Pete Sampras is one of the most admired all-American tennis players. He is a versatile player who masters any situation. He has integrity the way he plays and the way he lives his life. He has a determination that is an inspiration to others and a motivating force among youths. Pete started getting noticed on the tennis tour in 1988 as a 16-year old qualifier. He played a game they called dangerous." It took him two years to reach the top ten, and along the way he defeated several of the great tennis legends. His first Grand Slam title was the U.S. Open that he won in 1990 with an unbelieveable serve that stunned players like Agassi, Lendl, and McEnroe. At age 19, Pete was the youngest tennis player ever to win the coveted U.S. Open cup. In 1991 Pete added the IBM World Championship onto his string of victories and in the next year he helped the U.S. to win back the Davis cup. With his likeable, relaxed attitude he showed that he could be a great team player. His next big accomplishment came in 1993 when he made a new record for the tour history books by slamming 1000 aces in a single season. Because of this record it helped him to win Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. Soon after this he won the Australian Open in 1994. This made him the first player to win three Grand Slam tournaments in a row in 25 years. Since 1993 he has finished with the tour's ranking of Number One every year since 1993. The only other players to have ever achieved this were John McEnroe and Jimmy Conners. While Pete Sampras tries to keep a low profile, it's getting harder and harder considering that he is now a four-time Wimbledon champion (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997). He has also just won his 10th career Grand Slam title."
