For at least a few minutes, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It's the type of drama you expect to see on some reality TV show or talk show that thrived on conflict and intrigue.
Except it was happening on a tennis court. Even more surprising is the fact that Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi, two of the greatest players to ever hit a tennis ball, were involved. Check this out:
Uploaded in youtube by user shakendagrass
This doubles match was part of the Hit for Haiti event. A lot of money was raised when part 1 was held during the Australian Open. All players were given microphones so that they could provide real-time commentary on their own match and engage in friendly banter. This seemed to really hit the mark the first time around that they decided to do it again for part 2.
Unfortunately, Andre and Pete got into a who-can-say-or-do-something-more-below-the-belt pissing contest that the entire crowd (and now, the entire world) witnessed. Not good.
The bad blood must've started when Agassi came out with his book and accused Sampras of being dull and lacking inspiration. And of being a poor tipper. So Andre saying "You always have to get serious, huh Pete?'' during this exhibition match seemed to push Pete's buttons one too many times, leading Pete to mock Andre by imitating his pigeon-toed walk. Andre then made a comeback by once again saying Pete was a poor tipper. The atmosphere got so negative that Roger ended up saying "This rivalry is intense, man. I mean, Rafa, start. Do something" to try and diffuse the tension a bit.
You could argue that champions locked in an intense rivalry for the better part of their careers would always have a competitive streak against each other even after they both have retired. But there is really no excuse to behave like spoiled brats who couldn't care less about airing their dirty laundry in public. That these two players, who are supposedly class acts and who have traditionally shown a high degree of respect towards one another, would conduct themselves so poorly during a charity event just makes this even more cringe-worthy.
The good news is that despite this intensely awkward moment, the event managed to raise 1 million dollars for the benefit of earthquake victims in Haiti.
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