WAYNE Ferreira, who has been in, out and around the top 10 since first breaking into it in 1992, gave his endorsement yesterday to the media circus surrounding the world's top two ranked players, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras.
Agassi, who was a late withdrawal from this week's Salem Open with back problems, and Sampras, who was the 1993 champion here, are being touted as the John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors of the 90s.
Tennis scribes and authorities have been building up the duo's rivalry in a bid to inject some much-needed interest into what was seen as a flagging men's game.
But South African Ferreira, seeded second here and ranked 11th in the world, has no complaints about that, saying he sees a clear division between the world's top two and the rest.
'I think the Agassi-Sampras rivalry is great for the game. It helps fans get more involved. And I think they both deserve the attention because they are a lot better than the rest of us,' said Ferreira after his 7-5, 6-4, first-round win over Britain's Jeremy Bates.
'I mean, I've hardly seen them lose to anyone they shouldn't have lost to lately, apart from Sampras last week.