Pete Sampras is still the greatest tennis player of all time, which may seem ridiculous, but it just seems.
Many no longer consider Sampras to be the greatest player in tennis history because his 14-time Grand Slam title is now only fourth, behind the Fernard Big Three. Perhaps more importantly, the Big Three have all won all four Grand Slams, and Sampras has never even reached the final at the French Open.
But comparing achievements between generations requires a more nuanced approach that involves more than just counting grand slam titles. Instead, like the final question Fernard was asked as a GOAT – what unique accomplishment sets Sampras apart from the rest of the players?
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Sampras to finish the world number one at the end of the year for six consecutive years</h1>
This unprecedented achievement of Sampras is often underestimated, largely because the debate over who is the greatest ever is usually focused on winning the main title. But does this make sense? It may be argued that being number one in the world is more difficult than winning a Grand Slam. You know, since the introduction of computer rankings in 1973, 54 players have won professional championships, but only 26 players have ranked first.
In addition, 25 players won a Grand Slam title without reaching the world number one, but only Marcelo Rios became the world number one without winning a grand slam. And, if you still don't believe that ranking number one in the world is more difficult than winning a Grand Slam, then let's take a look at Guillermo Villas. The Argentine won four Grand Slam titles, two in 1977, but never ranked first in the world. Also, Mark Edmondson won the 1986 Australian Open but never broke into the world's top ten.
In fact, this is not surprising. To win a Grand Slam tournament, players only need to find their best form in a relatively short period of time, but to rank first in the world, they need a consistent level of excellence. So it seems that Sampras has been the world number one for the sixth consecutive year, and he may not have received the pursuit he deserved.
< H1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Sampras was the most dominant player of all time</h1>
Sampras' top ten time slots in the world began in 1990 and ended in 2002, during which Sampras' impressive achievements include: 6 consecutive year-end first and 286 weeks of world number one, as well as 30 major event titles including 14 Grand Slams. But, even more impressively, he achieved much more than his contemporaries. For example, his closest rival Andre Agassi won only 7 Grand Slams during this period, while other Grand Slam winners of this period were far behind: Edberg had 3; Kurten has 3; Hewitt has 2.
And his dominance in the world rankings is even more stark. At that time, he ranked first with 286 weeks, while of the others, only Agassi had the closest 87 weeks.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > conclusion</h1>
Sampras's reign over his time was hardly challenged. Indeed, throughout the open age, his achievements have been unparalleled. So if you think that GOAT represents dominance over the field of tennis, then don't dwell on it: the name Sampras is enough to answer.