PETE SAMPRAS

Petros "Pete" Sampras (born August 12, 1971, in Washington, D.C.) is a former World No. 1 tennis player from the United States of America. During his 15-year career, he won a record 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles (two Australian Open, seven Wimbledon, five US Open), and had a 203–38 win-loss record over 52 Grand Slam singles tournament appearances.

He debuted on the professional tour in 1988 and played his last top-level game in 2002. He was the year-end World No. 1 for six consecutive years (1993–1998), a record for the open era and tied for third all-time. His seven Wimbledon singles championships is a record shared with William Renshaw. His five US Open singles titles is an open era record shared with former World No. 1s Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer. He is considered to be one of the greatest male players of all time. The American journalist and television sportscaster Bud Collins has named Sampras as one of the top five men's tennis players of all-time,and Tennis Magazine has named him the greatest tennis player from 1965 to 2005.[3] On July 17, 2007, Sampras was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.

career

1988–1990

Sampras 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.[11] His first professional match was a loss to Sammy Giammalva, Jr. at the February Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia. But just one week later at the Lipton International Players Championships in Miami, Sampras defeated two top-40 players before losing to World No. 18 Emilio Sánchez. He did not defeat another top-40 player for almost six months, when he defeated World No. 39 Michiel Schapers at a US Open warm-up tournament in Rye Brook, New York. In his first Grand Slam singles match, Sampras lost to World No. 69 Jaime Yzaga of Peru in the first round of the US Open 6–7, 6–7, 6–4, 7–5, 6–2. Sampras did not advance past the quarterfinals in his next three tournaments, although he did record wins over World No. 79 Jim Courier, in their first career match-up, and World No. 8 Tim Mayotte.[12]

The following year, Sampras slightly improved his ranking to a year-ending World No. 81.[13] He lost in the first round of the 1989 Australian Open to Christian Saceanu and the first round of Wimbledon to Todd Woodbridge 7–5, 7–6, 5–7, 6–3. He won a Grand Slam singles match for the first time at the French Open before losing in the second round to Michael Chang 6–1, 6–1, 6–1 in their first career match-up. At the US Open, Sampras defeated defending champion and fifth-seeded Mats Wilander in the second round 5–7, 6–3, 1–6, 6–1, 6–4 before losing to World No. 13 Jay Berger in the fourth round. To end the year, Sampras lost in the first round of four consecutive tournaments.[14]

Sampras finished 1990 at World No. 5 but began the year in Australia with a World No. 61 ranking.[15] He lost to Wilander in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Sydney. At the Australian Open, Sampras upset twelfth-ranked Mayotte in the first round 7–6, 6–7, 4–6, 7–5, 12–10 before losing to thirteenth-ranked Yannick Noah in the fourth round in four sets. His first professional singles title came in February at the Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia, where he defeated sixth-ranked Andre Agassi, eighth-ranked Mayotte, and eighteenth-ranked Andrés Gómez in the final. This title elevated his ranking into the top-20 for the first time. Sampras did not play the French Open and again lost in the first round of Wimbledon, this time to Christo Van Rensburg 7–6, 7–5, 7–6. Sampras played seven consecutive weeks during the North American summer hard court season. He defeated John McEnroe in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open but then lost to Chang in the semifinals. He also reached the semifinals of the tournament in Los Angeles where he lost to World No. 2 Stefan Edberg. He did not advance past the quarterfinals in his next three tournaments, losing to Chang, Richey Reneberg, and Goran Ivanišević. In September, he captured his first Grand Slam title at the US Open. Along the way, he defeated sixth-ranked Thomas Muster in the fourth round and third-ranked Ivan Lendl in a five-set quarterfinal, breaking Lendl's streak of eight consecutive US Open finals. He then defeated 20th-ranked McEnroe in a four-set semifinal to set up a final with fourth-ranked Agassi. Sampras beat Agassi in straight sets to become the US Open's youngest-ever male singles champion at the age of 19 years and 28 days.[16] He played five tournaments to complete the year, winning only the Grand Slam Cup.[17]

1991–1992

Sampras in 1991 captured the first of his five career titles at the year-end Tennis Masters Cup. Upon entering the US Open as the defending champion that year, he caused controversy when, after losing in the quarterfinals to Jim Courier, Sampras said that he was not disappointed and felt relieved that the pressure to defend his title was no longer on him. This led to widespread criticism, which included disparaging remarks from Courier and Jimmy Connors.[18]

In 1992, Sampras reached the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first of three consecutive years, made it to the Wimbledon semifinals, and was the runner-up at the US Open to Stefan Edberg. Sampras later stated that his loss in the US Open final that year was a "wake-up call" and that he needed to figure out how to become the World No. 1.[19] He also played doubles with John McEnroe on the US team that won the Davis Cup, duplicating the feat in 1995.

