Pete Sampras

Peter “Pete” Sampras (born the August 12th 1971 with Washington DC) is a player of professional Tennis American. He traversed the courts between 1988 and 2002. He is regarded as one of the best tennis players of all times. He measures 1,85 m and weighs 77 kg. He is droitier and carries out his reverse with a hand. He gained in his career 64 titles, including 14 of the Grand Slam, which constitutes a record. He was world number 1 during 286 weeks and finished in the first place of the classification of end of the year 6 times consecutively (of 1993 to 1998), which is also a record. He gained the Coupe Davis twice, in 1992 and 1995. He was finalist in 1991 and 1997.

Career

Pete Sampras is born with Washington DC and is the third wire of Sam and Geórgia Sámpras ( Σάμπρας ), of the Greek immigrants of Sparte. Pete undertakes its professional path in 1988 at the 16 years age. It obtains its first victory in a major tournament with the US Open 1990, while beating inter alia Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, and, finally, Andre Agassi. At only 19 years, he is the youngest player to have ever gained the US Open. The competition between Agassi and Pete Sampras lasted throughout the Nineties.

In 1991, Pete Sampras plays in the American team which loses the Coupe Davis against France. It beats a new record in 1993 while becoming the first player to be been useful more than 1000 aces in one season.

Sampras gains the tournament of Wimbledon to 7 recoveries between 1993 and 2000 (record). Follower of the service-flight, his play of attacker adapts very well to the grass of Wimbledon, whereas the beaten ground (slow surface) poses serious problems to him. With Roland-Garros, it will never exceed the stage of the semi-finals (1996).

Sampras is famous for its very complete play on surface rapids and its mental of candidate. It holds the record of victories in Grand Slam (14: 7 Wimbledon, 5 US Open, 2 Open of Australia). It finished 6 consecutive years (of 1993 to 1998, record) at the top of the world hierarchy.

It was withdrawn officially from the circuit ATP on August 25th, 2003, one year after its 5th victory with the US Open (vis-a-vis its rival eternal Andre Agassi), which will remain its last appearance in tournament.

Although it gained more titles than Agassi, the public preferred the " to him; Kid of Las Vegas " , more sympathetic nerve but also odder.

In 2007, Pete Sampras makes her return on the courts of tennis while taking part in minor tournaments. May 6th, 2007, it gains the tournament of Boston vis-a-vis Todd Martin in 3 sets (6/3 5/7 11/9). May 20th, 2007, it gains the tournament of Athens vis-a-vis the same adversary. In spite of these titles, the American champion repeats that it does not wish to return on circuit ATP.

3 matches of exhibition however are envisaged in November 2007 against current world number 1 Roger Federer. These meetings will take place in Asia as the Pete Sampras advertisement on her official site. Roger Federer gained the first two matches in two sets, the first 6/3 6/4 and the second more being hung finally gained 7-6 7-6 by the current world number one. The third meeting as for it is gained by Pete Sempras 7-6 6-4, which shows thus that it did not lose anything of its talent.

Characteristics of its play

Pete Sampras is famous for her extremely complete play. One can note:

a first ball of service at the same time powerful and specifies, which passed almost with each time it was found in difficulty (from where its nickname of Pistol Pete )
One second ball hardly less powerful than the first
a formidable blow right, in particular in end of race
a play with the phenomenal net (its flights were of a frightening precision)
a very good reverse with a hand (increasingly rare in the high level players, even if one finds this quality at current number 1 world, Roger Federer)
And a splendid sequence " service-volée" who made devastations.

On its plays of service, it frequently practiced the service-flight : it struck a powerful service (difficult to return for the adversary) then sprang towards the net to play a sharp flight and to mark the point. When it was with the revival, it made sometimes chip-and-load (which one can translate into French by return cut - flown ): just after having turned over the service of its adversary, it was ruait with the net to play a flight. This strategy was particularly effective on fast surfaces (grass, hard), but less on slow surface (beaten ground) where the adversary has more time to be organized. This explains why Sampras gained 7 times at Wimbledon (disputed on grass), but gained Roland Garros forever (disputed on ground).

