Sports Nicknames - Pistol Pete

Before the era of Nadal, Federer and Djokovic, tennis had players like Petros "Pistol Pete" Sampras. A professional for 14 years, Pete won what was at the time a record 14 Grand Slam titles, with the final one coming in 2002 - his last.



Sampras was the son of Greek immigrants and started playing tennis as young as 3 years old. It was only 13 years later that he would turn professional at the sport, finishing 97th in the world after his first year. It was only 2 years later that he would capture his first Grand Slam title at the 1990 US Open.

He wouldn't regain a title for another 3 years, but this success would be different. In 1993, Pete won the US Open and Wimbledon. The Wimbledon success would be a lasting one, with Sampras able to win 6 of the next 9 editions of the English tournament. He would also find more success in the US Open and Australian Open, although the French Open would elude him for the entirety of his career.

Sampras had a serve that is widely regarded as one of the best of all time. He would hit it with such accuracy and power that opponents were often not able to deal with such aggression. He is considered one of the masters of the "serve-and-volley" playstyle thanks to his technique and skill on the line.

It might often be hard to remember that other players exist besides the Big 3 of the modern day, but it would be a disservice to forget those like Petros "Pistol Pete" Sampras.


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