Pete Sampras
Sampras in 2011 | |
| Country (sports) | United States |
|---|---|
| Residence | Lake Sherwood, California, U.S. |
| Born | August 12, 1971 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Turned pro | 1988 |
| Retired | September 8, 2002 (last match) August 25, 2003 (official) |
| Plays | Right-handed (one-handed backhand) |
| Coach | Peter Fischer (1980–1989) Joe Brandi (1989–1991) Tim Gullikson (1992–1995) Vitas Gerulaitis (1994 Rome) Paul Annacone (1995–2001) Tom Gullikson (2001–2002) José Higueras (2002) Paul Annacone (2002) |
| Prize money | US$43,280,489 |
| Int. Tennis HoF | 2007 (member page) |
| Singles | |
| Career record | 762–222 (77.4%) |
| Career titles | 64 (9th in the Open Era) |
| Highest ranking | No. 1 (April 12, 1993) |
| Grand Slam singles results | |
| Australian Open | W (1994, 1997) |
| French Open | SF (1996) |
| Wimbledon | W (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000) |
| US Open | W (1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002) |
| Other tournaments | |
| Tour Finals | W (1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999) |
| Grand Slam Cup | W (1990, 1997) |
| Olympic Games | 3R (1992) |
| Doubles | |
| Career record | 64–70 (47.8%) |
| Career titles | 2 |
| Highest ranking | No. 27 (February 12, 1990) |
| Grand Slam doubles results | |
| Australian Open | 2R (1989) |
| French Open | 2R (1989) |
| Wimbledon | 3R (1989) |
| US Open | 1R (1988, 1989, 1990) |
| Team competitions | |
| Davis Cup | W (1992, 1995) |
Pete Sampras (born August 12, 1971) is an American former professional tennis player. One of the most successful tennis players of all time, he was ranked as the world No. 1 in men's singles by the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) for 286 weeks (third-most of all time), and finished as the year-end No. 1 six consecutive times. Sampras won 64 ATP Tour-level singles titles, including 14 men's singles majors, which was an all-time record at the time of his retirement: seven Wimbledon Championships, two Australian Opens and an Open Era joint-record five US Opens. He also won five Tour Finals, two Grand Slam Cups, eleven Masters events, and was part of the winning United States Davis Cup teams in 1992 and 1995.
A teen phenom, Sampras became the youngest male singles champion at the US Open in 1990 shortly after turning 19. He claimed his first Wimbledon title in 1993, and would win the title seven times in an eight-year span. Sampras remained the best player for the rest of the decade, finishing each year as No. 1 for a record six consecutive seasons. Following a decline in form at the turn of the century, Sampras claimed his 14th and last major at the 2002 US Open over long-time rival and compatriot Andre Agassi, and retired from the sport thereafter, aged 31.
Sampras was a major practitioner of the serve-and-volley style of tennis. His precise and powerful serve, regarded as one of the best in the sport's history, earned him the nickname "Pistol Pete". In 2007, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.