Pete Sampras was born in 1971 and grew up in the Washington DC area of the United States. He is considered to be one of the most gifted male players in the sport and has one numerous titles, medals and cups throughout his long and illustrious career. Although he is now retired, he remains to this date one of the winningest tennis players in the world.
He discovered tennis early on, but it wasn’t until he hit the age of seven, when his family moved to California that he began to take it seriously. He was considered by many to be a prodigy in the game and from the first time he picked up a racket, it was clear that he was destined for greatness.
At the tender age of 16, Sampras turned pro and by 1990 he was beating fan favorite Andre Agassi. It was at this match that he even beat the illustrious John McEnroe, a feat that not many other players have ever managed to accomplish. Although his career had its ups and downs, Sampras remained a strong player through it all.
What is he doing now?
Sampras is now retired, but he is still active in charity work and still plays in exhibition matches throughout the world. His form is still top notch and he frequently beats opponents without breaking a sweat. Truly, Sampras is one of the best tennis players to come along in many generations.
Championships:
Year Championship Opponent in Final Score in Final
1990 US Open (1) Andre Agassi 6–4, 6–3, 6–2
1993 Wimbledon (1) Jim Courier 7–6, 7–6, 3–6, 6–3
1993 US Open (2) Cédric Pioline 6-4, 6–4, 6–3
1994 n Open (1) Todd Martin 7–6, 6–4, 6–4
1994 Wimbledon (2) Goran Ivanišević 7–6, 7–6, 6–0
1995 Wimbledon (3) Boris Becker 6–7, 6–2, 6–4, 6–2
1995 US Open (3) Andre Agassi 6–4, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5
1996 US Open (4) Michael Chang 6–1, 6–4, 7–6
1997 n Open (2) Spain Carlos Moyá 6–2, 6–3, 6–3
1997 Wimbledon (4) Cédric Pioline 6–4, 6–2, 6–4
1998 Wimbledon (5) Goran Ivanišević 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 3–6, 6–2
1999 Wimbledon (6) Andre Agassi 6–3, 6–4, 7–5
2000 Wimbledon (7) Patrick Rafter 6–7, 7–6, 6–4, 6–2
2002 US Open (5) Andre Agassi 6–3, 6–4, 5–7, 6–4
Interesting and Inspirational Quotes:
“The difference of great players is at a certain point in a match they raise their level of play and maintain it. Lesser players play great for a set, but then less.”
“I let my racket do the talking. That's what I am all about, really. I just go out and win tennis matches.”
“I just had to hang in there and make sure I was dictating play,”
“This is more about just getting myself a little busier and focused on something I used to be good at. It's time this year to do a little more. Last year, I was kind of floating along.”
“When you retire, you take time away, you don't want to have anything to do with tennis. After two years of having fun and not doing much in the sport, you get a little bored and want to know what's the next chapter in your life. Last year was a turning point 'What am I going to do next?' and I had to make a decision.”
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