Which grand slam did Pete Sampras not win in the 20th century?
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Grand_Slam_(tennis).txt Pete_Sampras.txt
Grand Slam (tennis) Pete Sampras
The Grand Slam tournaments, also called majors, are the four most important annual tennis events. They offer the most ranking points,  prize money, public and media attention, the greatest strength and size of field, and greater number of "best of" sets for men. The Grand Slam itinerary consists of the Australian Open in mid January, the French Open in May and June, Wimbledon in June and July, and the US Open in August and September. Each tournament is played over a period of two weeks. The Australian and United States tournaments are played on hard courts, the French on clay, and Wimbledon on grass. Wimbledon is the oldest, founded in 1877, followed by the US in 1881, the French in 1891, and the Australian in 1905. However, of these four, only Wimbledon was a major before 1924/25, the time when all four became designated Grand Slam tournaments.

The term Grand Slam also, and originally, refers to the achievement of winning all four major championships in a single calendar year within one of the five events: men's and women's singles; men's, women's, and mixed doubles. In doubles, one team may accomplish a Grand Slam playing together or one player may achieve it with different partners. The term "Grand Slam" without qualification refers to winning the four majors in a single calendar year.   

Winning the four majors in consecutive tournaments but not in the same year is known as a Non-Calendar Year Grand Slam, while winning all four majors at any point during the course of a career is known as a Career Grand Slam. Winning the gold medal at the Summer Olympic Games in addition to the four majors in a one calendar year is known as a "Golden Grand Slam" or more commonly the "Golden Slam". Also, winning the Year-End Championship (known as ATP World Tour Finals for men's singles and doubles disciplines, and WTA Tour Championships for both women's disciplines) in the same period is known as a "Super Slam". Together, all four Majors in all three disciplines (singles, doubles, and mixed doubles) are called a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles. No male or female player has won all twelve events in one calendar year, although a "career boxed set" has been achieved by three female players.

Origin of the term "Grand Slam"

The term slam for winning all of the tricks in the whist family card games (see also whist terms) is attested from early in the 17th century. Grand slam for all of the tricks, in contrast to small slam or little slam for all but one, dates from early in the 19th century.  This use was inherited by contract bridge, a modern development of whist defined in 1925 that became very popular in Britain and America by 1930.

Grand slam has been used in golf since 1930, when Bobby Jones won the four major championships, two British and two American. Although John F. Kieran is widely credited with first applying the term "grand slam" to tennis, to describe the winning of all four major tennis tournaments in a calendar year, sports columnist Alan Gould had used the term in that connection almost two months before Kieran. 

History

The possibility of being the reigning champion of all the current four Majors did not exist until 1924/25, when the International Lawn Tennis Federation designated the Australasian, French (before 1925 only open to members of French tennis clubs), British and American championship tournaments as the four Majors. Before that time only three events: Wimbledon, the World Hard Court Championships (held in Paris & once in Brussels) and the World Covered Court Championships (held in various locations) were considered the premier international tennis events by the ILTF.  Tony Wilding of New Zealand won all three of those earlier majors in one year – 1913. It has been possible to complete a Grand Slam in most years and most disciplines since 1925. It was not possible from 1940 to 1945 because of interruptions at Wimbledon, the Australian and French opens due to the Second World War, the years from 1970 to 1985 when there was no Australian tournament in mixed doubles, and 1986 when there was no Australian Open at all.

The first definitive Grand Slam, of the current four majors, was accomplished when Don Budge won all four men's singles Majors in 1938. To date, 17 players have completed a Grand Slam, though only six in the most prestigious singles titles. Of these players, three have won multiple Grand Slams: Rod Laver accomplished the feat twice in men's singles; Margaret Court accomplished the feat three times, in two different disciplines – once in women's singles and twice in mixed doubles; and Esther Vergeer completed a grand slam twice in Women's wheelchair doubles.

The four Junior disciplines, boys' and girls' singles and doubles, provide limited opportunities to achieve a Grand Slam. Players are only eligible from age 13 to 18, with 18-year-olds likely to hold a physical advantage. Only Stefan Edberg has completed the Grand Slam in a Junior discipline.

Tournament details

Australian Open
* Dates: last fortnight of January
* Venue: Melbourne Park, Melbourne 
* Current Men's Singles champion: Novak Djokovic
* Current Women's Singles champion: Angelique Kerber

French Open
* Dates: fortnight of late May / early June
* Venue: Stade Roland Garros, Paris
* Current Men's Singles champion: Novak Djokovic
* Current Women's Singles champion: Garbiñe Muguruza

Wimbledon Championships
* Dates: fortnight of late June / early July
* Venue: All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, London
* Current Men's Singles champion: Andy Murray
* Current Women's Singles champion: Serena Williams

US Open
* Dates: fortnight of late August / early September 
* Venue: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, New York City
* Current Men's Singles champion: Novak Djokovic
* Current Women's Singles champion: Flavia Pennetta

Winners

Grand Slam champions

;Per discipline (all-time)

* List of Grand Slam men's singles champions
* List of Grand Slam women's singles champions
* List of Grand Slam men's doubles champions
* List of Grand Slam women's doubles champions
* List of Grand Slam mixed doubles champions

* List of Grand Slam boys' singles champions
* List of Grand Slam boys' doubles champions
* List of Grand Slam girls' singles champions
* List of Grand Slam girls' doubles champions
* List of Wheelchair Tennis Champions

;Per tournament (Open Era only)
* List of Australian Open champions
* List of French Open champions
* List of Wimbledon Open Era champions
* List of US Open (tennis) champions

Champions who completed the Grand Slam

Chronological

Per player

Non-calendar year Grand Slam

In 1982 the International Tennis Federation (ITF) broadened the definition of the Grand Slam as meaning any four consecutive major victories, including the ones spanning two calendar years.  As defined in the constitution of the ITF: "The Grand Slam titles are the championships of Australia, France, the United States of America and Wimbledon. Players who hold all four of these titles at the same time achieve the Grand Slam".  As this definition differs from the original definition of the Grand Slam as restricted to a single calendar year, there has been some controversy in the tennis world as regards this redefinition.   Subsequently, the ITF has distanced itself from the 1982 decision, reverting to the traditional calendar-year definition (when Martina Navratilova won the 1984 French Open to become the reigning champion of all four women's singles, the ITF awarded her $1 million Grand Slam bonus in recognition of her achievement). However subsequently, the ITF abandoned recognizing non-calendar year grand slams.

Combining the Grand Slam and non-calendar year Grand Slam, the total number of times that players achieved the feat (of being the reigning champion in all four majors) expands to 18.

