Sampras v. Agassi - San Jose 1996 Final Highlights

[@TennisLegendsHL]

Watch other highlights: www.patreon.com/TennisLegends

[@Bradsworld2]

When Sampras backhand was on, he was completely unbeatable. His serve and volley was almost always on. As well as his forehand.

[@boke75]

Only needed a break a set, Pistol Pete. Often Agassi would cruise through his service games but usually would screw up 1 per set...enough for Sampras.

[@steveharaslin3822]

People forgot how good he was, when was Pete in the zone he was insane.

[@sliceserve234]

And he was in the zone for most of this match. Brutal.

[@toolowiec5849]

Pistol Pete, my youngsters idol. Sports Icon, Clean personification of offensive serve & volley & spectacular game on the court. Its great to see in modern times a lot his matches and brilliant plays in the Tube. I didn't have opportunities to see all his victories in 90s Fascinating person away of media hustle and bustle.

[@danielebartolozzi2842]

Pete Sampras da sempre il mio giocatore preferito. Sempre Forza Pistol Pete

[@EndoftheTownProductions]

1996 Sampras on fast courts is the greatest.

[@aleksthegreat4130]

Summer 1999 probably even better

[@MariaE99]

Sampras my idol! He dominated the 90’s era

[@skylaxx]

Both bros in their prime. Scary level of tennis and true fast courts. Miss those times.

[@pierdomenicosommati443]

Sampras' backhand was very underrated in my opinion... I think it's partly due to the fact that his slightly elevated elbow during the swing, rendered this shot non the most "elegant" of the one-handers... but it was heavy, and he was able to setup for very quickly for hitting the topspin. He hits winners and takes control of many points thanks to heavy backhands, and didn't show being in much difficulties against Agassi's backhand.

[@EndoftheTownProductions]

Sampras had a great slice BH as well as the ability not only to go down the line but also to hit that loopy top spin backhand that would often set up his forehand.

[@stealthcat100]

Your right , the high top spin backhand , which was in contrast to his devastating forehand , was a set up play for the opponent to go down the line , which Sampras left very open by hanging around the left side of the T during points . So by leaving that area open and enticing the opponent to go down the line meant that Sampras could use his devastating running forehand . The opponent couldn't really do much while receiving the loopy high net clearance backhand , and when they would decide to play the down the line they would face the flatter forehand and this is how he played to his advantage a lot . His backhand was the exact requirement for his game and a lot of people don't get this . Of course he could also pull the trigger on the backhand , more so at Wimbledon with his passing shots on the backhand . In general the backhand is never going to be a dominant kill ball type shot, its really the shield to the forehands sword .

[@sliceserve234]

I don't think Andre was playing that bad, it was just that Pete was on absolute fire.

[@pausegarra5138]

those were real fast courts. miss this part of the game and sampras game on those courts

[@dkoglobal]

What is so striking is the speed of the exchanges, how flat a lot of the shots are. Much higher risk than today's game. And the amazing counterattacking shots from a defensive position from both André and Pete. This is a real gem of a match.

[@pietrpiepir6444]

Yes. It was harder to generate topspin with gut back then than it is with poly today. The fact these guys were playing at today's level with inferior technology says a lot about their talent.

[@willzsportscards]

pre-poly era. we need to go back. tired of seeing counterpunchers like Djokovic winning Wimbledon

[@blabla-fw9ix]

@@willzsportscards Ah yes , we would love to see 1-3 shot rallies , so exciting ........ There is a reason they slowed the courts down , because tennis was boring for the general audience . And also if Agassi can win Wimbledon in conditions like those then Novak who is a superior player to him would easily do so as well .

[@willzsportscards]

@@blabla-fw9ixpendulum has swung too much the other way. Grass should have more serve and volley. Counterpunches shouldn’t rewarded. Agassi in 92? Dry courts all two weeks so ball bounced higher. And that’s the only example from the era, silly to use that for your argument.

