Match point

Chapter 984
There is no doubt that Agassi and Sampras are typical hard-court players. The worst Grand Slam performance of the two players in their careers was the French Open.

Sampras Yousheng.

The world champion has a pitiful 64.86% winning rate at the French Open, which is not at the same level as the other three Grand Slams. Even at the peak of his career, Sampras would completely lose the game every year when he came to the clay court season The control power is completely without the domineering and elegant demeanor of the ball king.

Until he retired, Sampras' best result at the French Open was only one semi-final, and there were three quarter-finals, and that's all.

In other words, for Sampras, entering the second week of the French Open, it is very, very struggling.

In comparison, Agassi is slightly better.

Unlike Sampras's serve to the net, Agassi is a typical bottom-line player. Relying on his deep bottom-line skills, he can also deal with it on clay.

Looking at the clay court performance of Agassi's career, the French Open winning rate is 76.11%. Although he is not a top player and is also at the bottom of his four Grand Slam records, he is already very, very close to the first echelon.

Moreover, in terms of the best record, Agassi also performed well. In the French Open, he has four quarter-finals, two semi-finals, and three finals, one of which won the championship——

In the 1999 French Open final, Agassi faced Andrei-Medvedev, a dark horse unseeded player who eliminated top seed Sampras and three-time tournament champion Kurten to advance.

"1:6" and "2:6", two sets were lost first, but Agassi reversed the situation, won three sets in a row, became the champion, and won the only French Open championship in his career.

It is precisely because of this that in this year's Australian Open final, Agassi saw Gao Wen complete the feat of allowing the second to chase the third, and he was still facing Djokovic. He rarely loses his composure.

Horizontal comparison is clear at a glance.

Compared with Sampras, Agassi's understanding, adaptation, reading, adjustment, etc. of clay are obviously better.

As much as Sampras didn't want to admit it, he still had to admit—

At least on clay courts, Agassi has more advantages than himself, and he should serve as Gao Wen's head coach.

For Sampras, this has not been an easy task.

He is used to taking the initiative and giving orders. From the past to the present, he has never changed. He is always surrounded by a halo of praise and glory. Every move can set off stormy waves, as if the whole world revolves around him.

He can't imagine himself being reduced to a supporting role, he can't imagine being forgotten by the spotlight, and he can't imagine being reduced to the embarrassment and uselessness of struggling to qualify for the Grand Slam. Everyone needs to face failure.

Therefore, he chose to retire, and when his career slowly began to decline, he resolutely turned around at the peak of winning the US Open again.

At least, he can leave behind a glamorous back, and the memories on the court are all good, so there is no need for life to be reduced to being muddy and ugly before cleaning up the mess.

This is the personality of Sampras.

In a sense, that's why Sampras has been refusing to coach anyone.

He worried that his pride might ruin his relationship with the players, and then he would lose all his feathers in the end.He couldn't imagine such a mess.

Until Gao Wen appeared.

Sampras admitted that in just half a year of getting along, he rediscovered the excitement and pleasure of competition, as well as the joy and excitement of victory. Of course, it also included the pain and suffering of defeat. In a trance, he rediscovered Go back to the player days and start enjoying tennis again.

One step, another step.

Quietly, unknowingly, Sampras is transforming into a competent coach, even to his own surprise.

In order to enhance Gawain's ability to hold the bottom line, he extended an olive branch to Agassiz.

In order to improve Gao Wen's ability in clay court competition, he was willing to retreat to the second line and give up the initiative.

Sincerely, Sampras hoped that Gao Wen could go a step further and consider Gao Wen wholeheartedly, and had already switched to the coaching mode without knowing it.

but!

Sampras tossed and turned, tangled and suffered for so long, and finally made up his mind. What happened to Agassi's expression and reaction?

boom!
The head just exploded.

"What's your expression like?"

"Are you laughing at me? Are you questioning my sincerity? Wait, or are you unwilling?"

"I've been thinking over and over for so long and struggling for so long, and this is your reaction? That's it?"

"I'm just a joke in your eyes, aren't I?"

"Andre Agassi..."

As he spoke, Sampras himself didn't realize that his voice was raised, his emotions became more and more agitated, and the foul language was already swirling on the tip of his tongue, and he was about to spit it out.

Agassi stopped Sampras in time, but didn't say much, just gestured to the training ground with his eyes.

"You don't want them to know, do you?"

Sampras immediately slammed on the brakes and controlled his temper, but he still stared at Agassi fiercely, his face full of resentment——

He's not used to it, he's not used to it, and he doesn't like it.

As soon as the words were spoken, Sampras felt uncomfortable all over his body. This is not his style, so he is like a powder keg, on the verge of exploding all the time.

Agassi knows this old opponent. The more so, the more Sampras does not want others to know. He will definitely do his best to maintain his image.

Sure enough, with a look and a hint, Sampras abruptly controlled himself.

Agassi secretly admires Graf——

This trick was actually used by Graf to deal with Agassi, and now Agassi is using it to deal with Sampras, and it is equally effective and effective.

Therefore, Graf is the real master.

Immediately afterwards, Agassi explained.

"I'm just a little surprised."

"Peter, even you are surprised, let alone me."

Agassi looked at Sampras with a faint smile.

Sampras was stunned, raised his hand and stroked his hair, felt in his pocket, trying to find a cigarette, only to realize that he didn't bring the cigarette to the training ground, and the arc of the corner of his mouth It went up even more.

"I also feel that this kind of self is very strange."

Agassi shook his head.

"I think this is very familiar to you. It's like returning to the previous game. We all enjoy the joy of victory, but compared to victory, we enjoy the excitement of competition, fighting and confrontation."

"Just like skydiving, the thrill of free fall is addictive."

Sampras paused and shook his head slightly, "No wonder people always say that the person who knows you best is not your friend, but your enemy."

Agassi shrugged, noncommittal, and then brought the topic back, "Is what you just said true? I'm going to take over the clay court season?"

Sampras nodded, but then shook his head, "Don't get me wrong, I am not resigning to give up the position of head coach, but to adjust the primary and secondary positions. I am still Gao Wen's head coach, don't think too much .”

Seeing Sampras nervously explaining, Agassi laughed happily.

(End of this chapter)