Former American professional tennis player Pete Sampras was born in Washington, D,C., United States, on August 12, 1971. He is often regarded as one of the greatest players of all time. At the tender age of 3, Sampras first discovered a tennis racket at his home and subsequently spent hours practicing with the wall of his house, proving to be the start of what would be a long and illustrious career.
As a teenager, Sampras' talent soon became apparent, with him being spotted by several experts of the sport. His junior career was not the longest, with the American ready to make the leap to the professional tour in 1988, aged just 16. It was immediately clear that this teenager from the American capital was more than capable of the challenge, rising from a world ranking of 893 to finish his first year on the tour at number 97.
Before long, he had his first titles under his belt, with four coming in the 1990 season. Among those four was the first of many Grand Slams in New York, the US Open. Winning one's home slam would be a career highlight for most, but for Sampras, it was just the start of what would become an insurmountable haul of titles at the highest level.
He enjoyed dominance like no other in the 1990s, winning 12 majors between 1990 and 1999. This number was then added to at the turn of the century, with the American claiming his final two Grand Slams in 2000 and 2002, bringing his total career Grand Slam titles to 14.
His successes did not stop there, though, as he claimed the ATP Finals a total of five times, won the Davis Cup with his country on two occasions and reached an inevitable career-high ranking of number one in the world.
Despite his renowned success, the one trophy that eluded him was Roland Garros, with his best result being a semifinal on just one occasion. Throughout his career, his naturally attacking serve-and-volley style, together with a fiercely competitive yet healthy rivalry with compatriot Andre Agassi, led him to be one of the most popular tennis players in the world.
On paper, he is the fourth greatest to ever grace a tennis court, with his total of 14 Grand Slam titles on the men's Tour being surpassed by only the Big Three. After deciding to call time on his dazzling career in 2003 at his home slam, the American has led a fairly private life with his family in California.
He has dabbled in the sport since hanging up his rackets, but he generally has parked up that period of his life, now concentrating on business and charity ventures.
