Sampras serve and volley against Agassi, US Open 2002

[alankace]

look at that beautiful split step at 1:30

[gornhorror]

I think if Federer took a year off and just practiced serve and volley only and dedicated himself to ONLY serve and volley, he would dominate Nadal again.

[Peaches1822]

I don't think anyone has made S&V look so damn easy. Its such a shame that the courts are slower than treacle nowadays, cos I don't think we'll ever see this kind of game again :(

[Peaches1822]

@Peaches1822 *I mean S&V look so damn easy as sampras makes it look

[DeepSnowMan]

is no coincidence that the best rivalry ever was a server vs a returner...

[petty0864]

he's a beast, the best of all time in my opinion

[gornhorror]

@petty0864 I totally agree. When he was on, his best was THE best. Federer included.

[dharmaboy75]

Dead gad, that's amazing. I forgot how impressive Sampras was.

[alin1975]

Absolutely beautiful... tennis at its best imo

[naharattttt]

you so great! i love this video! thanks

[exitingforward]

WOW! So many haters posting on this thing! Jealous much of seeing a GODLY SERVE and put away volley? This is a great vid, if your dissing it because your a baseline fanboy who doesn't like all court tennis, than just don't watch. S/v is a great game. Tennis is a game of trends - don't be surprised to see a couple S/v'ers again.

[ProduceMan117]

In the few points that Agassi scored in this video, the crowd goes nuts.... while in all of Sampras' points, there's just an awwwww...

Wonder how he felt about being the better player all those years, but not the crowd fave.

[aonutube]

0:56 sick volley!

[britpatRIOT100]

best player ever federer not good enough to lase his shoes.

[m3v0t]

sampras was still the best serve and volley player in the world

[Denoheatwave]

Agassi also had the best return. Snap.

[Kalipathekid]

Oh snap, did he play his whole serves like that?

[youziness]

Agassi could return Sampras' serve but he made poorer returns compared to today's top players. People say agassi is good returner because he simply has good percentage of return, but those returns rarely hurt sampras. The first return affects the balance to make successful passing shots. Federer and nadal has better returns than this, Sampras will never get an easy first volley.

[spasman]

For the sake of the game, I am really pleased that serve and volley has died out. From what I have seen of tennis 15 or 20 years ago, the games are not fluid or interesting, it's just huge serves, a return and a quick volley to win the point. Rinse and repeat.

I love nothing more than watchin Nadal and Federer (the recent FO final was a perfect example) duel it out from behind the baseline. Their shots are just unbelievable and so great to watch Nadal's spin and Federers's pin point accuracy.

[frilloz4]

playing sampras would of been a bitch back then.

[muslimgiga]

@TennisAnnalyst i just admire the pure skill of pete, guga and andre. W/the exception of the top 3 in tennis today, you rarely see matches played w/ such intensity anymore.

[muslimgiga]

@TennisAnnalyst you gotta take into context the equipment they were using and the way they played. There weren't 60 shot baseline rallies and the games were actually really exhilarating to watch. To serve and volley like pete with that raquet he was using? tat...takes skill.

[muslimgiga]

these guys are the greats of tennis because the top 10 in their days were all federer's and nadal's in their prime so it was MUCH MUCH harder to win anything.

Now a days the top 10 are butt except for a few good players.

[supermaccarenzo]

Watching videos of Pete just reminds me of how the serve has almost become a forgotten shot in tennis. Amazing.

[sdnm86]

Sampras's serve and volley was a sight to behold. He made it look so effortless.

[bugabutu]

its as if sampras never got tired or ran out of stamina..... look at the number of serve & volleys he put out there !

[Scarecrowman27]

we will never see another serve and volley like this again in our life time. This is amazing, I never see players even hit these kinds of shots anymore. And when they do it's considered amazing, those kinds of shots are just routine for Sampras.

[Scarecrowman27]

Talk about PRESSURE

[nishjaxx]

Speed up the grass courts. We want serve and volley back in London. Clay, Grass and Hard should be all different. Not the same high bouncing gayness which sees to be the its going. Baseline is good but not when every player has to do it because of the slow courts.

[cammpinno]

His 14 grand slams weight more than any number of GS of any other player.

[cammpinno]

In this match Sampras outserved, outrallied, outvolleyed, outplayed Agassi. Like in many of those where he was an "underdog". :-)))

What a fun to watch!!!

