"Just because I am her father I can’t tell Steffi Graf please don’t continue": When German's dad explained his role in her marriage & retirement plans

Steffi Graf's father Peter once candidly revealed whether he had a say in his daughter's marriage and retirement plans. He also shed light on his daughter's very rich and fulfilling life beyond the realm of tennis.

Shortly after she won her sixth Grand Slam title at the 1989 Australian Open, Graf began her first serious relationship with Alexander Mronz. At the time, Peter had emphasized that he trusted his daughter's judgment when it came to her dating life and called their romance a "good arrangement." He maintained the same stance when asked about her settling down.

Speaking to Gautam Bhattacharya after Steffi Graf's triumph at the 1991 Wimbledon Championships, Peter was asked whether his daughter planned to get married and end her career in the next few years or if she would play for as long as Martina Navratilova.

However, Peter Graf pointed out that Steffi alone could answer the question, since it wasn't his place to tell her how long she should play for. Despite his role as his daughter's manager, he emphasized that she made all of her own career decisions.

"Marriage (laughs). Well, I am afraid I can’t answer this question. Only Steffi can answer this. She is a champion and she takes her own decision. Just because I am her father I can’t go and tell Steffi that please don’t continue beyond this point. No, I won’t do that," he said.

"It is entirely upto Steffi. She’ll play as long as she wants. At this moment she is a young woman who likes to have some life outside tennis. In her spare time she has started playing the piano. She is learning Spanish and will start learning some other languages," he added.

Steffi Graf eventually retired from professional tennis at the age of 30 in 1999, with a record 22 Grand Slam titles under her belt. She then married fellow tennis icon Andre Agassi in 2001 and gave birth to their son Jaden that same year, followed by their daughter Jaz Elle in 2003.

"Still we want to stay in Germany, that's our motherland" - Steffi Graf's father Peter on his daughter voicing her desire to move to America

Steffi Graf with her parents - Source: Getty

During the same interview, Steffi Graf's father was asked about his daughter's admission that she was contemplating moving to the United States. Peter blamed the intrusive German press for his daughter's sentiments.

However, he emphasized that their family still wanted to live in Germany as he acknowledged their roots in the country.

"Yes, she had said that. Again thanks to the Press. Believe me, we don’t want to create a sense. If we want to shift to the US we can do it anybody. But still we want to stay in Germany. That’s our motherland. We’ve got out base there… we pay our taxes there..everything," he said.

The former World No. 1 did end up moving to America after she tied the knot with Andre Agassi. Steffi Graf also validated her father's remarks when she admitted that a big reason why she preferred to raise her children in Las Vegas was because they could be "very normal" as a family.