In April 2007, during a fundraiser for an elementary school in Houston, Texas, Andre and Steffi played a rally with a couple of children. During the rally, Andre accidently struck Steffi in the face with his racquet. With a bleeding mouth, Steffi left the court, only to be stitched up by a doctor who had paid $70,000 for a trip to play tennis with the couple.
Andre: I've been motivated by overcoming challenge and overcoming the hurdles and obstacles that face me. There still is plenty out there to get motivated by.
Andre: You grow up with a guy, you compete against him for so long, he's such a big part of your career, something that's pretty special, so you do have that sense of personal regret that he's not around any more. You miss having that around.