"Nobody tells Pete Sampras how to play" - When Andre Agassi was impressed by one big difference between himself and his arch-rival

In the 1990s, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras ruled the world of men's tennis. Their rivalry boasted of flashy finals, contrasting styles, and a constant clash for the World No. 1 spot. However, off the court, the pair possessed mutual respect.

One of their most revealing conversations happened in 1995 on a Concorde flight to London for a Davis Cup tie. Less than a day after Agassi, coached by Brad Gilbert, had beaten Sampras, coached by Paul Annacone, in Key Biscayne, they found themselves side by side, breaking down their games.

Agassi was struck by how little Sampras relied on coaching.

"Pete said, 'Regardless of what Brad's done for you, you're the one who has to go out there and do it,'" Andre Agassi recalled in a 1995 interview with the New York Times. "I said, 'I totally agree with you, but he's given me a lot of important insights." He said, 'Like what?' And I was like, 'Well, he's directed me here and directed me there, and given me a game plan.'"

"And Pete was shocked to think that's what a coach does. All he knows is someone who makes sure his toss is on line and helps with the fundamentals on some very basic level. But nobody tells Pete how to play. Me, it's the opposite. I have all the shots, but what the hell do I do with them?" he added

For Sampras, a coach was just there to fine-tune fundamentals, not to dictate strategy.

"Nobody tells Pete how to play," Agassi said. "Me, it's the opposite. I have all the shots, but what the hell do I do with them?"

Two of America's greatest tennis stars of the years gone by faced each other 34 times in their careers but it was Sampras who clinched their head-to-head record by a decent margin.

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Pete Sampras led the head-to-head against Andre Agassi 20-14

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi at The Championships - Wimbledon 1999 - Source: Getty

Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi traded the World No. 1 ranking throughout the latter half of the 1990s, with many of those shifts coming down to their head-to-head battles. They faced off 34 times and Sampras won 20 to Agassi's 14.

Breaking down their rivalry, they faced off nine times in Grand Slam matches with Sampras leading 6-3 and four of those nine were finals with Sampras, yet again, leading 3-1. When it comes to courts, Sampras led 11-9 on hard courts and 2-0 on grass while Agassi claimed clay 3-2.

Considering weeks at No. 1, Sampras held the top rank for 286 weeks throughout his career in comparison to Agassi's 101.