Pete Sampras
Pete is a former World Number One and 14-time Grand Slam Champion who is considered by many to be the greatest tennis player of all time. A true all-rounder who could rally from the back of the court, volley brilliantly and serve opponents off the court, he could overwhelm opponents with his power. His running forehand, slam-dunk smash and incomparable second serve became trademark, destructive shots.
He turned professional in 1988, at the age of 16, and finished the year ranked World No. 97 after starting the year at World No. 893. It was in 1990 that his big breakthrough came, when he won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open in September, beating Andre Agassi in the final.
His next great achievement came in April of 1993, when he attained the World Number One ranking for the first time. He was to stay there for a record 286 weeks. Later that year, Sampras won the first of seven Wimbledon titles, beating Jim Courier in the final. Over the subsequent seven years Sampras lost only one match at SW19, to Richard Krajicek in the quarterfinals in 1996. His final Wimbledon victory in 2000, in which he defeated Patrick Rafter in a classic final in almost total darkness on Centre Court, enabled him to break Roy Emerson's previous record of 12 Grand Slam titles.
Over his career Sampras also won two Australian Open titles, the first in 1994 beating compatriot Todd Martin in the final, and the second in 1997 when he beat Spaniard Carlos Moya in the final. Only the French Open title eluded Sampras throughout his career, and prevented him from completing a career Grand Slam. The closest he came to lifting the trophy was in 1996, when he beat former champions Sergi Bruguera and Jim Courier before losing a close semifinal to eventual winner Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
The American won the US Open five times in total. The last of those was a victory against the odds in 2002, when, ranked outside the World's Top 20 going into the tournament, Sampras battled to his 14th and final Grand Slam title, beating Agassi in the final. It would be his final professional match. He now lives in California with his wife, Bridgette Wilson, and their two sons, Christian and Ryan.