Novak Djokovic is the only male singles player to accomplish the Grand Slam by this definition during the Open Era — winning the four majors consecutively starting with Wimbledon 2015, through the French Open 2016.  Prior to the Open Era, Don Budge was in that same position at the French Championships in 1938 when he completed the Grand Slam that began with Wimbledon 1937, then won the remaining majors in 1938 – Wimbledon and the U.S. Championships – making Budge, with six in a row, the only male to ever win more than four consecutive major tournaments.  The Bryan brothers (Bob and Mike) were the last to achieve this in men's doubles. Several players and teams came up one title short. Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde, known collectively as The Woodies, reached the final of the 1997 French Open holding all the other three titles, but lost to Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Daniel Vacek. In singles, Pete Sampras lost the 1994 French Open quarterfinal to fellow countryman Jim Courier, having won the previous three Majors. Roger Federer in 2006 and 2007 and Novak Djokovic in 2012 repeated this, both ultimately losing the French Open final to Rafael Nadal. Nadal himself was prevented from achieving this feat by his own countryman David Ferrer, who defeated him in the quarterfinal of the Australian Open 2011, with Nadal previously having won the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open in 2010.

Men's singles

* Novak Djokovic (2015–16)
**Four consecutive major titles from 2015 Wimbledon to 2016 French Open.

Women's singles

* Martina Navratilova (1983–84)
** Six consecutive major titles from 1983 Wimbledon to US Open 1984.
: Note: From 1977 to 1985, the Australian Open was held in December as the last Major of the calendar year.
* Steffi Graf (1993–94)
** Four consecutive major titles from 1993 French Open to the 1994 Australian Open.
* Serena Williams (2002–03, 2014–15)
** Four consecutive major titles from 2002 French Open to the 2003 Australian Open.
** Four consecutive major titles from 2014 US Open to 2015 Wimbledon.

Men's doubles

* Bob Bryan and Mike Bryan (2012–13)
** Four consecutive major titles from 2012 US Open to 2013 Wimbledon.

Women's doubles

* Louise Brough (1949–50)
** Four consecutive major titles from the 1949 French Championships to 1950 Australian Championships (three times with Margaret Osborne duPont and the 1950 Australian Championships won with Doris Hart).
* Pam Shriver and Martina Navratilova (1986–87)
** Four consecutive major titles from 1986 Wimbledon to the 1987 French Open.
** Navratilova also won the 1986 French Open with Andrea Temesvári, totaling 5 consecutive major titles for her.
* Gigi Fernández and Natasha Zvereva (1992–93)
** Six consecutive major titles from the 1992 French Open to 1993 Wimbledon.
* Natasha Zvereva (1996–97)
** Four consecutive major titles from the 1996 US Open to 1997 Wimbledon (three times with Gigi Fernández and the 1997 Australian Open won with Martina Hingis).
* Serena Williams and Venus Williams (2009–2010)
** Four consecutive titles from 2009 Wimbledon to the 2010 French Open.

Mixed doubles

* Billie Jean King (1967–68)
** Four consecutive major titles from 1967 French Championships to the 1968 Australian Championships (three times with Owen Davidson and the 1968 Australian Championships won with Dick Crealy).

Men's wheelchair doubles

*Stéphane Houdet (2009–2010)
** Five consecutive titles from the 2009 French Open to 2010 French Open (the first two with Michaël Jeremiasz, the 2009 US Open won with Stefan Olsson and the last two with Shingo Kunieda)
*Shingo Kunieda (2014–2015)
** Four consecutive titles from the 2014 Wimbledon to 2015 French Open (the first three with Stéphane Houdet and the 2015 French Open with Gordon Reid)

Career Grand Slam

The career achievement of all four major championships in one discipline is termed a Career Grand Slam in that discipline. Dozens of players have accomplished that (column two) and 17 have doubled it: won a second championship in each of the four majors in one discipline (column three). Two or more career championships in all four majors is sometimes called a "Multiple Slam Set". Three players have Multiple Slam Sets in two disciplines, one in three disciplines, so 22 players are counted in the table (column three). Their achievements are tabulated below.

Eight men and ten women have won Career Grand Slams in singles play (rows one and two); among them two men and five women have at least two Career Grand Slams in singles (column three). Since the beginning of the open era, five men and six women have achieved this (Rod Laver, Andre Agassi, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic; Margaret Court, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, Steffi Graf, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova).

Several singles players have won three major championships without achieving the Career Grand Slam:

*Australian Open: René Lacoste, Henri Cochet, Helen Wills, Althea Gibson, Tony Trabert and Margaret Osborne duPont
*French Open: Frank Sedgman, Ashley Cooper, Louise Brough Clapp, Virginia Wade, Arthur Ashe, Pete Sampras, John Newcombe, Jimmy Connors, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Martina Hingis, and Lindsay Davenport
*Wimbledon: Ken Rosewall, Hana Mandlíková, Ivan Lendl, Monica Seles, Guillermo Vilas, Mats Wilander and Justine Henin
*US Open: Jean Borotra, Jack Crawford, Lew Hoad and Evonne Goolagong Cawley

Several doubles players have won three major championships without achieving the Career Grand Slam:

*Australian Open: John Van Ryn, Helen Wills, Elizabeth Ryan, Margaret Osborne duPont, Darlene Hard, Billie Jean King, Betty Stöve, Robert Seguso, Mahesh Bhupathi and Lindsay Davenport
*French Open: John Bromwich, Nancy Richey, Arantxa Sánchez Vicario and Sania Mirza
*Wimbledon: Vic Seixas, Ashley Cooper, Virginia Wade, Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suárez
*US Open: Jean Borotra, Jacques Brugnon, Jack Crawford, Althea Gibson and Rod Laver

Only six players have completed a Career Grand Slam in both singles and doubles, one male (Roy Emerson) and five female (Margaret Court, Doris Hart, Shirley Fry Irvin, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams). Court, Hart and Navratilova are the only three players to have completed a "Career Boxed Set", winning all four titles in singles, doubles and mixed doubles; this has never been done by a male player.

The remainder of this section is a complete list, by discipline, of all players who have won the Career Grand Slam. Players are ordered chronologically by their completion of the Slam.

Men's singles
 

Eight men have won the four grand slam tournaments. Two of the eight men achieved a double career Slam. Originally, the grand slams were held on grass (Australian, Wimbledon, and US Open) and clay (French) and the first four players achieved their grand slams on two surfaces. The US Open changed its surface from grass to clay in 1975 and then clay to hard court in 1978. The Australian Open changed from grass to hard court in 1988. The last four players (Agassi, Federer, Nadal, Djokovic) achieved their grand slam on three different surfaces: hard court, clay, and grass.

Women's singles
 

Each woman's "first wins" in the four Majors are listed chronologically and their ages upon completion of the Slam are given in brackets. Five of the ten women achieved at least two career Slams, two of the ten have achieved three careers slams and Steffi Graf is the only player to achieve four career Slams.

Note: From 1977 to 1985, the Australian Open was held in December as the last Major of the calendar year.

Men's doubles
 

At Men's Doubles, 21 players have won the career Slam including fourteen who "slammed" with one partner. The latter are listed first, as seven teams, ignoring any major wins with other partners. Five of the 21 men achieved at least a double career Slam at Men's Doubles, led by Roy Emerson and John Newcombe with triple Slams.

Note: From 1977 to 1985, the Australian Open was held in December as the last Major of the calendar year.

Women's doubles
 

At Women's Doubles, 21 players have won the career Slam including ten who "slammed" with one partner. Eight of the 22 achieved at least a double career Slam at Women's Doubles, led by Martina Navratilova with seven or more titles in each Major.

