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.
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. Sampras was plagued by the collapse of coach and best friend Tim Gullikson during the tournament rendering him vulnerable for rivals Jim Courier and Andre Agassi. The latter benefiting from this distraction in the final match of the Grand Slam.
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); through 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. On the other hand, Agassi is one of only six men to hold the Career Grand Slam and, having won the gold medal in men's singles at the 1996 Olympics, the only male player to achieve a Career Golden Slam in singles tennis. He holds the record for most ATP Masters Series (AMS) shields with 17, having won 7 of the 9 AMS titles, the only player to have done so.
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.
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
- All Matches: Sampras 20–14
- Hard courts: Sampras, 11–9
- Grass courts: Sampras, 2–0
- Clay courts: Agassi, 3–2
- Carpet courts: Sampras, 5–2
- Masters Series matches: Agassi, 5-4
- Masters Series finals: Agassi, 3-2
- Grand Slam matches: Sampras, 6–3
- Grand Slam finals: Sampras, 4–1
- Year-End Championships matches: Sampras, 4–2
- Year-End Championships finals: Sampras, 1–0
- All finals: Sampras, 9–7
References
- General
- "Head To Head". Association of Tennis Professionals. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
- Specific
- ^ Steeg, Jill Lieber (2006-08-28). "Agassi frets over tennis curtain call". USA Today. Retrieved 2009-06-29.
- ^ Fendrich, Howard (2002-06-27). "Agassi, Sampras ousted Former champions fall; Safin also upset victim". Chicago Sun-Times. HighBeam Research. Retrieved 2009-06-29.