The 1998 Monte Carlo Masters was unique in a sense for Andre Agassi’s bitter rival Pete Sampras. The final match of that competition was played between Cedric Pioline and Carlos Moya, with the latter winning the edition. However, it was the Round 2 match between Agassi and Sampras that created history at the Monte Carlo Masters.
The main reason behind this special feat was Sampras’ entry as a ‘wildcard’. Although strange, here’s why it happened. Pete Sampras was the topmost-seeded player in this tournament, followed by Petr Korda. Agassi wasn’t seeded. But despite being the no. 1 seed, Sampras entered the main draw as a wildcard at the last moment. It was mainly because he was good on clay as a zero-ranked player.
Owing to this peculiar entry, Sampras faced another fellow top player, his archrival Andre Agassi in the second round. It was already an established rivalry by then, having played 21 matches against each other before. Sampras had the lead with 12 wins till then.
Sampras won the first set 6-4. The second round was tighter, but Sampras managed to close out the match, 7-5.
This was Pete Sampras’ first-ever win at the Monte Carlo Masters. He had only participated in the tournament twice before and lost in the second round on both occasions. Sampras struggled against Agassi too, but managed to win it for the first time.
In the 34-match rivalry between Agassi and Sampras, this was the earliest stage in which they met. The only other time they met in the second round, was in their very first encounter in the 1989 Italian Open. Agassi won that time by 6-2, 6-1. Here’s what both of them had to say about the match, according to The New York Times.
Agassi said, “I just should have pulled the trigger earlier. To beat Pete, even though he’s not maybe playing his best, requires you to play aggressively at the right times.”
Sampras said, “I look at clay as a challenge. And a challenge is something that I like and need at this point in my career… It was a little bit awkward for Andre and I to play each other in the second round. I’m used to playing him later on in the tournament where I’m playing a little bit better. We were both a little bit nervous out there.”
Sampras addressed both the facts that he has struggled on clay throughout his career; and also that he faced Agassi so early on in the tournament, which was rare.
Neither Andre Agassi nor Pete Sampras have a flattering record at the Monte Carlo Masters
The win against Andre Agassi at the 1998 Monte Carlo Masters remains the only match Sampras won in his career in the tournament. For Agassi, he won 2 matches ever at the Monte Carlo Masters. His first win was in the first round of the 1996 edition, where he beat Johannes Siemerink 6-2, 6-3.
The other win came in the 1998 edition’s first round, where he beat Todd Martin 6-2, 6-1, before losing to Sampras. Neither has ever passed the Round 3 of the tournament in their careers.
In fact, both of these players have only participated 4 times in the tournament. This feeds directly into Americans’ tendency to skip the Monte Carlo Masters very often. One main reason behind Sampras and Agassi skipping the tournament, despite being legends in the field, could be their lack of expertise or prowess on clay and the tournament not being a compulsory Masters 1000 event to participate in. Neither player has had a good record on clay, as many American players often don’t.
Another reason could be the positioning of the Monte Carlo Masters right after the Miami Open. The Miami Open, being a home tournament for Agassi and Sampras, has been a hot favorite for them over the years. Therefore, they struggled to adapt themselves to clay that quickly.