[coolragazzo94]

I HATE how they make serving look so natural and easy

[diablomid]

This is the most beautiful tennis I ever seen.

[sullmister]

his volleying is flawless

[yeahuuummmno]

i like how this video isnt just sampras winning every point.. it shows agassi making good shots as well

[007toft007]

Sampras the serve and volley machine, it's an art to watch him bulldoze through players, serve and vollying is not as easy as it looks!

[kinny26]

No serve and volley as much as Sampras used to do these days

[Thutmosis7]

Pete was a great playa, probably the best ever for me. Eventhough i am nadal's fan, i appreciates what pete done for the game. Yes federer's form from 2004-07 dominating compare to sampras from 94-98. But people need to realize, from 2002-07 that's the weakest era we know in tennis. The competition was not the same like it was in pete's day. Federer is good, but i doubt he would of won 10 slams back then.

[Tohkeeoh7]

its good but its funny that like fourth of the time he was scored on lol oh well hes still the best

[WWChrisCornellDo]

4:45 :)

[Bruno8081]

the best serve and volley ever, unbelievable precision. His matches were like watching a Bruce Willis movie, the action never stops! Miss you so much in the courts Pete!

[kaidosempai]

serve and volley rules u dont c them now at all. :(

[mikaelosworld]

Ur right kaidosempai, majority of Pro player now a days use to stay on the base line.

[kaidosempai]

its true plus this guy is tall, he can cover the court it takes him seconds to come to the net after his serve, plus hes known for his accurate first serves, pistol pete is his nick name, i mean he was made for tennis, and he does magic volleys u cant do anything to return this, i look up to his play style now its all about baseline power play, i still love serve and volleys :)

[xXxWontonxXx]

@kaidosempai

Michael Llodra :D

[bamibalboy]

@kaidosempai dent, federer do them more than other players, but i agree with you. Sampras was amazing

[mrbobevans]

Pete was clearly better than Andre on fast hard. But you would have to give a slight nod to Andre on slow hard.

[moussy82]

WOW

This is the kind of tennis I like

[piccalocb]

They both have excellent rythym esp Pete when he serve's and vollys .

[dfp2101]

this must have been quite annoying for Andre... no wait, he was prob high

[JosephBayot]

this is so beautiful to watch...love serve and volley tennis

[chris4uluvu]

yes Nadal n Fed r champs in their own way.

But slight edge to my champ Pete, who has tackled the major obstacle to his S/V tech i.e tough return, by the best returner of the game, my fav Andre.

S/V is tougher in my opinion to baseline play n herez one who mastered it.

Thanks Andre, Pete for your tennis spirit.

[chris4uluvu]

so ATP has decided to make it more interesting , appealing , challenging n changed the surfaces with materials which will slow the speed, but the reason given is 'durability'......can any1 recollect Grass court specialist Tim has commented on the wimbledon grass changes? ..... change obviously helped Nadal n inturn made Tennis(Nadal Vs Fed rivalry) show up on Times cover after some years!

[chris4uluvu]

ATP has replaced surfaces with less speed.

Yes, what can they do, here is 1 guy who is making tennis look a kid's game with his GS championships....which ofcourse for sometime made tennis look boring.....then there came a player who stood up or sorry ran-out his last muscle to give his opponent one more shot to play which made the champ think over; atleast it happened in one GS at Paris to start with n there you go ppl will obviously look to make more interesting....continued.

[bloodiestmuffin]

i dont think serve and volley is tireing anymore, i do it all the time, its my main aproach generally, but i suppose a good fitness is needed to keep it up, but i dont find it that difficult, whereas playing from the baseline is much harder if you cant hit winners quickly, which from that distance is hard in itself from my experiance

[SVolleyGame]

DarkDisaster45

No serve and volleyers strain their body much more than baseliners. Go to the tennis court and do a few shuttle run drill back and forth - i.e. forehand, backhand, appraoch shot, low forehand and back hand volley, high fore+back volley and couple overheads. If you can do this 8 times in a row, you are really good. Compare that to hitting strokes from the baseline about 50 times. Try it and see which one is harder. You will see why serve and volley is so much harder.

[agrodner]

SVolleyGame - thanks for your comments, I agree with you what you wrote.

