Samprasfanz

Mr. Paul Fein, author of “Tennis Confidential” and member of the Samprasfanz group, initiated this remarkable list on June 22, 1999 when he announced on the messageboard that he was working on an article “Reasons to Love Pete Sampras”.

Paul started the list with 6 of his own reasons and invited the members to share his/her personal input. The list has grown to 48 reasons since.

Here is the compilation of the reasons as submitted by the fans. And with special permission, we are also featuring the unedited version of Paul’s article “23 Reasons to Love Sampras” which was been published in various sports and tennis magazine around the world.

1. Pete’s slam dunk jump overhead, his signature flashy shot.
2. Pete’s sense of respect for tennis history, something so many other players today lack.
3. Pete’s willingness to talk candidly about both his professional career and his personal life is both refreshing and humanizes him.
4. Frequent and generous giver to several worthy charities.
5. He nearly always exhibits excellent sportsmanship in matches.
6. He plays best when it matters most — in Grand Slam finals.
7. The graceful way that he moves when he runs on the court.
8. The way he refuses to argue or get upset when he gets a bad call except for an occasional look.
9. His total off-court preparation and fitness level.
10. His total devotion to the game and giving 100% everytime he is in a match.
11. The beautiful motion of his serve.
12. The smile on his face after he’s won a big tournament.
13. The fact that he’s still beautiful even if he has a few less curls on top of his head than a few years ago.
14. His crisp volleys.
15. The way he fiddles with his racquet strings when he’s trying to get himself together on court.
16. His dry wit.
17. If he can’t say something good about a fellow player he says nothing.
18. He is quick to congratulate other players when they win a tournament.
19. He is a gentleman on and off the court.
20. Being a good role model for our youth is important to him.
21. He is a great looking guy!
22. He doesn’t need to behave badly on the court to get attention, he lets his tennis speak for him.
23. His honesty, about himself, his life, and his tennis.
24. His ability to speak about the strengths of his opponents and admit that sometimes he gets lucky.
25. He is an oasis of calm and dignity in a frenzied world of spoilt rich people.
26. The fact that he has achieved so much in the game yet is always self-effacing and modest.
27. The graceful way he throws out his left arm when he plays a backhand.
28. His sense of self-irony…even in moments of disaster.
29. The way he always seems to “get lucky” in tight matches.
30. His loyalty to his coaches and friends.
31. His courage to admit his errors.
32. His shedding tears when they are called for without shame.
33. The way he looked up in heaven remembering his old time coach and friend.
34. The way he dresses, simple and fashionable.
35. His strong endurance under all circumstances.
36. The passion he has for obtaining his goals.
37. His humility in grandness.
38. The way he looks up through his eyelashes at the crowd as he walks onto the court.
39. The boyish look of awe he has when he speaks of those he admires.
40. The way he “sets” the ball and racquet commandingly as he prepare to serve.
41. The dedication he puts forth in order to reach his goals.
42. His clean cut all-American look, no earrings, no do rags, no long hair.
43. His courage to face his rare failures and never give up on his goals.
44. The way he’s not afraid of putting everything on the line (like in his quest for ending the year as #1 for the sixth time
45. Record: SEVEN Wimbledon titles… MOST in this CENTURY
46. TWELVE Grand Slams… soon to be surpassed!
47. The no. 1 records – 6 consecutive years and 276 weeks
48. He epitomizes the quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you say.”