Part 1 – Laid Out Key Questions

Part 2 – Discussed the Difficulties of Naming a GOAT while Examining Bjorn Borg’s Case

Men Who Stare at Tennis GOATS Part 3

Pete Sampras

Why Pete Sampras Might be the GOAT – Pete Sampras holds fourteen Grand Slam singles titles and seven Wimbledon titles.  Pete Sampras spent more weeks ranked number one than any other player.  He finished a record six consecutive years ranked number one.  Pete Sampras also shares an Open Era record of five US Open titles with Roger Federer and Jimmy Connors.  These numbers are staggering.  Considering that a player as strong as Rafael Nadal has finished two non-consecutive years as the number one ranked player and that Andre Agassi only finished one year ranked first, Sampras’ best claim might be his consistent finishes during the 1990’s.

I think Sampras best claim is found in the surface speeds of the tour when he played.  Each Grand Slam in the 1990’s played at significantly different speeds.  Pete Sampras won fourteen majors without the luxury of being able to play similarly at each major.  All four slams playing somewhat similarly makes piling up major titles easier.  The significantly different cast of contenders at the French Open and Wimbledon in the 1990’s meant that a player would have to make serious adjustments to contend in Paris and London.

Finally, Pete Sampras generally controlled key rivals in his career.  He tended to get the better of Andre Agassi.  Sampras beat Boris Becker at Wimbledon three times.  Sampras’ only significant blemish was losing to Stefan Edberg at the 1991 US Open final and in the semifinal round of the 1992 Australian Open.

Why Pete Sampras is Not the GOAT – Sampras repeatedly set out the goal of holding the most Grand Slam singles titles in history.  By his own definition of greatness, Sampras is number two.  He even said Federer is the greatest player of all time following the 2009 French Open.  That seems like an air tight case against Sampras as the GOAT, but of course his failure to reach a French Open final also looms large.  Bjorn Borg reached the US Open final on four occasions and came up empty.  Sampras did not once get that close to his white whale.  Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi all holding the career Grand Slam further damages Sampras’ GOAT credentials.    Like Sampras, The French Open is Federer’s worst Grand Slam.  Still, Roger Federer reached the final round of the French Open five times including his 2009 title run.  Sampras may very well be the best fast court player ever, but GOAT seems out of reach.

You Decide – Does an impeccable record against his main rivals, unmatched season ending rankings, and fourteen major titles overcome Sampras’ difficulties on terre batu?

Next – Roger Federer’s Case