Note: From 1977 to 1985, the Australian Open was held in December as the last Major of the calendar year.

Mixed doubles
 

At Mixed Doubles, a total of 17 players have won the career Slam, including seven who "slammed" as a pair (won all four with same partner) — an odd number because Margaret Court has accomplished a career Grand Slam separately with Ken Fletcher and Marty Riessen. The other four of the seven are Doris Hart, Frank Sedgman, Leander Paes and Martina Hingis. Also three of the 15 players have accomplished multiple career Grand Slams in mixed doubles, led by Margaret Court's quadruple Slam.

Boy's singles

* Stefan Edberg (1983)

Boy's doubles

* Mark Kratzmann (1983 French Open, Wimbledon & US Open; 1984 Australian Open)

Men's wheelchair doubles

Wheelchair tennis Grand Slams are possible only in men's doubles and women's doubles.   

Women's wheelchair doubles

Wheelchair tennis Grand Slams are possible only in men's doubles and women's doubles.

Most consecutive Grand Slam tournament titles

Men's singles

* 6: Don Budge (from the 1937 Wimbledon to the 1938 U.S. Championships).

Women's singles

* 6: Maureen Connolly (from the 1952 Wimbledon to the 1953 U.S. Championships).
* 6: Margaret Court (from the 1969 US Open to the 1971 Australian Open).
* 6: Martina Navratilova (from the 1983 Wimbledon to the 1984 US Open).
Note: From 1977 to 1985, the Australian Open was held in December as the last Major of the calendar year.

Men's doubles

Team:
* 7: Ken McGregor and Frank Sedgman (from the 1951 Australian Championships to the 1952 Wimbledon)

Player:
* 8: Frank Sedgman (from the 1950 U.S. Championships to the 1952 Wimbledon)

Women's doubles

Team and Player:
* 8: Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver (from the 1983 Wimbledon to the 1985 French Open)

Mixed doubles

Team:
* 6: Margaret Court and Ken Fletcher (from the 1963 Australian Championships to the 1964 French Championships)

Player:
* 7: Margaret Court (from the 1962 US Championships to the 1964 French Championships)

Men's wheelchair singles

* 13: Shingo Kunieda (from the 2007 Australian Open to the 2011 French Open)

Women's wheelchair singles

* 13: Esther Vergeer (from the 2005 French Open to the 2009 US Open)
* 7: Esther Vergeer (from the 2010 French Open to the 2012 Wimbledon)

Men's wheelchair doubles

Player:
* 5: Stéphane Houdet (from the 2009 French Open to the 2010 French Open)
* 5: Stéphane Houdet (from the 2014 Australian Open to the 2015 Australian Open)

Women's wheelchair doubles

Team:
* 7: Esther Vergeer and Sharon Walraven (from the 2010 Wimbledon to 2012 Australian Open)

Player:
* 14: Esther Vergeer (from the 2005 French Open to the 2009 US Open)
* 8: Esther Vergeer (from the 2010 French Open to the 2012 French Open)

Most consecutive Grand Slam singles finals

Men

Women

Most Grand Slam singles titles in a row (non-consecutive)

Helen Wills Moody won all 16 of the Grand Slam singles tournaments she played beginning with the 1924 U.S. Championships and extending to the 1933 Wimbledon Championships (not counting her defaults in the 1926 French and Wimbledon Championships). The first 15 of those were won without losing a set. During this period, she won 6 Wimbledons, 4 French Championships, and 6 U.S. Championships. She also won the 1924 Summer Olympics during this period. Moody never entered the Australian Championships.

Most Grand Slam mixed doubles titles in a row (non-consecutive)

Doris Hart won all 13 of the Grand Slam mixed doubles tournaments she played beginning with the 1951 French Championships and extending to the 1955 U.S. Championships. During this period, she won 5 Wimbledons, 3 French Championships, and 5 U.S. Championships.

Golden Slam

Tennis was an Olympic sport from the inaugural 1896 Summer Olympics through the 1924 Games, then was dropped for the next 64 years (except as a demonstration sport in 1968 and 1984) before returning in 1988. As there were only three Major championships designated by the International Lawn Tennis Federation before 1925, none of the tennis players who participated in the Olympics between 1896 and 1924 had a chance to complete a Golden Grand Slam. However although it didn't occur, there was a possibility to complete a Career Golden Grand Slam by winning the 1920 Olympics or 1924 Olympics plus each of the four grand slams, all of which were present from 1925 onwards. The term Golden Slam (initially "Golden Grand Slam") was coined in 1988. 

Only one player has completed the Golden Slam:  
Steffi Graf (1988 Australian Open, 1988 French Open, 1988 Wimbledon Championships, 1988 US Open, and 1988 Olympic gold medal)

Non-calendar year Golden Slam

Winning four consecutive Grand Slam tournaments and Olympic event in the period of twelve months, although not in one year is called a Non-calendar year Golden Slam.  Only Bob and Mike Bryan have achieved this by winning the 2012 Olympics, 2012 US Open, 2013 Australian Open, 2013 French Open and 2013 Wimbledon Championships. After they won the final at Wimbledon, this was coined the  "Golden Bryan Slam". 

*Note: Although Serena Williams held all four majors (winning consecutively all four majors from the 2014 US Open to the 2015 Wimbledon) and the 2012 Olympic Gold at the same time, it isn't considered a non-calendar year Golden Slam because she won her gold medal three years prior to the 12-month period where she held all four majors.

Career Golden Slam

A player who wins all four Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympic gold medal during his or her career is said to have achieved a Career Golden Slam. Serena Williams is the only player to have achieved a Career Golden Slam in both singles and doubles. 

Super Slam

In 1970 a tournament was created to reunite the top male players of the season, which is today called the ATP World Tour Finals. In 1972 the women's tour introduced the same concept, now known as the WTA Tour Championships. Both are contested at the end of the year and are the last official competitions of the ATP and WTA seasons. Winning this event along with the four Grand Slams and the Olympic gold medal is known as completing the Super Slam.,    and achievement which has only been possible since 1988, when tennis returned to the Olympic calendar.

No player has ever completed the Super Slam in one season.

Non-calendar year Super Slam

Only one player has completed the Super Slam in the period of twelve months:
Steffi Graf (1987 WTA Tour Championships, 1988 Australian Open, 1988 French Open, 1988 Wimbledon Championships, 1988 US Open & 1988 Olympic gold medal)

*Note: Although Serena Williams held all four majors (winning consecutively all four majors from the 2014 US Open to the 2015 Wimbledon), the 2012 Olympic Gold and the 2014 WTA Tour Championships at the same time, it is not considered a non-calendar year Super Slam because it was not accomplished in a 12-month period.

Career Super Slam

The following players have completed the Super Slam during their career:

Three Major tournament titles in a year

Players who have won three of the four Grand Slam tournaments in the same year. Jack Crawford, Lew Hoad, Martina Navratilova and Serena Williams won the first three events, but lost the last grand slam tournament. Crawford, an asthmatic, won two of the first three sets of the 1933 U.S. Championships final against Fred Perry, then tired in the heat and lost the last two sets and the match. 

