Pete Sampras

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Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras (2008) 1, cropped.jpg
Country (sports) United States
Residence Lake Sherwood, California, U.S.
Born August 12, 1971 (age 47)
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Turned pro 1988
Retired September 8, 2002 (last match)
August 25, 2003 (official)
Plays Right-handed (one-handed backhand)
Coach Peter Fischer (1980�1989)
Joe Brandi (1989�1991)
Tim Gullikson (1992�1995)
Vitas Gerulaitis (1994 Rome)
Paul Annacone (1995�2001)
Tom Gullikson (2001�2002)
Jos� Higueras (2002)[1]
Paul Annacone (2002)
Prize money US$43,280,489
5th all-time leader in earnings
Int. Tennis HoF 2007 (member page)
Singles
Career record 762�222 (77.44%)
Career titles 64
Highest ranking No. 1 (April 12, 1993)
Grand Slam Singles results
Australian Open W (1994, 1997)
French Open SF (1996)
Wimbledon W (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000)
US Open W (1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002)
Other tournaments
Tour Finals W (1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999)
Grand Slam Cup W (1990, 1997)
Olympic Games 3R (1992)
Doubles
Career record 64�70 (47.76%)
Career titles 2
Highest ranking No. 27 (February 12, 1990)
Grand Slam Doubles results
Australian Open 2R (1989)
French Open 2R (1989)
Wimbledon 3R (1989)
US Open 1R (1988, 1989, 1990)
Team competitions
Davis Cup W (1992, 1995)
Pete Sampras (born August 12, 1971 as Petros Sampras) is an American former tennis
player, regarded by many as one of the greatest in the history of the sport.[2][3]
A right-handed player with a single-handed backhand, his precise and powerful serve
earned him the nickname "Pistol Pete". His professional career began in 1988 and
ended at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating rival Andre Agassi in the final.

Sampras held the all-time record of seven Wimbledon Men's Singles Titles with
William Renshaw until 2017 when Roger Federer won his 8th title. Sampras also won
five US Open titles, a joint Open-era record shared by Roger Federer and Jimmy
Connors, and two Australian Open titles. His 14 Grand Slam titles were a record,
surpassed only when Federer won his 15th Grand Slam title in Wimbledon 2009 and
later also by Rafael Nadal in French open 2017 and Novak Djokovic Australian Open
2019. Sampras also won 64 singles titles. He first reached world No. 1 in 1993, and
held that position for a total of 286 weeks, including a record six consecutive
year-end No. 1 rankings from 1993 to 1998. In 2007, he was inducted into the
International Tennis Hall of Fame.

Contents
1 Early life
2 Professional career
2.1 1988: Turning professional
2.2 1989: First Grand Slam match wins
2.3 1990: First major title at the U.S. Open
2.4 1991: Year-end Championship title
2.5 1992: First Masters title
2.6 1993: Wimbledon and US Open titles, world No. 1
2.7 1994: Australian Open and Wimbledon title
2.8 1995: Wimbledon and US Open titles, world No. 1
2.9 1996: US Open title and only Wimbledon loss in an 8-year period
2.10 1997: Australian Open and Wimbledon titles
2.11 1998: Wimbledon title
2.12 1999: Wimbledon Year-end titles
2.13 2000: 13 majors and return to No. 1
2.14 2001: No singles title and drop in ranking
2.15 2002: 14th major and retirement
2.16 Career summary
3 Post-retirement activity
4 Rivalries
4.1 Sampras vs. Agassi
4.2 Sampras vs. Rafter
5 Playing style
5.1 Equipment
6 Personal life
7 Career statistics
7.1 Grand Slam performance timeline
8 Records and achievements
8.1 Records
8.2 Professional awards
8.3 Other achievements
9 Other awards
10 See also
11 Notes
12 References
13 Further reading
14 Video
15 External links
Early life
Sampras was born in Washington, D.C., the third child of Soterios "Sammy" and
Georgia (n�e Vroustouris) Sampras. His mother emigrated from Sparta, Greece, and
his father was born in the United States to a Greek father, Costas "Gus" Sampras
and a Jewish mother, Sarah Steinberg.[4][5][6] He attended regular services of the
Greek Orthodox Church on Sundays.[7] [8]At the age of 3, he discovered a tennis
racket in the basement of his home and spent hours hitting balls against the wall.

