Balance Jan Issue 2018 - 41
Transform:
NET GAINS
Child prodigy
Tennis ace Father
Coach Activist
Andre Agassi tells Balance
about living a life defined
by transformation
T
IMAGES: PA PHOTOS, GETTY IMAGES.
words by SUZ ANN E B AUM
here was one really bad
weekend when the rain
at Wimbledon didn't stop
pouring down, yet the
show always had to go on,
come rain or shine,' says the tennis legend
and current education activist, Andre Agassi.
This strikes me as the motto of his life
as we sit and discuss how he has fought
back against all life has thrown at him; the
highs and lows of his schooling, his lovehate relationship with tennis, overcoming
addiction and the road to recovery from a
back injury that caused him to retire from
me nostalgic, but in some
professional tennis in 2006, aged 36.
ways it is like when I think
'Life is a learning curve and even at my
about my kids' births - it was
lowest times I've never given up,' he adds.
a long time ago but it feels like
In his autobiography, Open, Andre tells
yesterday. It is so nice to visit Wimbledon
of how he 'played tennis for a living even
in a relaxed state of mind rather than as a
though I hated it,' due to a fear of losing, an
stressed out player.'
overbearing father and the fact it took over
As for the difficult on court memories, he
his life. I imagine his lows were frequent.
admits there are plenty, jokingly referring
Andre describes how his father, a former
to Pete Sampras as his biggest challenge.
Olympic boxer, got angry a lot. He
Although the rivalry between the two
hints that it was his father's search
men is well-documented, Andre
through Andre, for the American
tells me he has 'the utmost
L E ARNING CURVE
Dream, that made him detest
respect for Sampras'.
In the past four
the sport so much.
The twinkle in the tennis
years, Andre has
ace's
eye is still there, he
helped set up 70
seems at ease, happy to talk
THE HOME OF TENNIS
public schools for
about anything he loves, from
'After two decades of sprinting,
underprivileged
kids.
coaching to kids to coffee. I ask
stopping on a dime, jumping
whether he used caffeine to boost
high and landing hard, my body
his energy levels as a professional.
no longer felt like it was my body,' he
says. 'Consequently, at that time, my mind
'There is a lot of science behind how
no longer felt like my mind.' Although 26
caffeine can affect muscle performance
years since he won his men's singles title at
and in those days I was guided by the
Wimbledon, Andre still considers it like a
best nutritionists and coaches so followed
second home. 'Being at Wimbledon makes
their advice,' he says.
January 2018 BA LA N CE
KEY LIFE
MOMENTS
OF A
TENNIS
SUPERSTAR
These days, Andre coaches
tennis great Novak Djokovic
and having been away from the
game for a number of years, taking on
the job was not an easy decision to make.
But, thanks to his wife of 16 years, Steffi
Graf, he decided to take the job on. 'Novak is
a good man who is great at the game,' Andre
says. 'Tennis deserves him.'
RAISING KIDS
Known to be very protective of his family,
Andre rarely talks about them but he doesn't
seem to take offence when I casually ask
after his kids. With a beaming smile he tells
me they 'are simply great', referring to his
15-year-old son, Jaden, and daughter Jaz, 13.
'One of the best things about having
teenagers is when they turn out OK you
can look back and think yes I did a great job
raising them and that's what Steffi and I do,'
he says. 'We managed to bring them up well
and we trust them deeply.' B
Andre Agassi is the global ambassador
for Lavazza.
41
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