More than 16,000 fans packed into Madison Square Garden on Monday
evening for an evening of legends. The BNP Paribas Showdown featured
John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl followed by Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.
After
a friendly morning press conference, where the tennis greats commented
on the end of the Federer/Nadal dominance (not over yet), the stars
headed over to the legendary arena to give the fans what they wanted.
Before
the stars took to the stage, some potential players of tomorrow
demonstrated the new smaller courts for official play for the 10 and
under set. With lighter balls and less ground to cover, the new format
is sure to make tennis fans for life. The exhibition also featured a
new “Let’s Move” PSA with Andre Agassi, Stefanie Graf and First Lady
Michelle Obama.
When the spotlight turned to the players of
evening, both Lendl and McEnroe looked poise to play. During a warm-up
with Sampras, however, McEnroe twisted his ankle but didn’t want the
injury to sideline him from playing in his favorite stadium. “I’ve been
coming here since I was eight,” he told the crowd.
Although he
didn’t look confident on his serve, his strokes were clean and he went
up 6-3 before retiring to Lendl. But before he left the court, he
stripped down to a pair of tiny white shorts, a throwback to the days
when the rivalry wasn’t as easygoing. Lendl joked they should go a step
further and have a rematch, complete with shorts and wooden racquets.
There
were no costume throwbacks when Agassi and Sampras stepped on the
court, just Sampras’ canary yellow shirt contrasted by Agassi’s black
ensemble. The first set moved quickly, with Sampras jumping out to an
early lead before Agassi got on the board 1-3.
He couldn’t
find a way back into the second set, and Sampras won 6-3. The second
set showed classic form on both sides, with Agassi launching passing
shots and Sampras delivering on his serve. At 5-5 it looked like
anyone’s match. Sampras kept his focus and broke Agassi to serve for
the match. His serve, as reliable as always, helped him move quickly to
match point. He took the second set, and the match, 7-5.
Sampras wins BNP Paribas Showdown against Agassi 6-3, 7-5. Credit: Jennifer Pottheiser