In 1978, the Sampras family moved to Palos Verdes, California, and the warmer
climate there allowed the seven-year-old Sampras to play tennis throughout more of
the year. From early on, his great idol was Rod Laver, and at the age of 11,
Sampras met and played tennis with the legend.[9] The Sampras family joined the
Jack Kramer Club, and it was here that Sampras's talent became apparent. As a
teenager, Sampras trained with tennis coach Robert Lansdorp. The forehand he
learned from Lansdorp was the same forehand he used throughout his career. The key
was an emphasis on driving through the ball and not hitting extreme topspin. [10]
He was spotted by Dr.Peter Fischer, a pediatrician and tennis enthusiast, who
coached Sampras until 1989.[9][11] Fischer was responsible for converting Sampras's
double-handed backhand to single-hand with the goal of being better prepared to win
Wimbledon.[12][13]

Professional career
1988: Turning professional
Sampras turned professional in 1988, at the age of 16, and finished the year ranked
world No. 97 after starting the year at No. 893.[14] His first professional match
was a loss to Sammy Giammalva, Jr. at the February Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor in
Philadelphia. However, just one week later, at the Lipton International Players
Championships in Miami, Sampras defeated two top-40 players, before losing to No.
18 Emilio S�nchez. Sampras did not defeat another top-40 player for almost six
months, at which point he defeated 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 No. 69 Jaime Yzaga of Peru in the first round of the US Open. Sampras did
not advance past the quarterfinals in his next three tournaments, although he did
record wins over No. 79 Jim Courier in their first career match-up, along with
defeating No. 8 Tim Mayotte.[15]

1989: First Grand Slam match wins

The following year, Sampras slightly improved his ranking to a year-ending No. 81.
[16] He lost in the first round of the 1989 Australian Open to Christian Saceanu
and, at that year's French Open, won a Grand Slam singles match for the first time
in his career; in the second round he lost to eventual champion and fellow American
teenager Michael Chang in their first career match-up. A few weeks later, Sampras
lost in the first round of Wimbledon to Todd Woodbridge. At the US Open, Sampras
defeated defending champion and fifth-seeded Mats Wilander in the second round
before losing to No. 13 Jay Berger in the fourth round. To end the year, Sampras
lost in the first round in four consecutive tournaments.[17]

1990: First major title at the U.S. Open

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 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 Andr�s G�mez in the final. This title elevated his ranking
into the top 20 for the first time. Sampras finished 1990 at No. 5, having started
the year ranked No. 61 just prior to the start of the Australian Open.[18]

Sampras did not play in the 1990 French Open and again lost in the first round of
Wimbledon, this time to Christo van Rensburg. 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 No. 2 Stefan Edberg. He did not advance past the quarterfinals in his
next three tournaments, losing to Chang, Richey Reneberg, and Goran Ivani�evic.

In September, Sampras 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.[19] He played five more tournaments and won the Grand
Slam Cup to complete his year.[20]

1991: Year-end Championship title

Sampras in 1992
In 1991, Sampras 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.[21]

1992: First Masters title

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.[22] He also played doubles with John McEnroe on the US team that
won the Davis Cup, duplicating the feat in 1995.

1992 was also the year when Sampras made his only competitive appearance at the
Olympics. The event was played on clay, his worst surface. Nonetheless, Sampras
advanced to the third round before giving up a two-set lead and losing to Andrei
Cherkasov of Russia.

1993: Wimbledon and US Open titles, world No. 1

Sampras reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in early 1993, losing again
to Stefan Edberg and matching the previous year's quarterfinal performance at the
French Open. In April 1993, Sampras attained the No. 1 ranking for the first time.
His rise to the top of the rankings was controversial because he had not recently
won any Grand Slam titles,[23] but he justified his ranking three months later by
claiming his first of seven Wimbledon titles, beating former world No. 1 and fellow
American Jim Courier in the final. This was 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.

