I’m a sucker for well-written words. And most of the time I know when the words come from the heart.  When i read the speech by Andre Agassi, as he introduced his wife, Stefanie Graf, in the International Tennis Federation Hall of Fame, I fell in love with his words. And more so with their love story.

(Here’s one of the reasons why I became enamored with this couple. I have downloaded the video but I cannot upload for fear of copyright infringement. But you can watch it at www.intenn.com. When you get to the page, click on Free Issue, then Special Tennis Features, then click “Not a Dry Eye in the Crowd.” )

My housemates know how crazy about tennis I have become in the past year. I actually watch matches from start to finish, from one match to the next without switching channels. I even collect DVDs of Steffi Graf old Grand Slam matches (it will be a while before I complete all 22 of her wins). When Agassi announced his retirement at Wimbledon last year, I began to go back in time to understand why this guy has become such an icon. From rebel to paragon. As I have found out, his transformation is really one amazing and inspiring story. If you have the time, try reading this very nice (but loooooong) article on Agassi published in Sports Illustrated: Coming Into Focus (Part 1 and Part 2) . Trust me, it reads like a romance novel, heh heh.

So that was the start of my getting deep into the history of the sport. But I won’t bore you with all that. I’ve shared the video with some of my friends and understandably, some of them thought it was all acting. Plus, a lot would make the comment that Andre is so “guapo” (good-looking) for Steffi. I don’t see it that way, really. She look more than fine to me.  Well, call it bias, but Steffi Graf is my role model in terms of strength of character, discipline, class & grace, excellence, and unwavering loyalty to those she loves.  The very traits that attracted Andre Agassi. Would you believe he tried to date her way back in 1992, even before he met Brooke Shields, but she declined. His friends say he’s been a little in love with her even in the middle of his other relationships pre-1999 (when they got together).

One misconception is that Steffi Graf is not very feminine. For those who did not follow her career, it is easy to believe those stories of her being like a machine. A terminator who displayed no emotion and dominated every other woman who came her way.  But, no, folks, she was not muscular and built like a man. On the contrary, she was known to have the best legs in the history of women’s tennis. Tall at 5′9″, those legs glided around the tennis courts with the most amazing footwork ever seen from any player, man or woman. Nobody moved with such grace as her. She was a joy to watch. She was an artist, much like Federer is now. I can’t dance, but watching Steffi move around the tennis court makes me believe that if I can learn to play tennis, then I can dance, too.

“There is a reason you go through different things in life, and they make you who you are,” she says. “So I don’t fight the tough times. I try to understand them, and I try to work through them.”

It’s going to be a very long story if I’ll list everything I admire about Steffi Graf. But one thing that probably stands out is that i believe we were cut from the same cloth (personality-wise, that is). I can very much relate to the fact that when she was a teenager, she was extremely shy. She was the most reluctant superstar of all. She wanted to win, but she never wanted the attention. When most other sporting heroes are in love with the records and stats, Steffi Graf just loved the game and didn’t care for the numbers. But she ended up having it all, anyway. She was very private, got the work done with the highest of standards she set for herself, and then wanted to be left alone. She wanted to be a tennis player, but nothing else. She hated going to prefunctory press conferences. But her few close friends say that the tennis player bears zero resemblance to the real person. She was a normal girl, erudite and self-educated. She just didn’t want to be scrutinized. Well, by the end of her career, she also underwent some transformations. Because of too many personal trials, she gradually opened up herself to the fans, and in the end retired as one of the most loved sports icon of all time.

So from an awkward teenager bound by the clutches of her strict father, the woman who was the best in the world at the thing that she loved best transformed from an unsmiling, unparalleled champion to one who weeps for gratitude, for her heartaches, and for finally allowing herself to feel the love that the world bestowed upon her. When she said goodbye, it was generally thought that she would disappear into oblivion, knowing her desire to stay away from the spotlight. Some said she’ll go crazy without tennis and that her retirement is a fluke (she was ranked world  no. 3 and had just won a major and reached the final of another when she announced her retirement). They say she has no life without tennis. That she was stoic and emotionless. The best thing about it is that she unwittingly proved them wrong in a grand, grand way. She fell in love, got married, bore two beautiful children, and is proving to be a fantastic wife and mother.

The irony of it all is that it was the biggest star in men’s tennis who went after her and laid siege. She once said that she’ll never marry a tennis player, but Andre proved to be persistent. Here are why their union is monumental in tennis terms: (1) they remain to be the only two players who won all Grand Slams plus an Olympic Gold Medal; (2) Steffi Graf is the frontrunner in the amount of prize money won in women’s tennis, a record still unsurpassed, while Andre Agassi is probably the biggest earner in men’s if we include all his  endorsement deals; (3) he is what she isn’t; she is what he isn’t; they have what each other needs; (4) Steffi was the driving force in Andre’s success in his last years as a professional player; Andre brought Steffi back to tennis and her fans, only this time just as a spectator in his matches.

Unlikely couple, but perfect for each other. It’s so seldom that I get to see a fit like that.  They are my perfect example of – well, i’d rather not use these words but nothing’s more apt – true love. Haaayyy…