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Coco Gauff's coach Brad Gilbert recently disclosed that she likes to pull his leg by reminding him of Pete Sampras' positive head-to-head record against Andre Agassi.
Gilbert is one of the most celebrated coaches in tennis history. The 62-year-old previously worked with legends like Andre Agassi, Andy Murray, Andy Roddick and Simona Halep, among others. He joined Gauff's camp in June 2023, following which she had the best run of her career during the North American hardcourt swing.
Under Gilbert's tutelage, Coco Gauff captured her maiden WTA 500 and 1000 titles at the Washington Open and the Cincinnati Open in August. The 19-year-old saved her best for the US Open, though.
She showed maturity beyond her years to come from a set down to beat Aryna Sabalenka in the championship match to secure her first-ever Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows.
Gilbert, on his part, was instrumental in the World No. 3's breakout run. The two have formed a strong bond over the last few months, going by the former's comments to Vogue — which featured the American teen on the April cover of their magazine.
According to Gilbert, Gauff likes to tease him about the fact that 14-time Major winner Pete Sampras came out on top of 20 of his 34 encounters against his former ward Andre Agassi.
"Did you coach Andre Agassi? When you were coaching Andre, how did he do against Pete Sampras?" Brad Gilbert told Vogue that Coco Gauff often pokes fun at him with the above remarks.
Brad Gilbert became Andre Agassi's primary coach in 1994. He guided the American to six of his eight Major titles before Darren Cahill replaced him in 2003.
Pete Sampras dominated Andre Agassi in their most important matches
Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi made up for the best rivalry of the 1990s. With a contrast in their playing styles and personalities, the two Americans always ensured fans got their money's worth.
Although Agassi was beaten handily by Sampras in their first-ever Major final meeting at the 1990 US Open, the baseliner had the upper hand on his big-serving compatriot early on as he won four of their first seven matches.
Pete Sampras then erased Andre Agassi's advantage from 1993 onwards, besting him in four of their next six encounters at big tournaments. They did, however, split their two Major meetings at 1993 Wimbledon and the 1995 Australian Open.
And while Agassi hit a rich vein of form in the summer of 1995, it wasn't enough to overcome Sampras in the final at Flushing Meadows that year. Following his struggles with form and motivation, he hardly enjoyed a great patch against his 6'1 rival as he dropped seven of their final 11 meetings.
The two players put up some of the best tennis matches ever in the last few years of their respective careers though, putting up classics like their 2000 Australian Open five-set semifinal and the 2001 US Open four-set quarterfinal match.
Pete Sampras eventually had the last laugh in their rivalry, as he beat Andre Agassi to win his final Major title at the 2002 US Open. Since then, the Americans have maintained a healthy camaraderie and have faced off against each other in many exhibition matches.