1994: Australian Open and Wimbledon title

Sampras won the first of two Australian Open titles in 1994, defeating American
Todd Martin in the final, and then defended his Wimbledon later that year.

1995: Wimbledon and US Open titles, world No. 1

In 1995, Sampras battled with co-patriot Andre Agassi for the world No. 1 ranking.
Sampras experienced one of the most emotional matches of his career, when he played
Courier in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.[24] Sampras' longtime coach
and close friend, Tim Gullikson, had mysteriously collapsed during the tournament
and was forced to return to the United States. Gullikson was later diagnosed with
brain cancer, to which he succumbed the following year. Saddened by Gullikson's
illness, Sampras began visibly weeping during the match when a spectator shouted to
win it for Gullikson, but managed to defeat Courier. Sampras went on to lose the
final to Andre Agassi in four sets. Paul Annacone took over as Sampras' full-time
coach after Gullikson's illness made it impossible for him to continue coaching.
[25]

Sampras defeated Agassi in the final at Indian Wells, and then won his third
straight Wimbledon title over Boris Becker. Sampras lost in the final of the
Canadian Masters to Agassi, and then beat Agassi in the final of the US Open.[25]

1996: US Open title and only Wimbledon loss in an 8-year period

In the year's first major, the Australian Open, the top-seeded Sampras lost to the
unseeded Mark Philippoussis 6-4, 7-6(11�9), 7-6(7�3) in the tournament's third
round. Sampras had what would end up being his best run ever at that year's French
Open, losing in a semifinal match to the eventual winner, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 7-
6(7�4), 6-0, 6-2.

In the eight Wimbledons inclusive between 1993 and 2000, 1996 was the only year
that Sampras would fail to win the championship at Wimbledon. Sampras lost in the
quarterfinals of Wimbledon to the eventual winner, Richard Krajicek, the
tournament's 17th-seed. The match lasted three long sets, with Krajicek winning 7-
5, 7-6(7�3), 6-4.

In the quarterfinals of the US Open, Sampras vomited on the court at 1�1 in the
final set tiebreak (due to dehydration) while facing �lex Corretja; nonetheless,
Sampras would win that match. Sampras advanced to the finals where he defeated No.
2 Michael Chang to defend his US Open title.

Sampras finished off the year by claiming the season-ending ATP Tour World
Championship.

1997: Australian Open and Wimbledon titles

Sampras won his second Australian Open title in January, defeating Carlos Moy� in
the final.[26] In July, he won Wimbledon for the fourth time, defeating C�dric
Pioline in the final.[27] Sampras also won singles titles in San Jose,
Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Munich, and Paris, and the ATP Tour World Championships
in Hanover, Germany. He became the only player to win both the Grand Slam Cup and
the ATP Tour World Championships in the same year.

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

1998: Wimbledon title

In 1998, Sampras's No. 1 ranking was challenged by Chilean player Marcelo R�os.
Sampras failed to defend his Australian Open title, losing in the quarterfinals to
Karol Kucera,[28] and won Wimbledon only after a hard-fought five-set victory over
Goran Ivani�evic.

Sampras lost in the final of the Cincinnati Masters to Patrick Rafter after a
controversial line call. Sampras faced Rafter again in the semifinals of the US
Open, losing in five sets after leading the match two sets to one, and Rafter went
on to win his second consecutive US Open title. Sampras lost another semifinal at
the Tennis Masters Cup to eventual champion �lex Corretja. Nevertheless, Sampras
finished the year as the top-ranked player for the sixth year in a row.

1999: Wimbledon Year-end titles

The year started with a withdrawal from the Australian Open and Sampras 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 (a rematch of last year's final with Patrick Rafter). Sampras' victory
over Andre Agassi in the Wimbledon final is often cited as one of the greatest
performances in a Wimbledon final,[29] (despite this, he lost his no. 1 ranking to
Agassi the following day, when ATP Tour rankings were updated). 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' 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 Agassi, putting an end to Sampras' six
consecutive years of finishing as 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 remain third in the rankings.

