Sampras, Pete

born Aug. 12, 1971, Washington, D.C., U.S.

U.S. tennis player.

He learned tennis after moving to southern California in 1978. He was a five-time U.S. Open champion (1990, 1993, 1995–96, 2002), seven-time Wimbledon champion (1993–95, 1997–2000), and two-time Australian Open champion (1994, 1997). In 2000 he won his 7th Wimbledon men's singles trophy, setting a world record of 13 grand-slam victories; he claimed his 14th grand-slam title at the 2002 U.S. Open. He was known for his high-powered serves, accurate volleys, and unassuming demeanour. In 2003 Sampras retired from professional tennis.

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▪ 1994

      When Pete Sampras became the top-ranked tennis player in the world on April 12, 1993, he was swinging the same model of racket he had started using at the age of 16. When he won his second U.S. Open championship on September 12 in straight sets, he was launching the 204-km/h (127-mph) serve that he had been cultivating since the age of seven. He still had the expression between points that had earned him the nickname "Smiley" as a child. As he had said after his first Open victory three years earlier, "I want to be the same person that I was two months ago."

      Sampras set men's tennis tour records in 1993 with 1,011 aces (unreachable first serves), earnings of $3,648,075, and a margin of 683 points ahead of second-ranked Michael Stich. He led the tour in aces, first-serve points, service games won, and service break points saved. He won eight tournaments, reached at least the semifinals of seven others, and led the world with a won-lost match record of 83-15, the most victories by a man since 1985. Besides his U.S. Open victory over Cédric Pioline, Sampras won his first Wimbledon championship over previously top-ranked Jim Courier on July 4.

      Sampras' 1993 season followed his 70-18 match record and five championships in 1992, giving him a career total of 20 tournament wins since his first tour victory in 1990. That was the year in which he soared from 81st to 5th in the world rankings and, at the age of 19 years 28 days, became the youngest man ever to win the U.S. Open. After beating Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe, he defeated Andre Agassi in the final with his 100th ace of the seven-match tournament.

      Sampras slumped slightly in 1991; he lost in the second rounds at Wimbledon and the French Open and indicated he was relieved to have the pressure removed when he lost in the U.S. Open quarterfinals. But after his Wimbledon victory in 1993, he said, "I expect myself to be a contender for every tournament I enter. If I don't win it, I'm going to be disappointed."

      Peter Sampras was born Aug. 12, 1971, in Washington, D.C., the son of a second-generation Greek father and a Greek immigrant mother. He began playing tennis after the family moved to southern California when Sampras was seven. His father wanted to spare him the pressure of being a tennis prodigy and asked pediatrician Peter Fischer to coach him. Fischer had never coached before and tutored Sampras without pay. When Sampras switched from two hands to one on his backhand at 14, he started losing to players he had consistently beaten. One year later, however, he made the 1987 Boys' Junior Davis Cup team and finished second to Michael Chang in the 18-and-under U.S. tournament. He turned professional the next year, 1988, at 16. (KEVIN M. LAMB)

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▪ American athlete

byname of  Peter Sampras 

born August 12, 1971, Washington, D.C., U.S.

 

 American tennis player whose exceptional all-around game enabled him to win 14 grand-slam singles titles, a record among male players. During his career he won seven Wimbledon singles championships (also a record; 1993–95, 1997–2000), five U.S. Open titles (1990, 1993, 1995–96, 2002), and two Australian Open championships (1994, 1997), but a win at the French Open eluded him. His domination of professional tennis during the 1990s placed him alongside his boyhood idol, Rod Laver (Laver, Rod), as one of the greatest players of all time.

      Sampras took up tennis after his family moved to southern California in 1978. He immediately showed a talent for the sport, and his parents enlisted Peter Fischer, a pediatrician and amateur tennis player, to coach their son. Fischer, who had never before served as a coach, developed a comfortable relationship with Sampras and successfully guided him to the top ranks of American juniors. When Sampras was 14 years old, player and coach agreed that he should switch from his baseline style of play, which included a two-handed backhand, to a serve-and-volley game. Sampras initially struggled with the new approach, especially the single-handed backhand, but the change was ultimately a success. Sampras entered the professional ranks in 1988 and made steady progress over the next two seasons. At the 1990 U.S. Open he marked his arrival as one of the top tennis players, defeating Andre Agassi, another talented young American who would be Sampras's primary rival during much of his career, in the finals. At 19 years of age, Sampras was the tournament's youngest men's singles champion.

      Relying on an overpowering serve (clocked at more than 200 km/hr [120 mph]), a ferocious forehand, and exceptional court coverage, Sampras laid claim to the top spot in the Association of Tennis Professionals rankings in 1993 and remained there through 1998. During that time he won 11 major titles and was a member of the U.S. team that won the 1995 Davis Cup. After his surprising win at the 2002 U.S. Open, Sampras did not play in another tournament and in 2003 officially retired from professional tennis. He was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.

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