Pete Sampras has often spoken openly about his rivalry with fellow American Andre Agassi. He once noted that while their personalities were very different, they were bonded by their shared accomplishments in tennis.
Agassi and Sampras were two of the greatest players of their era, with the former capturing eight Grand Slam titles and the latter winning 14. Their rivalry was fierce, with 34 ATP Tour matchups, where Sampras held a 24-10 lead in their head-to-head record
Though their personalities and playing styles differed greatly, the duo held a strong mutual respect for each other’s skills, maintaining a positive relationship off the court.
In a 2008 interview with the NPR, Pete Sampras said:
“Yeah, I think we were pretty different. I mean Andre was a little more flamboyant, outgoing; I was a little more introverted. And from our games to our personality to our attire, but in the mid-’90s we’re one and two in the world playing in major tournaments and he – obviously he was a great player and he’s still a good friend today and as much as we were different, we got along pretty well.”
