"Andre Agassi said things he shouldn't & paid the price; he went too far" - When Pete Sampras spoke on rival's disqualification for swearing at umpire

Pete Sampras once weighed in on Andre Agassi being disqualified from the 1996 RCA Championships for swearing at the umpire.

Agassi was notorious for his hot-headed behavior early in his career. His quick temper was on display at the tournament in Indianapolis that year, as he took on Daniel Nestor in the second round. The American dominated the opening set, winning 6-1.

Tensions escalated in the second set after Nestor broke Agassi's serve to take a 3-2 lead. This caused the American's frustrations to boil over as he hit a ball into the stands, resulting in a warning from chair umpire Dana Laconto for ball abuse. Agassi, further agitated by the warning, directed an expletive at the umpire, who then consulted with the ATP supervisor and defaulted the American from the tournament.

After reaching the quarterfinals in Indianapolis, Pete Sampras shared his thoughts on Andre Agassi's disqualification, stating that it was a "disappointing" outcome for the tournament. He also acknowledged that Agassi said things he shouldn't have said and had paid the price for crossing the line.

"Well, it is -- it is really disappointing for the event, I mean, to not have him here, you know, hurts the TV; hurts the sponsors; hurts the tournament. You don't like to see things like that happen," Pete Sampras said in his post-match press conference.

"He said some things he shouldn't have said and he paid the price. We all kind of react differently to bad line calls or not playing well, and he just maybe went a little bit too far and that was it," he added.

Sampras also asserted that Agassi's outburst was uncalled for, especially as he hadn't been on the verge of losing the match.

"I have played Andre where he has lost his cool a couple of times and has been on the edge of -- has been on the edge. And last night, I just think he just went a little bit too far and, you know, it is surprising," he said.

"I mean, seemed like he was in control of the match - wasn't like he was close to losing. I mean, the way things were going, you know, no reason for him to do that, but that is the way it goes," he added.

Pete Sampras triumphed at the 1996 RCA Championships after Andre Agassi's disqualification, defeating Goran Ivanisevic 7-6(3), 7-5 in the final.

"I don't think it will have any affect" - Pete Sampras on Andre Agassi's RCA Championships disqualification impacting his US Open campaign

Pete Sampras

During the press conference, Pete Sampras also dispelled concerns that Andre Agassi's performance at the 1996 US Open would be affected by his disqualification at the RCA Championships.

"No, I don't think so. By the time the Open comes around, it would have been a couple of weeks and seems like after the Olympics and Cincinatti, his game is back to where it should be and playing very well, so I don't think it will have any affect," Pete Sampras said.

Sampras' prediction proved accurate, as Agassi made a run to the semifinals of the New York Major that year. Eventual runner-up Michael Chang defeated Agassi 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 to advance to the final.

Sampras, meanwhile, successfully defended his US Open title, securing a 6-1, 6-4, 7-6(3) win over Chang in the final to clinch his fourth title at the New York Major and eighth Grand Slam title overall.