‘Not Going To Win Any Awards’- ‘Superbrat’ John McEnroe Once Opened Up About Compatriot Pete Sampras’ Bjorn Borg-Like Attitude

Pete Sampras led a glorious career with 14 grand slam titles under his name. However, he did not get the fame that John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors did. He seemed unnoticeable to a lot of people because of his calm personality.

He did not have extensive on-court outbursts and had a polite and amicable public image. John McEnroe had shared his views on the lack of popularity and what he could do to get it.

John McEnroe commented on Sampras’ personality

McEnroe himself got a lot of attention because of his on-court debacles. He talked about Pete Sampras and said, “His personality is not going to win any awards.” Furthermore, he added, “This is a case where people would respond more if they did feel an intensity.” McEnroe said, “It would be helpful to him, and to tennis, that you see he really wants it.”

Sampras did not have the buzz that other players during his time carried. It was because he stayed composed on the court focusing solely on his game. The player’s personality resembled Bjorn Borg who also did not become the talk of the town.

READ MORE: ’Go Out and Kick Some A**’- John McEnroe’s Dramatic Meltdown and Subsequent Bashing That Pete Sampras Got During a Crucial Davis Cup

At that point, he had won 12 grand slam titles and in the future, he would win two more to set his count. McEnroe won seven grand slam titles in his career, half of what Sampras won and Connors won eight.

The glorious career of Pete Sampras

In 1990, Sampras defeated his career rival Andre Agassi to become the youngest player to win US Open at that point. The player won seven Wimbledon titles, five US Opens, and two Australian Open titles. He fell short of winning any title at the clay-court major at the French Open.

Nonetheless, the player stayed resilient and did not have a flashy outlook on the court, unlike his arch-rival Andre Agassi. When the player was young, he admired tennis legend, Rod Laver, from Australia and tried to imbibe his style into his play.

WATCH THIS STORY: How Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, and Others Travel

Initially, the player invested in his serve and volley-centric game but with time he expanded his strength to an all-court game not relying solely on his serve.