Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras had a rivalry for the ages, dating back to the 1990s and the early part of 2000s. But it seems that their rivalry did not die even in 2010. Both of them literally fired shots at each other for humour perhaps that went too far as Sampras’ generosity was questioned by Agassi.
Even though they were cordial to each other on court, they never bonded well off the court despite playing each other so many times. Nevertheless, the duo participated in a ‘Hit for Haiti’ charity match in 2010 which was organised to raise funds for people severely affected by the dangerous earthquakes in Haiti prior to that. It was a doubles clash of a lifetime as Pete Sampras teamed up with Roger Federer to take on Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal. And things got a bit ugly between the American archrivals.
When Sampras hit Agassi intentionally with fast serve
In the first set, both the teams were tied at 4-4. Pete Sampras was on serve, with Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi taking turns to return. It got to 40-0 as Roger Federer lightheartedly mentioned that they were in the lead finally. As revered for over the years, Sampras still had it in him to produce fast, accurate serves. That prompted an Agassi remark which went something like – ‘You always have to get serious, eh Pete?’
In 2002, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras met for the final time in their careers…
The stage? The @usopen final. 🏟️
Full match 👉 https://t.co/XzFU6lBmtf pic.twitter.com/ZcIGSRte7N
— USTA (@usta) July 5, 2020
In response, it looked like Pete Sampras had deliberately double faulted to continue serving in the game. He replied to Andre Agassi that he was set to imitate him, which the crowd and commentators found extremely hilarious. But Agassi had just a slight smile and no immediate comeback to that.
When instigated by Sampras to say something, Agassi went a step further to reveal what he actually felt about Sampras. He removed his pockets out to gesture and say that unlike his rival, he did not play with money in his pockets. Sampras then asked whether Agassi was making fun of his ‘tipping’. Agassi confirmed that he got a dollar in his pocket and it is all funny games till somebody gets hurt.
Now that was a joke which perhaps Sampras did not take well at all. So much so that on his following serve, Sampras actually hit Agassi out of nowhere when it was Nadal who was returning. Federer jokingly remarked that the Sampras-Agassi rivalry was getting so intense that in comparison, his and Nadal’s was pale.
Pete Sampras was irked at Andre Agassi as he told him that if that is how he wanted to play, he was up for it. Agassi retorted that a valet driver drives better than Sampras. Sampras then sarcastically apologised to former US President Barack Obama for being a ‘bad tipper’ as Agassi claimed he is. Apparently, Andre Agassi’s long-time coach Brad Gilbert had told him that a valet driver once claimed that despite being so rich, Pete Sampras tipped him with just $1.
Finally, Sampras called out Agassi for ‘getting personal’ with him, to which the latter said that it wasn’t the case. However, a few days after the match, Agassi had publicly apologised to Sampras, admitting that he had gone a bit overboard with his jokes. Since then, their bond seems to have improved.
Pete Sampras net worth vs Andre Agassi net worth: Who is richer?
As per multiple reports, the Pete Sampras net worth figure as of 2023 stands at approximately $150-160 million. This is impressive considering prize money during his times being not so high in tournaments in tennis as they are today for the men. Credit must to Sampras utilising his brother’s business acumen and his own interest for real estate with his wife, to get his net worth to such a big amount. Till date, Sampras is considered in the top 10 richest tennis players of all-time across all categories.
However, it is remarkable that in the battle of net worths, Andre Agassi is marginally ahead. The Andre Agassi net worth as of November 2022 stood at $175 million according to MoneyInc and SportsBrief. Agassi too has had endorsements with many reputed global brands such as Canon, Longines, Nike, Adidas, Head, Mountain Dew, Mazda, Kia Motors, American Express, and Deutsch Bank amongst others. But unlike Sampras, his main source of income especially after tennis has been from his investments, holdings and entrepreneurial ventures alongside his tennis superstar wife, Steffi Graf.
