Tennis has produced a number of incredible rivalries over the years.
Many fans would say that the battles among the ‘big three’ of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic were the greatest of all time.
Others would argue that Martina Navratilova’s rivalry with Chris Evert was the best ever, in which the two contested 60 finals.
Some would even point to the Williams sisters, who played each other 31 times, with Serena leading Venus in the head-to-head 19-12.
But former American star John Isner thinks there was one feud in tennis that simply stood above the rest.
John Isner says Pete Sampras’ rivalry with Andre Agassi was iconic
When asked on the ‘Nothing Major‘ podcast to name the greatest tennis ‘feud’ of all time, Isner said: “For me, because I’m the oldest of the bunch, I liked Sampras versus Agassi.
“It’s not like they’re arch enemies, but you know, there’s obviously, clearly a huge rivalry there. I don’t think they are, maybe, the best of friends, but again, not enemies.
“But watching those two guys with me growing up, watching those two guys play in the finals of big tournaments and, you know, Sampras beating Agassi at the US Open finals.
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“They played a match with four tiebreakers and no breaks. I knew I was going to be an aspiring bot after watching that one.
“For me, it’s Sampras and Agassi. Pete Sampras is my favourite player ever, but I loved watching those two guys go at it. Two completely different personalities. Just iconic stuff there for me.”
Isner’s co-host, Sam Querrey added: “I want to piggyback on Sampras and Agassi, I think, because they had contrasting game styles, serve and volleyer versus Agassi the returner, that helped with the feud. Their games were so different.”
Pete Sampras’ record against Andre Agassi over the years
Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras both held the spot of world number one during the 1990s, and played each other 34 times on the ATP Tour.
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Of their 34 clashes, 16 of their meetings were finals, five of which came on the biggest stages in tennis: Grand Slams.
Sampras won their first title bout at a major, winning the 1990 US Open by beating Agassi 6-4, 6-3, 6-2.
Agassi earned revenge when they faced off in the 1995 Australian Open final, defeating his American compatriot to hoist his third Grand Slam trophy.
After that, however, Sampras emerged victorious against Agassi in finals at the 1995 US Open, the 1999 Wimbledon final, and the 2002 US Open final, which marked their last career matchup.
Overall, Sampras won the head-to-head, having beaten Agassi 20 times, while losing to him 14 times.
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