"It was a controversial ascent" - When Pete Sampras recalled becoming World No. 1 for the first time in his career
Pete Sampras once stated that his rise to World No. 1 was a controversial one because he did not win a single Grand Slam in the process.
Sampras won his maiden Grand Slam at the 1990 US Open but did not become the World No. 1 until April 12, 1993. The American attained the top ranking after winning the Japan Open, where he beat Brad Gilbert 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 in the final.
Pete Sampras wrote about him becoming the World No. 1 for the very first time in his autobiography, A Champion's Mind. He described the process as a "controversial ascent" since he did not win any Grand Slam titles over the 52-week period.
"I won Philadelphia, Miami, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, and claimed the number one ranking on the computer for the first time in my career. It was a controversial ascent because I became number one by winning everything but Slams," Pete Sampras wrote.
"Still, I was hardly to blame for the way the ATP computer allocated points, and I was clearly the most consistent player in the early part of the year," he added.
Sampras also wrote that he was annoyed at the time since he was yet to win more than one Grand Slam, while Jim Courier had won four.
"It rankled me that I had yet to win my second Major, while Jim Courier by then had a whopping four (two at Roland Garros, two from the Australian Open). He’d taken command in our generation (Michael, Andre, and I had just one major apiece), and I was determined to regain my place at the top of our pecking order. It was more important to me than the computer rankings," Sampras wrote.
The American ended up winning two Grand Slams in 1993. He won the first of his seven Wimbledon titles that year by beating Jim Courier in the final before also triumphing at the US Open, where he defeated Cedric Pioline in the title clash.
Pete Sampras was the World No. 1 for 286 weeks
Pete Sampras ended up being the World No. 1 for a total of 286 weeks, a record at the time. His mark was broken by Roger Federer in 2012 and later he was also eclipsed by Novak Djokovic.
The American had 11 spells at the top of the ATP rankings, with his longest one lasting 102 weeks - from April 15, 1996 to March 29, 1998.
Sampras' last stint as World No. 1 was from September 19, 2000 to November 19, 2000, before being dethroned by Marat Safin who won the Paris Masters.