;Men's singles

;Women's singles

;Men's doubles

*note: UR=Unknown Result. Please help us find this information.

;Women's doubles

;Mixed doubles

;Boys' singles
* Mark Kratzmann
: 1984: Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open
* Nicolás Pereira
: 1988: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
* Gaël Monfils
: 2004: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon

;Boys' doubles
* Mark Kratzmann
: 1983: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
Simon Youl
: 1983: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
* Jason Stoltenberg
: 1988: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
Todd Woodbridge
: 1988: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
* Ben Ellwood
: 1994: Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open
* Brendan Evans
: 2004: Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open
* Scott Oudsema
: 2004: Australian Open, Wimbledon, US Open

;Girls' singles
* Natalia Zvereva
: 1987: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
* Magdalena Maleeva
: 1990: Australian Open, French Open, US Open

;Girls' doubles
* Beth Herr
: 1982: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open
* Corina Morariu
: 1995: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
* Ludmilla Varmuzova
: 1995: Australian Open, French Open, US Open
* Victoria Azarenka
: 2005: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
* Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova
: 2006: Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon
* Urszula Radwańska
: 2007: French Open, Wimbledon, US Open

;Men's wheelchair singles 

;Men's wheelchair doubles

;Women's wheelchair singles

;Women's wheelchair doubles

Note: From 1977 to 1985, the Australian Open was held in December as the last Major of the calendar year.

Triple Crown

Winning singles, doubles and mixed doubles titles at one Grand Slam event is called a Triple Crown.    It has become a rare accomplishment in tennis. This is partly because the final match in all three disciplines often takes place concurrently in the same day if not in consecutive days. Doris Hart for example attained her first Triple Crown after playing three Wimbledon final matches held in one single day.

Notes:
*This list excludes the 1909 triple crown of Jeanne Matthey and the 1920, 1921, 1922 and 1923 triple crown wins of Suzanne Lenglen. The French Championship tennis tournament at the time was a domestic competition not recognized as an international major. At the time the major clay court event (actual precursor of the French Open in its current international format) was the World Hard Court Championships, where Suzanne Lenglen also attained triple championship in 1921 and 1922).
*Also the 1941 triple championship of Alice Weiwers is not listed due to its disputed official status: French championships held in Vichy France from 1941 to 1945 are currently not recognized by Fédération Française de Tennis.

;Men

;Women

Boxed Set

Another Grand Slam-related accomplishment is winning a "boxed set" of Grand Slam titles – which is at least one of every possible type of Major championship available to a player: the singles, doubles, and mixed doubles at all four Grand Slam events of the year. This has never been accomplished within a year or consecutively across two calendar years.

Career Boxed Set

The Career Boxed Set refers to winning one of every possible grand slam title (singles, doubles, mixed) over the course of an entire career. No male player has completed this, although Frank Sedgman came close. He only missed out on the French Open singles title. Men who participate in top/elite level singles have played comparatively few doubles, and very few mixed doubles. So far, only three women have completed the boxed set during their careers:

Court is not only unique in having two boxed sets, but is also unique in the timing of her accomplishments. Her first boxed set was completed before the start of the open era, and she has a boxed set achieved solely within the open era.

Martina Hingis has come closer than any other currently active player to joining this elite group. She just needs the French Open singles, having reached the final in 1997 and 1999.  Prior to Hingis, it was Billie Jean King who came close at completing a career boxed set. She only needed the Australian Open women's doubles title and although she reached the final twice (in 1965 and 1969), she failed to win the title.

Multiple Career Grand Slams

Of the many players who have managed to win a full set of four majors, there is a small number who have gone on to win all four majors a second or more times. The completion of "Multiple Career Grand Slams" or sometimes called "multiple slam sets" (MSS) has been achieved by only 22 unique players up to the end of the 2015 Wimbledon. MSS players can be found in each of the five tennis disciplines: men's or women's singles, men's or women's doubles, mixed doubles. It can also be found in women's wheelchair doubles. Of these, five players have completed MSS in more than one discipline: Roy Emerson, Martina Navratilova, Frank Sedgman and Serena Williams have MSS in two disciplines, Margaret Court has MSS in three disciplines.

This table shows each multiple occurrence of a complete MSS for each of the players who have accomplished multiple slams in a particular tennis discipline. The year shown for each of the four majors is the year that particular major win was repeated as part of that player's achievement of their second (all 22 players) and third (8 players) and fourth (4 players) and fifth through seventh (Martina Navratilova, in women's doubles) complete slam set of Major wins.

For example, the fourth row shows that Margaret Court completed her third career slam set in Women's Singles—winning each of the four majors three times—during the 1970 Wimbledon Championships (bold). More specific, she won: Australian open 11 times, the third in 1962; French Open five times, the third in 1969; Wimbledon three times (determines the maximum of sets), the third in 1970 and finally US Open five times, the third in 1969. Grey background shades lesser achievements by the same player in the same discipline (e.g., Court in the eighth row); yellow highlights the greatest achievement in the discipline (e.g., Graf in the third row).

By discipline (numbers of players and table entries)
* Men's Singles (2 people; 2 entries)
* Women's Singles (5 people; 9 entries)
* Men's Doubles (8 people; 10 entries)
* Women's Doubles (9 people; 17 entries)
* Mixed Doubles (4 people, 6 entries)
* Men's Wheelchair Doubles (2 people; 3 entries)
* Women's Wheelchair Doubles (3 people; 4 entries)

Pro Slam

Before the Open Era began in 1968, only amateur players were allowed to compete in the four majors. Many male top players "went pro" in order to win prize money legally, competing on a professional world tour comprising completely different events.  From 1927 through 1967, the three oldest pro events were considered "majors" of the pro tour: the U.S. Pro Tennis Championships, French Pro Championship and Wembley Championships.   A player who won all three in a calendar year was considered to achieve a "Professional Grand Slam", or "Pro Slam". The feat was accomplished twice:
Ken Rosewall in 1963; 
Rod Laver in 1967. 
Three other players won those three major trophies during their pro careers: Ellsworth Vines, Hans Nüsslein and Don Budge. The pro slams did not have a women's draw. Petros "Pete" Sampras  () (born August 12, 1971) is a retired American tennis player and former world No. 1 regarded as one of the greatest players in tennis history.  He debuted on the professional tour in 1988 and finished his career at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating rival Andre Agassi in the final. He was particularly esteemed for his precise serve, earning the nickname "Pistol Pete".

Sampras became the first professional to break Roy Emerson's pre-Open Era record of 12 Grand Slam singles titles and retired with 14 titles (seven Wimbledon, five US Open, two Australian Open), a record since overtaken by Roger Federer and equalled by Rafael Nadal. He also won seven elite indoor titles (five ATP World Tour Finals and two Grand Slam Cups) and still holds the ATP record of six year-end No. 1 rankings, achieved consecutively from 1993 through 1998.

