Less than a month after his 19th birthday, Pete Sampras became a Grand Slam champion on this day in 1990.
The California native defeated Andre Agassi in straight sets in a rivalry that was to inspire a generation of fans in America and around the world. Earlier this month Christopher Clarey from The New York Times spoke to Off the Ball about their rivalry.
Sampras has recently wrote a on open letter to his younger self for The Players' Tribune. In the letter he states:
"At 19, you’ll be the youngest player to ever win the U.S. Open. That’s when everything will change."
"You’ll be an up-and-coming American with no exposure one day; then, when you wake up the morning after winning the Open, you’ll be on talk show after talk show. All eyes will be on you, and the attention will take some getting used to — it won’t mesh well with your reserved personality."
Everything did change for Sampras after that win over Agassi. He went on to win a further 13 Grand Slam titles, with his only blemish coming at the French Open where he always failed to get past the semi finals. He won seven Wimbledon titles in his career, a record that has never been beaten.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
