Pete Sampras is an American former tennis player who is currently the only man from the Open Era to have won the last Grand Slam tournament in which he competed. Sampras entered the 2002 US Open looking, at least to the world, as a man past his prime.
For the last time, however, the world marveled at Wimbledon conqueror Pete Sampras as he swept opponent after opponent en route to his fifth US Open title. Sampras retired with 14 Grand Slam singles titles, a tally that seemed second to none, with seven of them coming at his beloved Wimbledon.
Pete lives a quiet life with his wife and children in Beverly Hills.
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Pete Sampras loved his tennis and his triumphs, but he hated the publicity that followed. He often said no to press conferences, promotional appearances, sponsor parties and other ‘superstar’ duties.
It wasn’t about insecurity or Pete being a jerk; he just didn’t like publicity. “As uncomfortable as Pete may seem in public, I always had the feeling that he was as comfortable with himself as anyone,” said retired tennis player Todd Martin. Sports Illustrated.
In his last match, Pete faced Andre Agassi, his polar opposite. Agassi played for the crowd, as he loved being a public figure. “Pete would never want my life,” Agassi used to say. “He would never want his life.”
In the heat of battle, Pete temporarily went out of character, yelling, “That’s what I’m talking about!” The crowd went wild and, after Pete won, he claimed that he received the loudest ovation of his career. After holding up the trophy, Pete wrote again: he Politely declined the Manhattan press tour that had been arranged for him.
Sampras retired to his Beverly Hills home, where he spent months without leaving. However, he was not alone, as he had married aspiring actress Bridgette Wilson in 2000. The low-key ceremony reflected Pete’s character, although Elton John appeared as a surprise musical guest.
The couple welcomed their first son, Christian, in 2002, and their second, Ryan, in 2005. Pete is now a family man living off his gambling fortune. After dropping his children off at school, Sampras could play golf at the Bel-Air Country Club or play tennis in his backyard. His second son, Ryan, seems destined for a bright future in the sport.
“Every time I see him, he seems totally happy,” said his trainer Paul Annacone. Sports Illustrated. “He has a very good perspective and vision of being a father and a husband, and he does what he wants to do.”
Pete thinks he can compete with today’s tennis greats
In July 2001, a young Roger Federer denied Sampras the chance to win his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title. Roger would go on to claim his first of eight Wimbledon wins several months after Sampras’ retirement. Two years later, Rafael Nadal won the French Open for the first time, and three years later, Novak Djokovic won his first crown at the Australian Open.
Roger, Rafael and Novak would break Pete’s record of 14 Grand Slam wins. The ‘Big Three’ have also won a career slam at least once, a feat too far behind Pete, as he never dominated the French Open clay court.
Pete marvels at the trio’s accomplishments, but feels he would give them a chance if they had played together. in the biography Pete Sampras: greatness revisited, Pete says: “I feel like with my service game and volleys I would be in all these matches against these three guys. There’s no one in the past or present that I feel like I couldn’t play with.”
If he harbors any wounded pride caused by the achievements of modern gamers, he’s quite adept at hiding it. “He’s pretty good at controlling his ego at the gate…over all, I think he gets the emotional fuel it takes to be there continuously on final race weekends and just generally pull through,” Annacone said. Sports Illustrated. “When he sees all three guys do it, he really shakes their hands and says, ‘Well done, guys.'”
Sampras revels in the only record that may never be broken
The Big Three have broken virtually every record set by Pete Sampras except one: Sampras holds the record for most consecutive years (six) finishing as world number 1.
Pete finished every year from 1993 to 1998 as number one. Novak Djokovic has completed seven years as world number one, but not in consecutive years. In a rare interview with ATP circuitPete described the record as one of his “best” achievements:
“The perseverance that I had, the resistance, the will. I think it is one of my best achievements. I always based my year on the majors and the bonus beyond that was finishing No.1. Novak has seven, but not in a row. Over time, I think it will be difficult to break six in a row.”
Sampras seemed invincible during his extraordinary career, but admits that chasing the record took its toll on him. He set out to get the record and his body suffered for it. “I wanted it, and it was a unique opportunity, and I took it,” Pete added.
“I sacrificed myself and did what I had to do.” Pete’s 1998 season in Europe cost him so much that he missed the Australian Open. Sampras opines that he could have won more majors if he hadn’t focused on the No. 1 ranking so enthusiastically:
“I was stressed, I wasn’t sleeping well, I wasn’t eating like I really should. Those six years were hard. Tennis was my life, and keeping No. 1 all those years I think it has to be something you really want to do. It’s not given to you, and it’s harder to stay there than to actually get there.”
Pete can relax knowing that he has a record that the Big Three will never take away from him. Chasing glory required sacrifice, but Sampras has no regrets. “I’m glad I sacrificed and I chase it down a bit at the end, especially last year,” Pete said. “I feel proud of what I did. It was worth it.”
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn