My dad's mother was a bit of a witch. She didn't speak much English and would yell at us because she was old and grumpy. She lived with us for two years from when I was seven, after my grandfather died. We called her "medz mama" – Armenian for grandmother.
She came from Armenia and always wanted to watch the TV news in case footage of her homeland would appear. She always fell asleep during the news and we wouldn't dare change the channel on her. She cooked food that made us puke and gag. I am the youngest of four children and we would play tricks on her and she would get upset. It was a very dysfunctional dynamic. She ended up moving from Las Vegas to Chicago to live with another son until she died.
![Andre Agassi.](/web/20170327230503im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/u/8/9/k/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gtu81u.png/1484965838097.jpg)
My mom, Betty, is an amazing woman. Strangely enough, she has never been on a tennis court in her life and was a peacemaker in comparison to my dad Mike. She was never about tennis. As kids we were always thankful when Mom was home and Dad went to work, because he was a tyrant.
Mom and I loved to do puzzles together. She is consistent and levelheaded and I always say my dad got lucky. They met on a blind date and three months later got married. They have been married for 55 years. She is calm and he's the fire. They are truly opposites but there's an attraction there and it works.
Mom's job was to help the unemployed find work. She worked full-time and still managed to keep the house in order, get food on the table and make sure we had all done our homework. She was quiet in nature but strong in spirit. When you crossed the line with her you felt you had done something bad – it was your fault if she got upset.
My oldest sister, Rita, is 10 years older than me and we were too far apart in age for us to be close as kids growing up in the same house. She left home about age 16, so we didn't really spend those formative years together. She had moved on. She was also not on speaking terms with my dad, who had pushed her into tennis, and because of that relationship my younger sister, Tami, had the rule of the land. Dad wouldn't dare do the same thing twice.
At 13, I joined a tennis academy in Florida. I would talk to my mum once a week. I would write her letters and she would report to Dad whatever he wanted to hear, to keep the peace. She knew that was the best thing to do.
I left home so young to focus on tennis that I didn't really have a normal childhood. I was so behind in my school work that I felt intimidated and never thought I stood a chance to learn. I started to withdraw from school. I've always regretted that.
I still noticed girls and those teenage hormones were there regardless. I kissed a girl when I was in year 8 during a game of spin the bottle at a party. As a teenage boy, it's all about women on the exterior – I noticed beauty. It was very one-dimensional. That only changes as you get older.
My older sister, Rita, and I are close again. Now her entire social life revolves around being there for my son's baseball and my daughter's dance classes!
For a relationship to work, you both need the same goals. I've been married twice but after my marriage with Brooke Shields ended I never thought I wouldn't marry again. I learnt from my mistakes. I was only 26 and was too young. I was coming off a pretty low point in my life and I blame myself for that relationship not working out.
Brooke and I were married for two years but weren't together for most of it. I've learnt that you can't give what you don't have and when you try, you find a dead-end street. Unless you're a "whole" person, you can't really get involved in a relationship – you need to know where you're heading.
OUR RELATIONSHIP WORKS BECAUSE WE CONSTANTLY MAKE AN EFFORT, WE COMMUNICATE AND PRIORITISE EACH OTHER IN OUR LIVES.
When I met my wife, Steffi Graf, I noticed her beautiful legs! Our relationship works because we constantly make an effort, we communicate and prioritise each other in our lives.
We married in 2001. We share the same values and live them out as best we can every day. We have two children, we run our business and foundations together – it's constant tweaking but having the same goal is essential.'
When my son, Jaden, was born, I wanted to hand him back to the doctor and pick up Stef. He was an intruder. He is 15 now and we love him dearly, but I remember that moment he was born. We also have a daughter, Jaz Elle. I know hormones kick in around 13 but she's still my little girl who holds my hand and doesn't get shy with me – yet.
Steffi's mom, Heidi, is a great lady. She's the hippest grandmother you have ever seen. She drives around in a Mercedes smoking a cigarette and listens to the blues. She went to the Burning Man festival this year. She helps us with the kids and is a solid woman we can count on.
Andre Agassi is a Longines ambassador.