"Married to one of the most beautiful women on earth" - When Pete Sampras lamented having to sleep apart from his wife Bridgette Wilson at Wimbledon
Pete Sampras and American model-cum-actress Bridgette Wilson tied the knot in September 2000, just nine months after they began dating. The American, who was in the final stretch of his career at that point, hung up his racquet a couple of years later with a final Slam win at the 2002 US Open.
Sampras' most successful Major, on the other hand, was Wimbledon. The former World No. 1 emerged victorious on seven occasions at SW19: 1993-1995 and 1997-2000. In his last two visits to the tournament, however, the 14-time Grand Slam champion ran into some unexpected trouble.
The family who usually rented out their place to the American had escalated the price, following which Sampras and his wife had to find a new house. The place they found was light and airy, but had one minor issue -- the bed was only a queen size.
"At Wimbledon, my managers got into a conflict with the Borgs over the escalating rental price of their home, so Bridgette and I rented a new house. It was light and airy, but the bed in the master bedroom was only a queen size," Pete Sampras recalled in his autobiography, A Champion's Mind.
WIth Sampras and Wilson both being pretty tall people, it was impossible for them both to sleep on the bed. The former World No. 1, therefore, had to make yet another sacrifice for his career -- sleeping apart from his wife for the duration of the tournament.
Having been married to "one of the most beautiful women on the face of earth," the very idea of not being sleep beside her frustrated Sampras to no end, as he would only reluctantly retire to bed every night after they spent as much time together as possible.
"Bridgette and I are both pretty tall people (she’s five-nine and I’m six-one), so we tried to get a king-size bed in there. We couldn’t get it in through the hall, though, so I had to make yet another sacrifice for my career—sleeping apart from my wife," Pete Sampras said.
"I was married to one of the most beautiful women on the face of the earth and every night, after we would watch a movie or linger at the dinner table, talking, I would reluctantly rise and basically say, “Well, I gotta tuck in now. Match tomorrow. See you at breakfast!”" he added.
"You always dream about who you are going to marry and think about where she is" - Pete Sampras on his marriage to Bridgette Wilson
Pete Sampras spoke about his marriage with Bridgette Wilson in a later interview, recalling how she was just everything he had ever wanted. While the American admitted that he couldn't pinpoint the exact date in which he knew she was the one for him, he emphasized that it was an accumulation of feelings that eventually made it clear to him that Wilson was the person he had to marry.
You always dream about who you are going to marry and think about where she is," Pete Sampras said. "And then I opened up the door and there Bridgette was -- just everything I've ever wanted."
"I can't remember the exact day I knew she was the one; I remember it was an accumulation of what she's about, where she came from, and her family," he added.