[@blabla-fw9ix]

@@willzsportscards The grass is actually pretty fast in the first week , it just gets slower in the second because of all the running on the baseline which ruins the grass . Also the racquet technology has improved a lot since the 90s which will make passing shots devastating for serve and volley players , not only that but players are more athletic now and generally are better at passing shots than they use to be by quite a margin . It just wouldn't work . Player's returns are also mile's better overall than what they use to be which will make serve and volley even more obsolete even with the 90s conditions .

[@Janisarahmed]

Pete is the greatest of them all! Classic serve and vollier even in this day and age I've not seen anyone nearly half as good as Pete especially when it comes to volley....

[@marianagaoka9687]

Thank you for the upload, I lived that era. However, this is why Federer, Nadal and Djokovic brought tennis to the next levels, I can see winner shots in this match that in the big 3 era are not anymore.

[@rijgrg1]

Gosh I absolutely love these two. Sampras was my hero growing up. Absolute superhuman level tennis between these legends...the shot making, the footwork, the court awareness, athleticism. The American golden generation.

[@thepsychologist8159]

After Agassi's win over Sampras at the 1995 1000 Masters in Canada, it took him three years to beat Sampras again. Such was the disappointment Agassi experienced after he was confident he'd beat Sampras at the 1995 US Open (and the disappointment of how convincingly Sampras beat him).

[@Tennislover511]

Pretty shocking hot faster the courts in the 90’s seem. The 110 in 1996 feels almost 120 today

[@andrewlegare6032]

They were much faster. San Jose was considered a slower hard court though

[@geoffreydy9739]

I miss serve and volley tennis 🎾

[@KutchaKutchakutchinKutchin]

Such a pleasure watching Sampras play. Looks so easy.

[@frankpavan7865]

Sampras locked and loaded was invincible 👍

[@anaclarisss]

E ele não derrotou um jogador qualquer. Venceu simplesmente o André Agassi.

[@datapro007]

Pistol Pete was the master of serve and volley, a lost art. Now tennis is dull and robotic.

[@theoparfin2219]

Pete clearly wanted that mercedes

[@mikelepadovano9802]

Honestly Agassi was my fave player back in the day now it’s Nole,when Agassi played his last game against somme guy Becker not the famous Boris Becker Somme other guy I cried honestly was fun to watch him play

[@larrybober6335]

This was Pete in his Prime

[@sarangcemut]

1:17 typical sampras’ movement. Anyone could tell it’s sampras even with eyes half closed 😊😊

[@boke75]

This was right before Andre became Methhead Andre.

[@stephenlow1841]

He did meth for about five minutes,,,

[@radiohead2206]

​@@stephenlow1841Oh okay. That makes it all good then?

[@stephenlow1841]

@@radiohead2206 Well, it certainly doesn't make him a cheat...meth isn't exactly performance-enhancing is it? Quite the opposite, no?

[@tennistein5286]

Pete❤❤

[@VashTheStampede4K]

Imagine if the ball had broken the car's mirror, especially by Agassi' serve return. LOL!

[@siak2910]

Pete could crush from the baseline, both off of the forehand and backhand.

[@VashTheStampede4K]

*Killer Sampras here, on fire mode.* For me he was the best of his era and the 4th best tennis player of all times, after the big 3 (Djoker, Roger and Rafa).

[@杰-说话都要講道理]

Why after ? Just asking cuz they didn’t play at the same time not the same era and as for a fact Pete lost to Roger only once if I am correct in a unique confrontation ´ what Pete achieved in Grand Slam is also insane as well as those of the big 3 ´´´

[@VashTheStampede4K]

@@杰-说话都要講道理 Pete is my third favorite tennis player, after Roger and Djoker. It was a genius of tennis and I always liked his style: serve and volley at its finest.

[@AyuRao]

Look at the old Mercedes model lovely to watch 😊

[@enomoeb]

Back when you could put a car for advertising right next to the court. Crazy...

[@amirjon]

They still do that. Someone nailed a bmw last year with their racket.

[@siggemannen1]

That's a nice car

[@11ClockworkOrange11]

Would like to See the whole Match. Any ideas how to get the record?

[@richardchang2224]

That running forehand...