89Pleasek - do you play tennis? what is your level? I do not want to pass judgment on your comments but I think if you did not experience a 120mph+ first serve, or spin second serve which can lob you, it is hard to appreciate the value of a good serve. Nadal is a great guy but he is nowhere close the returning talent of Agassi which has a very flat a compact strokes ... and Sampras can beat Agassi at his best.

[asdfuogh]

@agrodner Well... check out the Nadal serve now... Anyway, I don't think s&v strains the body as much in the long run because you're aiming for shorter points. It's like sprinting vs jogging. Yes, sprinting will strain the body more in the same amount of time, but you have to jog for a longer time to finish the run. :/ I guess it balances out to screw your body over either way.

[supertrex2]

I believe you, coz im a serve and volley player also. but not always. hehe... but its really tiring.

[DarkDisaster45]

I can understand your point with that example, but in an actual match serve and volleying finishes a point faster as opposed to baseliners who tend to outlast the opponent. This is just my opinion, don't hate me for being wrong :)

[dorker1992]

@SVolleyGame yeh i think its very hard on your body stamina wise, you have to be Soo alert and fast and your reflexes have to be best. I find it harder

[qzpmwxonqzpm]

@SVolleyGame Completely agree. A front court game looks so easy, except when you actually do it. Not only is it extremely hard work, physically, you have to be on the top of your senses, feel and touch are so important, you have to be very brave, the margins are so small and one mistake could be your end i.e. end of that point :) Front court tennis requires amazing skill. Anybody, anybody can stay on the base line and hit balls all day long and wait for the opponent to blink.

[SVolleyGame]

89Pleasek, I cannot believe you actually said that. Do you even play tennis? If what serve and volleyers do is only thing that they can do, they could never GS not to mention a tournament. You do have to return serve and control rallies and approach shots to come to the net.

Nadal? I love Nadal, but only reason he does well these days is because ATP slowed down the surface and made the ball incredibly slower than before.

[89Pleasek]

This style is so primitive, a serve-and-volley player with only 2 shots in particular (serve and volley of course) could win a bunch of Grand Slam titles up to the late 90's. Now you need to have ALL SHOTS in the book in order to achieve something.

Nadal would teach Sampras a lesson not to come to the net after each serve. He'd rape Sampras with his speed and crazy passing shots from nowhere, not to mention Federer in his prime...

[mrbobevans]

I like Rafa, but he may not be a threat in future Grand Slams other than the French. The guys on the tour are figuring out how to beat him. And he has injury issues. And Sampras would have easily beaten Nadal on the Wimby and US Open surfaces in which Pete competed.

And you are wrong about serve and volley. Styles of play come and go. I am sure there is a kid who realizes he can break down the current power baseliners with a dominating S&V game like Pete or Mac.

[thalivest]

@89Pleasek

Get a clue, Nadal would teach Sampras a lesson. That tells me your tennis knowledge is very limited.

The biggest strength Sampras had... his serve. Nadal's biggest weakness... his return. I gave you a starting point, so you can do the math.

[89Pleasek]

He would. Today's grass speed is way slower than it was in the 90's. Such a player like Federer (mono or not) would never lose to a guy like Nadal if they played on super fast grass courts taken from the 80's or 90's. Nadal in his prime would teach Sampras a lesson nowadays but Nadal wouldn't win anything in the fast 90's.

Btw Nadal has (had) an excellent return of serve. His only real weakness is his serve, maybe volleys as well but another than that he's a beast.

[thalivest]

@89Pleasek

Yes courts are slower, but figure this. Sampras has the 2 longest consecutive games held streak @ SW19 with 118 and 97. Third is Nadal at 80, so how much do you think the slower grass will affect him. Also Pete won his last US Open on a court that slower than the one they've used 2003-present (though slower than 1978-00), and he held 87 straight times in 2001.

Nadal's serve is actually more effective than his return.

[89Pleasek]

whats your point? sampras held serve million times in a row cause he was barely breakable (especially on super fast surfaces), Nadal always plays something extra on his service points - the fact that he held 80 times in a row (where did you get that info from anyway) just tells me that todays speed is miserable cause a guy like Nadal would never hold serve so many times had he played in the 80's or 90's.

[thalivest]

Well if Nadal holds easil on SLOWER surfaces, how well do you think Sampras woud?? Now with the slower courts would that not help his return??

