Pete vs Andre: this time, it's promotional

Ah, the art of plugging. Not, we hasten to add, garden variety hole-filling to stop the sink emptying or the volcano erupting, knowing your earthed wires from your live wires, or Vaudeville gangster slang for offing, well, other Vaudeville gangsters.

The type of plug we’re talking about is, ironically, a very deliberate leak, intended to give life to something else (and has nothing whatsoever to do with rewiring the toaster) – talking about one thing in order to talk about something else.

And it is an art – at least, getting away with it is. Not that there’s anything wrong with the occasional name-drop here and there. It’s merely a form of guerrilla advertising – getting yourself and your vested interest noticed.

The real challenge arises when the pluggers have to make themselves news in order to make the plug a success – or, more accurately, to make the plug a success without looking foolish into the bargain.

Say, act, or agree to take part in something stupid enough, and watch the hacks descend, especially if you’ve enjoyed a high profile in the past. That logic has been the cornerstone of every show whose title starts with the word ‘Celebrity’ for around a decade now. It goes without saying, then, that very few come out smelling of roses.

Last week it was the turn of Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras. The American legends are playing each other this weekend for the first time since they both retired. The Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown 2009 – hey, fair’s fair! – takes place at the 15,000-seater CotaiArena in Macao on Sunday, with Indian junior world No.1 Yuki Bhambri playing American teenager Ryan Harrison facing off before the main event, a veteran-style two-set match with a champion’s tie-break, and finishing with a junior-senior doubles.

But with competition from the Sony Ericsson Championships in Doha starting next week and the race to the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals going down to the wire, the promoters in Macao have understandably had their work cut out trying to keep their big day fresh in everyone’s memory. Bring on the Sampras-Agassi plug-off – make yourself news without making yourself look stupid.

Like a second serve to his backhand, Andre hit the plug early and made a huge all-or nothing play: Roger and Rafa’s time at the top is coming to an end, and Murray’s the man poised to dominate the game.

“It’s a great time for tennis,” he said in a teleconference last week. “Rafa is struggling with a knee injury but he can overcome it. Federer winning 15 grand slams and the French Open and his rivalry with Nadal is great for the game.

Nice opening rally, finding a rhythm, and then: “Now we have the changing of the guard. You have those top two who are now losing ground to the likes of Djokovic and Murray and del Potro.”

“They have the skill to overtake them.”

“Murray should win multiple Grand Slams,” he continued. “I predicted Murray to win at Wimbledon and the US Open. What you can’t predict is the mindset.

“After del Potro’s win at the US Open in New York, it will light the fire of Murray and Djokovic and push them to get even better quickly.”

Wow. Gutsy plug, Andre – but framed out of the stadium.

Federer and Nadal’s time nearly passed? Federer, destined to be remembered as the greatest player of all time, who has set his sights on a historic Wimbledon double – grand slam title and Olympic gold – in 2012? And Nadal, already with six majors to his name and one US Open title away from emulating Agassi’s golden slam? Done, aged 23?

Nope.

The real surprise here is that it should be Agassi that believes the end is nigh for R’n’R. After all, he went on to become the oldest No.1 in ATP history after a mid-career slump that saw him slip into obscurity.

If anyone should understand just how long the career of an injury-free player like Federer could be, or the mindset needed to return to the top of the game after a crisis such as Nadal’s this season, Agassi should.

So how did Sampras do? The 14-time grand slam champ waited until the business end of the week to strike, before hitting us with a rather more conservative plug: tennis players are the best athletes.

“People don’t talk about it. I mean, in tennis, these athletes are incredible,” he told ATP World Uncovered.

“What these guys do on the run – the guys that aren’t maybe playing well and they come back – they’re down two sets to love and they have the resolve to come back and can go on and on.

“You look at the NBA and you look at some of these guys and they’re doing all these things and I think ‘that’s the best athlete’.

“But I think tennis players are the best athletes, in my opinion.

“I’m not being biased. I know what it takes, I know hand-eye coordination. In an individual sport, you can’t hide.”

Unless the mixed martial artists take offence, Sampras should be on pretty safe ground with this one. Mention no names, criticise nobody, and default to love of your own sport.

A cannily played plug – but better than Agassi’s? Not likely. What Andre lacked in sense he made up for in showmanship. Pete, in contrast, played it safe – fine on a tennis court, but not for a headline.

Despite the fact we don’t agree with it – and that’s not a slight on Muzza DelPo and Nole, we’d love it to be true and are positive it will be in two, maybe three years from now – we’re giving this one to Agassi. Well plugged sir, well plugged.