Ace Magazine
October 2003

Tim Henman
Former Practice Partner
"Sampras and I practised a lot together and seven out of 10 times we played practice sets I'd beat him. But when it came to big matches there was a gear change in him. On big occasions there's no one more determined than Sampras. He's the heaviest server I've ever played. It's important to differentiate between fast servers and heavy servers. Heavy serves come into you the whole time or they're placed exactly in the wrong spot. Your opponent can serve fast, but if you get a racket to it it's easier to get back than a heavy serve. Especially on Grass. This is what I think marked Sampras out as a great player."

Mark Petchey
Former British No. 1, Sky Commentator
"Sampras was meticulous about his career and about his daily preparation for matches. He always had the same kind of routine before matches. He was a thorough professional. I wouldn't say he was business-like, though. 'Passionate' is the way I would describe him. You could tell from day one that he was all about the titles. Money was a secondary issue for him."

Dominic Wooland
Bookmaker
"There's a golden rule of sports betting: never oppose Pete Sampras at Wimbledon. He became a firm favourite of mine when he won his first Wimbledon in 1993. He had been friendless as a betting proposition throughout the tournament and it got my rookie year as a tennis odds compiler off to a flying start. Year after year we continued our relationship with him collecting Wimbledon titles and me collecting profits."