2000: 13 majors and return to No. 1

Sampras reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in early 2000, falling to the
eventual champion Agassi in a five-set match. He won the Ericsson Open for the
third time in March. After getting knocked out in the first round at the French
Open, he won his seventh and final title at Wimbledon, battling through tendinitis
in his right shin and a painful back injury in the process equalling the then all
time gentleman's singles title record of William Renshaw. This was his monumental
13th Grand Slam singles title, breaking the all-time record of Roy Emerson that had
stood for over 30 years.

In the 2000 US Open, Sampras overcame Richard Krajicek in four sets at the
quarterfinals (including a comeback from 2-6 down in a tiebreaker) but lost the
final to Marat Safin.[30] Sampras' run to the final briefly returned him to the No.
1 ranking, but Gustavo Kuerten ended the year atop the rankings.[31] This would be
the last time Sampras was ranked No. 1, extending his ATP record career total to
286 weeks; the record was surpassed by Roger Federer in 2012.

2001: No singles title and drop in ranking

Sampras' 31-match Wimbledon win streak ended in a five set loss to Roger Federer,
aged 19, in the fourth round; this was the only time the two tennis legends ever
played an official professional match. At the US Open, Sampras reached the final
but lost in straight sets to Lleyton Hewitt.[32] Overall, this season was the first
in 12 years that Sampras did not win a single title, and he finished the year
ranked No. 10, also his lowest since 1989.

2002: 14th major and retirement

In 2002, Sampras suffered an early exit from Wimbledon, losing in the second round
to No. 145 fast-court specialist George Bastl of Switzerland. After that loss,
Sampras asked his former coach Paul Annacone to return and coach through the US
Open.[33] Sampras had a relatively poor summer leading up to the US Open, losing at
Cincinnati to No. 70-ranked Wayne Arthurs in the second round, and then being
eliminated at the opening round at Long Island by No. 85. Paul-Henri Mathieu.

At the US Open, Sampras was seeded 17th. 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 stars, 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, and eighth US Open final overall, tying
Ivan Lendl's all-time record. 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 then-record 14th Grand Slam singles title and
matched Jimmy Connors' record of five US Open singles championships.[34]

Sampras did not compete in any tour events in the following 12 months, but he did
not officially announce his retirement until August 2003, just prior to the US
Open.[35] He chose not to defend his title there, but his retirement announcement
was timed so that he could say farewell at a special ceremony organized for him at
the Open.[35] At the time of his retirement, many regarded Sampras as the greatest
player of all time.[36][37]
Career summary
Sampras won 64 top-level singles titles (including 14 Grand Slam titles, 11 Super
9/ATP Masters Series/ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and five Tennis Masters Cup
titles) and two doubles titles. He was ranked the world No. 1 for a total of 286
weeks (the second most of all-time after Roger Federer's 310 weeks) and was year-
end No. 1 for an ATP record six consecutive years from 1993 through 1998.

Sampras was known for his natural attacking serve-and-volley game, all-round game,
and strong competitive instinct. Sampras's best surface was undoubtedly the fast-
playing grass courts,[38] Sampras won seven Wimbledon Gentleman's Singles titles
(1993�95, 1997�2000), broken only by a loss in the 1996 quarterfinals to eventual
winner Richard Krajicek. Sampras's seven Wimbledon Gentleman's Singles titles, tied
with William Renshaw, has only been surpassed by Roger Federer who won a record
eighth Gentleman's Singles title in 2017.[39] Sampras is lauded by many tennis
analysts as one of the greatest male grass-court players of all time.[29] Sampras
also shares the record of five US Open titles in the Open Era with Jimmy Connors
and Federer. He won back-to-back US Open titles in 1995 and 1996, despite vomiting
on the court at 1�1 in the final set tiebreak due to dehydration in the 1996
quarterfinals against �lex Corretja. Combined with his two Australian Open titles,
this gave Sampras a total of fourteen majors won on grass and hard courts.

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 a 1992 clay court tournament in Kitzb�hel,
defeating Alberto Mancini in the final. 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 Yevgeny Kafelnikov in Moscow.
Sampras also won a 1998 clay court tournament in Atlanta, defeating Jason
Stoltenberg in the final.