Early life

Sampras was born in Washington, D.C., the third child of Soterios "Sammy" and Georgia (née Vroustouris) Sampras. His mother emigrated from Sparta, Greece, and his father was born in the United States to a Greek father, Costas "Gus" Sampras and a Jewish mother, Sarah A. Steinberg.  He attended regular services of the Greek Orthodox Church on Sundays. 
From an early age, Sampras showed signs of outstanding athletic ability. At the age of 3, Sampras discovered a tennis racket in the basement of his home and spent hours hitting balls against the wall.

In 1978, the Sampras family moved to Palos Verdes, California, and the warmer climate there allowed the seven-year-old Sampras to play more tennis. From early on, his great idol was Rod Laver, and at the age of 11, Sampras met and played with him. The Sampras family joined the Jack Kramer Club, and it was here that Sampras's talent became apparent. He was spotted by Peter Fischer, a pediatrician and tennis enthusiast, who coached Sampras until 1989.   Fischer was responsible for converting Sampras's double-handed backhand to single-handed with the goal of being better prepared to win Wimbledon.  

Professional career

1988

Sampras turned professional in 1988, at the age of 16, and finished the year ranked World No. 97 after starting the year at World No. 893.  His first professional match was a loss to Sammy Giammalva, Jr. at the February Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia. However, just one week later at the Lipton International Players Championships in Miami, Sampras defeated two top-40 players before losing to world number 18 Emilio Sánchez. He did not defeat another top-40 player for almost six months, when he defeated World No. 39 Michiel Schapers at a US Open warm-up tournament in Rye Brook, New York. In his first Grand Slam singles match, Sampras lost to World No. 69 Jaime Yzaga of Peru in the first round of the US Open. Sampras did not advance past the quarterfinals in his next three tournaments, although he did record wins over World No. 79 Jim Courier in their first career match-up, and world number 8 Tim Mayotte. 

1989

The following year, Sampras slightly improved his ranking to a year-ending world number 81.   He lost in the first round of the 1989 Australian Open to Christian Saceanu and the first round of Wimbledon to Todd Woodbridge. He won a Grand Slam singles match for the first time at the French Open, before losing in the second round to eventual champion, 17-year-old Michael Chang, in their first career match-up. At the US Open, Sampras defeated defending champion and fifth-seeded Mats Wilander in the second round before losing to World No. 13 Jay Berger in the fourth round. To end the year, Sampras lost in the first round of four consecutive tournaments. 

1990

Sampras finished 1990 at World No. 5, having started the year ranked World No. 61 just prior to the start of the Australian Open.   He lost to Wilander in the quarterfinals of the tournament in Sydney. At the Australian Open, Sampras upset twelfth-ranked Mayotte in the first round before losing to thirteenth-ranked Yannick Noah in the fourth round in four sets. His first professional singles title came in February at the Ebel U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia, where he defeated sixth-ranked Andre Agassi, eighth-ranked Mayotte, and eighteenth-ranked Andrés Gómez in the final. This title elevated his ranking into the top 20 for the first time.

Sampras did not play in the 1990 French Open and again lost in the first round of Wimbledon, this time to Christo van Rensburg. Sampras played seven consecutive weeks during the North American summer hard-court season. He defeated John McEnroe in the quarterfinals of the Canadian Open, but then lost to Chang in the semifinals. He also reached the semifinals of the tournament in Los Angeles, where he lost to World No. 2 Stefan Edberg. He did not advance past the quarterfinals in his next three tournaments, losing to Chang, Richey Reneberg, and Goran Ivanišević.

In September, Sampras captured his first Grand Slam title at the US Open. Along the way, he defeated sixth-ranked Thomas Muster in the fourth round and third-ranked Ivan Lendl in a five-set quarterfinal, breaking Lendl's streak of eight consecutive US Open finals. He then defeated 20th-ranked McEnroe in a four-set semifinal to set up a final with fourth-ranked Agassi. Sampras beat Agassi in straight sets to become the US Open's youngest-ever male singles champion at the age of 19 years and 28 days.  He played five more tournaments and won the Grand Slam Cup to complete his year. 

1991

In 1991, Sampras captured the first of his five career titles at the year-end Tennis Masters Cup. Upon entering the US Open as the defending champion that year, he caused controversy when, after losing in the quarterfinals to Jim Courier, Sampras said that he was not disappointed and felt relieved that the pressure to defend his title was no longer on him. This led to widespread criticism, which included disparaging remarks from Courier and Jimmy Connors. 

1992

In 1992, Sampras reached the quarterfinals of the French Open for the first of three consecutive years, made it to the Wimbledon semifinals, and was the runner-up at the US Open to Stefan Edberg. Sampras later stated that his loss in the US Open final that year was a "wake-up call" and that he needed to figure out how to become the world number 1.  He also played doubles with John McEnroe on the US team that won the Davis Cup, duplicating the feat in 1995.

1992 was also the year when Sampras made his only appearance at a Summer Olympics. The event was played on clay, which was considered his worst surface. Nonetheless, Sampras advanced to the third round before giving up a two-set lead and losing to Andrei Cherkasov of Russia.

1993

Sampras reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in early 1993, losing again to Stefan Edberg and matched the previous year's quarterfinal performance at the French Open. In April 1993, Sampras attained the world number 1 ranking for the first time. His rise to the top of the rankings was controversial because he had not recently won any Grand Slam titles, but he justified his ranking three months later by claiming his first Wimbledon title, beating former world number 1 Jim Courier in the final. This was followed by his second US Open title. He finished the year as the clear no. 1 and set a new ATP Tour record that year by becoming the first player to serve more than 1,000 aces in a season.

1994

Sampras won the first of two Australian Open titles in 1994, defeating American Todd Martin in the final, and then defended his Wimbledon later that year.

1995

In 1995, Sampras battled with co-patriot Andre Agassi for the world number 1 ranking. Sampras experienced one of the most emotional matches of his career, when he played Courier in the quarterfinals of the Australian Open.  Sampras' longtime coach and close friend, Tim Gullikson, had mysteriously collapsed during the tournament and was forced to return to the United States. Gullikson was later diagnosed with brain cancer, to which he succumbed the following year. Saddened by Gullikson's illness, Sampras began visibly weeping during the match when a spectator shouted to win it for Gullikson, but managed to defeat Courier. Sampras went on to lose the final to Andre Agassi in four sets. Paul Annacone took over as Sampras' full-time coach after Gullikson's illness made it impossible for him to continue coaching. 

Sampras defeated Agassi in the final at Indian Wells, and then won his third straight Wimbledon title over Boris Becker. Sampras lost in the final of the Canadian Masters to Agassi, and then beat Agassi in the final of the US Open.

1996

Sampras put in his furthest advance at the French Open, when he lost a semifinal match to the eventual winner, Yevgeny Kafelnikov.

Sampras lost in the quarterfinals of Wimbledon to eventual winner Richard Krajicek.

At the US Open, Sampras faced Àlex Corretja in the quarterfinals where he vomited on the court at 1–1 in the final set tiebreak due to dehydration. Sampras advanced to the finals where he defeated world number two Michael Chang to defend his US Open title. Sampras finished off the year by claiming the season-ending ATP Tour World Championship.

