The seven biggest male tennis rivalries, part 5: Andre Agassi vs. Pete Sampras
We look back on rivalries that have shaped tennis. Part five of our, of course extremely subjective, review: the two US legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi .
by Jens Huiber
last edit: Mar 24, 2020, 09:37 am
In a way, in September 2002, Pete Sampras did exactly what many athletes dream of: to cede when it is most beautiful. Because the backhand volley that should bring Sampras his 14th Grand Slam title was the last in the brilliant career of the American. And the fact that Andre Agassi was also on the other side of the network made things all the sweeter from Sampras's point of view.
Because the rivalry of the two compatriots had taken tennis to new heights in terms of match quality, especially since there were two completely different game ideas: here Pete Sampras, despite opponents like Goran Ivanisevic or Boris Becker, the best server of his time. And a man who still knew how to help himself on the baseline, especially with his forehand. But there, speaking of forehand, Andre Agassi, who mercilessly put the balls into the field from behind when one of the first professionals celebrated the sweeping volley to perfection - and with his return was one of the few opponents who defused Sampras' biggest weapon reasonably well could.
Sampras wins first major final
In addition to the playful ones, there were personal opposites - those that were sold to the interested public. Agassi as a flamboyant entertainer who promoted a camera company with the slogan "Image is everything" early on in his career. Sampras, on the other hand, admitted to his supposedly biggest problem in a commercial for pizza with cheese edges: "I'm kind of boring." Which, viewed on the center courts around the world, was nonsense. And has been refuted in most of the 34 matches between Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
For the first time the two faced each other on the ATP tour in Rome in 1989, Agassi won smoothly. Incidentally, the sand was to remain the great Achilles' heel of Sampras, which did not even come close to a triumph in Roland Garros. The first really big comparison came in 1990 in the final of the US Open, in which Agassi, then still unsuccessful with a major, went as a clear favorite. 6: 4, 6: 3, 6: 2 but then the result in favor of Sampras, who did one of several almost perfect performances at the National Tennis Center in New York City.
Agassi wins career grand slam
The next Grand Slam final against each other was in Melbourne in 1995, Agassi won in four sets. Sampras retaliated in the same year, one could almost say: of course, in the final at the US Open. In Wimbledon, Sampras remained the host, winning the 1999 final in three sets. At the end of his career, Sampras had 64 titles in his pocket, a record 14 successes in Grand Slam tournaments that Roger Federer was only to surpass .
Andre Agassi, on the other hand, was left out in terms of quantity - but was the first player after Rod Laver to at least manage the career grand slam. Starting with the triumph in Wimbledon in 1992, rounded off with the victory at the French Open in 1999. After his career, Agassi indulged in short episodes as a coach for top players - such as with Novak Djokovic or most recently Grigor Dimitrov. Pete Sampras, on the other hand, found peace early on outside the tennis court. And largely withdrawn from the scene.
Here are the facts
| Pete Sampras | Andre Agassi | |
| Born | 1971 | 1970 |
| title | 64 (including 14 Grand Slam titles) | 60 (including eight Grand Slam titles) |
| Head to head | 20th | 14 |
Here are the encounters on the ATP tour
| year | Tournament (rubber) | winner | Result |
| 2002 | US Open (hard court) | Sampras | 6: 3, 6: 4, 5: 7, 6: 4 |
| 2002 | Houston (sand) | Sampras | 6: 1, 7: 5 |
| 2001 | US Open (hard court) | Sampras | 6: 7, 7: 6, 7: 6, 7: 6 |
| 2001 | Los Angeles (hard court) | Agassi | 6: 4, 6: 2 |
| 2001 | Indian Wells (hard court) | Agassi | 7: 6, 7: 5, 6: 1 |
| 2000 | Australian Open (hard court) | Agassi | 6: 4, 3: 6, 6: 7, 7: 6, 6: 1 |
| 1999 | Masters, Hanover (hall, hard court, final) | Sampras | 6: 1, 7: 5, 6: 4 |
| 1999 | Masters, Hanover (hall, hard court, group phase) | Agassi | 6: 2, 6: 2 |
| 1999 | Cincinnati (hard court) | Sampras | 7: 6, 6: 4 |
| 1999 | Los Angeles (hard court) | Sampras | 7: 6, 7: 6 |
| 1999 | Wimbledon (lawn) | Sampras | 6: 3, 6: 4, 7: 5 |
| 1998 | Montreal (hard court) | Agassi | 6: 7, 6: 1, 6: 2 |
| 1998 | Monte Carlo (sand) | Sampras | 6: 4, 7: 5 |
| 1998 | San Jose (hall / hard court) | Agassi | 6: 2, 6: 4 |
| 1996 | Masters, Hanover (hall, carpet, group) | Sampras | 6: 2, 6: 1 |
| 1996 | Stuttgart (hall / carpet) | Sampras | 6: 4, 6: 1 |
| 1996 | San Jose (hall / hard court) | Sampras | 6: 2, 6: 3 |
| 1995 | US Open (hard court) | Sampras | 6: 4, 6: 3, 4: 6, 7: 5 |
| 1995 | Toronto (hard court) | Agassi | 3: 6, 6: 2, 6: 3 |
| 1995 | Key Biscayne (hard court) | Agassi | 3: 6, 6: 2, 7: 6 |
| 1995 | Indian Wells (hard court) | Sampras | 7: 5, 6: 3, 7: 5 |
| 1995 | Australian Open (hard court) | Agassi | 4: 6, 6: 1, 7: 6, 6: 4 |
| 1994 | Masters, Frankfurt (hall, carpet, group) | Sampras | 4: 6, 7: 6, 6: 3 |
| 1994 | Paris-Bercy (hall / carpet) | Agassi | 7: 6, 7: 5 |
| 1994 | Osaka (hard court) | Sampras | 6: 3, 6: 1 |
| 1994 | Key Biscayne (hard court) | Sampras | 5: 7, 6: 3, 6: 3 |
| 1993 | Wimbledon (lawn) | Sampras | 6: 2, 6: 2, 3: 6, 3: 6, 6: 4 |
| 1992 | Roland Garros (sand) | Agassi | 7: 6, 6: 2, 6: 1 |
| 1992 | Atlanta (sand) | Agassi | 7: 5, 6: 4 |
| 1991 | Masters, Frankfurt (hall, carpet, group) | Sampras | 6: 3, 1: 6, 6: 3 |
| 1990 | Masters, Frankfurt (hall, carpet, group) | Agassi | 6: 4, 6: 2 |
| 1990 | US Open (hard court) | Sampras | 6: 4, 6: 3, 6: 2 |
| 1990 | Philadelphia (hall / carpet) | Sampras | 5: 7, 7: 5, task |
| 1989 | Rome (sand) | Agassi | 6: 2, 6: 1 |
The biggest rivalries in men's tennis , part 1: Laver vs Rosewall
The biggest rivalries in men's tennis, part 2: Borg vs McEnroe
The biggest rivalries in men's tennis, part 3: Connors vs Lendl
The biggest rivalries in men's tennis, part 4: Becker vs Edberg
The biggest rivalries in men's tennis, part 5: Sampras vs Agassi
The biggest rivalries in men's tennis, part 6: Federer vs Nadal
The biggest rivalries in men's tennis, part 7: Djokovic vs Nadal