Respect and love are keys of marriage with Steffi Graf, says Andre Agassi

n an interview to Irish news, the former American player Andre Agassi commented on the keys of his marriage with the former German player Steffi Graf. They have been married since 2001. ‘I don’t think there’s a secret, but I think there’s some necessary working parts’, said Agassi.

‘I think you need two whole people, individually first of all, who don’t need each other, but respect and love each other in way that has full discipline and commitment. We’re two individuals that have lived full lives and we don’t react to each other; we respond to each other.

If you have those working components, that will give you the chance to nurture a beautiful opportunity.” Agassi and Graf share two children together, which are very important for both of them. “Fatherhood is everything”, the American admitted.

“My greatest responsibility is raising them. As they get older, the decisions get a little bit more precarious and the worries get less but more intense. I have parented differently from my father – I wouldn’t wish that parenting experience on anyone I cared about, because it came with its pains, despite its intentions.

I’ve tried to take the best from it, and teach them the things I held on to that were good. “Our kids are relatively typical. On an average day when my daughter isn’t at school or listening to music in her room, she’ll be asking us to go do something that’s unreasonable! Our son is home-schooled and is training for his objectives in baseball.

When I’m away, I always wear a necklace he made for me when he was five, which is made of beads spelling out ‘daddy rocks’.”