At this year's US Tennis Open, people crowded to see a true clash of Titans. On one end there was Pete Sampras, arguably the best serve vollyer the game has ever seen. On the other side was Andre Agassi, who many call the best returner of all time.
Their epic rivalry began in 1990, when a tall scrawny Sampras, at age 19, won his first Grand Slam title, beating Agassi. Twelve years later, an aged, leaner Sampras took the court to face his long time rival, perhaps for the last time.
The first two sets were decidedly dominated by Sampras, who won them 6-3, 6-4. Sampras had 15 aces, just in the first set. Agassi, the fitter of the two men, seemed a bit sluggish, always a few steps too late getting to the ball, causing many unforced errors. At the seminfinals, Agassi beat world number one Australian, Lleyton Hewitt, in four sets 4-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-2. The match was a real slugfest, with the 21 year-old Hewitt drawing Agassi into long rallies, at almost every point.
It looked as if Pistol Peter was well on his way to another victory, but the seven time Grand Slam champion, Agassi, dug deep to make a last chance break in the third set to win it 7-5. As if smelling blood, he attacked Sampras' serve, noticing the decline of Pete's momentum.
The fourth set was a pivotal moment of the match. Pete Sampras, had to know if this match went to five sets, that his chances of winning would deteriorate, and so did Agassi. Sampras had not won a Grand Slam title since Wimbledon 2000, and he hasn't won the US Open since 1996. This year rendered a dismal record for Pete whose ranking has fallen to seventeen in the world. All this including, talks from the tennis community of his imminent retirement at age 31, must have weighed heavily on Sampras' mind after losing the third set.
Agassi once said that even if he played his best, he could still lose to Sampras. He had clearly raised his game by the fourth set. Even so, one slip on his serve gave Sampras the break in the fourth, and the rest is history. Sampras secured his fourteenth Grand Slam title with a strong service hold. Although rivals on the court, the men embraced like old friends, after the match.
As the two men stood side by side, at the trophy ceremony, the expression on Sampras' face marked a long hard fought battle to redemption, finally won.
