Famous Tennis Players
Pete Sampras
Pete Sampras was born on August 12th, 1971, in Washington, D.C. Pete Sampras discovered tennis on his own after finding an old wooden racquet. He first learned to play by hitting a tennis ball against the basement wall.
Sampras’ passion for tennis was intensifying. Sam Sampras began looking for a coach for his son. He brought Pete to the Jack Kramer Tennis Club in Palo Verde, where he assumed they would find a top teaching pro. When Sampras debuted in the 12-and-Under division, he faced an opponent with considerably more experience and was beaten 6-0, 6-0. But that was expected, so no one panicked.
By 1984, Sampras was one of the world’s top players for his age. But to take his game to the next level, his couch recommended a major change, advising Sampras to switch to a one-handed backhand. In 1987, Sampras was selected to play on the United States Junior Davis Cup team. Later in the year he beat top-seeded Michael Chang at the U.S. Open Junior Championships.
Sampras joined the ATP Tour in 1988. He blasted his serve at well over 100 mph, his backhand was good enough to keep opponents at bay, and his forehand was strong and accurate. He favored an attacking, serve-and-volley style. In his first year on tour, Sampras entered 10 events, and won half of his matches. He ended the season ranked in the Top 100.
Sampras jumped 19 spots to number 81 in the world ranking in 1989, claiming victories in 18 of 37 singles matches. Sampras broke through for his first ATP title in February of 1990, defeating Andres Gomez 7-6, 7-5, and 6-2 in the final of Philadelphia’s Pro Indoor Singles Championship. The win came a month after a strong showing in the Australian Open, during which Sampras advanced to the Round of 16 before falling to Yannick Noah.
Sampras won five events in 1992 and was #1 for several weeks, but in the big tournaments he sputtered. His most embarrassing loss was to Andrei Cherkasov in the Olympics. Sampras’ most frustrating moment occurred at the U.S. Open. He reached the final against Stefan Edberg, and during their match the Swedish star gave Sampras many opportunities to seize the momentum. When they walked off the court, Edberg was the champion, a winner in four sets.
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