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I made it look so easy on court all those years. No one realized how hard I had to work. No one realized how much I had to put into it. They underestimated my intensity.

Pete Sampras

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Pete Sampras
Age: 53
Born: 1971
Born: August 12
Tennis Player
Washington
District of Columbia
Petros Sampras
Peter Sampras
Easy
Look
Looks
Hard
Underestimated
Work
Intensity
Much
Tennis
Made
Realized
Years
Court

More quotes by Pete Sampras

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For so long people have just taken what I do for granted. It is not easy to do year-in, year-out, to win Grand Slams and be No. 1.
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If I win and play well, then the ranking will take care of itself. Defending points is really not a problem. Just go out and play and not worry about it.
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Baseball is America's pastime, and that record is absolutely huge in the States.
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I think the image of golfers is terrific, and rightly so.
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Choking is being in a position to win, and then experiencing some critical failure of nerve or spirit. That never happened to me. And I can't help but think it was because I was never afraid to lose.
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A champion is suppose to hate to lose, and it wasn't like I was ever crazy about the idea. But I learned to deal with losing without having my spirit or confidence broken, which would help immensely over time, not just in the big picture but even in specific matches when I found myself in a jam. Fear of losing is a terrible thing.
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Retirement is a work in progress. I try to figure out my day, and what I know about myself is that I need structure.
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It is nice to walk out on a court to have it packed.
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Golfers are forever working on mechanics. My tennis swing hasn't changed in 10 years.
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People know me. I'm not going to produce any cartwheels out there. I'm not going to belong on Comedy Central. I'll always be a tennis player, not a celebrity.
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If Davis Cup was a little bit less or once every two years, I would be more inclined to play. But the way it is now, it is too much tennis for me.
Pete Sampras
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Players aren't quite as intimidated by my name.
Pete Sampras
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By putting pressure on myself to develop a great game, I had less pressure to win. These days, I tell kids that the way I grew up, it wasn't about winning. It was about playing well, about playing the right way. That approach helped me enjoy the game and develop mine to its maximum potential.
Pete Sampras
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The difference of great players is at a certain point in a match they raise their level of play and maintain it. Lesser players play great for a set, but then less.
Pete Sampras
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Tennis is seen all around the world if I am home or anywhere in the country, United States, people will stare.
Pete Sampras
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Success is walking out of here with the title, and anything less is not good enough in my book.
Pete Sampras
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My goal one day is to be in the same sentence as Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall.
Pete Sampras
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What I've done in the game is always going to stick, no matter what happens.
Pete Sampras
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When I committed to playing a little tennis in some exhibitions, it was the best thing for me. It got me in shape. It got me out of the house. It got me doing something I love to do.
Pete Sampras
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It's not my place to tell you whom to vote for, to take any political stand, to tell you what religion to believe in. I'm an athlete. I can influence certain things, but when I see other athletes and celebrities telling you whom to vote for, I actually get a bit offended.
Pete Sampras