"I try to be the person my father was to me in areas" - When Andre Agassi spoke on breaking the 'cycle of dysfunction' with his & Steffi Graf's kids

Andre Agassi once opened up about his approach to parenting his and fellow tennis legend Steffi Graf's children, Jaden and Jaz. The American also disclosed the one area in which he took inspiration from his father, Emmanuel, as a parent.

Agassi, who was introduced to tennis by his father, has admitted that if he treated his children the way Emmanuel treated him, he would consider that "abuse." Nevertheless, the eight-time Grand Slam champion emphasized that his father only had love and loyalty for his children, despite the "mistakes" he made.

Agassi's complicated relationship with his father impacted how he raised his own children, Jaden, who was born in 2001, and Jaz, who was born in 2003. Neither of his and Steffi Graf's kids chose to become tennis players like their parents, with Jaden pursuing a career in professional baseball and Jaz focusing on dance and fitness.

In an interview with The Telegraph in 2018, Agassi revealed that he did not wish for Jaden and Jaz to pursue tennis careers. Instead, the former World No. 1 asserted that his parenting goal was to break the "cycle of dysfunction" from his childhood by learning from the areas he was denied growing up and offering strength like his father had done for him.

"Well, I do not wish my kids had taken up tennis. It’s too late to ask what I wish because they’re older; they’re 16 and 14," Andre Agassi said.

"My goal: We all try to break the cycle of dysfunction in our childhood. And I’ve done my best to do that in areas that I feel that I was denied, and I try to be the person that my father was to me in areas of offering strength. But you do a lot more learning as a parent than you do teaching, and I am always trying to learn," he added.

Andre Agassi's father, Emmanuel, sent him to train at Nick Bollettieri's academy when he was just 13 years old, a place he described as a "glorified prison camp." The eight-time Grand Slam champion has admitted that he "gave up his childhood" to give his and Steffi Graf's children the best childhood possible.

Andre Agassi on being sent to train at Nick Bollettieri's academy: "I try to imagine what it would have been like to say goodbye to my son or to my daughter"

Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf with their children Jaden and Jaz - Source: Getty

In an interview with Inside Tennis in 2017, Andre Agassi admitted to feeling "abandoned" after his father sent him to Nick Bollettieri's academy. He attempted to imagine what it would have been like to do the same for his own children, Jaden and Jaz, when they were 13 years old.

However, the American shared that watching his and Steffi Graf's children grow had been the highlight of his life. He also expressed his hope that Jaden and Jaz would value his presence in their formative years.

"But I think now that I am raising my (two) children it’s grown in its profoundness because I try to imagine what it would have been like to say goodbye to my son three years ago or to say goodbye to my daughter a year ago," Andre Agassi said.

"They turned 16 and 14 last month and these have been some of the most beautiful years of my life since I’m sharing in their growth. Quite frankly, I would hope these years would be very important to them as it relates to who they want to be," he added.

Andre Agassi chronicled his relationship with his father, the details of his career, and his marriage to Steffi Graf in his 2009 autobiography 'Open.' The eight-time Grand Slam champion described the book as a "love letter to his wife and kids."