5 Greatest tennis rivalries of all time

#4 Pete Sampras vs Andre Agassi:

Career head to head: Sampras 20-14 Agassi (5-3 in Majors, 5-5 in Masters)

Sampras and Agassi

The two American greats, who dominated tennis in the 1990s, formed a great rivalry between themselves as well. Sampras had arguably the greatest serve of all time and Agassi boasted one of the greatest returns. As a result, their tussles were again clashes between 2 contrasting styles of tennis. Sampras won 14 grand slams in his glorious career and Agassi managed to win 8 and not surprisingly, they crossed swords frequently in the finals or semifinals of major tournaments.

Sampras’ serve-and-volley game gave him the upper hand in Wimbledon, whereas Agassi was the favorite when they met in the French Open. However, it is their battles on the hard courts which were the best of the lot. Be it the 2001 US Open quarter-final, when Sampras prevailed in 4 tie-breaking sets, or the 2002 US Open final, when Sampras played sumptuous tennis to win in 4 sets again, or the 1995 Australian Open final, which saw Agassi beat his rival with his immaculate returns and passing shots. The spectators were always treated fine during their battles on hard courts. In a nutshell, their rivalry was very enjoyable and beneficial to the game itself.