Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras (born August 12, 1971, in Washington, DC), is a former World No. 1 Greek-American tennis player. He is considered by many to be the greatest male tennis player of all time, having won a record 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles and finished the year as No. 1 on the ATP world rankings for a record six consecutive years. He won the men's singles title at Wimbledon a record seven times. He also won the US Open five times and the Australian Open twice. However the one major championship which eluded him was the French Open.

Famous matches

Some of the most famous matches Sampras played include the following:

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• US Open 1990 Quarter-final: defeated Ivan Lendl 6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2. Sampras ended Lendl's amazing streak of eight consecutive US Open finals.
• US Open 1990 Final: defeated Andre Agassi 6-4, 6-3, 6-2. Sampras' first Grand Slam tournament victory.
• US Open 1992 Final: lost to Stefan Edberg 3-6, 6-4, 7-6, 6-2. Sampras recalled that this loss hit him hard. It was the turning point of his career where he dedicated himself to be the best player.
• Wimbledon quarterfinal 1993: defeated Andre Agassi 6-2, 6-2, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4 in one of only two 5 set matches this rivalry would produce (the other one being the 2000 Austrailian Open semis).
• Wimbledon 1993 Final: defeated Jim Courier 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 in his first Wimbledon win. It was the beginning of an era where he dominated men's tennis.
• Australian Open 1995 Quarter-final: defeated Jim Courier 6-7(4), 6-7(3), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3 in an unbelievable match. This match is also remarkable for the fact that Sampras broke down into tears during the start of the fifth set, when a fan shouted out for Sampras to win the match for his coach Tim Gullickson. Gullickson had earlier been diagnosed with brain cancer and died in May 1996.
• Australian Open 1995 Final: lost to Andre Agassi 4-6, 6-1, 7-6, 6-4 in what would prove to be his only loss to Agassi in a Grand Slam Final for his career. As a result of this match, Agassi became the top-ranked player on the tour.
• Wimbledon 1995 Final: defeated Boris Becker 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in a clash of two of the top grass-court players of their generations.
• US Open 1995 Final: defeated Andre Agassi 6-4 6-3 4-6 7-5. This was perhaps one of the highest rated tennis matches on TV in the 1990s due to the Sampras-Agassi rivalry and Agassi's marraige to Brooke Shields. It was also notable because Agassi stated that the winner would become number one; Sampras regained the top ranking and Agassi's loss hurt him mentally for several years to come.
• Wimbledon 1996 Quarter-final: lost to Richard Krajicek 7-5, 7-6, 6-4. Sampras' only loss at Wimbledon between 1993 and 2000 inclusive.
• US Open 1996 Quarter-final: defeated Alex Corretja 7-6, 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6, after being physically ill on the court, and coming back from being match point down. Sampras vomited twice during the match and required half a gallon of intra-venous fluids after the match.
• ATP World Championships 1996 Final: defeated Boris Becker 3-6, 7-6(5), 7-6(4), 6-7(11), 6-4 in a four-hour-long match. Sampras and Becker struggled against typical season-end fatigue on the indoor carpet in Hannover, Germany. Sampras had the match point in the fourth-set tie-break, but was unable to capitalize as Becker came back with the crowd behind him and forced Sampras to play a final set. Many thought Sampras was physically exhausted and mentally beaten, but he came back stronger than ever and won one of the most difficult matches in his career.
• US Open 1997 Fourth round: lost to Petr Korda 6-7, 7-5, 7-6, 3-6, 7-6. An upset victory for Korda.
• Wimbledon 1998 Final: defeated Goran Ivani?evi? 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 in a thrilling 5-set final.
• US Open 1998 Semi-final: lost to Patrick Rafter 6-7, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4, 6-3 in a sign that his dominance was fading.
• Wimbledon 1999 Final: defeated Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 in what Sampras called one of his best matches ever to equal Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slams. Sampras grazed his elbow during the match. It was also remarkable because Agassi had regained his competitive form.
• Australian Open 2000 Semi-final: lost to Andre Agassi 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 7-6, 6-1 in an exciting match that featured brilliant shot-making from both players.
• Wimbledon 2000 Final: defeated Patrick Rafter 6-7(10), 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-2 in a 172 minute match twice interrupted by rain to claim his record-breaking 13th Grand Slam title. Afterwards, Sampras ran into the stands to hug his parents, perhaps the only time his parents saw him play.
• US Open 2000 Final: lost to Marat Safin 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. Another signal that his dominance was fading. With a remarkable winner:unforced-error ratio, Safin "demolished" Sampras. Sampras later stated that Safin was the next dominant player in tennis.
• Wimbledon 2001 Fourth round: lost to Roger Federer 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5. Ended his 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon. Another sign of his gradual decline, especially the fact that it came on his best surface. It is also notable because it was a harbinger of the future dominance of Federer.
• US Open 2001 Quarter-final: defeated Andre Agassi, 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6, a classic duel that featured a remarkable zero breaks of serve. Many people dubbed this as the best Sampras-vs-Agassi match ever.
• US Open 2002 Final: defeated Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 in yet another memorable battle with his long-time rival. This was Sampras' first tournament win in over two years, since his record breaking 13th Grand Slam win at the 2000 Wimbledon. This was also the highest rated match on TV since the US Open 1995 Final. As it turned out, this was Sampras's last competitive match, his spectacular career thus ending with a stunning achievement.