Agassi–Sampras rivalry

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are retired professional men's tennis players who were ranked World No. 1 during the 1990s, Sampras holding the world's top-rank spot for a record 286 weeks while Agassi held it for 101 weeks.[1] With contrasting styles and temperaments,[2] they played each other 34 times from 1989 through 2002, with Sampras winning 20 of their matches, and Agassi winning 14 matches.

In Grand Slam tournaments, they played in five finals, with Sampras winning four. They met for the first time in a Grand Slam final at the 1990 US Open, with Agassi the favorite because of his top three ranking even though Sampras had defeated former World No. 1 players Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe on the way to the final. Sampras defeated Agassi in straight sets.

The next time the pair met at a Grand Slam final was at the Australian Open in 1995. Agassi beat Sampras in four sets, although Sampras had been distracted slightly earlier in the tournament by the collapse of his coach.[3]

In one of their matches, played in the 2001 US Open quarter-final, Sampras won with the score of 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 7-6(2), 7-6(5); throughout the game, no player managed to break the other's serve. The last match in their rivalry came at the 2002 US Open final. It was their first meeting in the final since Sampras won in 1995. Sampras went on to win the match in four sets and shortly after announced his retirement from the game. Agassi retired in 2006 after 20 years on the tour.

At the time of their retirements, Sampras held the record for most Grand Slam titles with 14 breaking the old record of 12 held then by Roy Emerson (Roger Federer has since overtaken Sampras with 16 titles). On the other hand, Agassi is one of only four men to hold the Career Grand Slam in the Open Era and one of seven overall. Having won the gold medal in men's singles at the 1996 Olympics, he is one of only two male players to achieve a Career Golden Slam in singles tennis, the second being Rafael Nadal. He also held the record for most ATP Masters Series (AMS) shields with 17 (Rafael Nadal has since overtaken him with 19 titles), and is the only man to have won seven different Master Series tournaments.

Interestingly, from their first ATP match to their 1995 US Open final match, their head-to-head was tied at 8-8. From their 1995 US Open final match to 1999, their head-to-head was 9-3 in favor of Sampras. From 2000 to their last match in 2002, their head-to-head was tied at 3-3. Agassi has often said that the 1995 US Open loss was a powerful psychological blow to him that took him years to recover from, and it marks a significant shift in their rivalry. On a personal level, their rivalry did at times become heated, but they remain good friends to this day.

Contents

Head-to-head

Legend
Grand Slam
Tennis Masters Cup
ATP Masters Series
ATP International Series
No. Year Tournament Surface Round Winner Score
1 1989 Rome Clay R32 Agassi 6-2, 6-1
2 1990 Philadelphia Carpet R16 Sampras 5-7, 7-5, retired
3 1990 US Open Hard F Sampras 6-4, 6-3, 6-2
4 1990 ATP World Tour Finals Carpet RR Agassi 6-4, 6-2
5 1991 ATP World Tour Finals Carpet RR Sampras 6-3, 1-6, 6-3
6 1992 Atlanta Clay F Agassi 7-5, 6-4
7 1992 French Open Clay QF Agassi 7-6(6), 6-2, 6-1
8 1993 Wimbledon Grass QF Sampras 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4
9 1994 Key Biscane Hard F Sampras 5-7, 6-3, 6-3
10 1994 Osaka Hard SF Sampras 6-3, 6-1
11 1994 Paris Carpet QF Agassi 7-6(6), 7-5
12 1994 ATP World Tour Finals Carpet SF Sampras 4-6, 7-6(5), 6-3
13 1995 Australian Open Hard F Agassi 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(6), 6-4
14 1995 Indian Wells Hard F Sampras 7-5, 6-3, 7-5
15 1995 Key Biscane Hard F Agassi 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(3)
16 1995 Canada (Montreal) Hard F Agassi 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
17 1995 US Open Hard F Sampras 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
18 1996 San Jose Hard F Sampras 6-2, 6-3
19 1996 Stuttgart Carpet QF Sampras 6-4, 6-1
20 1996 ATP World Tour Finals Carpet RR Sampras 6-2, 6-1
21 1998 San Jose Hard F Agassi 6-2,6-4
22 1998 Monte Carlo Clay R32 Sampras 6-4, 7-5
23 1998 Canada (Montreal) Hard QF Agassi 6-7(5), 6-1, 6-2
24 1999 Wimbledon Grass F Sampras 6-3, 6-4, 7-5
25 1999 Los Angeles Hard F Sampras 7-6(3), 7-6(1)
26 1999 Cincinnati Hard SF Sampras 7-6(7), 6-4
27 1999 ATP World Tour Finals Hard RR Agassi 6-2, 6-2
28 1999 ATP World Tour Finals Hard F Sampras 6-1, 7-5, 6-4
29 2000 Australian Open Hard SF Agassi 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(0), 7-6(5), 6-1
30 2001 Indian Wells Hard F Agassi 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-1
31 2001 Los Angeles Hard F Agassi 6-4, 6-2
32 2001 US Open Hard QF Sampras 6-7(7), 7-6(2), 7-6(2), 7-6(5)
33 2002 Houston Clay SF Sampras 6-1, 7-5
34 2002 US Open Hard F Sampras 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4

Breakdown of their rivalry

References

  1. ^ Steeg, Jill Lieber (2006-08-28). "Agassi frets over tennis curtain call". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2006-08-25-agassi-cover_x.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-29. 
  2. ^ Fendrich, Howard (2002-06-27). "Agassi, Sampras ousted Former champions fall; Safin also upset victim". Chicago Sun-Times. HighBeam Research. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1438445.html. Retrieved 2009-06-29. 
  3. ^ "Ten great tennis rivalries". The Independent. July 8, 2008. http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/ten-great-tennis-rivalries-1429447.html. Retrieved 2010-12-08. "Pete Sampras v Andre Agassi. Time span: '89-02 (34 matches) Head to head: Sampras 20 Agassi 14. Grand Slam finals: Five; Sampras won four. Wimbledon: One final, 1999; Sampras won. This pair of American greats produced some of the most incredible matches. It was after the US Open final between them in 1995 and a defeat that really hurt Agassi that Andre's father wanted him to change his serve. It got bigger and speedier but it was always that big heavy kicker that was Andre's trademark, and I can still see in my mind's eye him running round the ball to crash inside-out forehand winners past Pistol Pete on big occasions. What a champ Sampras was too; all those Slams, and all achieved while mooching around the court with his shoulders drooped and his tongue hanging out like a dog's." 

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