"I think at that time of life, I couldn't have been married to anybody" - Andre Agassi on wanting a decoy groom on his wedding day with Brooke Shields

Andre Agassi's first marriage was to actress Brooke Shields, which eventually ended in divorce. It was a relationship that had its troubles and did not last long.

The American spoke about it in his autobiography "Open", writing:

“I have a thought no man should have on his wedding day: I wish I were leaving too. I wish I had a decoy groom to take my place,"

In an interview on The Today Show in 2009, Agassi was asked if his desire for a decoy groom was more than just plain jitters. The former World No. 1 said that he couldn't have been married to anyone at that point in his life.

"It was. I think at that time of life, I couldn't have been married to anybody and I think timing is really important. You need a marriage, two people that understand themselves before you can start to figure out how life's gonna work together. I certainly didn't understand myself," Andre Agassi said.

"It was so familiar to me. I mean I played tennis, something I didn't want to go. I was very familiar with the feeling of doing something that I just don't want to do, I just never had a choice and I didn't make a good decision. But, it was a familiar feeling. I said 'Why not, I've always given up on relationships that had two-year blocks in my life historically', and here was this two-year and it's like, 'Maybe I could figure this out'", he added.

---

"I was depressed, that's really the big reason" - Andre Agassi on taking banned drugs

Andre Agassi pictured at the 2018 Australian Open.

When asked about his consumption of crystal meth, Andre Agassi said that depression was the big reason behind it. The eight-time Grand Slam champion stated that he found himself in a life he didn't want to be in and that the drug "offered him an escape".

"Well, I was depressed, that's really the big reason. I found myself in a life I didn't want to be in. I was doing something that I hated, that I hadn't chosen for myself. I was in a marriage I didn't want to be in and you know, I was depressed. No energy, pulling out of tournaments, and here's something that comes along and offers me an escape, and I do it, Agassi said.

"anI thought of quitting many times and it was just hard for me. I never quite had the strength to quit, I wanted to continue in some way. I had this conflict and I thought 'Maybe this will just remove the choice for me'. It's like wishing yourself injury on court," he added.