Olympics bigger than a Grand Slam: Steffi Graf

Steffi Graf’s answer sums up how important an Olympic medal is.

When someone who has won 22 Grand Slams says quips without flinching: “To me this was bigger than a Grand Slam,” the magnanimity of the Games becomes very clear.

“This was more special… standing on the podium, listening to your national anthem and being awarded the medal is just a very different feeling.”

Her husband and Olympic gold medallist Andre Agassi concurs with Graf: “It puts your life, your hard work and your profession in perspective.”

Graf also took a moment to look back at the 1988 Games in Seoul: “We had a lot of track and field athletes on board when we took off from Frankfurt. I stayed in the village for a lot of days until it got noisy! I had to move back to the hotel but just being among everybody and then playing for the gold medal was extraordinary.”

Agassi, who broke into tears on being awarded the medal, also spoke about how special it was to have his father at the occasion: “My father was an Olympic boxer and he was in the crowd. This was a big deal for me.”

Check out the video for the full interview.