American tennis great Pete Sampras robbed of his trophies and collectables
The legendary Pete Sampras is believed to have been robbed of almost all of his trophies according to the
Los Angeles Times. According to reports, the thieves broke into a Los Angeles public storage facility and stole prized possessions from his 64 tour wins, two Davis Cups, an Olympic ring and six trophies for his world No. 1 rankings (1993-1998).
“I have 13 of my 14 Grand Slam trophies. Some are at home and some up at NikeTown [in Portland]. My first Australian Open trophy is gone, and so is everything else. For me to have it for my kids is priceless. I just hope it hasn’t
already been destroyed. That’s why I wanted to get the word out now. I know this is a longshot, but I’d regret it if I didn’t at least try. Maybe somebody knows something. That’s all I can hope for. I'm not one to gloat about trophies, or show them off. I've
never been like that. I just want them for my kids to see. They didn't see me play, but I'd like them to see these things,” stated the professional.
Formerly ranked no. 1 in the world, Sampras is currently working on locating the thieves apart from the police who are doing their own investigation.
“Losing this stuff is like having the history of my tennis life taken away,” said Sampras.
During his 15-year career, Pete bagged 14 Grand Slam singles titles, a record broken only by Roger Federer in 2009.
Some Career Highlights:
In the year 1990, Sampras won his first ever Grand Slam defeating compatriot Andre Agassi 6–4, 6–3 and 6–2 to clinch the U.S. Open Men's singles title.
Two years down the line, the professional battled it out against Sweden's Stefan Edberg taking the 1992 U.S. Open title based upon his 3–6, 6–4, 7–6(5), 6–2 win.
A year later, Sampras took his first ever Wimbledon Men's singles title thrashing countryman Jim Courier 7–6(3), 7–6(6), 3–6 and 6–3.
Pete also clinched the 1994 Australian Open Men's singles title defeating Todd Martin of America 7–6(4), 6–4 and 6–4 marking a straight-set win.
Furthermore, Sampras took his last Grand Slam title in the year 2002 after going head-to-head with on-court rival Andre Agassi 6–3, 6–4, 5–7 and 6–4 at the U.S. Open in the men's singles category.
The professional still holds the record for being the only player with eight consecutive wins in Grand Slam finals from the year 1992-2000. In addition, Sampras is also the only player to have won the Wimbledon championship seven
times.
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