Passion for Pete Sampras
Why did I become a Pete fan? I could just make it short and say because he's not only the best but also the best-looking tennis player ever. The first one is a matter of fact, the other is a matter of good taste.
When I saw the young Pete Sampras for the first time, I knew at once that he'd be somebody special and started to observe his career. He fulfilled my expectations and more. It was love at first sight but contrary to normal love which fades away over the years -- at least the chemistry -- my affection is still growing.
I love his easy looking game being elegant, dynamic, almost always having an extra gear if he needs it. I just love to watch his perfect tennis - the incredible serve, the running forehand, the smashes, the volleys, his quickness and his cat-like movements - just everything. Not to forget his unbelievable mental strength which sometimes even frightens me a bit. Thank God he's a tennis player, not using this force for other things.
And also his behavior on and off court is perfect -- his sense of humor, for example, when being asked silly questions, his joy about a victory is like a kid getting an X’mas present, and his endless sadness after losing an important match.
For me as a woman, he has the qualities that makes me see him as a son AND a lover united in one person. That's a little hard to explain and I always say being a male Pete fan just can be half the fun. :-) It's the whole personality I like - the tennis player and the nice guy!
I was born in 1957 and have always been interested in tennis (still keeping my mom's old wooden racket) and watched the matches whenever possible. Previously, there was not much broadcast over here in Austria - just Grand Slam finals and some European tournaments. Thanks to German tennis broadcast and SAT-TV, I got the opportunity to see more matches. In 1994, I decided to tape everything I could get. Now, the Slams and the Master Series are broadcast on a PAY-TV channel and they air almost all matches from the first day till the final often using several channels for the different courts. It's really great and without breaks! My collection has grown to about 800 hours - so far - all taped from TV broadcast.