1993–1996

Sampras reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in early 1993, and matched the previous year's quarterfinal performance at the French Open. In April 1993, Sampras attained the World No. 1 ranking for the first time. His rise to the No. 1 spot was controversial because he had not recently won any Grand Slam titles. But he justified the ranking three months later by claiming his first Wimbledon title, beating former World No. 1 Jim Courier in the final. This was swiftly followed by his second US Open title. He finished the year as the clear No. 1 and set a new ATP Tour record that year by becoming the first player to serve more than 1,000 aces in a season.

Sampras dominated Wimbledon for the rest of the decade, and won three consecutive titles from 1993 through 1995. He lost a 1996 quarterfinal match to Richard Krajicek, who won the title that year. Sampras, however, then won four consecutive titles from 1997 through 2000 to become the most successful male player in Wimbledon history. His victory in 2000 also broke Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam men's singles titles.

Sampras won two Australian Open titles. In 1994, he defeated American Todd Martin in the final, and in 1997, he defeated Carlos Moyà of Spain in the final. One of Sampras's most memorable matches there came in 1995 when he played Courier in the quarterfinals. Sampras's longtime coach and close friend, Tim Gullikson, had mysteriously collapsed during the tournament and was forced to return to the United States. Gullickson was later diagnosed with brain cancer to which he succumbed the following year. Saddened by Gullickson's illness, Sampras began visibly weeping during the match, but somehow managed to win. Sampras then lost the final to Agassi. Paul Annacone took over as Sampras's full time coach after Gullickson's illness made it impossible for him to continue coaching..

Sampras's best surface was undoubtedly the fast-playing grass courts. He was also known for his all-round game and strong competitive instinct. He won back-to-back US Open titles in 1995 and 1996. Sampras's only real weakness was on clay courts, where the slow surface tempered his natural attacking serve-and-volley game. His best performance at the French Open came in 1996, when he lost a semifinal match to the eventual winner, Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Despite his limited success at Roland Garros, Sampras did win some significant matches on clay. He won the prestigious Italian Open in 1994, defeating Boris Becker in the final, and two singles matches in the 1995 Davis Cup final against Russians Andrei Chesnokov and Kafelnikov in Moscow. Sampras also won a 1998 clay court tournament in Atlanta, defeating Jason Stoltenberg in the final.

1997

He won his second Australian Open title in January, defeating Carlos Moyà in the final, and Wimbledon for the fourth time in July, defeating Cedric Pioline in the final. He also won singles titles in San Jose, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Munich, and Paris and the ATP Tour World Championships in Hannover, Germany. His title in Munich was his 50th overall title.

He had a career-best[citation needed] 10-1 win-loss record versus top 10 opponents and was undefeated in eight singles finals. He held the World No. 1 ranking for the entire year and joined Jimmy Connors (1974-1978) as the only male players to hold the year-end World No. 1 ranking for five consecutive years. His prize money earnings of US$6,498,211 for the year was a career high.

1998

In 1998, Sampras's number-one ranking was challenged by Chilean player Marcelo Ríos. (In 1993, 1994, 1996, and 1997, Sampras had dominated the ATP tour.) Sampras failed to defend his Australian Open title, losing in the quarterfinals, and won Wimbledon only after a hard fought five-set victory over Goran Ivanišević. Sampras lost a five-set US Open semifinal to the eventual winner Patrick Rafter after suffering a leg injury in the third set while leading the match. He lost another semifinal at the Tennis Masters Cup. Nevertheless, Sampras finished the year as the top ranked player for the sixth year in a row.

