"What man wants to be reminded that his wife has many more trophies" - When Boris Becker wondered if Steffi Graf had motivated Andre Agassi's comeback

Boris Becker once wondered whether Steffi Graf and her impressive accomplishments were the catalyst behind her husband Andre Agassi's remarkable comeback on tour. Following a brief marriage to actress Brooke Shields from 1997 to 1999, Agassi began dating Graf and the couple tied the knot in 2001 after dating for two years.

Agassi had established himself as a star in the early to mid 1990s, winning three Grand Slam titles and attaining the World No. 1 ranking. However, the American hit rock bottom in 1997, as he failed to win a single title while turning to drugs and struggling with depression.

After falling outside the top 100 in the rankings, Andre Agassi made a decision to start working towards his comeback. It still took him over a year to get back to winning ways at the Majors, which he did by triumphing at the 1999 French Open and then clinching four more Grand Slam titles.

In his 2004 autobiography 'The Player,' Boris Becker expressed admiration for Andre Agassi's tennis skills and determination to make an exceptional comeback after his slump. He said that the American's triumph at the 2003 Australian Open and reascendance to World No. 1 at 33 years old, making him the oldest player to do so at the time, was a story worthy of a Hollywood movie.

"Agassi is an incredibly good tennis player. He trained hard for his comeback. He’d lost and endured more than enough, but he was able to fan back into flames this unextinguishable ambition he has. Victory at the Australian Open in 2003, and once ‘again the world’s number one, at the age of thirty-three — the storyline of a Hollywood movie," Becker wrote.

Becker also questioned whether Steffi Graf, with her more decorated career, had provided the motivation Agassi needed for his resurgence. He suggested that having a wife with significantly more trophies likely would've inspired the American to work harder.

"Is this thanks to Steffi? His second wife must certainly be good motivation. What man wants to be reminded at the breakfast table that his wife has brought home many more trophies than he has?" he added.

Despite winning his eighth and final Grand Slam title at the 2003 Australian Open, Andre Agassi was very far from Steffi Graf's tally, given that she had retired with 22 Majors in 1999.

"I wasn’t surprised" - Boris Becker on Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi's romance

Steffi Graf and Andre Agassi - Source: Getty

In his memoir, Boris Becker revealed that Steffi Graf did not mention her new romance with Andre Agassi when he called to wish her well after she announced her retirement in 1999.

However, the German said that he wasn't surprised by the news because he had been well aware of Agassi's "crush" on Graf. Becker further asserted that they had become the "dream couple" in the tennis community after overcoming the hurdles in their path.

"I called Steffi. She was relaxed and happy. I congratulated her on her career and on making this decision at the right moment. We both knew what retiring felt like. I had no idea of her new love, Andre Agassi; she didn’t mention him at all. But I wasn’t surprised when I did learn of it," Becker wrote.

"I knew that Agassi had had a crush on Steffi for some time, but first he had to get over the break-up with Brooke Shields, and Steffi had to get used to the end of her career. Now they are tennis’s dream couple," he added.

Boris Becker also shared that bookies were already considering Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf's then-one-year-old son Jaden a future Wimbledon champion. However, Jaden has gone on to pursue a career in professional baseball, while his younger sister Jaz has become a fitness trainer.