Pete Sampras enjoyed a simply phenomenal career, with his superb feats having gone down in tennis history.
Sampras was amazed by Roger Federer towards the end of his career, with the latter ending his time on the court with 20 Grand Slam titles.
The former meanwhile won 14 Grand Slam titles during his glittering career, with Sampras lifting such trophies from 1990-2002.
Rafael Nadal wasn’t focused on breaking Sampras’s record back in 2009, but the Spaniard did, of course, go on to achieve that feat.
He retired last year with 22 Grand Slam titles to his name, although it is current player Novak Djokovic who leads the way with 24.
Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty ImagesPete Sampras once said Grand Slam titles were more important than number one ranking
Shortly behind all of those legends on the list is another, with Andre Agassi managing eight Grand Slam successes.
He did, however, lose out to fierce rival Sampras in the 1995 US Open final, after which the champion agreed with the runner-up about people remembering the Grand Slam wins more than who has been ranked number one in the world.
READ MORE: Why Andy Roddick apologised to Pete Sampras after losing the 2009 Wimbledon final
“Absolutely,” Sampras responded when asked if that’s how he viewed the situation after his victory. “Absolutely.
“I mean, when you look back at the greatest players of all time we look at the number of Slams they have won and the ranking is something everyone just takes for granted as far as [John] McEnroe being No. 1 or [Jimmy] Connors being No. 1.
“In my mind, the major titles is the most important thing, in my year and the fact that I have won two, really ends my year on a great note.”
Pete Sampras felt the French Open was the one trophy ‘missing’ in his career
Sampras collected his third US Open title in New York that year, which represented the seventh Grand Slam success of his career.
He overcame defending champion Agassi in Queens, triumphing in the all-American final 6–4, 6–3, 4–6, 7–5.
It was still a year of huge significance for Agassi, however, with his 30-year anniversary of becoming world number one for the first time having now just passed.
But Sampras admitted he was missing a major achievement despite beating his compatriot in 1995, having also been asked in his US Open winning press conference if breaking the all-time Grand Slam record was a goal of his.
“It is something I haven’t really thought about breaking the record,” he said. “I just see myself preparing the best I can for majors mentally and physically getting ready and it is not really like a goal I put on my chalk board; I am going to break [Roy] Emerson’s record.
“I still feel that the French is the one thing that is missing and that is a pretty tough challenge for me to win there, so that… you know, something I haven’t thought about as far as the record.”
What was Pete Sampras’s record at the French Open?
Both Rod Laver and Bjorn Borg would end their careers with 11 titles, while Emerson clinched 12, with Sampras surpassing all three.
But somewhat surprisingly, that dream of winning a French Open title was not checked off the list, with a semi-final run in 1996 representing his best-ever finish.
Pete Sampras’s French Open record
The American icon was the top seed in Paris that year, but lost convincingly to sixth seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov for a spot in the final.
After a stunning quarter-final comeback win over Jim Courier, Sampras lost 7–6(7–4), 6–0, 6–2 to the eventual champion.