1999

1999 also started out disappointingly, as Sampras withdrew from the Australian Open and failed to win a title during the early part of the season. However, he then went on a 24-match winning streak, including the Stella Artois Championships, Wimbledon (equaling Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam singles titles), Los Angeles, and Cincinnati. That run ended when he was forced to retire from the RCA Championships and the US Open because of a herniated disc in his back. Sampras's ranking was hurt through a combination of withdrawing from the Australian and US Opens, tournaments in which he had strong performances during the previous year, and the resurgence of longtime rival Andre Agassi, putting an end to Sampras' six consecutive years of finishing as the World No. 1. Agassi took over the top ranking and held it for the rest of the season, but Sampras recovered and managed to beat him in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup for the fifth and final time, enabling Sampras to place 3rd in the rankings.

2000s

Sampras reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in early 2000 (falling to the eventual champion Agassi in a five-set match), and won the Miami Masters tournament for the third time in March. He then won a record-breaking 13th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, battling through a painful shin injury in the process.After this victory, Sampras did not win another title for two years. He lost in the final of the 2000 and 2001 US Open to Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt, respectively, leading many to speculate that Sampras would never capture another major title. At the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, Sampras lost to Roger Federer, who was 19 at the time, 7–6(7), 5–7, 6–4, 6–7(2), 7–5 in the fourth round, ending Sampras's 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon. The match also marked the first and only time that the two men ever played each other on the ATP tour.

2002

In 2002, Sampras suffered another early exit from Wimbledon, losing in the second round to 145th ranked George Bastl of Switzerland, whose best surface was red clay. Sampras had a relatively poor summer leading up to the US Open. Greg Rusedski, whom Sampras had defeated in a long five-set third round match at the US Open, said that Sampras was "a step and a half slower" and predicted that Sampras would lose his next match. Sampras, however, then defeated two young and upcoming stars of the game, Tommy Haas in the fourth round and Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. He then defeated Sjeng Schalken in the semifinals to reach his third straight US Open final. This time, he faced Agassi, whom he had met in his very first Grand Slam final 12 years earlier. After a four-set battle between the two veterans, Sampras claimed a record 14th Grand Slam singles title and matched Jimmy Connors's record of five US Open singles championships. The tournament was the last of Sampras's career.

Although he played no tour events in the following 12 months, Sampras did not officially announce his retirement until August 2003, just prior to the US Open. Sampras chose not to defend his title, but his retirement announcement was timed so that he could say farewell at a special ceremony organized for him at the open. After retirement, many regarded Sampras to be the greatest player of all time.

During his career, Sampras won 64 top-level singles titles (including 14 Grand Slams, 11 ATP Masters Series events, and five Tennis Masters Cup titles) and two doubles titles. He was ranked the World No. 1 for a record 286 weeks and was year-end No. 1 for a record six consecutive years from 1993 through 1998.

Rivalry with Andre Agassi

The rivalry between Agassi and Sampras was the dominant rivalry in men's tennis during the 1990s,[citation needed] with Sampras winning 20 of the 34 matches they played.

The rivalry actually started in their childhoods when they played each other in a 1979 tournament in Northridge, California at ages 8 and 9, respectively.

The 1990 US Open was their first meeting in a Grand Slam tournament final. Agassi was favored because he was ranked World No. 4 compared to the World No. 12 ranking of Sampras and because Agassi had defeated Sampras in their only previously completed match. However, Agassi lost the final to Sampras in straight sets.

The Sampras-Agassi rivalry reached its height in 1995.The two players traded the World No. 1 ranking several times that year, and each player agreed to participate in the Davis Cup only if the other also played.They were concerned that if one played while the other rested during the weeks leading up to the French Open, the one who rested would have a competitive advantage heading into the year's second Grand Slam event. Both ended up playing, and the U.S. won the Davis Cup that year. Notable Sampras-Agassi matches of 1995 included the finals of the Australian Open, the Newsweek Champions Cup, the Lipton International Players Championships, the Canadian Open, and the US Open, with Sampras winning the Newsweek Champions Cup and the US Open. The US Open was the highest-rated match among U.S. television audiences,[citation needed] as Agassi declared that it would decide the year-ending World No. 1 ranking.

