Pete Sampras : Early Life, Tennis, Grand Slam & Net Worth

There’s a lot of players who made specific sports more special. But there are only a few who makes sport itself considerable and interesting as well. Same as in the history of Tennis, many shined, and many of those faded. And here we have Pete Sampras, who shined whenever they stepped on the court.

Before the arrival of famous tennis players like Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic, Sampras was all over tennis. Additionally, his strength and speed made every viewer enthusiastic about tennis. Likewise, in his short-time career, he handed honors and achievements of best for multiple times.

Unexpectedly, Pete remained in his career lesser than expected. Despite his legacy to receive and attack from any side of the court, Pete is also a genuine role model. Pete’s speed and moves are still compared with young players for his best sensation in the game.

Getting more in-depth about Pete Sampras, here are the following details starting from quick facts as below:

Quick Facts

Pete Sampras | Early Life

Pete Sampras was born on 12th August 1971 in Washington, D.C. Likewise, his father, Soterios, was an aerospace engineer for the Department of Defense and co-owner of a deli. At the same time, his mother, Georgia, used to work as a beautician at a local salon.

Additionally, his father was born a Greek, and his mother was Polish Jewish. Likewise, Pete is their third child among four, where all of them spent their first year in Potomac, Maryland. Later, they moved to Ranchi Palos Verdes, California.

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Accordingly, moving to California climate, all four got interested in tennis and joined the Peninsula Racquet Club. And reportedly, Pete joined Palos Verdes High School.

Pete Sampras | Career

Tennis and Peter Fischer

Firstly, Pete’s parents noticed him playing with a tennis racket hitting the ball against the wall. Then, he participated in local D.C. high school courts that upgraded him quickly to the game. Eventually, his lifetime first coach became Peter Fischer, who was a pediatrician and tennis buff.

Though Fischer was not a professional and experienced coach, Fischer could teach their son strategy for parents. Meanwhile, Fischer was the one who shifts Sampras from being a baseline player to a serve and volley player. Also, he improved Sampras’s monster serve.

Despite being a non-professional coach, Fisher got lots of patience to teach his only student to deal with his emotions. In fact, Sampras gets offended after losing a match. While Fischer reminds him to raise the bar of expectation, his real competitor is legendary Australian tennis player Rod Laver. Thus Rod Laver was a lifelong role model of Fischer himself.

Tour

Continuously showing interest in Tennis made Sampras away from socialization. He had no close friends from all of his teenage days and never played any other sports except where he practice. Later in 1987, Sampras joined the Unites States Tennis Association (USTA) Boys’ 18 tournaments. There he ranked second in singles and first in doubles.

Further, Sampras won $7,000 prize money, ranking No.311 in the world. Hence, from there, he became professional. Similarly, Sampras made his entry in a grand slam event, the U.S. Open in 1989 U.S. Open. Thus, he made it into the fourth round.

Afterward, Sampras had an issue with Fisher, so they departed from each other. According to Fischer, Sampras was not training enough but expect to rank Number 1. Other than that, no position was unacceptable for Sampras. Nevertheless, departing after so long, Sampras had long praised Fischer, who made him a champion rather than a good tennis player.

Pete Sampras | Grand Slam Cup

In the same way, in 1990, Sampras ranked in the fourth round of the Australian Open. There, he earned his first-ever professional victory at the U.S. Pro Indoors in Philadelphia. Indeed, players used to have their first service over the top of speed. But surprisingly, Sampras second serve also meets the speed of his first one.

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With all of his speedy strength, Sampras beat Ivan Lendl in five sets in the quarterfinals. He became a four-time Open winner in the semifinals and competed with Andre Agassi in the finals. Truly, Samprass won over in three sets by 6-4, 6-3, and 6-2.

Then, just at the age of 19 years, 28 days, Sampras recorded for becoming the youngest U.S. Open winner of history.

