Pete Sampras

American Born 1971 185 cm Right handed
Head to heads vs Andre Agassi (34)vs Todd Martin (22)vs Michael Chang (20)vs Jim Courier (20)vs Boris Becker (19)vs Goran Ivanisevic (18)

Match log

2002

US OpenWon the titleHard, August
FWAndre Agassi6-3 6-4 5-7 6-4Won the title
SFWSjeng Schalken7-6(6) 7-6(4) 6-2
QFWAndy Roddick6-3 6-2 6-4
R16WTommy Haas7-5 6-4 6-7(5) 7-5
R32WGreg Rusedski7-6(4) 4-6 7-6(3) 3-6 6-4
R64WKristian Pless6-3 7-5 6-4
R128WAlbert Portas6-1 6-4 6-4
Long IslandHard, August
R32LPaul Henri Mathieu3-6 7-6(7) 4-6
Cincinnati MastersHard, August
R32LWayne Arthurs6-4 3-6 6-7(4)
R64WGuillermo Canas5-7 7-6(6) 6-3
Canada MastersHard, July
R16LTommy Haas6-7(3) 6-3 6-7(5)
R32WHyung Taik Lee3-6 7-6(5) 6-2
R64WWayne Ferreira7-6(6) 5-7 6-4
WimbledonGrass, June
R64LGeorge Bastl3-6 2-6 6-4 6-3 4-6
R128WMartin Lee6-3 7-6(1) 6-3
HalleGrass, June
R16LNicolas Kiefer3-6 4-6
R32WAndrei Stoliarov4-6 6-3 6-4
Roland GarrosClay, May
R128LAndrea Gaudenzi6-3 4-6 2-6 6-7(3)
DusseldorfClay, May
RRLNicolas Escude6-7(3) 6-2 6-7(2)
RRWGuillermo Canas7-5 2-6 7-6(5)
RRLThomas Johansson2-6 7-6(3) 6-7(5)
Hamburg MastersClay, May
R64LMax Mirnyi3-6 4-6
Rome MastersClay, May
R64LFelix Mantilla4-6 7-6(3) 3-6
HoustonClay, April
FLAndy Roddick6-7(9) 3-6
SFWAndre Agassi6-1 7-5
QFWTodd Martin6-2 7-6(3)
R16WMariano Puerta6-4 6-2
R32WJan Vacek4-6 6-1 7-5
Davis Cup WG QF: USA vs ESPGrass, April
RRLAlex Corretja6-4 6-4 6-7(4) 5-7 4-6
Miami MastersHard, March
R32LFernando Gonzalez6-7(1) 1-6
R64WJarkko Nieminen4-6 6-3 6-2
Indian Wells MastersHard, March
SFLLleyton Hewitt2-6 4-6
QFWRainer Schuettler6-2 6-4
R16WFabrice Santoro6-3 3-6 7-5
R32WAlbert Costa6-4 6-4
R64WMardy Fish7-6(5) 6-2
ScottsdaleHard, March
R16LWayne Ferreira5-7 5-7
R32WByron Black6-1 6-2
Davis Cup WG R1: USA vs SVKHard, February
RRWKarol Beck6-3 6-7(3) 6-1 7-5
Australian OpenHard, January
R16LMarat Safin2-6 4-6 7-6(5) 6-7(8)
R32WNicolas Escude7-6(5) 5-7 6-4 6-7(6) 6-3
R64WJuan Ignacio Chela6-3 7-5 3-6 6-4
R128WJarkko Nieminen6-3 6-3 6-4

2001

AdelaideHard, December
R32LTodd Martin6-3 3-6 4-6
Stuttgart MastersHard, October
QFLMax Mirnyi4-6 2-6
R16WMarcelo Rios4-6 7-6(3) 6-4
R32WStefan Koubek6-3 7-6(5)
US OpenHard, August
FLLleyton Hewitt6-7(4) 1-6 1-6
SFWMarat Safin6-3 7-6(5) 6-3
QFWAndre Agassi6-7(7) 7-6(2) 7-6(2) 7-6(5)
R16WPatrick Rafter6-3 6-2 6-7(5) 6-4
R32WMikhail Youzhny6-3 6-2 6-2
R64WAndre Sa7-6(4) 6-4 6-3
R128WJulien Boutter6-4 7-6(4) 7-6(6)

Pete Sampras

The serve decided everything. Pete Sampras hit first and second deliveries off the same toss, the same easy motion, then followed both to the net, the last great serve-and-volleyer to rule the game. He announced himself at the 1990 US Open, a 19-year-old beating Andre Agassi for the title, still the youngest men's champion there. His 14 majors stacked up as seven Wimbledons, five US Opens and two Australian Opens; Roland Garros stayed the one blank, a single semi-final in 1996 his best.

The numbers were imperial: 286 weeks at world No. 1, six straight year-end No. 1 finishes from 1993 through 1998 that no man has matched, and 65 career titles in all. Andre Agassi remained the foil from first major to last, and their rivalry supplied the perfect close: the 2002 US Open final, won 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 at 31, a champion's backhand volley for the final shot. He never played another match, and the game has not seen his like at the net since.