Post-retirement activity

Pete Sampras at Champions Cup Boston, in 2007

On April 6, 2006, three and a half years after his retirement, Sampras resurfaced
and played his first exhibition match in River Oaks, Houston, Texas, against 23-
year-old Robby Ginepri. Ginepri won the match in two sets. Sampras later announced
that he would be playing in World Team Tennis events.

2007 saw Sampras announcing that he would play in a few events on the Outback
Champions Series, a group of tournaments for former ATP players who have met
certain criteria during their careers.[40] Sampras won his first two events on
tour, defeating Todd Martin in both finals (one of which included Sampras's first
trip to his ancestral homeland, Greece).[41] Many observers noted that despite his
lengthy layoff from competitive tournaments, Sampras still possessed many of the
previous skills he had displayed while on the ATP tour, with commentator John
McEnroe going as far as to say that Sampras would be worthy of a top five seeding
at Wimbledon were he to enter the tournament.[42]

On November 20, 2007, Sampras lost the first of three exhibition matches in Asia
against Roger Federer in Seoul, Korea.[43] Two days later in Kuala Lumpur, Sampras
again lost to Federer in two tiebreaks. However, Sampras was able to win the last
match of the series, winning in two sets on fast carpet.[44]

On February 18, 2008, in an exhibition match during the SAP Open, Sampras defeated
another active player, former No. 2 Tommy Haas. Sampras dispatched the German in 43
minutes.[45]
On March 10, 2008, Sampras played another exhibition match against No. 1 Roger
Federer at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Sampras once again lost the
match in three tight sets.[46]

In 2009 Sampras won two Outback Champions Series titles. He defeated McEnroe in the
final of the Champions Cup Boston in February and Patrick Rafter in the final of
The Del Mar Development Champions Cup in March.[47]

Sampras was present at the 2009 Wimbledon final between Andy Roddick and Roger
Federer to witness Federer eclipse his mark of 14 major titles and become the most
successful man in Grand Slam history. Sampras's record of 14 majors had lasted for
seven years.

The following year along with Federer, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal, he played an
exhibition doubles match at Indian Wells to raise money for the people of Haiti who
had been affected by the earthquake.

In November 2010 Sampras reported that many of his trophies and memorabilia had
been stolen from a West Los Angeles public storage facility.[48] The loss included
the trophy from his first Australian Open victory,[49] two Davis Cups, an Olympic
ring and six trophies for finishing top in the year-end rankings.[50] Most of the
stolen items have since been recovered and returned.[51]

On November 17, 2011, Sampras played and lost an exhibition match against Milos
Raonic. Sampras� serve approached 200 km/h throughout the night.[52]

Rivalries
Sampras vs. Agassi
Main article: Agassi�Sampras rivalry
The rivalry has been called the greatest of the generation of players competing in
the 90's, as they were the most successful players of that decade, and had a
contrasting playing style, with both Sampras and Agassi being respectively
considered the greatest server and the greatest serve returner of their eras.
Sampras won 20 of the 34 matches he played against Agassi.[53]

The 1990 US Open was their first meeting in a Grand Slam tournament final. Agassi
was favored because he was ranked No. 4, compared to the 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.

Their next meeting in a Grand Slam was at the 1992 French Open, where they met in
the quarterfinals. Although Sampras was higher ranked, Agassi prevailed in straight
sets. Their next Grand Slam meeting was at the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1993,
where Agassi was the defending champion and Sampras was the newly minted No. 1.
Sampras prevailed in five sets, and went on to win his first Wimbledon
championship.

With both Sampras and Agassi participating, the U.S. won the Davis Cup in 1995.
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 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 No. 1 ranking to Agassi when injury forced
Sampras to withdraw from that year's US Open, which Agassi went on to win. 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 No. 3
Sampras in the semifinals of the Australian Open in five sets.

