Samprasfanz. Biography of Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras - Making History
by: Sally Turkovich          (Pittsburgh, PA, USA)
It all started when a small kid from California          found an old tennis racquet in his basement and started hitting a tennis          ball off of a garage door. When the shots began to make dents in the door,          they all knew this kid was something special.
Pete Sampras started playing          tennis young and makes no plans to stop anytime soon. The man who has          a calm demeanor, boyish shyness and the looks of a star proves again and          again what so many players, critics and fans can't deny: he can win, and          always does. In 1990, when Sampras was only 19 years old and seeded twelfth          in the U.S. Open, he slammed his way into the finals and became the youngest          man to win the tournament. And we all knew after that first Grand Slam          victory there would be no looking back. Over the years, the quiet giant          has gone on to win 13 more Grand Slams: 7 Wimbledons,          four more U.S. Opens, and two Australian Opens. Sampras's most beloved          titles have come on the grasses of the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet          Club. In 1993, he won his first Wimbledon title, and since that year up          to 2000, has gotten to and won in every final, except for a quarterfinal          defeat by Richard Krajicek in 1996. He is the winningest man at Wimbledon          in the Open Era, tying the all time record of seven titles that was set          in the late 1800's. The historic grounds of Wimbledon and the intimate          Centre Court has become a home to Sampras, a "cathedral" as          he once said. His undeniably flawless grass-court tennis game has made          him the best tennis player of his time, and he will undoubtedly go down          in the history books as the greatest.
Pete Sampras is one of the last        classic serve-volley players, possesses the most effective and powerful        serves on tour, and handles himself in a way that could only be described        as gentlemanly and reserved. On the court, he lets his racquet do the talking.        He does his job. He goes on the court to win a match, not to impress the        crowds. He enters tournaments to win them. And when he wins them, as he        so often does, his posture gets a little straighter, his eyes get a little        brighter and a shy, timid smile of pleasure spreads across his face. It        is a truly beautiful moment to watch history be made. And with every new        win, every new championship title, history books are being rewritten to        tell the story of one Pete Sampras. (Written: Year 2000)
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