Petros Sampras, widely known as Pete Sampras is one of the best all-court players that the game of Tennis has seen. His forehand dazzled all, his smashes were compared to the basketball slam dunk and his second serves never seemed different from his first, Pete Sampras is one of the most famous names in World Tennis. On his 40th birthday, here is a look back at how he went on to become the most successful player of his time.

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Petros Sampras, widely known as Pete Sampras is one of the best all-court players that the game of Tennis has seen. His forehand dazzled all, his smashes were compared to the basketball slam dunk and his second serves never seemed different from his first, Pete Sampras is one of the most famous names in World Tennis. On his 40th birthday, here is a look back at how he went on to become the most successful player of his time.

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He won 14 Grand Slam titles, a tally that has only been surpassed by Roger Federer. The tally included 7 Wimbledon titles, which is still a record for the open era.

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Pete Sampras turned professional at the young age of 16 in the year 1988, jumping 796 ranks in a single year to finish in the top 100.

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Ironically, Sampras' first Grand Slam match win came in the French Open, the only Grand Slam that he could not win.

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Sampras' first success however came as a 19 year old when he won the US Open.

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He defeated countryman Andre Agassi in straight sets to become the youngest ever males' singles champion.

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The coming two years however, were not as special for the American as he could not win a single Grand Slam title. He did win the Tennis Masters Cup, but Grand Slam final appearances were the only consolations for him.

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He ran into controversy when after being defeated by Jim Courier in the 1991 US Open quarter final, when he said that he was happy that the pressure of being a defending champion was no longer on him. The statement led to wide criticism, even from his opponent.

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Sampras however, shrugged off all the unfavourable judgement and answered his critics with the racquet. He won the US Open and Wimbledon and became the World No.1 Tennis player in the year 1993.

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It started a spell of sheer dominance on the grass court with an equally competitive play at the US Open. He went on to win 7 Wimbledon titles and five US Open titles.

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Sampras' era also had some of the best players that the game had seen. His rivalries with Patrick Rafter and Andre Agassi were the most renowned one.

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The Sampras-Rafter rivalry started when contrary to the odds, 13th seed Rafter handed World No. 1 Sampras a shock defeat in the 1997 US Open fourth round. Sampras however dominated the rivalry, in the coming years, beating the Australian 12 times in 16 meetings. He wrapped it up with a four-set win in the 2000 Wimbledon final.

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Sampras' career however, took a climax after capturing a record 13th Grand Slam in 2000. After a set of Grand Slam final defeats, it was believed that Sampras will never return to win a title.

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The dedication and skill of Sampras however, was bound to prove his critics wrong and all happened at the 2002 US Open.

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It all returned from where it began for Sampras when he met Andre Agassi in the final, a repeat of the match that handed him his first Grand Slam victory, 12 years ago.

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Sampras ensured that he had the last laugh in their 34th match against each other, as he won his 14th Grand Slam title courtesy a four-set win in the final.

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He retired soon after, ending an illustrous career with 5 World Tour titles and 14 Grand Slams, a record that was only overtaken by Roger Federer in 2009. Sampras continued to play exhibition matches.

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Pete Sampras: Serving and volleying @ 40