Samprasfanz

by Rick Reilly (June 16, 2003 SI) Just inside Pete Sampras’s front door in his cushy Beverly Hills house is a case of unopened cans of tennis balls. “We give them to our friends who have dogs,” says his wife, the actress Bridgette Wilson. Suddenly, she stoops and covers her mouth. “Oops! Did I say that out loud?” It’s the worst-kept secret in tennis. The greatest player who ever lived has quit, without a parade, without a tour, without a goodbye. He has taken his record 14 Grand Slam singles titles and his unseeable serve and called it an era. He’s traded his Wilson for his Wilson. O.K., Sampras says there’s a “five percent” chance he could come back and maybe play Wimbledon in 2004. “but the problem is wanting … Read entire article »