"I needed Andre over the course of my career" - When Pete Sampras revealed the importance of Andre Agassi in his career

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are two of the greatest tennis players of all time and forged one of the fiercest tennis rivalries of the 1990s. The two locked horns 34 times, with Sampras winning 20 times and Agassi the rest.

The last match of this legendary rivalry was the 2002 US Open final, in which Sampras emerged victorious 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to clinch his 14th Grand Slam singles title.

In his post-match press conference, when Sampras was asked how different his career would have been without Agassi, the seven-time Wimbledon champion said that his rival made him a better player. He likened the rivalry between himself and Agassi to that between Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe.

"Just -- he's made me a better player. He's brought moments to my career that are like Borg and McEnroe. Those guys needed each other. I've needed Andre over the course of my career. He's pushed me. You know, he's forced me to add things to my game. He's the only guy that was able to do that. He's the best I've played," Sampras said.

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"He's got as much talent as anyone" - Pete Sampras on Andre Agassi

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi with Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe in 2011.

Speaking about Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras said that he had as much talent as anyone and hailed his comeback from World No. 140 to World No. 1 during the late 1990s.

"You know, Andre, he's got as much talent as anyone. There was points in his career where he was struggling at times and it wasn't anything I thought of when I was going through my slump, or my tough time. I believe when you have talent, you have talent. You know, it's not gonna go anywhere. It's just a matter of mentally being positive. But he came from 140 to 1 in the world. That's a pretty huge comeback," Sampras said.

Sampras did not play another match after the 2002 US Open final while Andre Agassi went on to play until 2006. The latter won his last Major at the 2003 Australian Open by defeating Rainer Schuttler in the final.

Agassi's last tournament was the 2006 US Open, where he reached the third round with wins over Andrei Pavel and Marcos Baghdatis. He then suffered a four-set defeat to Germany's Benjamin Becker, which brought the curtains down on his illustrious tennis career.