[@greatone33j]

Is this slightly sped up?

[@kasyasify]

The best

[@youfilin]

True tennis!!

[@100nu77]

Donot know who wd hv beaten whom in imaginary world but sampras was undisputed king of 90s while big 3 are not even undisputed champs in their own era forget all time so how can they be GOAT.

[@Michael-uk3pj]

It's simple Novak has won 10 more slams than him 34 more titles And spent 142 more weeks at world no 1...

[@chadbased6079]

would love to see 1996 Sampras vs 2006 Federer on a grass court. Every set would end in a tie break

[@4g63t8]

I’m in the crowd somewhere, my one and only tennis match.

[@Marekxxk]

TOTAL DEMOLITION

[@Lecia-lithium]

Pete always giving him the beatdown

[@SonateSonate]

Agassi beat Sampras two years later 62 64 in the final. You're talking nonsense.

[@connicrow9463]

@@SonateSonate 2 tears later Agassi started to use juice aka steroids "the clear" cream, the new hi tech undectable at the time PED developed by Victor Conte / BALCO. -- same stuff Bonds Sosa Clemens Marion Jones used. Agassi had to in order to elevate his game and be relevant in tennis. Otherwise he's not naturally as good a player as Sampras.

[@SonateSonate]

@@connicrow9463 should I take your word for it? Of course I should.

[@ciaronsmith4995]

@@connicrow9463 Agassi is much more gifted than Sampras. He's less athletic but a far better ball striker. Andre was the most complete player of his generation.

[@stephenlow1841]

@@connicrow9463 Oh yes, doctor? Is that your official medical opinion or just one you pulled out of your exhaust port after Luke Skywalker shot a proton torpedo up it?

[@Prosto.Dastan]

Agassi wasn't playing well in this match, bad shot selection and too much unforced errors, he must be sick or did sleep well.

[@Gitfiddle]

I think Andre was waiting for Pete to cool off in later sets but it never happened. Pete was on fire.

[@Gimli1732]

Sampras had the best serve ever

[@jonm2522]

I wonder if the big 3 could beat pete at his peak which was 96

[@marcinkarczewski1793]

look kids ...this is real and durable Mercedes-Benz

[@HankHell41]

my left ear aaaahhhhh

[@micovujovic94]

Wow loook sl 500 legendary mercedes that is real price 🎉 amazing

[@boke75]

Agassi was his closest rival but still Pete was head & shoulders above Andre.

[@michelez715]

That's the funny thing. Agassi was his greatest rival in terms of how often they met, but in his autobiography Pete says he found Michael Stich his most difficult opponent, though they met far less often.

[@johnrenehan7406]

Mostly , Sampras seemed to get the better of Agassi in many of their meeting s Sampras was Thee no 1 attacking player with all the skills to overhaul any of the counter punches of his day

[@derrickc1353]

Federer 04 played on a fast court at us open. I feel djojovic would be okay on a fast court too. Nadal never won a major or even got to a final on a fast court. Djokovic played fed at us open 2007. When courts/balls played quicker

[@alienrefugee51]

Even back in those days, the commentators would talk about this matchup as a rivalry, but as much as I loved Agassi, it really wasn't. Pete almost always had Andre's number. Pete almost always had everyone's number.

[@SonateSonate]

20-14 Define "almost always".

[@alienrefugee51]

@@SonateSonate I should have stated, in Grand Slams, when it mattered most and when their "rivalry" was most hyped. 6-3 in slams and 4-1 in slam finals to Pete.

[@SonateSonate]

@@alienrefugee51 Sampras won everytime the surface suited his game (Wimbly & US Open), same for Agassi (Australian & French Open).

[@Jerry101ucanttouchmae]

Sampras forehand 😅

[@SEBA4279]

Era lo más parecido a Federer- Nadal del futuro...

[@travels129]

Pete always had the measure of andre

[@SonateSonate]

20-14 Define "always".

[@roastnut]

Funny how that Mercedes SL looks like garbage now!

[@andreagirolami6869]

Sampras in his better form would have clearly beaten Djokovic, Nadal, Federer and especially the doll Alcaraz, but today's children need their dose of illusions and exaltation...