Once the produced station-wagon, Sampras regularly let spin the unfavourable plays of service in order not to lose energy for better concluding behind his. One can however note that it service-flight was not systematic at Sampras, except when it played on grass. On surfaces into hard like cement, its margin compared to the majority of its adversaries enabled him to remain in bottom of short and to overcome it this manner. It will give up little by little this strategy as from 1996, with the appearance of extremely robust players in the exchanges (Agassi, Safin), to privilege its play of flight. For the anecdote, one will remember that the most important points gained by Sampras vis-a-vis his Agassi rival, of long basic rallys of short, which demoralized the adversary definitively, were often beaten on his strong point.

Matches of legend

Some of the most important matches in the career of Pete Sampras:

US Open 1990 (finale): Andre Agassi 6-4 6-3 beats 6-2. First victory in a tournament of the Large Slam.
Open of Australia 1995 (1/4 finale): Jim Courier 6-7 (4-7) beats, 6-7 (3-7), 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. At the time of this match out of the commun run, Sampras melted in tears with starts fifth handle. The trainer of Sampras, Tim Gullikson, suffering from a cancer of the brain, came to be victim of an brain attack and had had to leave precipitately Melbourne earlier in the course of the day.
Wimbledon 1995 (finale): Boris Becker 6-7 6-2 6-4 beats 6-2. Victoire vis-a-vis the one of the best players on grass.
Wimbledon 1996 (1/4 finale): against Richard Krajicek 7-5 7-6 loses 6-4. Only defeat in Wimbledon between 1993 and 2000 (included).
US Open 1996 (1/4 finale): Alex Corretja 7-6 5-7 5-7 6-4 beats 7-6. While being sick (it twice has vomit on the court), Sampras saves a match point and is essential. It will be looked after by intravenous at the end of the match. It will gain the tournament.
Masters cup 1996 (finale): Boris Becker 3-6 7-6 7-6 6-7 beats 6-4. After one season testing for the two players, Sampras and Becker clash on the fitted carpet of Hanover in a long match of more than 4 hours. In the decisive play of the fourth set, Sampras has a match point, but Becker, carried by the public, equalizes with two handles everywhere and obliges Sampras to dispute one 5th decisive set. This one appears exhausted physically and mentally, but he manages to find the force to return to the score and finally to be essential.
Wimbledon 1998 (finale): Goran Ivanišević 6-7 7-6 6-4 3-6 beats 6-2. A sumptuous final in 5 sets.
US Open 1998 (1/2 finale): against Patrick Rafter 6-7 6-4 2-6 6-4 loses 6-3. First sign of the end of the domination of Sampras on world tennis during the years 1990, because a wound with the back starts to obstruct the movement of service of the American player. During the match against Patrick Rafter, Pete Sampras includes/understands as of the second set that its wound with the back will not enable him to gain the meeting, however it chooses to continue to play.
Wimbledon 1999 (finale): Andre Agassi 6-3 6-4 beats 7-5. One of the matches references of Sampras.
Masters Cup 1999, in Hanover: Andre Agassi 6-1 7-6 6-4 at the end of a particularly impressive match beats. The first set, in particular, remains a model of the genre, crushing in a fulgurating way an Agassi however tough… This exploit remains outstanding by the fact that, of the continuations of a wound, Sampras had been held far away from the courses during four months.
Open of Australia 2000 (1/2 finale): against Andre Agassi 6-4 3-6 6-7 7-6 loses 6-1. A very beautiful match between the two rivals that Pete Sampras will lose because of her recurring pain to the back. Looked after in the fourth set, Pete Sampras refuses to give up in spite of difficulties of playing in reverse and of being useful.
US Open 2001 (1/4 finale): Andre Agassi 6-7 7-6 7-6 beats 7-6. An exceptional match, where none of the two players was made breaker during all the meeting. The American public, enchanted by the spectacle, lengthily ovationné the two players before the fourth tie break . If there is a match to retain, it is that one!
US Open 2002 (finale): Andre Agassi 6-3 6-4 5-7 beats 6-4. Still a memorable confrontation vis-a-vis its rival eternal, but it is especially the 14th victory of a tournament of the Grand Slam (absolute records) for Sampras, and the last match of its professional path.

Prize list

Titles into simple (64)

In Large Slam

Winner (14)

Finalist (4)

With the Masters of tennis

Winner (5)

Finalist (1)

In the Masters Series

Winner (11)

Finalist (8)

----

Random links: