"We don't take cheap shots; when I play Andre Agassi, there's no gamesmanship" - When Pete Sampras distanced Agassi & his rivalry from McEnroe-Connors

Pete Sampras once distanced his rivalry with Andre Agassi from that of John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras had one of the greatest rivalries in tennis. They faced each other 34 times on the ATP Tour, with their rivalry beginning in 1990 and lasting for a little over a decade.

Their head-to-head record was 20-14 in Sampras' favor. Five of these matchups came in Grand Slam finals, with the 14-time Grand Slam coming out on top in four. Sampras and Agassi also held the World No. 1 rank for an impressive 286 and 101 weeks, respectively.

During the 1995 Miami Open, where he was defeated by Andre Agassi in the final, Pete Sampras attended a press conference where was asked what the situation would have been if he and Agassi had a bitter rivalry like John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.

Sampras replied that whatever happened between him and the eight-time Grand Slam champion on the court didn't affect their off-court relationship, adding that they shared no "gamesmanship."

"Well, you know, Andre and I are very different people," Sampras said. "But we are capable of, for instance, sitting down and trying to work out this Davis Cup situation where we are going to go over and play. We basically just leave it on the court. We don't take cheap shots in the media, whatever, just keep it on the court."

"Just go out and when I play Andre, there is no gamesmanship there, it is the better man wins. We just go out and play. There is nothing too complicated about the whole situation," he added.

McEnroe and Connors played each other 34 times, just like Sampras and Agassi. They also shared a 20-14 head-to-head record, which was in favor of McEnroe.

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"Andre Agassi is the one guy that can return my serve as well as anyone" - Pete Sampras

Andre Agassi (L) and Pete Sampras

During the aforementioned press conference, Pete Sampras was asked to comment on how his respect for his arch-rival Andre Agassi began.

The American replied that it grew over time as they encountered each other more frequently on the ATP Tour, before adding that Agassi was the sole player capable of returning his serve and defeating him when he was performing at his peak.

"Just playing him," Sampras said. "I really feel like I need to be at my best to beat him. I think he feels the same way. He is the one guy that can return my serve as well as anyone and one guy that I think, if I am playing well, he could still beat me and just a lot of respect on both sides of the coin."

"So, whenever I play him, it is kind of like two heavy weights playing each other. We kind of look forward to that," he added.