Re:Pete Sampras: Letter to My Younger Self
by tunesmith on Tuesday June 30, 2015 @02:41PM
(#9807516)
I don't know much about tennis, but that sounds familiar regarding McEnroe and Connors from the generation before - I remember announcers talking about how McEnroe had a great server and Connors had a great return.
Oh yes, a very good point. McEnroe himself said that Connors was the best returner before Agassi. And of course Mac's can opener serve is a weapon still to this day (I watched him play live recently and it was a beauty).
It was pretty close in terms of wins against each other. However Sampras has won more matches that _really_ mattered (in Grand Slam tournaments).
Also, they had 2 completely different styles of play (on top of having completely different personalities). Sampras had a great serve (his second serve is still considered the best of all times) and came to the net a lot (serve-and-volley tennis). Agassi, on the other hand, was a great returner of serve (probably the best of all times until Djokovic showed up) and had devastating ground strokes (stepping into the court and hitting the ball early on the rise). That difference made their rivalry extremely entertaining.