In contrast, Andre Agassi made a public wager involving his wife Steffi Graf at the 2003 Australian Open. Following his semifinal win over Wayne Ferreira, the American declared that if he triumphed at the Melbourne Slam, he and Graf would play mixed doubles together at the French Open later that year.
“If I win here, Stef has to play doubles with me in Paris. You can print that and I’ll hold you to it,” Agassi said.
Agassi then claimed a 6-2, 6-2, 6-1 victory over Rainer Schuttler in the final to clinch his eighth and final Grand Slam title. Despite his confident proclamation, the former World No. 1 emphasized that it would be very difficult to convince Graf to come out of retirement.
“I don’t think anybody appreciates how hard this is going to be for me to get her out there,” he said in his post-match press conference. “There is nothing about this she is going to enjoy.”
Ultimately, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf did not end up playing mixed doubles together at Roland Garros, likely due to the German getting pregnant with their daughter Jaz. The couple had previously welcomed their son Jaden in 2001.