American tennis has produced some of the sport’s greatest-ever players, some of whom were forced to co-exist within the same eras.
As such, tensions were bound to rise, particularly when these stars were vying for elite honours time and time again.
There is arguably no greater example of this, and the animosity it conjured, than through Andre Agassi’s rivalry with Pete Sampras.
Throughout their respective careers, they met regularly and fiercely, creating a clash that everyone looked forward to when it came around.
And yet, despite the apparent bitterness between the two during their playing days, Sampras emerged in 2011 to set the record straight.
Pete Sampras on his relationship with Andre Agassi
In an interview that included both American superstars, many years after their respective retirements, it felt as though the one-upmanship had not yet faded.
After all, in 2010, Agassi and Sampras clashed in a friendly match for charity.
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With both players mic’d up, Agassi mocked his rival for being stingy, to which he replied with a blistering serve that forced his opponent to duck out of the way.
Asked about their relationship the following year, Agassi replied: “Strictly platonic.”
“That’s the nicest thing you’ve said about me in two years,” Sampras replied.
Agassi then sought to set the record straight: “We’ve straightened it out. Like I’ve said 150 times, it was a complete mistake on my part. ‘Hit for Haiti’ raised a lot of money; we did a lot of good things. But we unfortunately had a microphone on our mouths, and I was talking a lot. One thing wasn’t good.”
Sampras concluded by echoing his sentiment: “In my eyes, it’s over. It’s unfortunate what happened. Andre apologised. It’s just one of those things that sort of got blown out of proportion over the last six months. We’re still here. He’s a rival and a friend.”
Agassi was branded more talented than Sampras back in 2006 by a fellow Grand Slam champion, suggesting that their rivalry was far closer than their records in Grand Slam finals would suggest.
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There’s a clear reason why Agassi may have come across as bitter towards Sampras, given how often he was thwarted by his big-serving compatriot on the biggest stages.
After all, these two met on nine occasions in Grand Slam tournaments, five of which came in the final.
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Agassi won just one of the latter, with his sole major final win against Sampras coming at the 1995 Australian Open.
Overall, Sampras won six of their Grand Slam meetings and led their overall head-to-head record with 20 wins to 14.
