Pete Sampras had a brilliant career that few tennis players can achieve. Throughout his long career, he achieved great success, winning as many as 14 Grand Slam tournaments. During his career, the famous American created problems for his rivals, especially Agassi and Becker, who were also dominant players, but it was extremely difficult to be world number one in the Sampras era.
Former world number one Yevgeny Kafelnikov reflected on Pete Sampras and his era during the Hardcourt podcast. Regardless of the fact that some players later surpassed Sampras in the number of Grand Slam titles, Kafelnikov still has a high opinion of him, considering him a man who laid the foundations for the future of tennis and left a huge mark on the history of this sport.
There are many aspects in which the American tennis player was dominant, but Kafelnikov particularly emphasized several elements of his superiority in the game. This is the reason why many opponents felt a touch of fear playing against him.
Their duels
The two have met many times during their careers, and Pete was convincingly dominant given his 11-2 record against Kafelnikov. Most tennis players emphasize how difficult it is to be dominant when in an era you have players like Sampras, Nadal, Federer and many others who marked the sport.
Nevertheless, such moments remain beautiful memories and represent an honor for every tennis player to be a part of such an era. Kafelnikov also left a deep mark and showed that he is a tennis player who really belongs at the very top.
