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Pistol: Pete Sampras
Every so often a player of such natural talent comes along that he sets the world of tennis alight and in awe, that we too could imitate him. Very few ever can of course but for a young Californian in 1988 at the start of his career a whole new world beckoned, moulded around the great players such as Rod Laver and the Australian Davis Cup production line. If you want to show a youngster 'how to play tennis', show them a video of 'Pistol' Pete Sampras. En route to the 1990 U.S. Open Sampras, aged 19 years and 28 days surprised all and beat Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe, before beating Andre Agassi in an enthralling final, when the American support realised he was 'the real deal.' From that moment on he had a monkey on his back, something which he described as resulting in his poor run of results in the years to come. Finally he adjusted his lifestyle to the fact that he was no normal touring professional on the ATP Tour and set about ripping the record books to shreds. So this is where his biography begins. When Sampras found a tennis racket in his basement at home, the sound of ball hitting the garage door would sound inscently for hours into the late evening. When the shots began to make dents in the door, they all knew this kid was something special. Sampras and coach Pete Fischer studied the tapes of the great Australians
Rod Laver, Roy Emerson
and Ken Rosewall
while eating dinner and Pistol would then go to bed dreaming of his day
at Wimbledon, saying years later and at the start of his professional
career: "The goal was always Wimbledon, the competition, Laver..."
As an 11-year-old he had the opportuntiy to hit against Laver, but couldn't get a ball over the net, as nerves played the better of him. Like so many great champions their appearance on the world tour made shockwaves. Having transformed his double-handed background in 1987, with coach Pete Fisher to a fluid single handed shot his power leapt two-fold. Fischer predicted even back then: "One day, this boy is going to beat Emerson's record, and become the greatest player ever." Over the years, the quiet giant (six feet one inch and 175lbs) has gone on to win fourteen Grand Slams: seven Wimbledon's, five U.S. Opens and two Australian Opens. Sampras's most beloved titles have come on the grass of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, he's said: "There's a certain aura about the place that you don't feel anywhere else, the echo of the balls hit on Centre Court.". In 1993, he won his first Wimbledon title, and since that year, set
about hunting down Bjorn
Borg´s record of five titles in a row. His attempt was
ended by Richard Krajicek in their 1996 quarter-final battle, but Sampras
would return and win the next four years. In 1999 Pistol "walked
on water" as he destroyed a ejuvenated Andre Agassi in three
sets: it was the 4th of July; Independence Day. Some say this was his
greatest Wimbledon victory.
Pete Sampras is one of the last classic serve-volley players, possessing the most effective and powerful serves on tour and handles himself in a way that could only be described as gentlemanly and reserved. On the court, he lets his racquet do the talking. He does his job. He goes on the court to win a match, not to impress the crowds. He enters tournaments to win them. And when he wins them, as he so often does, his posture gets a little straighter, his eyes get a little brighter and a shy, timid smile of pleasure spreads across his face. Sampras was born on the 8th August 1971 in Washington D.C., U.S.A, and soon set about wielding his beloved tennis racket. As a junior player he competed against Jim Courier and Michael Chang and subsequently dropped out of school to pursue his dream at 16. Changes in style and technique, a lucrative Nike clothing endorsement and Wilson sponsorship have won Sampras a record $43m in prize money and a guaranteed place in the record books. His coach Tim Gullickson was diagnosed as suffering from brain crain cancer in 1995 at the Australian Open and the strain showed, as he played an emotional quarter-final match against Jim Courier and came back from two sets down to win the match. At the start of the final set, Sampras broke down in uncontrollable tears when a fan in the crowd shouted: "Do it for your coach!"
Later in 1995, Sampras single-handedly won the Davis Cup for America, in his finest hour for his country, against Russia in Moscow. On the first day Sampras defeated Andrei Chesnekov in five sets and had to be dragged off the court due to cramps. The next day he would team up with Todd Martin, when they defeated Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andrei Olhovskiy in the doubles. In the reverse singles he would defeat Kafelnikov in straight sets to claim the Cup. While challenges for his number one berth came from Andre Agassi, Kafelnikov and Michael Chang, Pistol was supreme, but the news on May 3rd 1996, that his coach Gullickson had died to cancer, forced him to withdraw from the Italian Open. In 1998 he won the Australian Open and Wimbledon, beating Carlos Moya and Cedric Pioline respectively. The year was capped off by a Davis Cup semi-final victory against Australia in Washington D.C. where he defeated U.S Open champion Pat Rafter to send America into the final for the second time in three years. With that victory Sampras won his eighth consecutive Cup singles match, but America would later lose the final 5-0 to Sweden. As the titles dried up Wimbledon was his mainstay bankable tournament, so he won in 1998, but lost his world number one ranking to Marcelo Rios, he had been the best for 102 consecutive weeks and was third in the list behind Jimmy Connors' 160 weeks and Ivan Lendl´s 157 weeks. After four months however Sampras regained top spot and finished the year for the sixth straight year as number one. But 1999 was his best year records fell as he equalled Roy Emerson´s Grand Slam record of 12, with his sixth Wimbledon victory and broke Ivan Lendl´s record of 271 weeks at number one by six weeks, taking the tally up to 286 weeks.
His moment of triumph came a year later against Pat Rafter, who was already a twice U.S. Open champion. Sampras flew his parents in for the occassion - having only watched him play once before - and duly broke Roy Emerson´s Grand Slam record of 12 singles titles. In September 2002, Sampras hit back at his critics by winning the U.S. Open, his fifth title at Flushing Meadow and proved in the final against Andre Agassi, that it had certainly been too soon to write him off, as his serve and game clicked back into gear. He later decided to stop playing the rest of the year, fuelling speculation that the end is in sight. His 64 career singles and two doubles titles, with a career win-loss record of 762-222 mean that as long as tennis is played, the American will always be remembered. For some tennis commentators his records may never be beaten such as the record he set in 1999 finishing the season as world number one for the sixth straight year 1993-1999. Sampras once said of himself: "I never wanted to be a great guy or the colourful guy or the interesting guy. I wanted to be the guy who won titles." Triple Wimbledon champion Boris Becker said: "He was always the most complete player. He has the power, he has the speed, he has the touch. He is the best player ever." When Andre Agassi was asked at the Stuttgart tournament in October 1998, who the best five players of all time were, he replied: "Sampras, Sampras, Sampras, Sampras and Sampras!" Having won the 1993 U.S. Open Sampras said: "My goal one day is to be mentioned in the same sentence as Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. If I can match them for 10 years, I'd be in their company. They were class acts. That's what i'd like to be." I think it's fair to say that now Pete Sampras, the greatest.
Grand Slam Record Australian Open Singles 1994, 1997; Singles finalist 1995 French Open Singles Semi-finalist 1996 Wimbledon Singles 1993-1995, 1997-2000 U.S. Open Singles 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996,
2002; Singles finalist 1992, 2000-01 Tournament Record (inc. Davis Cup and Olympics) United States Davis Cup team 1991-2002; winning side 1992, 1995; runner-up 1997 Grand Slam Cup Singles 1990, 1997; Singles finalist 1994 ATP World Championships
Singles 1990, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999; Singles finalist 1993 ATP Tour Awards and Honours ATP Most Improved Player of the Year 1990; ATP Player of the Year 1993-98; ATP Player of the Century 1999 |
