Pete Sampras AKA King of Swing

Petros Sampras was born in Washington D.C. on August 12, 1971. His parents are Georgia and Sammy Sampras, and they raised him with a strong Greek background. Pete went with the rest of his family to a Greek Orthodox Church every Sunday. Pete and his family moved to Palos Verdes in 1978.

Before the move to California, Pete had found a tennis racket in his home. He was fascinated by his discovery and no one would see him for hours but they would hear the ball hitting the wall repeatedly. The family joined a racket club where young Pete was seen playing with a tennis coach. He went pro when he was sixteen in 1988. Sampras started his season ranked 893 and made his way to ranking 97. In his first season, he had some impressive wins and made himself noticed. By 1990, Sampras was starting to make a name for himself. He also became the the youngest player to win the U.S. Open at the age of 19.

In 2002, Sampras struggled but was able to show that he could still win. He pulled out two big wins against two young guns. Interestingly, his last grand-slam tournament and win was against the same opponent as his first ever grand-slam tournament. Sampras did not play for twelve months and then announced his retirement in mid 2003. Even though he did not defend his U.S. Open title, he was still there for a farewell put together for him. Many of the players as well as his fans said he was the greatest player to ever grace a tennis court. Petros "Pete" Sampras was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2007.