Tennis: Agassi puts money where his genes are
After he beat rival Pete Sampras to win a tournament in Los Angeles last night, tennis star Andre Agassi joked that the baby he and Steffi Graf are expecting would beat a future Sampras offspring.
‘‘I’ve got a hundred bucks that says my baby beats Pete’s baby,’’ Agassi told the crowd.
Agassi and Graf are expecting a baby boy in December. Graf dominated women’s tennis with a lethal forehand before retiring in 1999.
‘‘I’ve got genetics on my side,’’ Agassi said.
Sampras married actress Bridgette Wilson in September. They have yet to start a family, but Sampras believes his 6 ft 1 ins height combined with Wilson’s 5 ft 9 ins stature would be an advantage over the 5 ft 11 ins Agassi and 5 ft 9 in Graf.
‘‘The only thing is, if I have a little girl, I could be in trouble,’’ Sampras said, noting that parental tennis abilities don’t always influence their offspring’s success.
‘‘My parents didn’t pick up a racket and I turned out all right.’’
