Pete Sampras' clutch serving against Andre Agassi & Boris Becker praised by John McEnroe's brother
Patrick McEnroe, the brother of American tennis legend John McEnroe, recently stated that Pete Sampras' clutch serving ability is a must-have attribute for the "perfect tennis player."
On Courtside: The US Open Podcast, host Marc Sterne asked McEnroe which player's serve he would pick to build the "perfect player." McEnroe didn't hesitate before naming 14-time Slam champion Sampras.
He believes that while there are other players who possibly had a more powerful serve, Sampras had the ability to "serve big under pressure."
"From whom I've seen or whom I've played against - I'm gonna go with Pistol Pete," McEnroe said. "I mean obviously these guys serve bigger now, Roddick serves bigger, you know Isner and you've got these guys. But if you're talking about the most clutcheserving and the biggest serving under pressure and the gumption to go big when it matters the most? [Pete]."
McEnroe added that Sampras had an equally potent second serve, which he knew how to use to his advantage.
"And here's the most important part, the second serve," he said. "Pete, he'd kind of save it. He'd keep it in his back pocket and use it on Andre or Boris or somebody that was, you know when he had to go bigger, he'd pull it out. He had that ability, almost like two first serves."
McEnroe continued to speak on a range of topics, including modernization in tennis and his pick from the Big 3.
A look back at Pete Sampras' 7 Wimbledon titles
Former World No. 1 Pete Sampras dominated men's tennis in the 90s, winning 64 titles, including 14 Grand Slams. He lifted seven Wimbledon trophies in his stellar career that began when he turned pro in 1988 and spanned over a decade.
Sampras clinched his maiden Wimbledon title in 1993 and went on to win three consecutive titles until 1995.
He won his fourth Wimbledon title in 1997 and defended it for the next four years, becoming the only male player to win three or more consecutive Wimbledon titles twice in his career.
With a powerful serve, clean shots and incredible athleticism, Sampras is the only player to register a 7-0 win-loss record at Wimbledon. He was the first men's champion to reach 14 Grand Slam titles, which has only been surpassed by the Big 3.