"When I see other athletes telling whom to vote for, I actually get offended" - When Pete Sampras opened up on why he doesn't take political positions
Pete Sampras once explained why he avoided taking political positions. He said he believed it was not an athlete's place to tell or influence others on whom they should vote for or against.
Sampras is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time and one of the most successful American male players in history. He won an impressive 14 Grand Slam titles, a record that seemed untouchable until Roger Federer surpassed it in 2009. Sampras also held the World No. 1 spot in the ATP rankings for a total of 286 weeks.
However, not much is known about the American's political affiliations compared to his on-court achievements. He publicly supported John McCain, the Republican nominee in the 2008 election, but beyond that, he has kept his political views largely private.
During a Q&A session with Time in 2008, Pete Sampras was asked if he felt players should be involved in major political issues. He replied:
"I don't personally. It's not my place to tell you whom to vote for, to take any political stand, to tell you what religion to believe in. I'm an athlete. I can influence certain things, but when I see other athletes and celebrities telling you whom to vote for, I actually get a bit offended."
Pete Sampras retired from tennis in 2003
Pete Sampras played his last professional match at the 2002 US Open, where he won the tournament by defeating his arch-rival and compatriot Andre Agassi in the final.
After that, he did not compete in any tournaments for the next 12 months and officially announced his retirement in August 2003, concluding a remarkable 15-year career.
In his 2020 autobiography, 'Pete Sampras: Greatness Revisited,' the American revealed that he initially planned to compete at the Australian Open in the year he retired but wasn't "emotionally ready." He then considered making a comeback in Indian Wells or Miami, but ultimately, it all felt "unbalanced."
"I was talking to [coach] Paul [Annacone] about what was next and getting ready for Australia, but I was not emotionally ready," Sampras wrote. "I would see how I felt about playing Indian Wells or Miami in 2003. It just seemed unbalanced to me. I didn’t feel like doing the practice or the gym work."
Reflecting on the moment he knew it was time to hang up his racket, Pete Sampras wrote:
"The moment when I knew I was going to retire was when I was in Palm Desert watching Lleyton Hewitt play a first-round match at Wimbledon in 2003, thinking that was the last place I wanted to be. That was when I knew I was done."