Pete Sampras

Sampras once again won at Wimbledon in 1998. Yet, with only one Grand Slam in the year, his top spot in the rankings was threatened, and Sampras launched an obsessed, and successful, drive to hold his No. 1 ranking for a record six straight years. He defended his Wimbledon title again in 1999 and 2000, winning on the grass courts for a record four consecutive years and a career record seven titles in eight years. His 2000 victory at Wimbledon was his 13th Grand Slam victory, breaking the career record of 12 set by Roy Emerson. In 2001, suffering from injuries and a step slower, for the first time in eight seasons, Sampras went without a Grand Slam championship title, although he reached the finals of the U.S. Open.

Just as critics were calling for his retirement, Sampras proved that he still had his game by winning the 2002 U.S. Open, his fourth career Open title, and a record 14th career Grand Slam title. Once slandered as too boring for tennis, Sampras was lauded for his achievement, his heart, his persistence. He had, in effect, secured his name in the history books as one of the game's greatest players. Following the win, Sampras considered retirement, but decided to remain active for the 2003 season, although he sat out of the Australian Open to rest up for what may be his last shot at the French Open, the only Grand Slam title that has eluded him.

After spending most of his career in Florida, focused on his training, Sampras moved back to Los Angeles in 1998 to be near his family. In 2000 he married actress Bridgette Wilson, and the couple had their first child, Christian, at the end of 2002. Having committed to playing in the remaining Grand Slams in 2003, 31-year-old Sampras is unsure about how long he will stay in the game. "If I'm a betting man," Sampras told USA Today in January 2003, "I'm not 100% this is my last year, but it definitely could be.… But I still love playing, and I still feel I'll win another major. Once I start playing I'll know where my heart is and how far I'll take this. I already know I'm living proof that if you believe in yourself, you can do anything." Just as Sampras is thinking about signing off, he has finally achieved the acceptance that he has so long desired—to be appreciated as a great player and understood as deeply human.