ArrowSmith
Banned
He's the one great who never picked against Federer at the Open. Way to go Pete.
He's the one great who never picked against Federer at the Open. Way to go Pete.
Actually to be honest to you, Pete was quite arrogant and wouldnt give credit to his opponent when he lost in his playing days. Almost like Serena Williams. I remember one time when he claimed he deserved as much attention as Michael Jordan. Just because he behaved well on court didn't mean he was a class act.
I always felt Sampras held himself to very high standards for off- court and on court behavior. I only knock him for his apathy towards Davis cup in an otherwise blemish less career.
Very true...although overall Pete was classy (especially compared with Lendl, McEnroe and Connors), he was VERY passive-aggressive especially when other players got more attention than him.
Prime examples:
- 1998 press conference after losing to Rafter in the Cincinnati Masters final (his infamous "10 grand slams" remark when asked about the difference between Rafter and himself)
- 1997 Miami Masters after losing to Bruguera on HC --"That's a match I win 8 out of 10 times"
The times I don't miss Pete are when he and his *********** legion attempt to downplay the importance of clay, which was only because he always under achieved at the French.
Sampras is arrogant b/c for him to say he’s “unbeatable” is ridiculous.
No player is unbeatable. Nadal never said he’s unbeatable on clay and TMF never said that at SW19.
First, the quote about Rafter was simply due to repeated questioning about Rafter. It irritated Pete that suddenly a guy with one slam is all reporters were asking him about. Nevertheless, it was a a slip by Sampras. However, I think, if anything, Sampras was overly generous to his opponents. The Serena Williams comparison is asinine.
If Sampras declared he deserved as much attention as Michael Jordon, please give a reference to it darthpwner. Having said that, in many ways he did, and a magazine article once compared him to Jordan, in that he was rewriting tennis history and redefining the complete game, while not receiving appropriate accolade.
No, the quote about Rafter was the first question he was asked after the match, and he responded "Ten grand slams". He then went on to say that Rafter was lucky to win the match and that Rafter wasn't truly great until he won a second slam title -- VERY Serenaesque there.
I notice you didn't even try to defend Pete's arrogance after he lost to Bruguera on HC in 97...smart move.
Unlike Sampras, Michael Jordan was a complete player and never constantly had apologists excusing away his glaring shortcomings the way the tennis media did with Sampras on clay. Now Jordan as a person is a terrible role model c/w with Sampras, but as an athlete, there's no comparison between the two.
Ah. I see you're a troll who hates Sampras. Funny lines "Jordan a complete player"....LOL. Trying to hit all the Sampras hot buttons and not caring if you make any real sense.
Funny how trolls are used to getting away with outright lies...but sooner or later, Troll will run into somebody like me who knows the facts.
No point in arguing with a troll, BUT FOR THE RECORD, and anybody who reads this, NO, it was not the "first" question Sampras got asked. It was in the middle of the interview, and the Sampras/Rafter bad blood had been brewing for quite some time, largely created by the media, who wanted to stir up trouble (As Rafter and Pete have both acknowledged now)
Note also that Sampras was STEAMING mad about a line call in that match, and came off the court still mad. It had been a very close match and Sampras had felt that call may have cost him the match. NOTE ALSO, that the "ten grand slams" was a joke (though Pete had no love for Rafter), and Sampras said it in a lighthearted way. Drwood is a liar/ignorant and his statements should be taken accordingly.
The "ten grand slams" was not a joke. As Sampras himself said right after that statement, it was a smartaleck remark -- but he never denied meaning what he said.
To call me a liar is trolling and flaming at its best. You have no evidence whatsoever to support your conclusions about me. Period.
You stated it was the first question he was asked. WRONG. You now ADMIT that in his very next sentence he STATED he was being a smart alec. CORRECT. I said it was meant in a lighthearted manner. IT WAS. The reporters LAUGHED. Sampras then said SAID he was being a "smart ass". HE THEN WENT ON TO say Rafter played similarly to him, and Edberg. I also noted that much of the press conference was about Pete's anger at the line callsa and that he was in a very bad mood. Sampras himself said it was the angriest he's ever been on court. Now, WHICH one of us better reflected the truth? I'll let others decide.
I think it's apparent who has the extreme bias and who is grasping at straws to built a amazingly feeble case. Comparing Sampras to Serena Williams repeatedly. That in itself speaks volumes.
guys, the media were getting ridiculous around this time.
they just wanted a "fight" between them that just wasn't gonna happen anyway...just a bunch of smartass comments from both of them.
