The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) has announced that international tennis superstars, respected entrepreneurs and philanthropic champions Stefanie Graf and Andre Agassi will headline the Day 1 Keynote at the 2023 NBAA Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (NBAA-BACE), taking place Oct. 17-19 in Las Vegas, NV.
Married in 2001, Graf and Agassi are both widely considered to be among the greatest tennis players of all time. Following their retirements from the sport, the powerhouse couple have led multiple charitable, humanitarian and educational initiatives, with many of those efforts supported by use of business aircraft.
“Andre Agassi and Stefanie Graf are more than tennis icons,” said NBAA President and CEO Ed Bolen. “They lead by example as models of professional responsibility, social involvement and a commitment to giving back to their communities, and our world. We look forward to welcoming them to NBAA-BACE to share their experiences and insights.”
Graf, winner of 22 Grand Slam singles titles and 107 titles overall in her 17-year career, remains the only player to win Wimbledon, the French Open, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open at least four times. She is also the only woman player to achieve the “Golden Slam” by winning all four Grand Slam singles titles and the Olympic gold medal in the same year. Graf was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2004.
After turning pro at the age of 16, Agassi rose to international fame earning 60 men’s singles titles, including eight Grand Slam singles championships. He is the only male player ever to win all four Grand Slam titles and an Olympic gold medal and was also a member of three winning Davis Cup teams. Agassi was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2011.
In 1994, Agassi launched his Andre Agassi Foundation for Education, which promotes educational access and reform. In 2001, the foundation opened the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, a tuition-free, K-12 public charter school in West Las Vegas that today hosts approximately 1,200 students. More recently, he launched the multi-sensory educational technology learning system Square Panda.
Graf founded Children for Tomorrow in 1998, focused on providing psychological help for children and families who have suffered trauma from war, abuse or loss of the family. She established the organization in conjunction with Outpatient Clinic for Refugee Children and their Families at the University Clinics of Hamburg-Eppendorf.
The couple are parents of two children, Jaden Gil and Jaz Elle, and continue to be active in multiple business initiatives, entrepreneurial efforts, joint ventures and real estate developments.
The 2023 NBAA-BACE Day 1 Keynote will begin at 8:30 a.m. PDT on Tuesday, Oct. 17. Learn more about the world’s largest business aviation event – NBAA-BACE – at nbaa.org/2023.