"You got personal";"No, everybody knows already": When Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi got into a war of words as Roger Federer & Rafael Nadal looked on

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras once got into a war of words while sharing the court with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. Although the legends were both retired from professional tennis, their longstanding rivalry reappeared during the match, triggered by Agassi's critical remarks.

In his 2009 autobiography 'Open,' Agassi pointed out a major difference between Sampras and himself by revealing that the 14-time Grand Slam champion had once only handed out a $1 tip to a valet driver. The fallout from Agassi's suggestion that his compatriot was a miser was on display during the 'Hit for Haiti 2' exhibition at the Indian Wells Masters in 2010.

Pete Sampras and Roger Federer locked horns with Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal in a blockbuster doubles exhibition match in order to raise money for victims of a catastrophic earthquake in Haiti in January of that year. The riveting clash took a tense turn when Sampras imitated the eight-time Grand Slam winner's walk.

In response, Agassi turned out his empty pockets and made a snide remark about Sampras being a bad tipper. Annoyed by the 14-time Grand Slam champion's reaction to the dig, he took another swipe at his rival.

"I don't have any money. No, wait, I've got a dollar," Andre Agassi said. "It's all fun and games until somebody gets hurt, huh?"

"If that's the way you want to play it," Sampras responded.

"You know what, it's better than being a valet driver and you pulling up," Agassi stated.

When Pete Sampras accused Agassi of "getting personal," the former World No. 1 retorted that he hadn't shared any information that wasn't widely known.

"You got personal with me," Sampras said.

"No, no, everybody knows it already, Pete. Nothing personal," Andre Agassi replied.

After he and Rafael Nadal recorded an 8-6 loss to Pete Sampras and Roger Federer in the doubles exhibition, Andre Agassi acknowledged that his behavior was "inappropriate" and admitted that his effort to inject some levity into the contest "fell flat." He also revealed that he had sent a message to Sampras and asked for a chance to apologize in person.

Roger Federer on Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras' 'awkward' exchange: "You didn't know, was it just fun, was it not fun? What was it?"

Roger Federer, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal - Source: Getty

During a press conference at the 2010 Indian Wells Masters, Roger Federer acknowledged the "awkward" atmosphere created by Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras' back-and-forth. The Swiss admitted that he was confused about whether the exchange was serious or in jest.

"I don't think it was that crazy bad, but it was a bit awkward because you didn't know, was it just fun, was it not fun? What was it? Sure, you try to loosen up the moment, because for us to play tennis with microphones on is not something we're used to. I mean, I couldn't even talk to Pete after that because we were having the microphones on," Federer said.

On the other hand, Rafael Nadal humorously confessed that he had been unable to follow the altercation between Agassi and Sampras because of how fast they were talking.

"During the match, I didn't understand anything," Nadal said. "That's the truth. They speak very fast for me."

Federer had a disappointing campaign at the 2010 Indian Wells Masters, as he suffered a shock loss to Marcos Baghdatis in the third round. Meanwhile, Nadal reached the semifinals before falling short against eventual champion Ivan Ljubicic.