Samprasfanz

By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP
September 5, 2006

NEW YORK – Pete Sampras heads the list of nominees for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Sampras, who won a record 14 Grand Slam men’s singles titles, is joined by Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the “recent player” category, the Hall announced Tuesday from its home in Newport, R.I.

Sampras was ranked No. 1 for a record 286 weeks, including 102 in a row from April 1996 to March 1998. He won a total of 64 singles titles, including his haul of majors: seven at Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Open and two at the Australian Open. Sampras won the last match of his career, beating Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final.

Sanchez Vicario won three French Opens and was the first Spanish woman to win the U.S. Open singles title in 1994. In addition to those four major singles titles, she won six doubles and four mixed doubles Grand Slam championships.

Other nominees for the Hall: Sven Davidson (the first Swedish man to win a Grand Slam title), and Christine Truman Janes (won the French Championships in 1959 at age 18) in the “master player” category