Posted on: October 10th, 2002
Sampras tells his story - Champ to pen autobiography
- petepage[October 10, 2002 Peoplenews] Seven-times Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras is planning to write an autobiography. The 31-year-old, who is generally thought to be in the twilight of a career, has apparently started hawking ideas around the New York publishing houses. The book is expected to concentrate on his battles with Andre Agassi and spill the beans on some of his fellow pros. However, the opinion is that Pistol Pete, a man as famed for his dourness as his flashing forehands, may find it harder to than he might have thought to secure the deal. 'The book would be compared to McEnroe's recent book, You Cannot Be Serious,' said a publishing insider. 'Pete just can't compete with that. McEnroe's drug-taking, his marriage to Tatum O'Neil and the general carnage of his career made a fantastic tale. Sampras is a great player, but that doesn't necessarily make a great book.'
Within days of winning the U.S. Open against Andre Agassi last month, we hear, the 31-year-old tennis champ started shopping around a proposal for his autobiography. "It's just one long paragraph," reports a publishing insider who has read the pitch. "If you were on the fence in thinking readers would come to Pete Sampras, this wouldn't have convinced you." Although he's no John McEnroe -- whose best-selling memoir, You Cannot Be Serious, retailed juicy tales of temper tantrums, drug use, and a messy Hollywood marriage to Tatum O'Neal -- Sampras may have some surprises. After the U.S. Open gave him his first tournament victory in two years, Sampras admitted to having suffered bouts of anxiety when his career fell to an all-time low in June after he was knocked out in the second round at Wimbledon. And he, too, has a Hollywood marriage, albeit a happy one. He and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, are expecting their first baby next month. "She lives with me every day," Sampras told USA Today after the Open. "Trust me, it's not easy. When you're struggling, you're not having fun."
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