Do you even know wy Nadal held 80 straight times at SW19?? What makes his serve effective?

And this belief of yours that Nadal would "rape" Sampras on today's slower courts, shows your feeding into the misconception about Pete and slower courts.

What did he say after winning Cincinnati in 1999? See Masters 96/97.

[89Pleasek]

The fact that Nadal holds so many times doesn't mean he's a great server. If you're so keen on backing your arguements with info tell me what's Nadals record number of aces in a match. Im sure that under 20.

Anyway the US Open hardcourts (and those in cincinnati for instance) are one of the fastest in the world nowadays. They changed their structure for the 2005 edition but the speed remained pretty much the same, id even say that the 2004 (and previous ones) was slightly faster than 2005

[thalivest]

All you're doing is showing your ignorance. First when did I say Nadal's a GREAT server? I said his serve is more effective than his return. Aces is not the only parameter of having a good serve. You need 2 learn the game more. Nadal serves well, smart and clutch to start.

The USTA said they slowed the courts down in 2001 and then sped them up in '03 (but slower than 78-00). When a big server Roddick, and a claycourter JCF made the final in 03 they called it a happy medium.

[Baddieko]

@thalivest lol nadal's serve is shit. His main tactics is to be defensive in his service games and aggressive at return games. He only hold serve because the courts are slow which enables long rallies. If there is nothing to rally for him basically he is waiting to be broken, but too bad the grass bounce is comparable to roland garros, it was waist level with top spin, shoe level with slice.

[thalivest]

@Baddieko So shit that he won the US Open being broken but 5 times!! 4 of 7 matches was not broken, an in oly on match (the F) was he broken more than once. Sampras has the 2 longest conec. games streak held at Wim, who's #3?? Rafa again!!

Yes the slower courts help Nadal, but if you think his serve is "shit" all I can do is laugh. It's not Sampras but certainly not "shit".

[malovepumato]

very nice video!

thnx

great tennis

[RafaeINadal]

ah i remember watching thes growing up. great guys.

[ahsansarsenal]

Well it would be quite fictional to say but having seen such quick movements, to me Sampras was like a "heat-seeking missile" sticking with his prey (ball).

Where the ball goes he goes, quite remarkable eye contact.

[howzaou812]

Not taking anything away from Federer, he's fantastic...But Sampras's 14 grand slams have more weight to them playing serve volley...He made it look sooooo much easier than it is.

[LaPerssonandro]

@howzaou812 Federer makes everything look easier than it is.

Some of the things he does are just amazing. I was looking at some of the volleys Pete was making though, just ridiculous...

[ductrung3993]

@howzaou812 actually Federer has some more "weight" as well because he was playing in the transitory time and he has to adapt to the change in the game style

[Edu2503]

@howzaou812 Hmmm... Kanye West much?

"Yo, Fed. I'm really happy for you getting 16 grand slams and imma let you finish but Sampras is the Greatest Of All Time!"

[lollerz16]

@howzaou812 I agree with you to an extent. Serve and volley is hard to do well. But it was Sampras' choice to play this way, so you can't just say he deserves more acclaim because he did it.

[zeitsick]

that serve and volley style can be very tiring.. maybe that's why sampras retired sooner than agassi who I like more, since he always played in the back line and always hitting to the side lines, not with roger federer's precisition though

[naikahnomtom]

i agree playing the same thing and win all the time. it will get really boring

[zeitsick]

well what I mean is that running too much can deteriorate your body and serve and volley is all about running to the net every time. It's like nadal, he force his body to run too much and he's more likely to get injured than federer for example, nadal is an excellent player though, but I wonder at what age is he gonna retire, still it's not a fact, because he has a good form, but passed some time we'll see his evolution or his end

[DarkDisaster45]

Well, if you think about it, the serve and volley is meant to win the point as quick as possible. The short point would put less stress on the body. I could be wrong though, Sampras said he was exhausted when he retired

[killerkitten1000]

sampras had a common blood disorder found in most people of greek origins that made him more tired than normal people, also his serve carried him he didnt do as much volleying as say rafter or mcenroe he was a huge server first than a volleyer and i really like sampras not trying to discredit him. i personally say hes better than federer becuase serve and volleying is way more badass than doing little angle shots from the baseline

[mrbobevans]

Agree about Pete's medical condition. He certainly would not have lost that US Open final to Hewitt had he not had that condition. Even his condition may have had an effect on the US Open losses to Edberg and Safin.

