Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi played out a thrilling rivalry for many years, with tensions certainly boiling over on occasion.
Sampras said he needed Agassi throughout his career, with the duo having met 34 times on the ATP Tour over the years.
And it was Sampras who enjoyed more success in that match-up, winning 20 of those matches as Agassi took the other 14.
Among their other exploits was a charity meeting in 2010, when the American pair entertained fans at Indian Wells.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were also involved in the match, in which Sampras tried to have some fun by mimicking Agassi’s style of walking.
Roger Federer left feeling ‘awkward’ by Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi argument
In return, Agassi called Sampras a poor tipper, with the supposedly friendly argument resulting in an awkward environment for everyone involved.
“There was definitely an awkward moment, a bit of a heated moment,” Federer said at the time, as quoted by ESPN. “It’s a bit unfortunate, but that stuff kind of happens.
“It’s a pity if that’s what grabs the limelight and not the event itself, you know. You’re sitting there and you’re thinking ‘What now?’
“I can’t say. I wish we wouldn’t play with the microphones on, to be quite honest. 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, you know?
“I thought maybe we have to give both guys like a timeout or something. We didn’t have to go that far. They weren’t that bad.”
Andre Agassi messaged Pete Sampras after ‘inappropriate’ comment at Indian Wells
What started out as a light-hearted exchange seemingly turned tense, with neither Sampras nor Agassi appearing in the post-match press conferences.
They smiled on court during the altercation, but there was clearly some bitterness between the duo even at that charity event.
Agassi did, however, acknowledge his mistake, saying: “It was out of line. It was inappropriate. The night was on fire.
“We were all having fun. I was trying to be comedic. I only had a split second to make a decision. I went for it and it fell flat.
“I was trying to get past it, but Pete didn’t really let me get past it. He didn’t really roll with it. I’ve texted Pete to ask him if I can apologize in person. The joke fell flat and I’m sorry. My hope was that the night was still enjoyable.”
Fortunately proceeds from the event did manage to take centre stage overall, having helped raise $1million for Haiti after it suffered an earthquake, with 16,100 fans having been in attendance.
Federer amazed Sampras towards the end of his career, and it was the duo who won their test with Nadal and Agassi 8-6.
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