Just after the grand surprise of strength in Sampras, many ones grabbed attention on him. Besides, he once said that he was not prepared and unknown for something that grand to happen. As everyone around him suddenly expects more and the best from him, that shyness and immaturity inside him got into a problem.

Subsequently introducing sudden changes in his physical appearance, Sampras obtained physical injuries too. Accordingly, he skipped the Australian Open but eliminated from the second round of Wimbledon and French Open.

Wimbledon

Later in 1992, Sampras got his new coach, Tom Gullikson, a former top-ten player. Moreover, Gullikson was the one who makes Sampras depend less on his serve but strokes and strategy. In the same year, he reached to semifinals at Wimbledon with his hard-serving powerhouse.

That year, Sampras might have lost Grand Slam but got millions of dollars as prize money, and 70 match wins. Further, in the year 1993, he stopped in the quarterfinals at French Open. On the other side of Wimbledon defeated Agassi in the quarterfinals, Boris Becker in the semifinals, and Courier.

Similarly, Sampras earned his first Wimbledon championship, including the second U.S. Open scoring against Cedric Pioline. As much as the excitement seems, the media posted hundreds of news about Sampras. He was a simple, humble, polite, and professional player, but brand endorsements and unwanted ads were hampering him alongside.

Distracting news making him on and off the court literally disturbed him, but he was also training to focus on winning alone. In 1994, Sampras went straight to his third Grand Slam title, winning the first Australian Open championship.

Likewise, again defeating Ivanisevic, Sampras handed for his second title on the grass court. Later, he got an ankle injury making him take serious bed rest for about six weeks. Besides, an injury made him not play well at the U.S Open.

Still, Sampras was ranked to be No.1.

Pete Sampras | Awards and Achievements

Records

Starting from being the highest number of year-end finishes as World rank 1:6, Sampras’ most consecutive years ended as World No. 1:6. Namely, he had the best winning percentage at Wimbledon in the Open Era with 90%. As mentioned above, Sampras is the youngest of all to win US Open champion in the Open Era.

Consecutively, Sampras is one of the only four players in the Open Era to have a Grand Slam in 4 years.

Awards and Accomplishments

Pete Sampras | Tragedy

Besides having a world recording strength, Sampras has true relation and polite relation with his recent coach. Similarly, in 1995, while being on the Australian Open, he learned that Gullikson, his coach and friend, has brain cancer.

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In fact, while being on the match, a random fan called Pete to win the match for his coach, which immediately broke Sampras down. In brief, he also had sobbed on the court, remembering such things outbursting his emotions. For some instance, he completely lost sour sets.

But after losing the complete first round in French Open, he again wins his third most Wimbledon championship. In the same year, Sampras received his third career U.S. Open title, ranking No.1 on the list.

Married Life

Relating more about personal life, Sampras is married to Bridgette Wilson, former Miss Tenn USA, on 30th September 2000. The couple also has two children. Further, they welcomed their first son Christian Charles Sampras on 21st November 2002 and their second son, Ryan Nikolaos Sampras, on 29th July 2005.

Hence Sampras with his family is currently residing in Lake Sherwood, California.

Pete Sampras | Net Worth

Devoting 14 years of a long career, Sampras faced several ups and downs. Having said that, he owed the most prestigious awards and honors in the field of tennis. Similarly, Sampras’ net worth is estimated to be $150 million.

Being such a renowned and extraordinary player, Sampras obviously lives a well-settled luxurious life. On the other side, he did several charity works. Reportedly, Sampras is a member of the American Cancer Awareness Society and Aces for Charity. He is the benefactor of the Vitas Gerulaitis Youth Foundation and Kids’ Stuff Foundation.

FAQs

How many grand slams does Pete Sampras Owe?

Pete Sampras received 14 Grand Slams starting from the age of 19.

At what age Pete Sampras got retired?

Unexpectedly, Pete announced his retirement at the age of 32.

What could be the chest size of Pete Sampras?

Reportedly, Pete’s chest size is estimated to be 40 inches.