1997

Sampras won his second Australian Open title in January, defeating Carlos Moyá in the final.  In July, he won Wimbledon for the fourth time, defeating Cédric Pioline in the final.  Sampras also won singles titles in San Jose, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Munich, and Paris, and the ATP Tour World Championships in Hanover, Germany. He became the only player to win both the Grand Slam Cup and the ATP Tour World Championships in the same year.

He had a 10–1 win–loss record against top-10 opponents and was undefeated in eight singles finals. He held the world number 1 ranking for the entire year and joined Jimmy Connors (1974–1978) as the only male players to hold the year-end world number 1 ranking for five consecutive years. His prize money earnings of US$6,498,211 for the year was a career high.

1998

In 1998, Sampras's no. 1 ranking was challenged by Chilean player Marcelo Ríos. Sampras failed to defend his Australian Open title, losing in the quarterfinals to Karol Kučera,  and won Wimbledon only after a hard-fought five-set victory over Goran Ivanišević.

Sampras lost in the final of the Cincinnati Masters to Patrick Rafter after a controversial line call. Sampras faced Rafter again in the semifinals of the US Open, losing in five sets after leading the match two sets to one, and Rafter went on to win his second consecutive US Open title. Sampras lost another semifinal at the Tennis Masters Cup to eventual champion Àlex Corretja. Nevertheless, Sampras finished the year as the top-ranked player for the sixth year in a row.

1999

This year also started out disappointingly, as Sampras withdrew from the Australian Open and failed to win a title during the early part of the season. However, he then went on a 24-match winning streak, including the Stella Artois Championships, Wimbledon (equaling Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam singles titles), Los Angeles, and Cincinnati (a rematch of last year's final with Patrick Rafter). Sampras' victory over Andre Agassi in the Wimbledon final is often cited as one of Sampras' greatest performances (despite this, he lost his no. 1 ranking to Agassi the following day, when ATP Tour rankings were updated). That run ended when he was forced to retire from the RCA Championships and the US Open because of a herniated disc in his back.

Sampras' ranking was hurt through a combination of withdrawing from the Australian and US Opens, tournaments in which he had strong performances during the previous year, and the resurgence of longtime rival Agassi, putting an end to Sampras' six consecutive years of finishing as world number 1. Agassi took over the top ranking and held it for the rest of the season, but Sampras recovered and managed to beat him in the season-ending Tennis Masters Cup for the fifth and final time, enabling Sampras to remain third in the rankings.

2000

Sampras reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in early 2000, falling to the eventual champion Agassi in a five-set match. He won the Ericsson Open in Key Biscayne, Florida for the third time in March. Sampras then won a record-breaking 13th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon, battling through tendinitis in his right shin and a painful back injury in the process, to defeat Patrick Rafter in four sets. This victory was his eighth consecutive year winning in a Grand Slam final (starting at 1993 Wimbledon), a record in the Open Era until being surpassed by Rafael Nadal in 2013.

In the 2000 US Open, Sampras overcame Richard Krajicek in four sets at the quarterfinals (falling behind 2-6 in the second-set tie breaker before winning the second set), then defeated Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals, and loss the final to Marat Safin.  Despite the loss, Sampras' run to the final of the tournament saw him return to the top of the world rankings in September 2000; however, he was unable to end the year at number one, with Gustavo Kuerten of Brazil taking the honour.  This marked the last time in Sampras' career that he held the number one ranking, and took his total to 286 weeks (non-consecutive) ranked as the world's best player, a record which stood until 2012 when it was surpassed by Roger Federer.

2001

At the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, Sampras lost to Roger Federer, then aged 19, 6–7(7), 7–5, 4–6, 7–6(2), 5–7, in the fourth round, ending Sampras' 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon, and a match that marked the only time that the two men ever played each other on the ATP tour. Federer would go on to equal Sampras' record of 7 Wimbledon victories, and break his record of 14 Grand Slam titles. At the 2001 US Open, Sampras defeated Patrick Rafter, Andre Agassi and Marat Safin in the round of sixteen, quarterfinals, and semifinals, respectively, all of them the previous three US Open Champions. In the final, Sampras was beaten in straight sets by Lleyton Hewitt.  Sampras' losses in the 2000 and 2001 US Open Finals to Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt, respectively, leading many to speculate that Sampras would never capture another major title.

2002

In 2002, Sampras suffered an early exit from Wimbledon, losing in the second round to no. 145 fast-court specialist George Bastl of Switzerland. After that loss, Sampras asked his former coach Paul Annacone to return and coach through the US Open.  Sampras had a relatively poor summer leading up to the US Open, losing at Cincinnati to No. 70-ranked Wayne Arthurs in the second round, and then being eliminated at the opening round at Long Island by No. 85. Paul-Henri Mathieu.

At the US Open, Sampras was seeded 17th. Greg Rusedski, whom Sampras had defeated in a long five-set third round match at the US Open, said that Sampras was "a step and a half slower" and predicted that Sampras would lose his next match. Sampras, however, then defeated two young stars, Tommy Haas in the fourth round and Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals. He then defeated Sjeng Schalken in the semifinals to reach his third straight US Open final, and eighth US Open final overall, tying Ivan Lendl's all-time record. This time, he faced Agassi, whom he had met in his very first Grand Slam final 12 years earlier. After a four-set battle between the two veterans, Sampras claimed a then-record 14th Grand Slam singles title and matched Jimmy Connors' record of five US Open singles championships. 

Sampras did not compete in any tour events in the following 12 months, but he did not officially announce his retirement until August 2003, just prior to the US Open.  He chose not to defend his title there, but his retirement announcement was timed so that he could say farewell at a special ceremony organized for him at the Open. At the time of his retirement, many regarded Sampras as the greatest player of all time.  

Career summary

Sampras won 64 top-level singles titles (including 14 Grand Slam titles, 11 Super 9/ATP Masters Series/ATP World Tour Masters 1000 titles and five Tennis Masters Cup titles) and two doubles titles. He was ranked the world number 1 for a total of 286 weeks (the second most of all-time after Roger Federer's 302 weeks) and was year-end no. 1 for a record six consecutive years from 1993 through 1998.

Sampras was known for his natural attacking serve-and-volley game, all-round game, and strong competitive instinct. Sampras's best surface was undoubtedly the fast-playing grass courts,  Sampras won seven Wimbledon titles (1993–95, 1997-2000), broken only by a loss in the 1996 quarterfinals to eventual winner Richard Krajicek, tying him with William Renshaw and Roger Federer for the most titles in Wimbledon history.  Sampras also shares the record of five US Open titles in the Open Era with Jimmy Connors and Federer. He won back-to-back US Open titles in 1995 and 1996, despite vomiting on the court at 1–1 in the final set tiebreak due to dehydration in the 1996 quarterfinals against Àlex Corretja. Combined with his two Australian Open titles, this gave Sampras a total of fourteen majors won on grass and hard courts.

