The two were teamed up with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for a doubles match over the weekend and things got a little ugly, to say the least.  Thankfully, because it was a charity match, all the players were given microphone headsets so that every word could be heard loud and clear.

It all starts at about the 1:05 mark.  After Sampras and Federer take the lead for the first time in the match, Agassi pointed out to his counterpart that he “always has to get serious.”  So after a double-fault, Pete decided to lighten things up by imitating Andre’s pigeon walk around the court.  The crowd seemed to get a kick out of it, however, Agassi did not, and fired back with an impersonation of his own, emptying his pockets as if to imply Sampras was cheap.

The entire charade continued over the next couple of minutes, with Andre mocking Pete’s poor tipping and  apologizing to Obama.

It is obvious that Sampras and Agassi do not like each other, but what is lost in this entire charade is the fact that Nadal and Federer were forced to sit through it all.  At least it isn’t the first time either of them has had to put up with an awkward on-court moment.

Hat Tip – [The Big Lead]

Marat Safin

Safin, who is contemplating retirement himself, is claiming that Agassi should not only give back his titles, but also all his money earned while playing tennis.  Safin’s adoring fans may agree with him, but I doubt most other people would.  After he tested positive in 1997, he lied to the ATP about it and was allowed to continue playing.  During his playing career he 60 titles which includes 8 Grand Slams.  That is quite a resume and his new book, with its admissions about drug use, throw all those titles into question.

Obviously the request to return all the money is a bit ridiculous, but perhaps Agassi should return his titles.  If anything, the ATP should be held responsible as well, after being negligent or even complicit in Agassi’s deception.  The ATP cannot exactly strip the titles either, because of their involvement in the whole situation.

I don’t think anyone will be returning any titles, and certainly not any money, but its interesting to think about how this would work.  In the Olympics, the gold medalist is stripped of her medal and the silver winner steps in.  In baseball, as we’ve seen, a strong union has allowed the players to not only keep their money and awards, but play without any serious repercussions.  Tennis?  With the ATP being complicit in the crime here, it is more likely that it will be treated like baseball than like the Olympics.

Safin: Agassi should relinquish titles – [ESPN]

The most interesting part of the book however, appears to be an admission that Agassi had problems with drug use.  He was not only using light drugs, but apparently serious ones like crystal meth.  Not that all drugs aren’t serious, but the use of crystal meth was shocking.  For a person like Agassi, baring his soul in this book is no surprise.  Agassi didn’t seem to worried about how it would affect his fans either:

“I was worried for a moment, but not for long. … I wore my heart on my sleeve and my emotions were always written on my face. I was actually excited about telling the world the whole story.”

I don’t judge Agassi for this and neither should you.  It can be very difficult to handle all the pressure and stress of being the best in your sport and Agassi always came across as a class act.  It’s not like he was using drugs to cheat or anything, like a lot of baseball players did in the 1990s and 2000s.  Although his fans may not be as obsessive as Marat Safin‘s seem to be, Agassi is still respected in the tennis world.  We can only hope that now, in his later years, he has found some peace and happiness.

Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi: I Used Crystal Meth – [People.com]