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It would appear there is little love lost between Pete Sampras and longtime sponsor Nike. The tennis champ has been playing at the 2002 Australian Open, which runs until Jan. 27, but has not been wearing clothes with the Nike Swoosh. Rather, he's donned tennis whites displaying the American flag.
"I'm no longer under contract with Nike, so I can wear whatever I want," Sampras said at a press conference. "At the end of the day you have to feel good about the deals you do, and with regards to Nike, I don't."
Claudine Leith, a spokeswoman in Nike's tennis division, said the two parties were unable to reach "mutually agreeable terms" when Sampras' contract ran out at the end of 2001. In a statement released last week, the firm thanked Sampras "for his loyal support over...