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By Sandra Harwitt
When all was said and done, Pete Sampras did it his way.
He came to tennis as a shy teenager, who let his game do the
talking and his reserved nature do his walking through 15
years on tour.
Surprisingly, however, when the 32-year-old Sampras finally
decided it was time to take his leave as arguably the greatest
player to ever play the game, he let all his emotions pour
out.
Standing before an adoring crowd during a ceremony honoring
the man in his moment of retirement on the opening night of
the U.S. Open, the normally calm, cool and collected Sampras
broke down and sobbed. First, the 14-time grand slam champion
put a hand over his eyes as tears flowed. Then, bending over,
he put his arms around his stomach and continued to weep as
names like John McEnroe, Boris Becker and Jim Courier showed
up to usher Sampras from the game in style.
“I know in my heart it’s time to say good-bye,”
Sampras told the fans when he regained his composure.
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