Pete Sampras is a 14-time Grand Slam champion, ranking fourth in the all-time leaders in majors, trailing Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.
Sampras won seven Wimbledon titles, two Australian Open crowns, and emerged victorious at his home major, the US Open, five times.
The American held the world number one position for 286 weeks, the third longest of all time, and finished as the year-end number one six consecutive times on the ATP Tour.
Before the ‘big three’ came along, he was widely considered to be the greatest tennis player of all time, having dominated the 90s.
Speaking on the legend’s career recently, former US Open champion Andy Roddick said Sampras’ game changed completely when it came to Grand Slam events.
13 MAR 1995: PETE SAMPRAS HITS A BACKHAND IN HIS FINALS MATCH AGAINST ANDRE AGASSI DURING THE 1995 NEWSWEEK CHAMPIONS CUP IN INDIAN WELLS, CALIFORNIA. SAMPRAS WENT ON TO WIN THE MATCH 7-5, 6-3, 7-5. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn/ALLSPORTAndy Roddick says what changed about Pete Sampras at Grand Slams
On the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, Roddick said of Sampras: “I didn’t play him on grass. I’ll tell you this.
“I won the first two matches against Pete, and I kind of was like, okay, my kick serve gets up on his backhand, you know, maybe he’ll miss that side sometimes. I can protect my serve.
“I played him in small events. I played one in Miami, and then in a small event in Houston, and then I played him at the U.S. Open in 2002, the last tournament that he ever played, and he beat the crap out of me, Steve.
“Grand Slam Pete was a different animal than Houston clay court final Pete. I promise you. And he drilled me.
“I thought I might win the U.S. Open that year, and Pete had other ideas. He was an absolute animal, might be the most clutch player of all time.
“Maybe not the best player that I ever played, and he doesn’t get talked about enough, by the way. It’s like we’ve forgotten the fact that he won 14 grand slams. When we’re talking about everything these days.
“But under the lights, chips down, you have to have someone get out of jail with a second serve. My money’s with Pete.”
Andy Roddick’s head-to-head record with Pete Sampras
Roddick played Sampras just three times in his career, with the treble of clashes coming from 2001 to 2002.
They first faced off against each other in the round of 32 at the Miami Open in 2001, where Roddick was granted a wildcard.
Sampras, the number four seed, was aiming to defend the title he had won the year before, but lost to the youngster in straight sets, 7-6, 6-3.
In Houston, the next season, Roddick emerged victorious again in their only non-hard-court meeting, winning in straight sets once more on clay.
Their final bout came at the US Open in 2002, which went the way of Sampras, who went on to win the tournament, beating Andre Agassi in the final.