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Sampras-Agassi Rivarly Hotter Than Ever
3 Comments · Posted by Scoop Malinowski in Articles, Scoop
It all started when Andre Agassi portrayed his arch rival Pete Sampras as being cheap in his infamous book “Open” a couple of years ago. Or was it many years earlier when Agassi said Sampras looked like he just swung out of a tree, like a monkey. In any case, these two rivals have a history.
Then it boiled over again last March in Indian Wells when the two played a doubles exhibition with Federer and Nadal and Agassi opted to insult Pete again in public about his supposed lack of generostiy in tipping.
The two retired tennis legends clashed again in a match in February of this year at Madison Square Garden and Sampras played with a fury and vengeance, defeating Agassi 6-4 7-5 in a clean contest without any shenanigans or insults by Agassi directed at Sampras.
They were scheduled to meet again last week in Argentina but get this – a new rift has developed.
Now we are learning that after the Madison Square Garden exhibition match, Agassi, according to published reports, phoned Pete after that match to tell him he should have slowed down a little bit to make it more entertaining and not take the exhibitions that competitively, as one tennis insider has revealed. This conversation didn’t have a friendly ending and Pistol Pete wanted to cancel the whole event in Argentina.
Agassi asking for mercy? The man they call The Punisher, who loved to physically torture his opponents by running them to exhaustion?
“I asked Pete to be a little sensitive with him breaking off serves left and right and jerking me around the court, but he thought it was more important to get his aces and do his drop shots and make me look my age. As a result, I’m still recovering,” Agassi supposedly said.
Sampras and Agassi spent almost two days in Buenos Aires. They arrived in separate flights, stayed at the same hotel, but on different floors, and didn’t share the table at the welcome dinner held on Tuesday. “Sampras asked the organizers not to meet Agassi at any point,” the insider revealed.
The two American tennis titans participated in tennis clinics separately and spoke with the local media at separate press conferences, while the other waited in the VIP lounge. The only time they got together was during the official photo, when an official posed between them. They had no real contact at all.
Agassi and Sampras are becoming the Ali and Frazier of tennis. Maybe they should settle their considerable differences the old fashioned way – in the boxing ring.
If one side is being immature about the whole thing, I’d say it’s been Agassi. Asking Pete to show some mercy during a match is ridiculous. It wasn’t like Agassi lost love and one, 6-4 7-5 is a tough battle which one or two points could have changed the outcome. For Agassi to even suggest for Sampras to take it easy on him, after all the insults and disrespect he has directed at Sampras in the last 18 monthy is some pretty bitchy behavior if you ask me.
But lack of diplomacy and sportsmanship aside, this rivalry has become more interesting now than it ever was, with all this off court drama. It’s kind of exciting to think about what’s gonna happen next between these two tennis warriors, especially from Agassi, who is clearly the instigator – and apparently very much enjoying pushing the buttons of Pete Sampras.
(Frazier vs. Ali I sculpture by artist Barrymore Alan Moton.)
Pete and Andre acting like Ali and Frazier
Dan markowitz · May 3, 2011 at 12:39 pm
It’s unclear from your article, Scoop, whether they played in Argentina or not. I saw the match you refer to in Madison Square Garden and I felt Sampras by the end was toning his game down, certainly not serving as hard, so as to make it more competitive.
Agassi is a master mind-gamer. He’s the one who playedonger and more-recently on the tour so you’d think he’d be the stronger player now even in expos. Sampras is only one year younger than Agassi, but he’s always been s much better athlete than the Kojak of tennis–and a better player–and looks like he’s kept in better shape. Agassi destroyed McEnroe in an exbo last summer in Los Angeles and Mac was none too happy that Agassi didn’t keep it close. When the shoe is on the other foot, Agassi doesnt like getting rolled.
Scoop Malinowski · May 3, 2011 at 1:29 pm
They did not play in Argentina, from the scattered reports I read it seemed they were supposed to play but Pete wanted nothing to do with him, instead they played separate sets against I believe Fish and Safin. Apparently this bad blood is real, at the instigation of Agassi of course, and this week there will be a conference call with both on to discuss a new venture with the Champions Tour. Or maybe this is all just a ruse cooked up to sell this brouhaha on the Champions Tour.
Andrew Miller · May 4, 2011 at 3:56 am
Agassi’s legacy – always center of attention, for better or worse. it’s too bad.