Are your decisions based on instinct or information?
I have a gut instinct - a feeling for what I want to do. Then I feel committed to doing it.
How do you start your day?
We live on a tight schedule. My day starts at 6.30am. I wake up before the kids and help them with breakfast, and Steffi [Graf] and I take turns with the school run.
Who do you consider to be your biggest inspiration?
Nelson Mandela. He believed that no journey is impossible and everyone is important. When I met him I didn't know what I could ever achieve again. It was 1997, at an event for his foundation in Johannesburg. He made me feel I could be better than I was that day.
What is the most important decision you have made in your professional life?
My decision, when my world ranking had dropped to 141, not to quit. I started over again, and my career lasted until I was 36. I almost did throw the towel in, though.
What is the "secret" of your success?
I don't ever land. I don't
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Throughout sneaker history, no signature line has impacted a sport like Andre Agassi’s. Traditionally plain and downright boring, tennis shoes were forever changed when Agassi and Nike’s sneaker genius Tinker Hatfield teamed up for the Tech Challenge line beginning in 1989. With a steady succession of memorable models to follow throughout the ‘90s, the results were some of Nike’s boldest sneakers ever, now dripping with nostalgia and a level of mystique that few signature collections can match.
Part one of the equation to the legendary Tech Challenge line was of course, Andre Agassi, a young man (he turned pro at age 16) with raw skill, rebellious charisma, and the greatest service return the game had ever seen. Donning his signature highlighted mullet and acid-wash denim, it didn’t take Agassi long to gain media and marketing attention for more than impressive play on the court. With his notoriety came sponsors, including Nike, who wisely elevated him to signature athlete status w