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The two American greats Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras will face each other in the southern Chinese gambling enclave Macau on Sunday.
Sampras on Thursday said,"It's going to be competitive tennis - obviously not quite as cutthroat as it once was - but I still feel we can both play quite well. As much as it’s an exhibition, there's still a lot of pride. Our egos are pretty big. Once the first point starts, I'm going to want to beat him."
"Whenever I stepped out against Andre when we were playing, it was like a heavyweight fight. That's one thing I miss."
The 38 year-old Sampras had played on the ATP seniors tour last year and Agassi made a one-time appearance at a seniors event in Arizona earlier this month. Agassi, 39, has been playing consistently in recent months and Sampras said he's been practicing against juniors in Los Angeles.
Agassi has eight Grand slam titles to his credit while Sampras has 14. Agassi is one of six men in history to win all four majors and won Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996. They played 34 times over a 13-year span, including five major finals.
Sunday's match is likely to see Sampras again relying on his famously accurate and powerful service, while Agassi's strength will be his returns and counter-punching groundstrokes.
Agassi said "I believe having two styles that are so opposite, having two personalities that are so opposite really lent for a great rivalry.”
