Sampras, Peter
Tennis
b. Aug. 12, 1971, Potomac, MD
Sampras seemingly came out of nowhere in 1990, when he became the youngest man ever to win the U. S. Open men's singles championship just 28 days after his nineteenth birthday. He wasn't even ranked in the world's top ten before his victory, but he finished the year ranked fifth.
Known for his blistering, 130-mile-an-hour serve, Sampras began to stalk the world's top ranking in 1992, when he climbed to third behind Jim Courier and Stefan Edberg. He achieved it in 1993, serving 22 aces in a four-set victory over Courier in the Wimbledon singles final.
Sampras dropped to second behind Courier during the month after Wimbledon, but he regained first place with an easy 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 win over France's Cedric Pioline to win his second U. S Open in September.
Quiet and unassuming, Sampras calmly remarked to the press after his victory, "I just play my tennis, sign my autographs, and do what I have to do."
In 1994, Sampras reached the finals of 11 tournaments, winning 10 of them, including his first Australian Open and second Wimbledon titles. The following year, he had only five victories, but they included his third straight Wimbledon championship and his third U. S. Open title. Sampras also led the U. S. to the Davis Cup championship, scoring two singles and a doubles victory in the 3-2 win over Russia.
Sampras's 25-match Wimbledon winning streak was broken in the quarterfinals in 1996, but he won the U. S. Open for the fourth time that year and defeated Boris Becker in a classic, four-hour, five-set match to win the ATP Tour World Championship.
Sampras reached eight finals and won eight titles in 1997. Among the victories were the Australian Open, Wimbledon, and his fourth ATP Tour World Championship. In 1998, Sampras became the first player to finish the year ranked No. 1 for six years in a row. He won his fifth Wimbledon title that year.
In 1999, Sampras won four consecutive championships, including his sixth at Wimbledon. He also won the ATP Tour World Championship for the fifth time. However, for the first time since 1992, he wasn't ranked No. 1 at the end of the year.
Sampras won his record 13th Grand Slam title by winning at Wimbledon again in 2000. That broke Roy Emerson's record of 12, set in 1967. It also tied William Renshaw's record for most men's singles championships at Wimbledon.
For the first time since 1989, Sampras failed to win a championship in 2001. The drought continued until the 2002 U. S. Open, when he beat Andre Agassi in the final for his 14th major championship. Sampras announced his retirement shortly afterward.
Sampras was named Sportsman of the Year by the U. S. Olympic Committee in 1997, the only tennis player ever so honored. He was ranked 48th ESPN's list of the greatest North American athletes of the 20th century and was the youngest person named.