At times reading some magazines I started to get the impression
rafter was more loved in the us than sampras, which is ********.
pete had been top of the tree for a long time..yet I think he felt a little agrieved
at all the "boring sampras wins again" vibe when he was making history out there.
what would the us media give now to have a plyer of pete's calibre?
Look at all the love fed recieved the last couple of years...he isn't even american.
As much as I respect pete...I think he was arrogant at times...but that's
waht champions have to be...
some people on here go on about arrogance as if it's 100% bad.
Take fed's comments on murray after losing to him dubai 08 for example.
fed..after losing pretty much full out said murray isn't winning anything playing the way he does. now in a way..that's hugely arrogant statement.
so what? arrogance for the top guys is ok....you could tell by demeanor etc
both fed and pete have a healthy dose a good sporting arrogance.
you gotta go out there thinking crush opponent...self-doubt is bad.
That's hilarious."Instead of asking for blessings for the rest of the family or whatever, I just said, 'Um, oh, bless you'," Rafter said. "I've walked out to see Pete, my brother, and I've gone, 'Oh Pete, I think I've just messed up'. I don't know if he [the Pope] heard me. And Pete goes, 'You're supposed to call him Your Holiness'; I called him Your Honour. And I said, well, I just blessed the Pope."
First, the quote about Rafter was simply due to repeated questioning about Rafter. It irritated Pete that suddenly a guy with one slam is all reporters were asking him about. Nevertheless, it was a a slip by Sampras. However, I think, if anything, Sampras was overly generous to his opponents.
guys, the media were getting ridiculous around this time.
they just wanted a "fight" between them that just wasn't gonna happen anyway...just a bunch of smartass comments from both of them.
At times reading some magazines I started to get the impression
rafter was more loved in the us than sampras, which is ********.
pete had been top of the tree for a long time..yet I think he felt a little agrieved
at all the "boring sampras wins again" vibe when he was making history out there.
what would the us media give now to have a plyer of pete's calibre?
Look at all the love fed recieved the last couple of years...he isn't even american.
As much as I respect pete...I think he was arrogant at times...but that's
waht champions have to be...
some people on here go on about arrogance as if it's 100% bad.
Take fed's comments on murray after losing to him dubai 08 for example.
fed..after losing pretty much full out said murray isn't winning anything playing the way he does. now in a way..that's hugely arrogant statement.
so what? arrogance for the top guys is ok....you could tell by demeanor etc
both fed and pete have a healthy dose a good sporting arrogance.
you gotta go out there thinking crush opponent...self-doubt is bad.
guys, the media were getting ridiculous around this time.
they just wanted a "fight" between them that just wasn't gonna happen anyway...just a bunch of smartass comments from both of them.
At times reading some magazines I started to get the impression
rafter was more loved in the us than sampras, which is ********.
pete had been top of the tree for a long time..yet I think he felt a little agrieved
at all the "boring sampras wins again" vibe when he was making history out there.
what would the us media give now to have a plyer of pete's calibre?
Look at all the love fed recieved the last couple of years...he isn't even american.
As much as I respect pete...I think he was arrogant at times...but that's
waht champions have to be...
some people on here go on about arrogance as if it's 100% bad.
Take fed's comments on murray after losing to him dubai 08 for example.
fed..after losing pretty much full out said murray isn't winning anything playing the way he does. now in a way..that's hugely arrogant statement.
so what? arrogance for the top guys is ok....you could tell by demeanor etc
both fed and pete have a healthy dose a good sporting arrogance.
you gotta go out there thinking crush opponent...self-doubt is bad.
No, the quote about Rafter was the first question he was asked after the match, and he responded "Ten grand slams". He then went on to say that Rafter was lucky to win the match and that Rafter wasn't truly great until he won a second slam title -- VERY Serenaesque there.
I notice you didn't even try to defend Pete's arrogance after he lost to Bruguera on HC in 97...smart move.
Unlike Sampras, Michael Jordan was a complete player and never constantly had apologists excusing away his glaring shortcomings the way the tennis media did with Sampras on clay. Now Jordan as a person is a terrible role model c/w with Sampras, but as an athlete, there's no comparison between the two.
I agree nowadays Pete is much more gracefull / refined but . . . Back in his playing days he was arrogant especially when he lost. Quite a drama king at times. I don't think hes anymore classy than your average top 10.
Not to mention Pete has stated that he could win a prime fed vs prime sampras matchup. However confident you may be thats just not something you say publicly imo. Its as crazy as calling Fed the GOAT.
