"I got $100 bucks that says my baby beats Pete Sampras' baby" - When Andre Agassi made a bet with his rival shortly after Steffi Graf's pregnancy
Andre Agassi made a bet with Pete Sampras regarding their kids not long after announcing that his wife Steffi Graf was pregnant with their first child.
A few weeks after Agassi's announcement, he competed at the Mercedes-Benz Cup in Los Angeles. Seeded third in the tournament, the American reached the final following wins over James Blake, Greg Rusedski, Jan-Michael Gambill and top seed Gustavo Kuerten.
Here, he was up against his rival Pete Sampras, who was seeded fourth and had not dropped a single set en route to the title clash. Agassi, however, made easy work of his compatriot and beat him 6-4, 6-2 to win the Mercedes-Benz Cup.
After the match, the then 31-year-old made a funny bet with Sampras, jokingly staking $100 on the possibility of his baby beating his rival's baby.
“I got $100 bucks that says my baby beats Pete’s baby,” Agassi said.
Sampras responded by saying that his kid had the lead against Agassi's kid because of the height difference between the two.
“Put it this way, he’s about 5-10. My wife is 5-9, I’m 6-1. We have a pretty good lead as far as height. I’m sure it [Agassi’s child] won’t walk pigeon-toed. My parents didn’t pick up a racket, and I turned out all right. So there," Pete Sampras said.
Andre Agassi's wife Steffi Graf gave birth to their son Jayden in 2001 and the couple had a daughter, Jaz Elle, in 2003. Pete Sampras' and his wife Bridgette Wilson also have two children.
Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras squared off in 16 finals
Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi faced one another on 34 occasions, 16 of which were finals. The first title clash between the two came at the 1990 US Open, with Sampras winning 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 to clinch his maiden Grand Slam singles title. Their next final encounter came in Atlanta in 1992, with Agassi winning 7-5, 6-4.
The two locked horns in two Major title clashes in 1995, with Agassi winning 4-6, 6-1, 7-6(6), 6-4 at the Australian Open and Sampras triumphing 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5 at the US Open. The only time they squared off in a Wimbledon final was in 1999, which Sampras won 6-3, 6-4, 7-5.
The last Grand Slam title clash encounter between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi came in 2002, with the former winning 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to win his 14th Grand Slam title in what turned out to be the last match of his illustrious career.