"He thought it was a leak and we were going down" - When Pete Sampras pranked Andy Roddick while giving him a lift on his private jet
Pete Sampras played a prank on Andy Roddick while giving him a lift on his private jet way back in 2002.
Sampras and Roddick played an exhibition match for the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation in Dallas that year. The tennis legend gave his younger compatriot and the latter's coach at the time, Tarik Benhabiles, a lift back to Los Angeles aboard his private jet.
Sampras said that his jet was the fastest corporate jet in the world at the time and could fly from Los Angeles to New York in three-and-a-half hours.
"It's the fastest corporate jet in the world and I can go from LA to New York in probably three-and-a-half hours," the former World No. 1 said.
Sampras then jokingly added that he could have charged Roddick $10,000 for the flight from Dallas to Los Angeles, which lasted around three hours.
"From Dallas to LA, it took us around three hours and I could charge him easy 10 grand."
During the flight, Pete Sampras could be seen jokingly telling Tarik Benhabiles that Andy Roddick called his girls right after getting off the practice court. The seven-time Wimbledon champion followed this up by slyly sprinkling water towards Roddick as a prank. The then-teenager could then be seen looking up.
Sampras said that Roddick was looking for a leak, thinking that the plane was going down.
"He thought it was a leak and we were going down."
Andy Roddick leads 2-1 in the head-to-head against Pete Sampras
Andy Roddick and Pete Sampras locked horns thrice when the latter was in the twilight of his career. The former leads 2-1 in the head-to-head.
The first meeting between the two came in the third round of the Miami Open (then known as the Ericsson Open), and a teenage Roddick beat then-fourth seed Sampras 7-6(2), 6-3.
Their second fixture came at the final of the 2002 US Men's Clay-court Championships in Houston. Third-seeded Roddick faced fourth-seeded Sampras in the title clash, with the former winning 7-6(9), 6-3 to clinch his fifth career singles title.
The final meeting between the two came in the quarterfinals of the 2002 US Open, and this time, Sampras came out on top, beating Roddick 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the semifinals.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion eventually won the tournament by beating Andre Agassi in the final, which would also turn out to be the final professional match of his career.