Pete Sampras - Making History
by: Sally Turkovich
(Pittsburgh, PA, USA)
It all started when a small kid from California
found an old tennis racquet in his basement and started hitting a tennis
ball off of a garage door. When the shots began to make dents in the door,
they all knew this kid was something special.
Pete Sampras started playing
tennis young and makes no plans to stop anytime soon. The man who has
a calm demeanor, boyish shyness and the looks of a star proves again and
again what so many players, critics and fans can't deny: he can win, and
always does. In 1990, when Sampras was only 19 years old and seeded twelfth
in the U.S. Open, he slammed his way into the finals and became the youngest
man to win the tournament. And we all knew after that first Grand Slam
victory there would be no looking back. Over the years, the quiet giant
has gone on to win 13 more Grand Slams: 7 Wimbledons,
four more U.S. Opens, and two Australian Opens. Sampras's most beloved
titles have come on the grasses of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet
Club. In 1993, he won his first Wimbledon title, and since that year up
to 2000, has gotten to and won in every final, except for a quarterfinal
defeat by Richard Krajicek in 1996. He is the winningest man at Wimbledon
in the Open Era, tying the all time record of seven titles that was set
in the late 1800's. The historic grounds of Wimbledon and the intimate
Centre Court has become a home to Sampras, a "cathedral" as
he once said. His undeniably flawless grass-court tennis game has made
him the best tennis player of his time, and he will undoubtedly go down
in the history books as the greatest.
Pete Sampras is one of the last
classic serve-volley players, possesses the most effective and powerful
serves on tour, and handles himself in a way that could only be described
as gentlemanly and reserved. On the court, he lets his racquet do the talking.
He does his job. He goes on the court to win a match, not to impress the
crowds. He enters tournaments to win them. And when he wins them, as he
so often does, his posture gets a little straighter, his eyes get a little
brighter and a shy, timid smile of pleasure spreads across his face. It
is a truly beautiful moment to watch history be made. And with every new
win, every new championship title, history books are being rewritten to
tell the story of one Pete Sampras. (Written: Year 2000)
Quick Bio
Nationality: USA
Wife: Bridgette Wilson Sampras
Children: Christian Charles and Ryan Nikolaos
Parents: Sam and Georgia Sampras
Siblings: Gus, Stella, Marion
Birth date: 12 August, 1971
Birthplace: Washington, D.C., USA
Residence: Los Angeles, CA, USA
Height: 1.85 meters
Weight: 77.3 kilos
Plays: Right-handed
Year turned pro: 1988
Highest rank for singles: 1
Highest rank date for singles: 12 April, 1993
Highest rank for doubles: 27
Highest rank date for doubles: 12 February, 1990
No of titles: 64
Career Win-Loss Record: 762-222
Pete's Awards and Accolades
Here are some of the prestigious awards that Pete received for his accomplishments.
(Thanks to Miriam Garcia-Poggi for supplying the information.)
- Named ATP Tour Player of the Year in 1993-1998 and Jim Thorpe Tennis
Player of the Year in 1993
- In 1990, became the youngest US Open men's champion at 19 years and
28 days.
- In 1997, named U.S. Olympic Committee "Sportsman of the Year",
the first tennis player to receive the award
- In 1997, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the ATP tour, Pete was
selected as the No. 1 player of the past 25 years by a panel of 100 current
and past players, journalists and tournament directors.
- In February 2000, named ESPY Tennis Player of the Decade.
- In October 2000, named GQ Man of the
Year, Individual Athlete Category
- In February 2001, named ESPY
Tennis Player of the Year for the 7th time and was acclaimed for his "Record
Breaking Performance" in winning his 13th Grand Slam title.
- Voted as the No. 1 Player of the Century on atptour.com by the website
visitors.
Selected No. 2 (behind Laver) in the Associated Press Men's Player of
the Century
- Voted 48th athlete of Top 50 Greatest North American Athletes of ESPN's
SportsCentury (also youngest on the list).
- In 2006, named by Tennis magazine
as the top tennis player of the last 40 years.
More Features
Read about the career of Pete Sampras and what he accomplished in the Tennis
world.
- Grand Slam Legend
Read about each of Pete Sampras' 14 Grand Slam titles
- For the Record
Pete's standing in the record books.
- Year to Year Career Highlights
Yearly highlights from the time he turned professional in 1988 to 2001
when he broke the record and claimed his 13th Grand Slam title.(Special
thanks to Niloufer Randeria for her collaboration in this section and
to Dalia King for compiling the information for 2000 and 2001.)
- Pete Sampras Retirement Ceremony
Pete's official retirement from tennis on August 25, 2003
Magazine Articles & Interviews
Interviews and articles from various magazines around the world shared
by Samprasfanz members.
- How to make winning a habit - Tennis
World, May 1996
An article written by Pete Sampras
- Inside the Great Mind
of Pete Sampras (Ace Tennis Magazine, October 2000)
An in-depth interview with Pete, wherein he discussed his career, childhood
and family
- Pete
Sampras- A Class Act (WatchTime magazine August 2002)
Pete talks about his game, his love for F1 racing and his Movado watches
- American Heroes (Ace Tennis
Magazine, October 2002)
Article on two champions, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi
- Made
Man (Tennis Magazine, July 2004)
Catching up with Pete Sampras after retiring from the competitive tennis
life.
- The Quiet Champion (Venetian Macao
Book, November 2007)
Samprasfanz president Joy Parker, together with Christy Bean, writes about
the illustrious career of Pete Sampras