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| Pete sampras |
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| Pete sampras Pete sampras
Pete Sampras
Born: August 12, 1971 (age 42), Potomac, Maryland, United States
Grand slams: 14
Height: 1.85 m
Career end: 2003
Spouse: Bridgette Wilson (m. 2000)
Pete Sampras (/ˈsæmprəs/; born August 12, 1971) is a retired American tennis player and former World No. 1. During his 14-year tour career, he won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, becoming the first player to break Roy Emerson's record of 12 Slams. Sampras also won 7 major indoor titles (5 ATP Year end World Championships and 2 Grand Slam Cups). He is recognized as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.[1]
Sampras debuted on the professional tour in 1988 and played his last top-level tournament in 2002 when he won the US Open, defeating rival Andre Agassi in the final. He was the year-end World No. 1 for six consecutive years (1993–1998), a record for the Open Era. His seven Wimbledon singles championships is an Open Era record shared with Roger Federer, while Sampras' five US Open singles titles is an Open Era record shared with both Federer and former World No. 1 player Jimmy Connors. Sampras is the last American male to win Wimbledon (2000) and the ATP World Tour Finals (1999).[1]
Tennis career[edit]Early life and career[edit]
Pete Sampras was born in Potomac, Maryland, and is the third child of Sammy and Georgia Sampras. His mother emigrated from Sparta, Greece, and his father was born in the United States to a Greek father and a Jewish mother.[2][3] He attended regular services of the Greek Orthodox Churchon Sundays.[4] From an early age, Sampras showed signs of outstanding athletic ability. At the age of 3, Sampras 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 more tennis. From early on, his great idol was Rod Laver, and at the age of 11, Sampras met and played with him.[5] The Sampras family joined the Jack Kramer Club, and it was here that Sampras's talent became apparent. He was spotted by Peter Fischer, a pediatrician and tennis enthusiast, who coached Sampras until 1989.[5][6] Fischer was responsible for converting Sampras's double-handed backhand to single-handed with the goal of being better prepared to win Wimbledon.[7][8]
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