Pete Sampras' ex-opponent reveals what made the American great
Pete Sampras ended his career with 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles, but if rival Pat Rafter's words are anything to go by, the American's greatness transcends his on-court achievements.
Speaking in a recent interview with the ATP, Rafter pointed out that Sampras never let his achievements get to his head. He noted that the 14-time Grand Slam champion stayed true to his real self throughout the course of his career, singling out his understated persona for praise.
"Pete was quieter, reserved, and he sort of went about his business," Pat Rafter said. "He stayed true to himself, and I think we all did. I don’t think you could be really successful and be fake."
Shifting focus to Sampras' on-court style, Rafter took note of similarities that he shared with his rival. He heaped praise on Sampras, saying while he and his celebrated rival played a similar brand of tennis, the latter was just that tad bit better in each department.
"When I played [Pete Sampras] it was just the same style of player [as me], he was better, a lot better than I was,” Pat Rafter said. "Pete was just too good."
Notably, both Sampras and Rafter possessed similarly well-rounded games. They played the traditional style, often coming into the net and also making use of the now-obsolete serve-and-volley strategy. They stood in stark contrast with the evolving aggressive baseline game best showcased by the likes of another American, Andre Agassi, at the time.
Pete Sampras holds a lopsided head-to-head against Pat Rafter
Pete Sampras and Pat Rafter shared a long and well-chronicled Grand Slam rivalry, playing each other on 16 occasions over the course of their careers. The former holds a massive 12-4 lead in their overall head-to-head.
The duo's first meeting came at Indianapolis in 1993, with Rafter winning in three tiebreaker sets. He, however, lost their next eight encounters in a row. The only time that Rafter beat Sampras at a Grand Slam was at the 1998 US Open and he went on to win the tournament.
Sampras, meanwhile, beat his opponent at a Grand Slam on two occasions, the 2000 Wimbledon Championships' final and the last-16 encounter at the 2001 US Open. The latter match turned out to be the last time that the two faced each other.