"Pete Sampras couldn't quite adapt...ultimately, he wanted it too badly" - American's former coach on why he never won the French Open
Pete Sampras' former coach, Paul Annacone, has given his reasons why the former failed to win a French Open title during his illustrious career.
Sampras, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time, enjoyed a hugely successful career. The American won 14 Grand Slam titles, an all-time men's singles record at the time of his retirement. He also spent an impressive 286 weeks as the World No. 1, placing him third on the all-time list.
Despite his myriad accomplishments, Pete Sampras fell short of achieving the career Grand Slam due to his inability to win a title at the French Open. His former coach, Paul Annacone, recently offered a possible explanation for the former World No. 1's struggles at the clay court Major.
During an appearance on the 'Rock n Roll Tennis' podcast, Annacone asserted that the 14-time Grand Slam champion had "exhausted all his resources" in attempting to triumph at Roland Garros.
He argued that in today's game, transitioning between the different surfaces required minimal adjustments to a player's game, unlike in the past, where it required substantial adjustments - an aspect Sampras struggled with, according to Annacone.
The 60-year-old also suggested that the American's intense desire to win the French Open might have hindered his ability to achieve his goal.
"I think Pete exhausted all his resources to try to win the French, got to the semis one year. And I think the biggest difference that people don't realize about eras is it was way, way different on different surfaces back then than it is now," he said (at 57:53).
"Now you can play the same way, basically stylized with different court positioning and back then you couldn't. And Pete couldn't quite adapt, exhausted his resources to try to figure it out. Ultimately, I think he wanted it too badly," he added.
Pete Sampras achieved his best result at the French Open in 1996. He reached the semifinals of the event for the first and only time in his career, losing to eventual champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov in straight sets.
A brief look at Pete Sampras' 14 Grand Slam titles
Pete Sampras won his maiden Grand Slam title at the 1990 US Open, triumphing over arch-rival Andre Agassi in the final in straight sets. This marked the first of his five titles at the US Open, a joint Open Era record alongside Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors. He also claimed victory at the New York Major in 1993, 1995, 1996 and 2002.
The American won his second Grand Slam title at the 1993 Wimbledon Championships, defeating Jim Courier in the summit clash. The 52-year-old won seven titles at SW19 over the course of his career, emerging victorious in 1994, 1995, and 1997-2000.
Pete Sampras clinched his third Major title at the 1994 Australian Open by securing victory over Todd Martin. He defeated Carlos Moya in the 1997 final to claim his second title at the Melbourne Slam.