In 1999, the Count began to be noticed in the company of the famous tennis player Agassi and discussed the discrepancy between the characters of the shocking Andre and the respectable Steffi. However, it soon turned out that the couple was expecting a child. In the fall of 2001, a modest wedding took place in Las Vegas, and a few days later, three weeks ahead of schedule, Jayden Gill Agassi was born. His sister Jazz Ellie was born in 2003. Agassi considers his marriage to Steffi extremely happy. His wife provided him with moral and organizational support in his last years of performing, and currently helps him in running his business and implementing charitable projects.
12 August 2009, 13:03Andre Agassi was born on April 29, 1970 in Las Vegas. Professional since 1986. Won 60 singles tournaments (including 8 Grand Slams, 17 Masters, 2 Masters Cups and 1 Olympic Games) and 1 tournament (Masters series tournament) in doubles. Steffi Graf was born on June 14, 1969 in Brühl. Professional since 1982. Won 107 singles tournaments (including 22 Grand Slams), 5 final tournaments Women's Tennis Association (WTA, currently held among the best 8 tennis players) and 1 Olympic Games. Agassi and Graf began dating after Open Championship France 1999, where both became winners. They got married on October 22, 2001 in Las Vegas, where only their closest friends and family were present. On October 27, 2001, they had a son, Jaden Gil, and a daughter, Jaz Elle, on October 3, 2003. Ten years later, they returned to the place where their feelings originated - to Paris, at Roland Garros, performed in an exhibition match and gave countless interviews. I am translating excerpts from the Russian Hello. – Andre, Steffi, what are your feelings about Paris ten years later? Andre: Just as beautiful. Paris in general is a romantic city, but for us it is even more significant - ten years ago our destinies crossed here. By that time, I had long admired Steffi, I liked her demeanor and behavior with people, but I never managed to talk to her, to attract her attention. When we both won here in 1999, I had many opportunities to be closer to her. It was difficult not to regard them as signs of fate. Steffi: And I didn’t know anything about Andre until that year. It was Paris that really introduced us and helped us get to know each other. It soon became clear that we had many common interests. – For example, your desire for charity? Steffi: Yes, it definitely brought us closer. My foundation, Children for Tomorrow, which helps victims of violence and war, was created shortly before the victory at Roland Garros. Then I didn’t have my own children yet, and with their appearance this work became even more important for me. Andre: At the time we met, I also had a foundation; I founded it when I was 23 years old. Some people think that I was too young, but even at the age of 17 I knew that one day I would do it! As a result, we created a common fund and opened a school for disadvantaged children in Las Vegas. – Success in tennis brings fame and wealth. What is he missing out on? Andre: A normal life. When you play tennis, life goes by very quickly. There is no time to stop and enjoy it. - But today you are calm. Are you feeling happy? Andre: I guess I'm happy. Although in order to win love and become happy, you also have to fight. (Laughs.) Steffi: I'm happy! – You chose Las Vegas for permanent residence. Why is he so attractive to you? Andre: I would gladly offer Steffi a place where there is more greenery and the sea is closer, but what can I do, my hometown Las Vegas is located in the middle of the desert! But it’s still a cool city, with its own special spirit. Steffi: For me, Germany has always been and will be my homeland. I come there regularly and meet with family and friends. But now my home is where my husband and I live, where our children grow up, where my family is. – Have you thought about a coaching career? Andre: Tennis means a lot to us, but being a coach also means traveling around the world as often as the players. I have not the slightest desire to leave my family even for a short time. Steffi too. – Do your children play tennis? Would you like them to take it seriously? Andre: Our daughter enjoys playing tennis 3-4 times a week, but our son prefers team sports. In general, tennis is a sport for loners, egoists and individualists. I would not want such a fate for my children, a constant feeling of loneliness. In professional tennis you live like on an island. Steffi: That's for sure! You are always alone, you always make your own decisions and thousands of eyes are always looking at you. It's not an easy life. Our children go their own way, and whatever it is, we will support them. ____________________________________________________________________ Here are the most latest photos with children this summer: Thanks to everyone who read to this point, it turned out to be long :) This photo is for me personally
