Long before the Roger Federer vs Rafael Nadal or the Rafael Nadal vs Novak Djokovic rivalry became big, the Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras rivalry was the mother of all rivalries in tennis. One of the most enduring and intensifying rivalries ever, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi didn’t just keep it within the court. There was animosity off the court as well and it was Sampras who seemed to have started it publicly.
Back in the 1990s, Andre Agassi rocked a mullet, played with swagger, bagged all the big endorsements, and quickly became one of the most bankable tennis players of the time. Not only that, but he also won tournaments. With 8 Grand Slams under his belt, Andre Agassi quickly became the ‘rockstar’ of the tennis world, after the other American tennis ‘rockstar’, John McEnroe.
With that kind of talent mixed with his aggressive and confrontational style of play, Agassi quickly became the ‘bad boy’ of ’90s tennis—his unconventional outfits, which were wild and colorful, added to the image.
But the first of their 34 clashes started at the US Open Final in 1990. Both of them were still new kids on the block and neither had won a Grand Slam yet. Sampras beat Agassi quite comfortably by 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 in the final. After the match, Sampras said something more which further fueled that animosity.
“I’m a little bit . . . I’m not . . . um, uh, I’m a little bit more normal than Andre in the way I look and who I am,” said Sampras, as reported by Los Angeles Times.
Sampras explained who he was and how he would like to be remembered. He made sure to mention that he is nothing like his rival Andre Agassi. Although a harmless and honest take by Sampras, this comment made a wrong impression on the public.
Unlike Agassi, Sampras was always a quiet, humble, and soft-spoken man. Therefore, for him to say such a thing that indirectly puts his rival down, can be deemed arrogant.
Getting into the inner depths of the Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras rivalry
The rivalry began in 1990 and lasted for a little more than a decade. They played each other 34 times in their career, and Pete Sampras won 20 of those matches. Only in the ATP 1000 Masters Series, Agassi and Sampras are tied at 5-5 wins each.
As time passed, they kept locking horns with each other, and the on-court banter was only increasing. Unwittingly to both of them, this further fueled them to win their matches, which in turn helped tennis overall. The matches got more attention, fans got more excited to see a Sampras vs Agassi match, and the media got behind this huge narrative – Andre Agassi plays against rival Pete Sampras. And since both of those players were American, it benefitted US tennis heavily.
Years after they both retired, things heated up between them during a charity match. Agassi, being the quintessential ‘bad boy’ quipped about Sampras’ bad tipping in his book ‘Open’. During the match, as Agassi was ‘playing the crowd’ to entertain everyone, Sampras imitated Agassi’s walk. As Agassi didn’t like that, he started dissing Sampras during the match, before the 14-time Grand Slam winner couldn’t take it anymore.
Sampras even took an indirect dig at Agassi once. He said that he would never make it to Comedy Central to be a celebrity tennis player. This is something Agassi had already done, and therefore, was Sampras’ way of mocking Agassi. Either way for the tennis world, the rivalry only raised their attention value and was great for American men’s tennis, which started to decline in the mid 2000s.
Both Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi will forever be legends of the sport. Although one may be celebrated more than the other.
