"The handshake physically hurts, and it has nothing to do with my tender wrist"- When Andre Agassi recalled losing to Pete Sampras at Wimbledon

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras forged one of the strongest rivalries in tennis history. The two locked horns on 34 occasions, with Sampras leading 20-14 in the head-to-head between the two.

Sampras and Agassi's very first meeting at Wimbledon came in the quarterfinals of the 1993 edition. Agassi was the defending champion and had won both of his last two matches against his rival.

However, it was Sampras who gained control of the match by taking the first two sets 6-2, 6-2. Agassi won the next two sets 6-3, 6-3 to force the match into a decider. Sampras went on to win the final set 6-4 to book his place in the semifinals.

Andre Agassi wrote about the match in his book "Open: An Autobiography". He claimed that Sampras was not at his best during the final set and called for a trainer.

While he was being treated, the then-22-year-old thought that the match was his to lose. Agassi stated that Sampras was completely different after play resumed.

"In the fifth set, Pete’s wincing, kneading his shoulder. He asks for a trainer. During the delay, while he’s being worked on, I tell myself this match is mine. Two Wimbledons in a row—won’t that be something?" Agassi wrote

"When we resume play, however, Pete is a different person. Not revived, not reenergized—wholly different. He’s done it again, sloughed off that other doubt-ridden Pete as a snake sheds its skin. And now he’s in the process of shedding me. Leading 5–4, he starts the tenth game of the set by blasting three straight aces," he added.

Andre Agassi claimed that his post-match handshake with Sampras "physically hurt," but it was not because of his tender wrist.

"But not just any aces. They even have a different sound about them. Like Civil War cannons. Triple match point. Suddenly he’s walking toward the net, extending his hand, the victor once again. The handshake physically hurts, and it has nothing to do with my tender wrist," the American wrote.

Sampras eventually went on to win Wimbledon in 1993 by beating Jim Courier in the final. This was his first of seven titles at the grass-court Major.

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Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras faced each other at Wimbledon twice

Andre Agassi at the 2018 Australian Open

Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras locked horns only twice at Wimbledon. After the 1993 quarterfinals, they did not lock horns until the 1999 final.

Sampras beat Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 to win his sixth Wimbledon crown. The two faced one another six times during the 21st century.

The last meeting between the two came in the final of the 2002 US Open, with Sampras winning 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. It was also the last match of Sampras' professional career.