In arguably their most memorable match, Sampras defeated Agassi in the 2001 US Open
quarterfinals 6�7, 7�6, 7�6, 7�6. 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 final of the 2002 US Open was their first meeting in a US Open final since
1995. The match was also notable because they had defeated several up-and-coming
players en route to the final. Sampras had defeated No. 3 Tommy Haas in the fourth
round and future No. 1 Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, while Agassi had defeated
No. 1 and defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals. Sampras defeated
Agassi in four sets. This was the final ATP tour singles match of Sampras's career.
[54]

In August 2010, Sampras played an exhibition game with Andre Agassi at the indoor
arena Coliseo Cubierto El Campin in Bogot�, Colombia.

Sampras vs. Rafter

Sampras won 12 of the 16 matches he played against Patrick Rafter, including eight
of their first nine, and their final four meetings.[55]

In 1997, Rafter won the US Open, a tournament that many expected Sampras to win,
having won in 1995 and 1996. The win catapulted Rafter to the year-end no. 2
rankings behind Sampras. Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe believed
Rafter to be a "one-slam wonder", since it was only his second career ATP title.
[56] Up to that point, Sampras was 5-1 against Rafter, and defeated Rafter three
times in fall 1997 to solidify his No. 1 ATP ranking.[57] "We're not the best of
mates," Rafter said of Sampras after 1997 Davis Cup semifinals, "I wouldn't go out
for a beer with him, put it that way. I don't know what the story is. There's a bit
of feeling."[58]

In 1998, Rafter came back from a set down to defeat Sampras in the Cincinnati
Masters final, a title that Sampras needed to win in order get the maximum ranking
points to stay No. 1 ahead of Marcelo R�os. During that match, Rafter's serve was
called out, but the umpire overruled the call to give Rafter the ace and the
Cincinnati title. Sampras was displeased, and stood at the baseline for several
seconds, making the victorious Rafter wait at the net, and then refused to shake
the umpire's hand.[57] Sampras, at the time winner of 11 Grand Slams, when asked
about the difference between himself and Rafter, said "Ten grand slams", that a
controversial line-call cost him the match, and that a player had to come back and
win another Grand Slam title in order to be considered great.[59][60] Rafter went
on to win the Canadian Masters as well, earning the third seed at the 1998 US Open.

The two met in the semifinals of the 1998 US Open, where Sampras was slowed in the
third set by a leg injury and called for a trainer, and Rafter broke Sampras twice
in the deciding fifth set.[57] Sampras's loss denied him the chance to match two
records�Jimmy Connors' mark of five U.S. Open titles and Roy Emerson's record of 12
Grand Slam singles titles. Sampras cited a leg injury as the reason Rafter won, an
attitude that upset the Australian: "He really does say some funny things at the
wrong time", said Rafter, "We are out there busting our guts and he doesn't show a
lot of respect at the end of the day. He tries to play down the reason why he lost,
giving no respect to the other player, and that is what really upsets me about him
and the reason I try to piss him off as much as I can."[61] Following Rafter's
successful defense of his 1997 U.S. Open title by defeating Mark Philippoussis in
the 1998 final, when asked about Sampras' earlier comments about having to win
another Grand Slam in order to be considered great, Rafter replied: "Maybe you can
ask him that question, if he thinks that now. For me, I won another Slam, and it
hasn't sunk in yet. It's very, very exciting for me, especially to repeat it".[59]
For his part, Sampras said about Rafter, "When I see him holding the US Open
trophy, it pisses me off."[62] Rafter responded by calling Sampras a �cry baby� and
saying that it would be better for tennis if someone besides the American were No.
1.[57] Some had suggested at the time that the Sampras-Rafter feud was inflamed by
the media since Sampras' traditional rival Andre Agassi was still in the midst of a
comeback from injury.

