"Hard to be objective as to how anybody felt when me and Pete Sampras played" - When Andre Agassi compared Federer-Nadal rivalry to himself & Sampras
Andre Agassi once shared his perspective on whether Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's rivalry could match up to his own with Pete Sampras. The American also shed light on the difficulty of making such a comparison.
Agassi and Sampras established one of the most compelling rivalries in tennis in the 1990s and early 2000s, culminating in a 20-14 winning record for Sampras at the time of his retirement in 2003.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion's exit from the sport left behind a dearth of thrilling rivalries in men's tennis. This void began to be filled by the intense, burgeoning competition between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
In their seventh meeting on tour, the duo set up a blockbuster title clash at the 2006 French Open, with Nadal securing a 1-6, 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(4) victory to clinch his second consecutive Roland Garros title.
Immediately afterwards, the Spaniard commenced his grasscourt season as the top seed at the Stella Artois Championships. While Federer opted to sit out the tournament, Andre Agassi joined Nadal at the Queen's Club in London. No. 12 seed Agassi took on Tim Henman in his opening match, suffering a 6-4, 6-4 loss to the Brit.
Following his loss, Andre Agassi shared his thoughts on whether Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal's rivalry could match up to the one between him and Pete Sampras.
Although the American disclosed that he was looking forward to witnessing their rivalry unfold, he admitted that he couldn't be "objective" when comparing it to the intense emotions he and Sampras evoked.
"Well, I look forward to watching it, I can tell you. It's hard for me to be objective as to how anybody felt when me and Pete played. For us, it was Sunday and it meant a lot of big things on the line. But I look forward to the matchup. I look forward to how it's going to play out," he said in his post-match press conference.
Agassi also broke down Federer's loss in the French Open final, sharing his analysis that Nadal's impressive speed, topspin and court coverage exerted immense pressure on the Swiss in their matchups.
"You always seem to feel like Roger has the weapons to do it 'cause you've seen him do it so many times, but somehow the persistency of Nadal with the spin and the height of his shots and the speed that he plays at, you know, as far as covering court, makes Roger have to hit three or four good shots in one point to win the point," Andre Agassi said.
"And a good shot for Roger tends to get it done in one or two against anybody else. So it's a fun dynamic to see play out," he added.
Andre Agassi: "Roger Federer is arguably the best player on clay besides Rafael Nadal"
When asked if he could envision Roger Federer triumphing at the French Open, Andre Agassi responded in the affirmative and declared the Swiss the second-best player on clay, only behind Rafael Nadal.
"Sure, he can. Yeah. He's arguably the best player on clay besides one, you know. I think a lot has to go wrong for Nadal not to win more on clay, and a lot has to go wrong for Roger not to have his chances again," Andre Agassi said.
Agassi's prediction proved accurate, as Federer clinched his first and only Roland Garros title in 2009 by beating Robin Soderling 6-1, 7-6(0), 6-4 in the final. Soderling had upset Nadal in the fourth round that year, handing the Spaniard his first loss at the French Open.
However, the Swiss legend never managed to beat Nadal at the claycourt Major, losing all six of their meetings at the prestigious event.