[89Pleasek]

yes sure, hed win the french open 10 times in a row without the disease.

[mrbobevans]

I did not say Pete would win the French because of his condition. The French courts are much faster in recent years compared to when Pete was playing. All I am saying is that Pete lost some US Open Finals that may have effected him because of his condition - especially the loss to Hewitt. Just watching Pete play in this video makes one realize how important serve and volley is to the future of the men's tour.

[89Pleasek]

the speed of clay courts didnt change at ever since, dont look for excuses for pete for losing to random players at the french and never really doing particularly well on the surface.

You ever wondered why did sampras reach the semis of the french in 1996? It was damn hot that summer and the balls where faster than usual. Sampras wouldnt win the french even if he was the only Top 20 player in the tournament.

How about Sampras losing to Hewitt cause he was 30 years old and out of his prime?

[89Pleasek]

youve got your own opinion, i respect that

but to say that a player is better than the other just because his style is "more badass" thats just lame

[killerkitten1000]

@89Pleasek lol, i meant in terms of visual

[lagerandapacketcrisp]

just tried reading his serve its pretty much impossible thats why fed n petes serves are better than roddick even though he hits it harder, think they place the ball slightly better too

[Gizo02]

Sampras's service motion was a thing of beauty. It was very smooth and wasn't as troublesome for his shoulder as many other players' motions.

[mattread95]

wow. two amazing players

[Thetoughestweight1]

contemplation09 you're comment is too funny and nice, really...english language/slang is not my native tongue, and even the form it was formuled made me laugh for sooo long, thanks!

[contemplation09]

Top Gun, "Pistol Pete" is the main man on the block, don't mess with this Muva Fucka, he gone serve and volley on you all, chip and charge your lame asses - he's the Dude. RESPECT

[VillaJoe100]

drop volley off probably a 85-90 mph agassi groundstroke at 1.10, just bring up thoughts of seriously, WTF lol. class tennis.

[alkstenfogee]

I totally admire these two contrasting style of play. Nice!!!

[exitingforward]

whoa, i just marvel at the serving and his bh volleys!! as a serve volleyer, this is like watching a how-to guide! you win some/lose some but sv is key about persistence too! maybe will see another GS sv-er again someday'

[Schrittwieser]

Pete was just awesome, boy do I miss his style of tennis.

[JahJoJah]

My Question is...

What part of him contributed most to his ability to serve and volley.

Serve?

Reflexes?

Volleying?

Ability to Recover?

Name what you think and why in a response plz.

[piccalocb]

Definately his serve is first. I believe if he's been doing it against the best returner ever its gotta be the serve. Otherwise Agassi will just rip an OK serve past him or anyone else.

Edberg in my opinion is the best serve and Vollyer but he wouldn't be as succsseful if he encountered a returner like a Courier or Aggasi during their prime Era.

That's why Sampras's serve contributed the most.

[JahJoJah]

Good answer and reasoning. Anyone else got an idea?

[mrbobevans]

Edberg had losing records against Agassi and Courier. Stefan's high kick serve gave lots of players fits, but it did not bother Courier or Agassi. Of course, Stefan was slight past his prime when Agassi and Courier were beating him.

[contemplation09]

A consistent 1st & 2nd serve with bite. His serve gains more pace when it hits the ground, coupled with a solid volley augmented with great hands. So, effortless effortlessness makes his volley penertrating and decisive. Note that he uses a very heavy racket, which does the work. He lets the 60 pound tension strings present a "wall". Sampras is an object lesson in keeping your head still, eyes on the ball, balance, great knee bend coupled with decisiveness - contributed to his superb volley.

[contemplation09]

As an after thought: Sampras keeps his volley simple. He gets the racket face into the right place and the rest takes care of itself. This is what I mean by effortless effortlessness.

[synergee]

Aggressive intent and his decisiveness more than anything (and truck loads of natural talent and feel). And simplicity and economy (of both his physical movement and his thinking)

[cryofsorrow]

i think it was first, his serve, and second, his placement. his placement on volley is just incredible.

[diggitty55]

His athleticism (e.g. shoulder rotation, long lunges when approaching the net, balance when making split-second moves at the net, etc.) and mentality

[moyergeo]

Can we clone these guys?