Sampras, whose struggles from 1998 continued over to early 1999, lost a third
consecutive time against Rafter at the World Team Cup, in straight sets, just
before the French Open. By the summer of 1999 having rebuilt his confidence, en
route to compiling a 24-match winning streak of four titles including Wimbledon,
Sampras prevailed against Rafter in the Cincinnati Masters final, a rematch of the
previous year's final, and the two were friendly in the trophy ceremony.[57] Later
that summer, Sampras withdrew from the U.S. Open due to an injured back, while
Rafter retired in the first round as a result of a torn rotor cuff.[63]

The next Sampras-Rafter match was the 2000 Wimbledon final, after Rafter overcame
Agassi in the semifinals, a four-set final which included a 26-minute rain delay.
Both players had flown in their parents for the Wimbledon final, the first time in
years they would see their sons play.[58] Sampras lost the first-set tiebreaker,
and trailed in the second-set tiebreaker 1-4 before taking 5 consecutive points to
win that set, then won the third and fourth sets for the Championship, with just 10
minutes of daylight left. That victory gave Sampras his 13th Grand Slam title,
breaking the record of 12 by Roy Emerson for the most Grand Slam titles. After the
match ended, Sampras called Rafter �all class, on and off the court�, while Rafter
said he was lucky to overcome early season injuries to make the final.[57][64][65]

Sampras and Rafter met in the fourth round of the 2001 US Open, with Sampras
winning.[66]

Playing style
Sampras was an all-court player who would often serve and volley. Possessing an
all-around skill, in the early years of his career, when not serving, his strategy
was to be offensive from the baseline, put opponents in a defensive position, and
finish points at the net. In his later years, he became even more offensive and
would either employ a chip-and-charge strategy or try to hit an offensive shot on
the return and follow his return to the net.[citation needed]

He had an accurate and powerful first serve, one of the best of all time.[67] He
had great disguise on both his first and second serves, and his second serve was
nearly as powerful as his first. He was known for producing aces on critical
points, even with his second serves.[68][69]

Sampras was able to hit winners from both his forehand and backhand from all over
the court. He was able to catch attacks wide to his forehand using his speed and
hitting a forehand shot on the run. When successfully executed, he won many points
outright or put opponents immediately on the defensive, due to the considerable
pace and flat nature of the shot. This style did not help him on clay courts,
according to some critics.[70]

Equipment
Sampras used one racket type, the Wilson Pro Staff Original,[71] for his entire
professional career�a racket first introduced in 1983. He played with Babolat
natural gut, with all his rackets re-strung before each match (used or not) at 75
lbs tension (more or less, depending on conditions). His rackets had weight added
to bring them close to 400 g, but the frame proper was a production model
manufactured at a Wilson factory on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. The
handles were custom-built.[72]

Post-retirement, Sampras has used a slightly modified Pro Staff Tour 90 and, from
2008, a new version of the original Pro Staff, produced with in-between head size
of 88 square inches and heavier weight at 349 grams unstrung.[73]

Since mid-2010,[74] Sampras has been spotted at multiple exhibitions playing with a
Babolat Pure Storm Tour, along with Babolat's popular RPM Blast strings.[75]

"I need a little more pop...I need it if I'm going to play some tennis," he said
after playing Gael Monfils in an exhibition at the SAP Open.[76]

During a good part of 2011, Sampras used a racquet that was painted all black, with
Tourna Grip and Tourna Damper.

In the late 1980s, Sampras signed a three-year endorsement contract with Sergio
Tacchini. It was extended to five years before Sampras signed with Nike in 1994.
[77] He wore Nike apparel and Nike Air Oscillate footwear on court.[78]

Personal life
Pete's father and mother are from Greece and his paternal grandmother is Jewish.
Sampras's older sister, Stella Sampras Webster, is the women's tennis head coach at
UCLA,[79] and his younger sister, Marion, is a teacher in Los Angeles. His older
brother, Gus, has been tournament director at the Scottsdale ATP event. In 2007 he
became president of the firm managing Pete's business activities.[80]

On September 30, 2000, Sampras married American actress and former Miss Teen USA
Bridgette Wilson.[81] On November 21, 2002, their son, Christian Charles Sampras,
was born.[82] On July 29, 2005, the couple had their second son, Ryan Nikolaos
Sampras.[83] They reside in Lake Sherwood, California.[84]

Sampras has �-thalassemia minor, a genetic trait that sometimes causes mild anemia.
[85]

A book titled Facing Sampras: Symposium of a Champion was published in December

2017.

Politically, Sampras is a Republican. He supported John McCain in 2008.[86][87][87]