[@ChilenoEsteban2024]

Y...conque argumentos basas esa idea...porque Nadal ,Nole y Roger tienen mucha mejor capacidad para aguantar peloteos..a mucha intensidad..Sampras era extraordinario ,pero en Clay no hacía mucho ,no era un extraordinario jugador en Clay,no aguantaba tantos peloteos ,y ese reves alto ,no hacía Daño ....

[@francescoskorpion9557]

Federer no...the other yes

[@vickyrajan5378]

On faster courts he will always have a chance... But his service should and must work in his favour... On slower courts he stands no chance... Fast courts or slower courts.. Peak Sampras would always have an inferior h2h record against Novak and Rafa for sure I still remember how Hewitt completely dismantled him in the US open finals.. U will argue that he was on the verge of retirement then.. But still he ended up beating Andre the following year.. Because Andre never had the nimble feet to go with his ground strokes... But hewitt had... He will always struggle against players who r extremely consistent from the baseline and extremely agile too... Here Novak and Rafa are better than Leyton and there level of play from the baseline even better...Novak is the best returner of the serve too.. They have got too much in them for Pete to overcome.. Though i feel Pete would always have a chance on faster courts and grass... But certainly he is not bossing that rivalry if it existed.

[@silvio2869]

​@@francescoskorpion9557federer yes

[@karimtourmous4692]

Look at you and think again on who needs his dose of « illusion ». How can you be that deluded ?

[@letosvet1]

Get that damned car off the court. You want a bust window or what ? Plus, court space is for the players, not for the sponsor who really wanted to be on display

[@KingKuba1313]

There's a reason Sampres could never won french open. Great player but one dimensional.

[@RedLP5000S]

There's a reason why Agassi is remembered and not the other dude.

[@ciaronsmith4995]

Andre was a more complete player than Pete. Agassi was at his worst here too. If Agassi only hit to Sampras' backhand more often and nailed his passing shots, Sampras would never beat Andre.

[@steveharaslin3822]

If? He could but he never did. He was always loosing the same way against Pete. Agassi was great player no doubt but he never reached Sampras greatness.

[@Raimund6602]

Inwiefern kompletter?Sampras konnte alles,Agassi war mit Serve and Volley überfordert,also wer war kompletter du Hirnschüssler?

[@blazetrent3407]

You're joking😂😂😂😂

[@stephenlow1841]

@@steveharaslin3822 He won the career golden slam which Sampras never did.

[@joeschmoe6908]

He was ways at his worst against Pete because he knew Pete was better and it made him choke. I've got nothing against Andre personally, but his game was an absolute snoozefest to watch.

[@bestialinvasion667]

The way Sampras, Agassi all the hit the ball back then was definitely good and ahead of its time. But nowadays thats changed. Players today have better rackets, better nutrition, better fitness are better than the game back in those days. That way of playing from Sampras, Agassi will not work in todays game. Novak would pounce on Sampras

[@jorad4887]

Sampras blocked agassi from winning grand slams with his one dimensional hard hitting ground strokes

[@DAVIDE70ISH]

I had a run-in with Sampras when I was a Bollettieris the guy was a jerk 🤷‍♀️

[@jagjitsinghmanku2283]

That’s interesting. What happened? Sampras seems to come across as a nice guy on camera.

[@Skazellino]

Sampras is well known to be a prick.@@jagjitsinghmanku2283

[@Eliath1984]

@@jagjitsinghmanku2283 Sampras is a pretty private guy so I'd bet the dude probably got aggressive trying to get time with Pete and Sampras isn't really to keen on that... from everyone I've talked to has said if they were respectful Pete was also extremely respectful and polite.. rub him the wrong way though and he's not so polite..

[@TimelyAdventure]

Yeah we need details

[@michelez715]

If you had a "run in" with him, why would you expect him to be nice?

[@kkkk-el5on]

On a fast court, Sampras can beat anyone, including the big 3

[@Евгений-ц3в1ж]

Агасси на фоне Сампраса просто лошара