Sampras's only real weakness was on clay courts, where the slow surface tempered his natural attacking serve-and-volley game. His best performance at the French Open came in 1996, when he lost a semifinal match to the eventual winner, Yevgeny Kafelnikov. Despite his limited success at Roland Garros, Sampras did win some significant matches on clay. He won a 1992 clay court tournament in Kitzbühel, defeating Alberto Mancini in the final. He won the prestigious Italian Open in 1994, defeating Boris Becker in the final, and two singles matches in the 1995 Davis Cup final against Russians Andrei Chesnokov and Yevgeny Kafelnikov in Moscow. Sampras also won a 1998 clay court tournament in Atlanta, defeating Jason Stoltenberg in the final.

Post-retirement activity

On April 6, 2006, three and a half years after his retirement, Sampras resurfaced and played his first exhibition match in River Oaks, Houston, Texas, against 23-year-old Robby Ginepri. Ginepri won the match in two sets. Sampras later announced that he would be playing in World Team Tennis events.

2007 saw Sampras announcing that he would play in a few events on the Outback Champions Series, a group of tournaments for former ATP players who have met certain criteria during their careers.  Sampras won his first two events on tour, defeating Todd Martin in both finals (one of which included Sampras's first trip to his ancestral homeland, Greece).  Many observers noted that despite his lengthy layoff from competitive tournaments, Sampras still possessed many of the previous skills he had displayed while on the ATP tour, with tennis legend John McEnroe going as far as to say that Sampras would be worthy of a top five seeding at Wimbledon were he to enter the tournament. 

On November 20, 2007, Sampras lost the first of three exhibition matches in Asia against Roger Federer in Seoul, Korea.  Two days later in Kuala Lumpur, Sampras again lost to Federer in two tiebreaks. However, Sampras was able to win the last match of the series, winning in two sets on fast carpet. 

On February 18, 2008, in an exhibition match during the SAP Open, Sampras defeated another active player, former world No. 2 Tommy Haas. Sampras dispatched the German in 43 minutes. 

On March 10, 2008, Sampras played another exhibition match against world No. 1 Roger Federer at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Sampras once again lost the match in three tight sets. 

In 2009 Sampras won two Outback Champions Series titles. He defeated McEnroe in the final of the Champions Cup Boston in February and Patrick Rafter in the final of The Del Mar Development Champions Cup in March. 

Sampras was present at the 2009 Wimbledon final between Andy Roddick and Roger Federer to witness Federer eclipse his mark of 14 major titles and become the most successful man in Grand Slam history. Sampras's record of 14 majors had lasted for seven years.

The following year along with Federer, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal, he played an exhibition doubles match at Indian Wells to raise money for the people of Haiti who had been affected by the earthquake.

In November 2010 Sampras reported that many of his trophies and memorabilia had been stolen from a West Los Angeles public storage facility.  The loss included the trophy from his first Australian Open victory,  two Davis Cups, an Olympic ring and six trophies for finishing top in the year-end rankings.  Most of the stolen items have since been recovered and returned. 

On November 17, 2011, Sampras played and lost an exhibition match against Milos Raonic. Sampras’ serve approached 200 km/h throughout the night. 

Rivalries

Sampras vs. Agassi

Sampras won 20 of the 34 matches he played against Agassi. 

The 1990 US Open was their first meeting in a Grand Slam tournament final. Agassi was favored because he was ranked world number 4, compared to the world number 12 ranking of Sampras and because Agassi had defeated Sampras in their only previously completed match. However, Agassi lost the final to Sampras in straight sets.

Their next meeting in a Grand Slam was at the 1992 French Open, where they met in the quarterfinals. Although Sampras was higher ranked, Agassi prevailed in straight sets. Their next Grand Slam meeting was at the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in 1993, where Agassi was the defending champion and Sampras was the newly minted world number 1. Sampras prevailed in five sets, and went on to win his first Wimbledon championship.

With both Sampras and Agassi participating, the U.S. won the Davis Cup in 1995. Notable Sampras-Agassi matches of 1995 included the finals of the Australian Open, the Newsweek Champions Cup, the Lipton International Players Championships, the Canadian Open, and the US Open, with Sampras winning the Newsweek Champions Cup and the US Open.

The next time Sampras and Agassi met in a Grand Slam final was at Wimbledon in 1999, where Sampras won in straight sets. For both, it was considered a career rejuvenation, as Sampras had suffered a string of disappointments in the last year while Agassi was regaining his status as a top-ranked player after winning the French Open. Sampras forfeited the world number 1 ranking to Agassi when injury forced Sampras to withdraw from that year's US Open, which Agassi went on to win. They faced each other twice in the season-ending ATP Tour World Championships, with Sampras losing the round-robin match, but winning the final.

They played each other only once in 2000. The top-ranked Agassi defeated world number 3 Sampras in the semifinals of the Australian Open in five sets.

In arguably their most memorable match, Sampras defeated Agassi in the 2001 US Open quarterfinals 6–7, 7–6, 7–6, 7–6. There were no breaks of serve during the entire match. Reruns of the match are frequently featured on television, especially during US Open rain delays.

The final of the 2002 US Open was their first meeting in a US Open final since 1995. The match also was notable because they had defeated several up-and-coming players en route to the final. Sampras had defeated world number 3 Tommy Haas in the fourth round and future world number 1 Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals, while Agassi had defeated world number 1 and defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinals. Sampras defeated Agassi in four sets. This was the final ATP tour singles match of Sampras's career. 

On August 2010 Sampras played an exhibition game with Andre Agassi at the indoor arena Coliseo Cubierto El Campin in Bogotá, Colombia.

Sampras vs. Rafter

Sampras won 12 of the 16 matches he played against Rafter, including eight of their first nine, and their final four meetings. 

In 1997, Rafter shocked the tennis world by winning the US Open, a tournament that many expected Sampras to win, having won in 1995 and 1996. The win catapulted Rafter to the year-end no. 2 rankings behind Sampras. Many, including seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe believed Rafter to be a "one-slam wonder", since it was only his second career ATP title.  Up to that point, Sampras was 5-1 against Rafter, and defeated Rafter three times easily in fall 1997 to solidify his No. 1 ATP ranking.  "We're not the best of mates," Rafter said of Sampras after 1997 Davis Cup semifinals, "I wouldn't go out for a beer with him, put it that way. I don't know what the story is. There's a bit of feeling." 

In 1998, their rivalry began to truly develop. Rafter came back from a set down to defeat Sampras in the Cincinnati Masters final, a title that Sampras needed to win in order get the maximum ranking points to stay No. 1 ahead of Marcelo Ríos. During that match Rafter's serve was called out, but the umpire overruled the call to give Rafter the ace and the Cincinnati title. Sampras was uncharacteristically displeased, as he stood at the baseline for several seconds, making the victorious Rafter wait at the net, and then refused to shake the umpire's hand. Sampras, at the time winner of 11 Grand Slams, when asked about the difference between himself and Rafter, famously stated "Ten grand slams", that a controversial line-call cost him the match, and that a player had to come back and win another Grand Slam title in order to be considered great.   Rafter went on to win the Canadian Masters as well, earning the third seed at the 1998 US Open.

