"I didn’t see much of my dad as a child, he worked 2 jobs": When Pete Sampras opened up about his distant relationship with 'reserved' father Soterios
Pete Sampras once opened up about his distant relationship with his father Soterios during his childhood. The former World No. 1 disclosed that his father worked hard to support their family financially, which left them with little time to spend together.
One of the greatest tennis players in history, Sampras won 14 Grand Slam titles throughout his illustrious career. The American's first coach Pete Fischer played an instrumental role in his early development.
In his autobiography 'A Champion's Mind,' Pete Sampras shared that Fischer's "smartest move" was to convince Soterios to step aside and let him manage the American's career, as it allowed him and his father to maintain the boundary between parent and coach.
The former World No. 1 revealed that he saw little of his father during his childhood, as Soterios worked two jobs to support their family. However, when Sampras became involved in tennis, his father began driving him to and from practice.
Despite spending more time together, the father-son pair maintained a certain distance and rarely spoke, with Sampras sharing that his sister Stella remained his confidant due to their shared love for tennis.
"I didn’t see much of my dad as a child, because he worked two jobs—he was all about supporting the family while my mother took care of us, physically and emotionally. But as I got deeply involved in tennis, the game became a way to spend time with my dad. He would take me to and from tennis lessons after work, or to junior tournaments on weekends," Pete Sampras said.
"But even then, it wasn’t like my father and I talked a lot. My confidant was my sister Stella; she was a little older, so I looked up to her, and she was the only other serious player in the family," he added.
Pete Sampras also shed light on his father's temperament, disclosing that both he and his brother Gus had inherited their father's "reserved" and uncommunicative personality.
Although the American admitted that these traits weren't ideal to meet the social demands of the professional tennis tour, his "shyness" and "reticence" were conducive to avoiding distractions.
"[My father] isn’t a hugger, and he’s not a big communicator. Like most of the Sampras men, including (my brother) Gus and me, he’s reserved…It’s not an ideal temperament for dealing with the nature of the pro tennis tour, where you’re constantly moving, meeting new people, making chitchat, and trying to remember names," he said.
"On the other hand, our natural shyness and reticence makes it easier to stay above the fray and avoid getting sucked into distractions. That’s a huge asset once you become a top tennis player," he added.
Pete Sampras: "Dad knew nothing about tennis, so he had no aspirations for me"
In his autobiography, Pete Sampras also revealed that his father Soterios was "utterly unfamiliar" with tennis and had no aspirations for his son until the American himself developed an interest in the sport.
"Dad knew nothing about tennis, so he had no aspirations for me until I displayed interest in the game. He was also utterly unfamiliar with the tennis scene, which is insular and mostly made up of people whose families have been involved in the game for multiple generations," Pete Sampras said.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion shared that a pivotal moment for his father came when a stranger at a public park praised Sampras's skills, asserting that he "could really play tennis."
"I think Dad took that to heart, even though he wasn’t a huge sports fan and we had no real tennis tradition in the family. We were Greek Americans, firmly connected to our roots in many ways. Some small nations in the Western world, like Croatia and Sweden, have a rich tennis tradition. But Greece isn’t one of them," he added.
Despite his lack of tennis knowledge, Soterios Sampras initially took on the role of Pete Sampras' agent when he turned professional. However, their working relationship was short-lived, as the former World No. 1 fired his father after realizing that they "get along much better when he's not involved in contracts and deals."