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‘You Know How Fast Americans Speak..’- Rafael Nadal Had an Epic Response to Andre Agassi’s Brutal War of Words With Pete Sampras in a 2010 Exhibition Match

Published 10/10/2022, 7:48 AM EDT

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Back in 2010, Andre Agassi paired up with Rafael Nadal to take on Roger Federer and Pete Sampras. While Sampras and Agassi are old foes with a legendary rivalry, Federer and Nadal were rivals in the making. The match got even more interesting because the players were wearing a microphone. The banter between players made it more interesting.

Agassi was the most vocal of them all. He engaged in banter with both Federer and Sampras in the course of play. While Federer took everything sportingly, Sampras seemed to be unhappy with the remarks. Later, Agassi’s double partner Nadal spoke about the incident.

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Reaction from Rafael Nadal on the Agassi- Sampras banter

As it happened, Agassi taunted Sampras, calling him a poor tipper. Later Sampras served a high hard serve that made Agassi duck. Later, Agassi accepted it was an out-of-line comment. The eight-time Grand Slam champion also extended an apology. When asked about the incident, Agassi’s doubles partner Rafael Nadal had little clue what was going on.

“Everybody told me after the match what’s happened, but during the match, you know how fast Americans speak, and I am Spanish. I didn’t understand nothing,” he said.

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Read more: Rafael Nadal Delineates His Faith in His Doctor – ‘I Trust Dr. Cotorro With My Life.’

After 12 years after that match, Federer and Nadal ended up becoming a legendary rivalry. What makes it more special is their friendship over the years. Nadal is the most successful tennis player of all time now with 22 Grand Slam titles. While the Swiss legend, Roger Federer recently retired with 20 Grand Slam titles to his name.

Nadal is not thinking of retirement

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The 22-time Grand Slam champion is in the end phase of his career. It is the time when his friends and colleagues are bidding goodbye to the sport one by one. Earlier this year, Serena Williams retired from professional tennis. Federer followed her a month later.

via Reuters

Federer last played in the Laver Cup and Nadal was by his side crying with his friend. With the wave of retirement going on, fans were predicting a similar announcement from the 36-year-old. He had a good year with two Grand Slam titles but could have done better if injuries wouldn’t occur.

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However, with all those injuries and pain, the 36-year-old has made it clear that he is not thinking of retiring for now. The former world number one said that while his body is tired, his mind still says to keep going. This will definitely be a relief for tennis fans who are still learning to watch tennis without Serena and Federer. The last thing they would want to hear this year was Nadal’s retirement.

WATCH THIS STORY – Serena Williams vs Rafael Nadal – Net Worth comparison.

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Written by:

Gaurav Verma

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Gaurav Verma is a Tennis Author at EssentiallySports. He has post graduate diploma in management from IILM Graduate School of Management and a BBA degree from Bangalore University. He has 1-year of experience in the banking sector.
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Edited by:

Deepika Bhaduri