Top five wins of Grand Slam legend Pete Sampras

The Tennis great incidentally had never won a French Open in his career.

Pete Sampras is a 14 time Grand Slam singles title holder. He has won seven Wimbledon titles, two Australian Opens and five US Open titles. Sampras started his professional career in 1988 at the tender age of 16 and finished the year in the top 100. Keep in mind that when he started the year he was ranked 893.

That year alone demonstrated that Sampras was destined for great things. Today we take the time to look at Sampras's biggest achievements on court.

5. Pete Sampras vs Petr Korda ( 1997 Wimbledon Fourth Round)

Pete Sampras played his toughest match in the 1997 Wimbledon against Petr Korda. Sampras had quite smooth sailing to the fourth round and hadn't winning all his games in straight sets. But all that changed against his Czech opposition.

Sampras did show his dominance in the first two sets but Korda made a steady return. He won back the third and fourth sets through tiebreakers to set up a decider. However Sampras got the upper hand in the final set and sealed the game. The match ended with the scoreline of 6-4,6-3,6-7,6-7,6-4.

The match was crucial for Sampras as it helped him on the route to his fourth Wimbledon title.

4. Pete Sampras vs Jim Courier ( 1996 French Open Quarter Final)

Pete Sampras's most impressive showing in the Roland Garros happened in 1996. The Washington DC native made it to the semi finals of the tournament. But it wasn't easy. It came after a hard fought battle with fellow American Jim Courier.

Sampras was the first seed but the clay courts of the Roland Garros was never his ally. The French Open is the only Grand Slam that eluded his decorated career. Courier on the other hand was already a two-time French Open winner and obviously a better player on clay.

Courier took the first two sets but Sampras wasn't willing to give up just yet. He equaled the deficit in the next two and clinched the match in the 5th set. The match ended 6-7,4-6,6-4,6-4,6-4 with Sampras making one of his best comebacks on a very difficult surface.

3. Pete Sampras vs Albert Costa ( 1997 Australian Open Quarter Finals)

Pete Sampras had a very competitive match against 10th seed Albert Costa in the 1997 Australian Open. The two met in the quarter finals and had a back and forth game. Costa was the 10th see and playing his first quarter final in a Grand Slam.

Sampras on the other hand was the first seed and the favorite to win. Both the players came to court with something to prove. Costa and Sampras fought tooth and nail playing strong rallies. Displaying strong backhand and forehand play, the match was laden with beautiful volleys and sensational drop shots.

As the five-setter ended to tumultuous rupture from the audience, the scoreline read 6-3,6-7,6-1, 3-6,6-2. Melbourne Park knew it had witnessed a classic.

2. Pete Sampras vs Ivan Lendl (1990 US Open Quarter Final)

Sampras won his first Grand Slam at the 1990 US Open final beating Andre Agassi in straight sets. But he played the toughest match of the tournament in the quarter finals. His opponent was former world no. 1 Ivan Lendl.

Sampras had been very impressive throughout the tournament. So much so that he had only dropped a set on his way to the quarter finals. Sampras started off in his usual fashion taking the first two sets. The second set however going to a tiebreak. The players were quite evenly matched in in initial exchanges.

However Lendl came strong in the third and fourth sets as Sampras went flat to even the game . Sampras's fire breathing serves and net attacks had reduced and Lendl had started to capitalize. The match reached a stage where it could go either way at this point.

But Sampras held his nerve to thwart his dangerous rival. He came out all guns blazing and took the match away. The 2007 Hall of Fame inductee hit 32 winners and 24 aces along his way to the semis. Sampras also broke Lendl's 8 consecutive finals reached with this victory

1. Pete Sampras vs Goran Ivanisevic ( 1998 Wimbledon Final)

Sampras has described the Centre Court at Wimbledon as familiar to his practice court in Florida. He always finds his mark here irrespective of the adversities or adversaries. And he did just that in the 5 set battle against Croatia's Goran Ivanisevic.

This was Sampras's toughest Grand Slam final till date and the hardest one he has been in. "Compared to all the Wimbledons I've played, this is by far the toughest," admitted the champion. The second set was a clear reflection of that as set point opportunities moved from one to another. And Ivanisevic with his power serves wasn't making it any easier.

Ivanisevic finally got tired as the match progressed.  Moreover his five-set semi final match against Krajicek also played a factor according to the Croat. Sampras kept his composure and eventually cruised to a victory in the 5th set. The match finally ended 6-7,7-6,6-4,3-6,6-2 for Sampras. 

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