Happy 50th Birthday, Pete Sampras!

[Enceladus]

Today, August 12, 2021, one of the greatest tennis players in the history of tennis, Pete Sampras, celebrates his 50th birthday. During his career, he won 14 Grand Slam titles and 64 ATP singles titles, while spending 286 weeks in first place in the ATP world rankings. He has won 7 times Wimbledon, 5 times US Open and 2 times Australian Open. Until 2009, he held the record for the number of grandslams won, before being surpassed by Roger Federer.

In terms of gaming skills, Sampras has been known during his career for his excellent serve, which many (fans & experts) consider to be the best in the history of tennis. His other strengths included volleys, smashes or forehands.

Sampras' biggest rival was Andre Agassi, with whom he created the most interesting tennis rivalry of the 1990's. His other big rivals included Goran Ivanisevic, Boris Becker or Patrick Rafter.

Sampras ended his career in triumph at US Open 2002 and 5 years later he enter into the Tennis Hall of Fame.

 

[Enceladus]

Congratulations:

ATP:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1425739910137344004

ITF:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1425716421091160067

US Open:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1425744365075542018

Australian Open:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1425643492613627908

Davis Cup:

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1425711848121257986

 

[Sephiroth]

Happy birthday Pete

For one day let's all Big 3 fans gather and celebrate the legend that is PETE

 

[NatF]

PETE.

 

[Nadal_Django]

Time is flying.

 

[Hitman]

Best big match player

 

[InsideOut900]

Sampras being only 10 years older than Roger makes the swiss look ancient when you think about it. Especially since Pete retired almost 20 years ago.

 

[Tennease]

I grew up watching him on a tiny black and white TV winning many matches.

 

[Hamnavoe]

Happy birthday champ.

 

[Deleted member 771911]

The King.

 

[Dominic & Andrey]

PETE.

GOAT,
Nuff said.

 

[ChrisRF]

Sampras being only 10 years older than Roger makes the swiss look ancient when you think about it. Especially since Pete retired almost 20 years ago.

Yes, and on the other hand it seems even more absurd to think the equivalent would be Sampras still playing in 2011.

 

[Phoenix1983]

Happy 50th to my first tennis idol and an icon of the sport.

 

[dnguyen]

Long live the King!

 

[Sunny014]

Yes, and on the other hand it seems even more absurd to think the equivalent would be Sampras still playing in 2011.

If Sampras had played till 2011 then guys like Spencer Gore would have declared Sampras as second of his era behind Federer.

 

[pj80]

Yes, and on the other hand it seems even more absurd to think the equivalent would be Sampras still playing in 2011.

...and winning 2008 AO

 

[Sunny014]

Anyway, Happy Birthday

 

[ND-13]

Happy 50th

Truly one of the greatest the game has ever seen !!
Let us hope the future generations are not as stupid as some here to measure greatness by slam count alone

 

[mike danny]

Best big match player

Debatable.

 

[Halba]

he's enjoying his well deserved retirement.

 

[Hitman]

Debatable.

Then debate.

 

[Sunny014]

Then debate.

 

[mike danny]

Then debate.

Didn't face anyone on the level of the Big 3 and wasn't good on clay.

 

[Sunny014]

Didn't face anyone on the level of the Big 3 and wasn't good on clay.

Plus his next gen was weak, yet he could not capitalize the weak/transitional era (00-03), Agassi was milking slams from 99, even Johansson won an AO, Sampras could not take AOs and even could not take USOs, that last USO was a fluke due to Hewitt being on the other side of the draw.

Sampras's weakness on courts with high bounce raises the same doubts which we have for Nadal on courts with low bounce.

Federer and Djokovic are more evenly balanced GOAT candidates and mentally Novak is 1.

 

[Darrell]

Happy birthday to my first tennis hero!

 

[Third Serve]

Quite possibly the clutchest player of all time.

 

[El_Yotamo]

I'm pretty sure he's 50, not: 30414093201713378043612608166064768844377641568960512000000000000
I'll see myself out

 

[Sarzy]

Loved Sampras! The first male tennis player I supported

 

[ibbi]

Happy birthday, legend. I mostly found him sinfully boring during his day, but he's that sort of star that appreciation of his greatness can only grow as the years go by and the fact of it becomes undeniable once everything else falls away.

Example-

 

[Poisoned Slice]

Happy Birthday to Pete.

 

[NicoMK]

The GOAT in action. Enjoy.