“This rivalry is intense!” Roger Federer joked at Indian Wells on Friday night, after Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi engaged in some verbal (and in Pete’s case, non-verbal) crossfire during their Hit for Haiti charity doubles match. It was a valiant attempt to break the tension and a subtle reference to the more mellow relationship [...]

Some nice behind the scenes photos from Hit for Haiti. I’m guessing that these were all taken before the guys played their match on Friday. I’m basing this on Rafa’s t-shirt, which he changed once he was on court. Also, everyone seems to be getting along!
“I know my fabrics, Rafa, and this is not 100% [...]

I thought I was witnessing the most awkward part of Day Three at Indian Wells when Maria Sharapova went down 1-5 in the first set to Vera Dushevina on Stadium 2. The crowd was groaning and wincing as she hit serve after serve into the bottom of the net. But then I heard a collective [...]

It’s great to see this exciting Hit for Haiti exhibition come together for the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. Pete Sampras and Roger Federer will play doubles against Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal, all former champions in the desert. That’s a whopping 44 Major titles on the court at one time. They also added [...]

Pete Sampras took to the court at the SAP Open in San Jose last night to play an exhibition match vs. Fernando Verdasco. Verdasco beat Pete 6-3, 7-6 (2), and the 38-year-old admitted afterwards that he felt “a little old” compared to the strapping 26-year-old Spaniard. (Via Guardian) Perhaps next time Nando should play in [...]

Thanks to Judy for passing this story along to me!
Sports Illustrated reports that Pete Sampras is not happy with the “shots” that Andre Agassi took at him in his newish autobiography, Open. Sampras told reporters via a recent conference call that he’d like to meet “man to man” with his rival and hash things out. [...]

The latest in the ATP’s “uncovered” series features a nice interview with ex/co/forever GOAT Pete Sampras. He talks about his drive to be No. 1, his feelings on Roger Federer breaking his record and his “unbiased” opinion that tennis players are the best athletes in the world. (I agree, Pete!) Look out for the Marat [...]

Pete Sampras and Marat Safin celebrated the start of the LA Tennis Open on Monday with a spirited exhibition, called the “Millenium Challenge.” (I think this references the year 2000 – when a 19 year-old Safin stunned Sampras in the U.S. Open final)
Safin also won last night’s highly-competitive match in a deciding tiebreak: 6-4, 3-6, [...]

To the die-hard Pete Sampras fans who are mourning the loss of his greatest record – stuck down by Roger Federer at Wimbledon this year – you have reason to cheer! Pete Sampras, at age 37, is still a great champion: humble, thoughtful and just a touch melancholic. Oh, and Sampras can still S&V with [...]

It’s not easy choosing the G.O.A.T. Like American Lit exams, it’s more essay question than multiple choice. And even if you’re tennis’s answer to Mark Twain, those snarky Sartre-types can always blow smoke in your eyes and snarl: “What a futile exercise. It’s obvious that the G.O.A.T. is a media construct and not reality.”
Can you [...]

I said it on Twitter and I’ll say it again: If last year’s Wimbledon final was Shakespeare, this year’s was Die Hard. That’s what you get when Andy Roddick plays Rafael Nadal’s understudy. And I say understudy not out of disrespect, but because until a few weeks ago, Rafa was the favorite to make the [...]

At some point this blog will stop obsessing over Roger Federer (at least for a post or two!) But right now the mainstream media is making it really hard to stop. Here’s a funny, strange, Nole-esque, ad from Nike celebrating Federer’s 14th Major:

Hope Pete doesn’t mind. . .