I don't think Fed and Sampras are "friends." I think there is just a mutual respect based on each others careers.
comparing jordan to sampras? lawl.
That's hilarious.
Actually I think Sampras is more classy than Jordan. Look at their Hall-Of-Fame induction speeches. Sampras seems genuinely humbled to receive that honor whereas Jordan uses his speech to get back at people and coaches who he thought had crossed him in the past.
Azzurri, as much as we've disagreed on other topics, I was impressed with your defense of Chang versus Safin in the other thread. Nice job.
well said. MJ is a huge jerk, maybe the biggest jerk in sports. Pete has shown class, while MJ is a..JERK as usual.
no one but Pete and Fed know their relationship. Pete did come to the W finals for Fed..that shows something.
not sure why you are so anti-sampras.
the Chang-Safin...is that thread still going???:shock:
so now you are comparing two different sports??? maybe you would not know this, but tennis and basketball are different sports...UNLIKE Pete, MJ needed a multitude of other players to win 6 titles..but Pete needed just himself to win 14. again, another clueless post.
is MJ considered a jerk because of his arrogance..or something else...
in that case..Ali was a jerk, and many others.
somebody tried to defend sampras comment of 10 slams as light hearted. that made me laugh. that comment was full of spite.
.
Well lets be fair. MJ was (and still is, even if retired) probably the most popular living sportsman on the planet. He was an aloof man who got more attention than he ever wanted. He also lost his dad, the person who influenced him most, and went through a horribly demoralizing divorce. The guy is now a bitter, lonely man, but he isn't an arsehole. I would fault the Hero Machine moreso than the hero.
BTW . . . . biggest jerk in sports is ridiculous. There are thousands worse. Jordan has lived a fairly ego-driven life but in the panetheon of despicable athletes there have been drug addicts, murderers, rapists, etc. Jordan's antics pale in comparison.
Yes only pete and fed know their relationship so im not sure why all the people defending sampras love to say they are friends. Like somehow that makes either one of them more or less "classy." I think pete came to the finals to see his record be broken more than for federer. Regardless thats not important.
I think most of the people in these forums are young and don't even remember Sampras when he played. They just see him in a suit being interviewed and it screams class.
Not sure if this thread is pertaining to sampras NOW or back during his career. Or both . . .
Back in his day he had his share of tantrums and drama just like any other. I don't think he stands out.
Pete just needed himself? Right. That's why he never did anything on grass until Gullickson taught him how to return serve on grass. Try again.
Basketball and tennis are two different sports -- however in his sport MJ is unquestionably the GOAT. There are clear reasons to argue against Pete in tennis -- most glaringly his average (for a GOAT candidate) record on clay. Not so for MJ...he had no weaknesses in his sport.
MJ is clearly a much bigger jerk than Sampras, but Sampras could be a jerk as well, especially when he was losing.
I respect Sampras' career and loved his game -- I never thought his game was boring at all -- a dominant serve is a beautiful thing to watch.
I did. And it was. But I pointed out that Rafter and Sampras had been annoyed with each other for a while AND that Sampras had already explicitly said that he was angrier than he had ever been after a match (due to the line call). So he made a smart ass comment. It got big laughs and then he immediately said he was "being a smart ass". That's makes it pretty darn OBVIOUS that it wasn't meant as an entirely serious spiteful comment. He then compared Rafter's game to Edbergs and his own.
It was a funny jibe at Rafter made in a smart ass way. Sampras fully admitted it. Basically, Sampras blew off some steam by taking a little shot at Pat. Nothing more, nothing less. Hardly a Serena Williams class conference. Incidently, it's actually a moment where Sampras let his smart ass sense of humour show. He was known for this, but never let it out in public.
But this has been beat to death. People can think what they like. Funny how often these things get hopelessly misquoted and embellished here though. Creates little TW urban legends.
I don't place jerks in the class of murderers, rapists and addicts/dealers...you do??? So someone kills 20 people and he is a jerk.
Your whole statement about Jordna's personal life is based on complete ignorance.
in my recollection of athletes, MJ is the biggest jerk in the world. Do I know if Ryan Howard is a bigger jerk??? of course not, but in my view MJ is the biggest jerk I have ever seen.
yes, ignorance was the best way to sum up your post.
OK, if Jordan fits the bill more than any other athlete, fine. I won't argue with your subjective opinion.
But next time, could you argue with a little less conviction when you basically admitted that you don't know very much about other athletes jerk-ish exploits?
:twisted:
Again, interesting. Zing.