A Son for Tennis Stars Graf, Agassi

By Stephen M. Silverman

10/29/2001 at 04:48 PM EST

With the newborn's father, tennis ace Andre Agassi, in attendance, seven-time Wimbledon champ Steffi Graf gave birth three weeks early to a healthy boy on Friday at Valley Hospital in Las Vegas. Jaden Gil Agassi was born at 3:30 a.m. local time and weighed five pounds, 14 ounces, hospital officials said on Saturday. "This is the proudest day of our lives," the parents said in a joint statement. "We are so blessed and thankful for the gift of our son. We look forward to the joys and challenges of parenthood." Mother and son were doing well and were able to leave the hospital on Saturday, the statement said. Graf, 32, and Agassi, 31, were married Monday in a private ceremony in Las Vegas. It is the first marriage for Germany's Graf, 32, who retired from professional tennis in 1999 after winning 22 grand slam singles titles. Agassi, who has won seven grand slam singles titles and is second in the world rankings behind Brazil's Gustavo Kuerten, has bowed out of next week's Tennis Master Series in Paris because of his new marriage, which is a second for the Las Vegas native. Agassi wed "Suddenly Susan" star Brooke Shields in 1997 after a much-publicized romance. The two divorced in 1999.