Rivalries Past and Present Agassi-Sampras, Federer-Nadal
By now you may have heard about the Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras “showdown” otherwise known as “Hit for Haiti” deux. What was supposed to be a fun charity exhibition featuring many of the legends in tennis turned tense and awkward halfway through the men’s doubles match when Andre Agassi made some biting comments to Pete Sampras.
Roger Federer tried to cut the tension with a joke, but it still went on for a few more minutes.
The result of this incident was that the rivalry between Agassi and Sampras took on a different, more negative, light for some tennis fans. On the other hand, it’s allowed us to take a step back and appreciate the warmth in the rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. It’s even amazing that Nadal and Federer seem to share not only respect, but affection, especially given that the “number two player”, i.e. Nadal, has the winning record over Federer. What still stands out for many tennis fans about the relationship between Nadal and Federer was the moment during the 2009 Australian Open trophy presentation when Nadal went over and put his arm around a crying Federer. It was a classy and compassionate move which is rare at the very top of the sports hierarchy.
The result of this incident was that the rivalry between Agassi and Sampras took on a different, more negative, light for some tennis fans. On the other hand, it’s allowed us to take a step back and appreciate the warmth in the rivalry between Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer. It’s even amazing that Nadal and Federer seem to share not only respect, but affection, especially given that the “number two player”, i.e. Nadal, has the winning record over Federer. What still stands out for many tennis fans about the relationship between Nadal and Federer was the moment during the 2009 Australian Open trophy presentation when Nadal went over and put his arm around a crying Federer. It was a classy and compassionate move which is rare at the very top of the sports hierarchy.
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