The next time Sampras and Agassi met in a Grand Slam final was at Wimbledon in 1999, where Sampras won in straight sets. For both, it was considered a career rejuvenation, as Sampras had suffered a string of disappointments in the last year while Agassi was regaining his status as a top-ranked player after winning the French Open. Sampras forfeited the World No. 1 ranking to Agassi when injury forced Sampras to withdraw from that year's US Open. They faced each other twice in the season-ending ATP Tour World Championships, with Sampras losing the round robin match but winning the final.

They played each other only once in 2000. The top-ranked Agassi defeated World No. 3 Sampras in the semifinals of the Australian Open 6–4, 3–6, 6–7(7), 7–6(5), 6–1.

In arguably their most memorable match, Sampras defeated Agassi in the 2001 US Open quarterfinals 6–7(7), 7–6(2), 7–6(2), 7–6(5). There were no breaks of serve during the entire match. Reruns of the match are frequently featured on television, especially during US Open rain delays.

The second highest-rated match of their rivalry[citation needed] was the final of the 2002 US Open. It was their first meeting in a US Open final since 1995. The match also was notable because they had defeated several up-and-coming players en route to the final. Sampras had defeated World No. 3 Tommy Haas in the fourth round and future World No. 1 Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals while Agassi had defeated current World No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals. Sampras defeated Agassi 6–3, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4. This was the final ATP tour singles match of Sampras's career.

Playing style

Sampras was an all-court player who would often serve-and-volley. In the early years of his career, when not serving, his strategy was to be aggressive from the baseline, put opponents in a defensive position, and finish points at the net. In his later years, he became even more aggressive and would either employ a chip-and-charge strategy—just chip back the return and run up to the net, waiting for a volley or try to hit an offensive shot on the return and follow his return to the net.

The Serve

He used both first and second serves as opportunities to win the point with one swing. The ability to strike quickly with an aggressive serve was the key to his game. Indeed, the serve and Sampras are practically synonymous. As a serve-and-volleyer, he looked to capitalize on his delivery and move to net and attack. His second serve was the equal of many players' first and allowed him to be ultra-aggressive on his first offering. He had an effortless motion that incorporates every power source beginning with his feet pushing off the ground.

Sampras's classically smooth service motion gave him many easy points on aces or service winners. The keys to Sampras's serve was the height of his elbow in the back stretch position, the contact at full extension, the speed of the racquet head through the contact zone. The speed of his serves was frequently 120-140 mph (192-224 km/h)on 1st and 100–120 mph (160-192 km/h) on second serves. Sampras is considered by many to have had the best second serve in history. He was known for producing aces on critical points, even with his second serves.[30][31] He had an accurate and powerful first serve, one of the best of all time;[32] His second serve was nearly as powerful as his first, possibly his most dangerous weapon. He had great disguise on both his first and second serves.

Return of Serve

Because he held serve at such a high percentage, he could be opportunistic with his return game. Depending on the situation, he would vary his return of serve. Against a good server, he usually looked to block or chip his return with an abbreviated swing on first serves to get the point started. But on second serves he'd be more aggressive, going after his forehand or slicing his backhand and attacking the net. To get a forehand on the ad side, he positioned himself in the doubles alley just as his opponent started his delivery.

Forehand

This was a weapon that put his opponent on the extreme defensive or won the point outright. He held the racquet with an Eastern Forehand grip, which allowed him to hit flat, penetrating drives to the corners of the court. He could put more topspin on the ball if he desired, but that wasn't his style. He wanted to draw a mid-court shot (an opportunity ball) from his opponent and then punish it to either corner and follow it to net. His forehand, and in particular his "Running Forehand" (a forehand hit on the run), was considered the best in the world. He was known for hitting his Running Forehand with a Reverse Forehand, a shot in which the racket rises on a much more vertical plane and finishes with the entire instrument above the player's head and pointing backward.

Backhand

With his one-hander, he could drive the ball flat, slice it, or roll it with topspin. The stroke also provided great flexibility for his attacking game. At a young age, he switched from a two-handed to a one-handed backhand with an Eastern Backhand grip. This was done to help his transition game and make him an all-court player. Although not the weapon his forehand was, his backhand kept him in the rally from the baseline and could deliver the goods on passes or carve out specialty shots when needed. Over the years, he developed an effective slice that changed the pace of a rally or he used to approach the net.