The two met in the semifinals of the 1998 US Open, where Sampras was slowed in the third set by a leg injury and called for a trainer, and Rafter broke Sampras twice in the deciding fifth set.  Sampras's loss denied him the chance to match two records—Jimmy Connors' mark of five U.S. Open titles and Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam singles titles. Sampras cited a leg injury as the reason Rafter won, an attitude that upset the generally mild-mannered Aussie: "He really does say some funny things at the wrong time", said Rafter, "We are out there busting our guts and he doesn't show a lot of respect at the end of the day. He tries to play down the reason why he lost, giving no respect to the other player, and that is what really upsets me about him and the reason I try to piss him off as much as I can."  Following Rafter's successful defense of his 1997 U.S. Open title by defeating Mark Philippoussis in the 1998 final, when asked about Sampras' earlier comments about having to win another Grand Slam in order to be considered great, Rafter replied: "Maybe you can ask him that question, if he thinks that now. For me, I won another Slam, and it hasn't sunk in yet. It's very, very exciting for me, especially to repeat it". For his part, Sampras said about Rafter, "When I see him holding the US Open trophy, it pisses me off."  Rafter responded by calling Sampras a “cry baby” and saying that it would be better for tennis if someone besides the American were No. 1.

Sampras, whose struggles from 1998 continued over to early 1999, lost a third consecutive time against Rafter at the World Team Cup, in straight sets, just before the French Open. By the summer of 1999 having rebuilt his confidence, en route to compiling a 24-match winning streak of four titles including Wimbledon, Sampras prevailed against Rafter in the Cincinnati Masters final, a rematch of last year's final, and the two were friendly in the trophy ceremony. Later that summer, Sampras withdrew from the U.S. Open due to an injured back while Rafter retired in the first round as a result of a torn rotor cuff.[http://articles.latimes.com/2000/jul/09/sports/sp-50252]

The next Sampras-Rafter match was the 2000 Wimbledon final, after Rafter overcame Agassi in the semifinals, a four-set final which including a 26-minute rain delay. Both players had flown in their parents for the Wimbledon final, the first time in years they would see their sons play. Sampras lost the first set tiebreaker, and trailed in the second-set tiebreaker 1-4 before taking 5 consecutive points to win that set, then won the third and fourth sets for the Championship, with just 10 minutes of daylight left. That victory gave Sampras his 13th Grand Slam title, breaking the record of 12 by Roy Emerson for the most Grand Slam titles in history. After the match ended, Sampras called Rafter “all class, on and off the court”, while Rafter said he was lucky to overcome early season injuries to make the final.  

Sampras and Rafter met in the fourth round of the 2001 US Open, with Sampras winning. 

Playing style

Sampras was an all-court player who would often serve and volley. Possessing an all-around skill, in the early years of his career, when not serving, his strategy was to be offensive from the baseline, put opponents in a defensive position, and finish points at the net. In his later years, he became even more offensive and would either employ a chip-and-charge strategy or try to hit an offensive shot on the return and follow his return to the net.

He had an accurate and powerful first serve, one of the best of all time.  He had great disguise on both his first and second serves, and his second serve was nearly as powerful as his first. He was known for producing aces on critical points, even with his second serves.  

Sampras was able to hit winners from both his forehand and backhand from all over the court. He was able to catch attacks wide to his forehand using his speed and hitting a forehand shot on the run. When successfully executed, he won many points outright or put opponents immediately on the defensive, because of the extreme pace and flat nature of the shot.  This style didn't help him on clay courts according to some critics. 

Equipment

Sampras used one racket type, the Wilson Pro Staff Original,  for his entire professional career—a racket first introduced in 1983. He played with Babolat natural gut, with all his rackets re-strung before each match (used or not) at 75 lbs tension (more or less, depending on conditions). His rackets had weight added to bring them close to 400 g, but the frame proper was a production model manufactured at a Wilson factory on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. The handles were custom-built. 

Post-retirement, Sampras has used a slightly modified Pro Staff Tour 90 and, from 2008, a new version of the original Pro Staff, produced with in-between head size of 88 square inches and heavier weight at 349 grams unstrung. 

Since mid-2010,  Sampras has been spotted at multiple exhibitions playing with a Babolat Pure Storm Tour, along with Babolat's popular RPM Blast strings. 

"I need a little more pop...I need it if I'm going to play some tennis," he said after playing Gael Monfils in an exhibition at the SAP Open. 

During a good part of 2011, Sampras used a racquet that was painted all black, with Tourna Grip and Tourna Damper.

In the late 1980s, Sampras signed a three-year endorsement contract with Sergio Tacchini. It was extended to five years before Sampras signed with Nike in 1994.  He wore Nike apparel and Nike Air Oscillate footwear on court. 

Personal and family life

Pete's father and mother are from Greece and his paternal grandmother is Jewish. Sampras's older sister, Stella Sampras Webster, is the women's tennis head coach at UCLA,  and his younger sister, Marion, is a teacher in Los Angeles. His older brother, Gus, has been tournament director at the Scottsdale ATP event, but in 2007 he became president of the firm managing Pete's business activities. 

On September 30, 2000, Sampras married American actress and former Miss Teen USA, Bridgette Wilson.  On November 21, 2002, their son, Christian Charles Sampras, was born.  On July 29, 2005, the couple welcomed their second son, Ryan Nikolaos Sampras.  They reside in Lake Sherwood, California. 

Sampras has β-thalassemia minor, a genetic trait that sometimes causes mild anemia. 

Career statistics

Grand Slam performance timeline

Records and achievements

Records

* These records were attained in Open Era of tennis.
* Records in bold indicate peer-less achievements.

Professional awards

* ATP Player of the Year: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998. 
* ITF World Champion: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998.

Other achievements

* Sampras (1997–2000) won four consecutive Wimbledon singles titles, second only to Borg and Federer (who have five consecutive titles each).
* During the Open Era, only Borg (1978–81 French Open and 1976–80 Wimbledon), Sampras (1997–2000 Wimbledon), Federer (2003–07 Wimbledon and 2004–08 US Open), and Rafael Nadal (2005–08 French Open and 2010–2014 French Open) have won at least one Grand Slam tournament four consecutive times.
* Ken Rosewall and Sampras are the only men to have won Grand Slam singles titles as a teenager, in their 20s, and in their 30s.
* Sampras won 40 of the 42 singles matches he played on Wimbledon's Centre Court and 63 of the 70 singles matches he played at the All England Club.
* Sampras and Federer are the only male players during the Open Era who played in at least seven singles finals at two different Grand Slam tournaments :(Sampras 8 US Open and 7 Wimbledon.)
(Federer 7 US Open and 10 Wimbledon.)

Other awards

Summary of professional awards. 
* U.S. Olympic Committee "Sportsman of the Year" in 1997. He was the first tennis player to receive this award. 
* GQ Magazine's Individual Athlete Award for Man of the Year in 2000.
* Selected the No. 1 player (of 25 players) in the past 25 years by a panel of 100 current and past players, journalists, and tournament directors to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the ATP in 1997.
* Voted 48th athlete of Top 50 Greatest North American Athletes of ESPN's SportsCentury (also youngest on list).
* In 2005, TENNIS Magazine named Sampras the greatest tennis player for the period 1965 through 2005, from its list, "The 40 Greatest Players of the TENNIS Era".
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