BEST TENNIS PLAYER OF ALL TIME
Unyielding Play. Last week, ESPN Classic televised a portion of the 1995 Davis Cup Championship Finals. The championship battle was between the USSR and United States and was played in Russia. On that Friday in 1995, on slow red clay which is Pete's worst surface, Sampras beat a clay-court expert, Andrei Chesnokov in five long, hard fought sets. In the fourth set of that match, it was obvious that Sampras was fighting off involuntary muscular contractions in his legs. Chesnokov's strategy was simple: just keep the ball in play and make every point as long as possible. Nevertheless, Pete Sampras refused to yield and kept battling until victorous. Seconds after matchpoint, Sampras had to be carried off the court with severe leg cramps. On Saturday, he teamed with Todd Martin to defeat the Russian doubles team. Then on Sunday, Pete defeated Yvegeny Kafelnikov to nail down the Davis Cup Championship for the United States. Pete has raw guts and determination. Remember, there is no pay for Davis Cup play.
Physical Size. At 6 feet 1 inch and 175 lbls, Pete Sampras is an athlete that covers the tennis court like a leopard, pound for pound the most deadly of the big cats. Pete has used his muscularity and quickness to punish opponents with penetrating, powerful ground strokes. Even when stretched wide at the baseline, Pete's speed of foot allows him to recover and blast a running forehand crosscourt or down the line for an outright winner.
Serves. Pete Sampras has a perfect sevice motion. Although his service motion looks effortless, Pete Sampras has a flat serve that could knock out an elephant. His topspin serve kicks like a mule and his slice serve moves away from an opponent like an ill wind. His serves demoralize and hamstring the best opponents. Often this weapon is worth four games a match as it whistles by untouched.