"Once Andre Agassi met Steffi Graf, things changed" - Ex-coach reveals how German 'gave purpose' to her husband amid struggles with tennis

Andre Agassi's ex-coach Darren Cahill recently shed light on how the American's life changed after he met the legendary Steffi Graf. Cahill, currently one of ATP No. 1 Jannik Sinner's two coaches, was the featured guest on an episode of Tennis Insider Club podcast uploaded on Sunday, March 2.

Here, the iconic Australian coach, who worked with Agassi during his twilight years on the tour, was asked about the nature of the American's relationship with tennis.

In a brutally honest revelation, Cahill delved into the "complicated" aspects of the eight-time Grand Slam champion's love-hate relationship with the sport. According to the Aussie, Agassi's suffering after losses was far more intense than the enjoyment from wins.

"His (Agassi's) relationship with tennis is complicated, if you've read the book," Cahill said, referring to Agassi's 2009 autobiography, 'Open'," Cahill said (at 24:43).

"He never found the right balance. So the right balance for him is if you can get the joy from winning equals the pain from losing, and he always found pain from losing much harder than the highs from winning. So he didn't enjoy the winning moments nearly as much as he suffered through the losing moments. That's why he struggled a little bit with tennis," he added.

However, according to Cahill, Andre Agassi's enduring friendship and eventual romantic relationship with former WTA No. 1 and 22-time Grand Slam winner Steffi Graf turned the American's life around. The Australian proceeded to laud the German legend, saying:

"I think once he met Steffi Graf, things changed a little bit because he found some balance in life. He found an incredible person. I don't know if you know Stef, but Stef is one of the most grounded, humble champions we've ever seen. Easiest person in the world to speak to. Funny as anything. And a family person, who does anything for her family, and anybody else's family too by the way," Cahill said.

The veteran coach also highlighted the noble efforts Agassi undertook, particularly in educating the underprivileged, fueled by Graf at his side as he grew more purposeful with age.

"She's an amazing woman, and he met an incredible woman, and I think she grounded him and gave him purpose and along with that purpose, he started to raise a lot of money for underprivileged children, for education. So, I think he's opened 150 charter schools in America for kids who can't afford an education. He has an amazing charter school in Las Vegas. So he started to play for them, and he found purpose within his life," he concluded.

Darren Cahill famously led Andre Agassi to the 2003 Australian Open title, the American's eighth and final Grand Slam title triumph. The 59-year-old, set to retire from coaching at the end of this season, also oversaw Agassi's return to being ATP No. 1 later that same year. The Australian would see things through as the American's coach until his retirement in 2006.

Agassi once credited Graf for her role in making him efficient at things he does.

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"That clarity is a jewel" - Andre Agassi's 2015 confession about wife Steffi Graf's no-nonsense approach to life

Steffi Graf (left) and Andre Agassi (right) (Source: Getty)

Andre Agassi, in a 2015 interview with Harvard Business Review, spoke up about the inspirational figure wife Steffi Graf is for him. The American also lauded his German wife's "clarity" in talking to him about the things she cares about and the ones she doesn't.

"My wife, who inspires me in a lot of ways. I’m more efficient in everything I do because of how she chooses to be. There are things she clearly cares about and things she doesn’t. She just doesn’t have energy for stuff that isn’t contributing to her engagement. And that clarity is a jewel," Andre Agassi said.

The American and the German have been happily married since October 2001 and are parents to two children; son Jaden and daughter Jaz.