Opponents frequently played to his backhand, which was considered to be his weaker side. To counter this, Sampras often camped on the backhand side while rallying from the baseline and often baited opponents for his great running forehand. Later on in his career, as his foot speed slightly declined, Sampras was forced to play closer to the center of the court.

Net Game

He had every volley in the book and set them up with his huge serves and approach shots. His volley technique is flawless. He could hurt you with high, half, and shoestring volleys, and he had a devastating overhead. With his firm hold on his Continental grip and an upright racquet head, he used his athleticism to smother the net and was rarely caught out of position. He was also very smart with his shot selection at net, always cutting down the passing lanes and anticipating his opponent's next move. If he didn't have a clear putaway, he'd volley straight ahead, forcing his opponent to create a difficult angle. His overhead smash is regarded as the greatest of all time, as he could hit it from almost any position for a winner.

Strategy

The consummate front-runner, he came into a match with the mind-set that if he was never behind, he wouldn't lose. When he was playing his best, he was forcing his opponent to catch up in the points. He used his big shots and athleticism to close in on the net and finish points quickly. If he happened to get behind in the point, he'd look for a shot (like his running forehand) that would immediately grab the momentum back. It was the same with the match as a whole. All Sampras wanted was that one service break a set and then he could cruise. He had so much confidence in his serve that he believed he could hold it every time. And if he couldn't find the break during the set, he felt he'd get a mini-break during the tiebreaker. His relaxed intensity and big serve have allowed him to handle the big points better than any player ever has.

Grass Courts

On grass, the serves retain more of their speed when they hit the service box and bounce relatively lower than on any other surface. This significantly improved Sampras' single biggest advantage. That was certainly the case at Wimbledon, where Sampras's second serve was almost unreturnable and the more worn the grass got the better it was for Sampras. In addition, his one-two punch was considered the best in the world. On grass courts, Sampras served and volleyed on both serves throughout his career.

His secondary advantage was his net game because it's important to move in after the serve and win the point with a volley or overhead from the short/mid-court ball. One of Sampras's major advantages on grass was that points were kept short: this allowed him to play long matches without the same fatigue he'd feel on clay courts or hard courts.

Another advantage Sampras had was that on grass the ball bounces around knee height, his most comfortable strike zone. This also turned his backhand into a lethal weapon due to his particular stroke. The additional advantage Sampras had was the comparative flatness of his groundstrokes. He did hit topspin on both sides, but not nearly as much as a typical clay-court specialist. His lower, flatter groundstrokes had more power and penetrated the court much more quickly than his opponents' shots could. This took away much of their reaction time, often forcing opponents to try and run even before he hit the stroke.

Hard Courts

His style changed dramatically between the early 1990s and the time he retired. He served and volleyed on his first serve and frequently stayed back on his second serve. Towards the latter part of his career on hard courts, Sampras played a serve and volley game on both his first and second serves.

Clay Courts

On clay, serves slow down more when they hit the service box than on any other surface. This reduced Sampras' single biggest advantage. The other difficulty for Sampras was that the topspinning shots caused the ball to kick up high and he was less comfortable meeting the ball up high, especially on his backhand. His backhand was a world-class shot, but because of his grip and technique, he preferred to hit the ball lower. When the ball really kicked high he struggled and he often dropped the ball short and into the centre of the court.

Another factor that made it tough for Sampras on clay was the comparative flatness of his groundstrokes. He did hit topspin on both sides, but not nearly as much as a typical clay-court specialist. Lower, flatter groundstrokes slow down relatively more on clay than do those with more topspin, and they don't kick up above the opponent's comfort zone the way higher, heavy topspins do.


Personal Information

Name:Pete Sampras

Nickname(s):Pistol Pete, King of Swing

Country:United States

Residence:Los Angeles, California

Date of birth:August 12, 1971 (1971-08-12) (age 37)

Place of birth:Washington, D.C.

Height:1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight:170 lb (77 kg)[1]

Turned pro:1988

Retired:2002

Plays Right-handed; one-handed backhand

Career prize money US$ 43,280,489

*2nd All-time leader in earnings