March 12, 2010
Benefit gathers Roger Federer, Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Rafael Nadal
on same court
By Leighton Ginn
INDIAN WELLS --- It's extremely rare for Pete Sampras, the winner of 14 Grand Slam singles titles, to play doubles. Tonight, Sampras, a part-time desert resident, will be in an even rarer position.
"It's not every day I get to play with someone who has more majors than me," Sampras joked of playing with Roger Federer tonight in the Hit for Haiti benefit exhibition.
Sampras and Federer, the winner of a record 16 Grand Slam singles titles, will take on Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal in a doubles match that will pit arguably the four greatest players of the past two decades, with each having historic accomplishments on their resumes.
"To have the four of us, the rivalry of the '90s and the rivalry in this decade, to all be out there is pretty cool," Sampras said. "It doesn't happen every day. And to have all those majors on the court, it's going to be a fun night and we can have some laughs. Hopefully, the fans will enjoy it."
All four players combined have won 44 major titles with two of the sport's definitive rivalries: Sampras-Agassi in the 90s and Federer-Nadal this past decade. Throw in all the other career titles and the foursome have enough hardware to fill a Home Depot.
The evening was orchestrated by tournament owner Larry Ellison, the CEO and founder of Oracle. It is Oracle that will present the event and lead the fundraising efforts.
The Haiti earthquake struck Jan. 12, just a few weeks before the start of the Australian Open. Federer decided to put on a benefit in Melbourne prior to the tournament, enlisting many of the top players to participate and donate items for an auction. The event raised more than $600,000.
"I thought it was a great move (by) Roger and everyone in Australia," Sampras said. "It happened right before the event started, and it was great to have some players get some relief money over there to get these people some food, some water, some clothing --- just anything."
Moved by the effort, Ellison, who purchased the BNP Paribas Open in December, decided to put on another Haiti benefit. And for his event, Ellison had particular players in mind. In addition to the men, a women's event is slated for the night that will feature Steffi Graf and Lindsay Davenport taking on Martina Navratilova and Justine Henin.
Ellison and Oracle anticipate the event will raise at least $1 million for the American Red Cross.
Sampras said he heard about the benefit through his former coach, Paul Annacone, who was in Australia. Since Sampras owns a home in Palm Desert already, he said he was happy to do it. But Sampras also was moved to act, watching the aftermath of the earthquake on television.
"It's a devastating situation and sort of mind boggling when you have these areas, and this earthquake completely destroyed it," Sampras said.
"You have a home and the next minute you're living on the streets, and there's family members losing loved ones. I couldn't imagine the scene. Just horrific … I'm going to do my part with the guys. Every little bit helps."
Federer vs. Nadal
For most of the decade, Federer established himself as a No. 1 with no equal. That was before Nadal came on the scene.
The two have staged epic battles on the hallowed grounds of Wimbledon, with their two finals considered two of the best matches the game has ever seen.
"I think the rivalry has been great, and it's been played in great spirit," Federer said. "We've definitely been able to elevate each other's games because of the play of the other guy's. I also think over half the matches we've been able to play have been in finals. That's been something that's been quite special about our rivalry. We've been stuck at No. 1 and No. 2 for so long, or No. 2 and No. 1 and we weren't going to face each other before the finals. That's something special."
Throughout his career, Federer also has developed a relationship with Sampras. When Federer passed Sampras at Wimbledon, Sampras flew out to England to watch the final.
"What we're seeing here is pretty incredible, being so consistent with 16 majors and counting," Sampras said. "He's the best player in the world and he just has the whole package with his game and temperament. He has a lot of humility and I've been a fan for quite a while."
Sampras also has a lot of respect for Nadal, whom he'll meet for the first time tonight.
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Rafa with his heart, determination and the achievements he's put together at 23. It's incredible," Sampras said. "He plays through pain --- his knee injury --- and I'm just a big fan of what he brings to the sport. He brings a lot of emotion. People love the guy, they root for him.
"But Rafa is a stud, a total stud."
Sampras vs. Agassi
For much of the 1990s, tennis was dominated by Americans, specifically Sampras and Agassi. It caught the fan's attention because it pitted Sampras,
with a serve considered one of the game's best ever, against Agassi, who had one of the best return games.
"We had some great classics. We came out of it pretty good friends," Sampras said. "We grew up together, playing each other in Northridge when I was 7 and he was 8. Look at us now with a ton of majors and been through so many different situations in our careers personally and professionally. Playing on the court, we had some great battles that sort of transcended the sport. It started with my first major against him (1990 U.S. Open) and ended with him (2002 U.S. Open)."
The matchup also was a contrast of personalities, with the Las Vegas showmanship of Agassi and the California cool of Sampras.
The difference in personalities is reminiscent of the NBA's rivalry between the Boston Celtics' Larry Bird and the Los Angeles Lakers' Magic Johnson of the
1980s. The Magic-Bird rivalry was the subject of an HBO special that debuted last week.
"It's so funny, I was watching it with my wife and Larry Bird is talking," Sampras said. "My wife said at the end, you're like Larry and Andre is like Magic."
"They're leaving the hotel (at the Barcelona Olympics in 1992), and Larry is looking for the side door and Magic is looking for the front door where all the
people are. That's like me and Andre. I'm looking for the side door."
Throughout their careers, Sampras and Agassi showed mutual respect and even appeared in a Nike commercial together.
However, in the fall, Agassi released his autobiography, "Open," and had made comments about Sampras being dull and once gave a poor tip. Through the media, Sampras expressed his disappointment.
Since that time, Sampras said he had a talk with Agassi and everything is fine between the two.
"We talked about it and sort of cleared the air a little bit. He said a few things," Sampras joked. "I like Andre. It's not like I have anything bad to say about him. Someone caught me off guard, telling me the things he said. It's better in these situations that we talk about it than talking through the media. We're fine. It's not a big deal."
Federer has had a history with Sampras and Agassi, having come on the scene as the two Americans were winding down their careers. Federer's first big victory came at the 2001 Wimbledon, when he defeated Sampras to end his 31-match winning streak at the All England Club.
Over the years, Sampras and Federer have developed a strong relationship, including a series of exhibitions between the two at Madison Square Garden in 2008.
"For him to come back out and step on the same court with me, it's great for both of us," Federer said. "We love that. Andre, I had some incredible matches against him. To see him back out and be able to play against him is a lot of fun for me and always an honor to be on the court with such legends. It's fantastic."