‘Buried One or Two of Those Trophies’ – Legendary American Tennis Star’s Emotional Homage Revealed in a Rare Interview

The American tennis legend, Pete Sampras, has been one of the greatest players who have adorned the ATP Tour. With 14 singles Grand Slam titles under his belt, the 51-year-old made his mark in the sporting community. Talking of major titles, the Wimbledon Championships has always been his favorite, considering his triumphs on the Centre Court. It was recently revealed that he expressed his love for SW19 in a unique manner.

Nike’s former director of tennis, Mike Nakajima, has recently made a surprising revelation about the former tennis player.

Mike Nakajima talks about Pete Sampras’ Wimbledon trophies

The former director of tennis made a surprising revelation about the American tennis legend’s major trophies during The Sports Business Radio podcast. Mike Nakajima opened up about the hilarious anecdote involving Pete Sampras’ Wimbledon trophies. When it comes to those Wimbledon trophies, Sampras had replicas of them. Nakajima revealed that Sampras buried those trophies with his late coach, Tim Gullikson, in order to honor him for his crucial contribution to his legacy.

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Nakajima revealed how the 14-time singles Grand Slam champion honored his late coach, Tim Gullikson, who helped him to win those trophies. Nike’s former director of tennis said, “Pete’s coach passed away four years ago. And I believe, Pete buried one or two of those trophies with him. And Wimbledon was able to make him replicas, allowed him to replace them. 

Nakajima said that the Wimbledon authorities made some replicas for the Tennis Fall of Hamer. He added, “So I mean, that meant that much to him. So I mean, they’re identical trophies made by the same guy. It’s not like they crank them out and you know, there’s bunch of them out there kind of a thing. They’re just certainly one of a kind.”

Novak Djokovic previously talked about Sampras’ Wimbledon trophy

The Serbian tennis legend has grown up watching his idol, Pete Sampras, outclassing some of the greatest players to clinch 7 Wimbledon titles. Novak Djokovic previously revealed how he has always been inspired by the American tennis legend’s triumphs at SW19. The Serbian star said that he was just a kid when he witnessed the American tennis great lifting his first Wimbledon trophy.

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Just like Sampras, Djokovic has also outclassed some of the greatest players on the Centre Court. Notably, the 2023 Australian Open champion has often lavished praise on the tennis great.

What do you think of Sampras’ Wimbledon triumph? Let us know in the comments section.