Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras
Petros "Pete" Samprasis a retired American tennis player and former world No. 1 regarded as one of the greatest players in tennis history. He debuted on the professional tour in 1988 and finished his career at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating rival Andre Agassi in the final. He was particularly esteemed for his precise serve, earning the nickname "Pistol Pete"...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionTennis Player
Date of Birth12 August 1971
CityPotomac, MD
CountryUnited States of America
After I went through two years of not winning an event, what kept me going was winning one more major. Once I won that last U.S. Open, I spent the next six months trying to figure out what was next. Slowly my passion for the sport just vanished. I had nothing left to prove.
Where I fall down is my short game. I don't practice enough, and when I have to take a half swing from 50 yards out, that's trouble.
When I tied the record five years in a row, even over in Europe, it wasn't really talked about. It is disap-pointing because it is one of the toughest things to do in sports.
There is no doubt about how hard it is to stay on top in any sport, but to do it in an individual sport for the majority of your career, it is not easy.
Anybody who has played sports and says they have never choked is lying to you.
The difference of great players is at a certain point in a match they raise their level of play and maintain it. Lesser players play great for a set, but then less.
Not only is he winning majors, but ... he's winning them with pretty much ease. Clearly, he's head and shoulders above the rest. I don't see anyone pushing him over the next three or four years.
I just believed it would be a shame to lose this tournament. To have it leave the country would have been a big blow.
It's weird to say, but I'm content, ... I'm happy. I've got nothing left to prove to myself. That's a big statement. I'm coming to terms with it, you know? I'm like, 'I'm stopping?' But there's nothing left in tennis I want to achieve.
You expect people to kind of be walking around. And there's a certain buzz in the air.
There's no one out there that has a big enough game, a big enough serve to really put pressure on him. I would stick to my game and hopefully that would be big enough to beat him.
(The tournament) was one of my more favorite stops and I know a lot of players love playing in the desert and it's good to see it's staying in the desert. Obviously playing the event for 14 or 15 years, I love the two weeks I would spend there. I have a home close to there and I can have a presence at the event now that I'm a very small piece to a big puzzle.
The timing is right. I've been busy with my family and enjoying retirement but this feels like the right time to get back on the court and play World Team Tennis.
They're all very valid: Not only is he winning majors, but the way he's winning them -- with pretty much ease. He's pretty much the favorite in every major for the rest of his career.