Breaking News - Tennis: Pete Sampras reports theft of his trophies
Former American tennis player Pete Sampras has reported that most of his tennis awards, trophies and other career miscellanea have been stolen from a public storage facility in West Los Angeles. The tennis pro is understandably distraught over this loss,
and feels as if he has lost a major portion of the hard won earnings of his career.
While the Los Angeles Times reported that Sampras was still in possession of thirteen of his fourteen Grand Slam trophies, the tennis star confirmed that burglars had stolen his trophy from the 1994 Australian Open, and many hardware items from his 64 title
wins. Other items stolen included one Olympic ring and two Davis Cups, as well as six awards given to the player for finishing the year as World Number 1 from 1993 to 1998.
Sampras was devastated by the loss of his hard-won trophies, saying that it was like “having the history of my tennis life taken away”. Although, the theft took place three weeks ago, Sampras has reported it only recently in the hopes of finding a lead which
may give him some information about the whereabouts of his awards.
The tennis player had stored these items in a unit while his family moved from one housing arrangement to another one. Pete Sampras believed his trophies were safe in storage, and he says, “I thought there were security cameras. I thought these things were
locked up tight. I was shocked.” Sampras had also felt that there was no way to estimate the true worth of these items, and therefore they were uninsured.
The most upsetting consequence of this loss, for Sampras, is that he will not be able to show his children the trophies. The legend, who is a serious contender for Greatest of All Time, retired in 2003. He says, about the theft, “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 long shot, but I’d regret it if I didn’t at least try.”
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