Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras and Jimmy Connors could 100% be in there with the top players today: Serena Williams' ex-coach

Tennis legends Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and Jimmy Conors possess the mental strength required to excel among the top players in today's game, according to Serena Williams' former coach Rick Macci.

Over the course of his illustrious career, Agassi won eight Grand Slam titles. He triumphed at the Australian Open four times, won the US Open twice, and achieved the career Grand Slam by securing one win each at the French Open and Wimbledon Championships.

Sampras retired with 14 Major titles to his name. His victories include seven Wimbledon titles, two titles at the Melbourne Slam, and a joint Open Era record of five US Open titles, alongside Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors.

On the other hand, Connors clinched eight Grand Slam titles, winning five US Open titles, two titles at the Wimbledon Championships, and a solitary trophy at the Australian Open.

Citing their experience of winning multiple Major titles, Rick Macci asserted that Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, and Jimmy Connors possessed a champion's mindset that would enable them to compete alongside the top players in the modern game as well.

"Was asked if Past Grand Slam champions like Agassi Sampras Connors could be right in there with the top players today.100%. Everybody has to understand any Champion in the past is Wired Different Mentally as they have Delivered the Mail on time at every Grand Slam Address," he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

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Andre Agassi sheds light on uniqueness of his rivalry with Pete Sampras & Roger Federer's rivalry with Rafael Nadal

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras

In a recent interview, Andre Agassi stated that rivalries don't automatically manifest in any sport, regardless of the talent present in a generation. He asserted that instead, it was necessary to capture the audience's imagination.

"I think rivalries aren’t guaranteed in any sport. It doesn’t matter how talented a generation is, you need to capture the imagination of cultures and people," Andre Agassi said on the Pat McAfee show.

Agassi held up his storied rivalry with Pete Sampras as an example, pointing out that beyond their contrasting playing styles, it was their differing personalities that added dynamics to their rivalry.

"In the sense of me and Pete [Sampras], we weren’t just two opposite players, which was so obvious on the tennis court, we were two opposite personalities and two opposite people altogether. So, to find those… you need dynamics," he added.

He highlighted a similar contrast in Roger Federer's and Rafael Nadal's play styles.

"Federer and Nadal, talking about righty lefty, one who makes it look like it’s so ballistic and one who makes it look like poetry. So, there’s some special elements to rivalries," Agassi stated.

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras faced each other in 34 tour-level encounters, with Sampras enjoying a 20-14 lead in their head-to-head record.