I'd chip in a few bucks.

[yasser136]

that's they called him the Bird

[tomaszek888]

Super fast courts. Advantage of Samprases service game makes a huge difference... Had it not been for his servce Sampras would not have ruled like he did

[moffettman02]

im pretty sure he ruled wimbeldon and thats the slowest court

[ilovetheblues86]

Clay is the slowest court.

[juandi2570]

Listen moron if you come to a tennis forum say something knowledable. Your tennis knowledge is just pathetic.

[i8myshirt]

You just pretty much said the equivalence of saying "without his groundstrokes, Agassi would've sucked" or "without his serve, Roddick sucks." The serve was Sampras' almighty weapon, and of course it played a big part in him being successful.

[juandi2570]

Sampras had a lethal runnin' forehand and pete's backhand was pretty damn good when Pete was in his prime and Sampras played the key points better than anybody in history.

[gugalpm]

Super fast courts = old carpet tournaments.

Time to learn about tennis mate.

[logant44]

Had it not been for Federer's forehand he would not have ruled liked he did....

Had it not been for Nadal's speed...

Had it not been for Mcenroe's touch...

[sagrocket]

wats ur pt

[thalivest]

Actually this was on s low court. The Deco Turf II was at it's original speed 1978-2000. Then they slowed it down in 2001-02. The sped it up from that but still slower than 1978-2000, and when a big server (Roddick) and claycourter (Ferrero) made the finals in 2003 they though they reached a happy medium.

But it is slower now than it orinally was when the US Open moved to Flushing 1978-2000.

[spjfrat]

The game has been purposely slowed down so all you will see is baseliner rallies 24/7. Real exciting. That is why I hardly watch it on tv anymore.

[reedpower]

r u bein sarcastic when u said real exciting. some people like base line rallys

[gugalpm]

Idiots like baseline rallies.

[reedpower]

u shud tell that to nadal

[gugalpm]

Why wouldn't I?

He's the biggest of all dopers.

[reedpower]

proof?

[gugalpm]

Dr. Fuentes is a gyno. What was Nadull doing in his list of patients?

Are you that blind?

[reedpower]

dont they do drug tests in tennis and if so, why wasnt he caught

[gugalpm]

Since when top players are caught by drug tests in professional sport?

[reedpower]

you don't have any real proof of anything. your just speculating. maybe he saw dr.fuentes cuz he found a lump on his breast and was checking for breast cancer.

[juansa74]

what does 'cuz' means?

[andreboogie]

Because.

[quest8899]

The court surface was so much quicker back then.

[vickmares]

how fast did sampras serve?

[thalivest]

The fastest I've seen him hit was 136mph (217kmh). But he could constanlty reach the low to mod 130's, 130-135mph(208-216kmh).

[cammpinno]

Hes believed to comment once in some post match interview, I guess in 90s, that his served was measured (unofficially) at around 149mph.

[oplilium]

That's as fast as the first serve that he hit in exhibition match against Federer last year, and it didn't even look like he was trying. I think he has as much power as Roddick, but he knows that speed alone doesn't make your serve the best ever.

[mrbobevans]

I have always heard that Pete's rotation velocity on his serve was unbelievable. I never saw him play live.

[leonyhli]

If Nadal is playing 95 Sampras in Wimbledon, is likely that Nadal will lose in straight sets since Sampras serve and volley (especially 2nd serves) and will take off Nadal's game away (his heavy topspin grondstrokes)

[DuncanMcA]

Serve and volley's last hurrah, there was a massive change after Pete when the baseliners took over. It all seemed to happen at once - just compare the SF'ists at Wimbledon in 2001 and 2002 for example.

[agrodner]

Sorry for the quality but obviously on my PC it looks better. I am glad you like it. I sometimes use that video to pump myself up before the matches :-). Cheers

[Samprasisthebest]

Are you a serve and volleyer? (Please say yes).

[agrodner]

I would like to think so - that is probably the only thing I can do half-decently ;-). I posted a clip with two relatively clean games I played in the tournament couple years back. Enjoy and thanks for your interest.

[Hypnos7]

There is improvement in the quality if you add "&fmt=18" to the URL.

Thanks for the compilation!

[iamdre17]

Awesome video!