Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were fierce rivals on the ATP Tour, but they had to put that aside at the 1995 Davis Cup.
Sampras and Agassi had an intriguing rivalry, with the duo having constantly pushed one another hard on the court for several years.
They both enjoyed phenomenal careers amid the rivalry, having both reached number one in the ATP rankings.
Sampras won 64 titles during his time on the court, while Agassi won 60, with the former also winning their head-to-head battle.
The icons met 34 times in total on the ATP Tour, from which Sampras claimed 20 wins and Agassi claimed 14.
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Intriguingly, the enemies were forced to become friends in 1995, when the USA met Sweden in the semifinals of the Davis Cup.
Asked how it felt to be teammates, Agassi replied: “I mean, I kind of enjoy the thought of a guy that I consider, you know, to be the biggest threat out there on the court, being on my side of the net.
“I mean, it is a nice feeling to have that kind of strength on one team and I think like Pete had addressed earlier, you know, I am stepping on the court a lot more confident knowing that Pete is playing another match and Pete is doing the same thing, so it is like having a good lineup on a baseball team. You just keep bringing the pressure, so it is kind of nice.”
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And Sampras commented: “Like I said, you know, the times I have played Andre really been some of the toughest tennis I have played and thank God he is on my team.
“I like our chances. I think if we play the tennis we have been playing over the summer, I think we can probably come through with a victory.
“I am confident with our doubles team, and just have to go out there and play our tennis and certainly hope I stay healthy and hoping that we can come through with a win.”
Pete Sampras stars as the USA win the 1995 Davis Cup
That is exactly what the USA did, with Sampras and Agassi both featuring in the 4-1 victory over a talented Sweden side.
Sampras beat Thomas Enqvist before Agassi defeated Mats Wilander, but the USA doubles pairing of Todd Martin and Jonathan Stark lost to Jonas Bjorkman and Stefan Edberg.
But Martin overcame Enqvist to get the USA back on track, with Sampras then battling past Wilander to secure a spot in the final.
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The team was, however, handed a huge blow just before their match against Russia, with Agassi withdrawing due to injury.
But it ultimately didn’t matter, with Sampras superbly winning two singles matches and a doubles match to help the USA win 3-2.
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