Pete Sampras the American Sensation
The reason why I chose to do my research paper on Pete Sampras is because I love to play tennis, and Pete is the greatest tennis player alive. I have always made him my role model, and I hope to one day meet him. I try and model my tennis game after his and it has really helped my tennis game. Pete Sampras is my childhood hero, and that is the reason why I chose the topic of Pete Sampras.
Pete was born on August 12, 1971. in Washington, DC. Although Pete was born in Washington, he grew up in Palos Verdes, California. Pete is a direct descendent of Sam and Georgia Sampras. Pete has three Siblings one elder and two younger. The elder sibling is Stella, the current head tennis coach at UCLA. Pete's younger sister Marion has not decided on a career yet, and Pete's third sibling is his only brother, Gus who is the Current Assistant Tournament Director at Scottsdale ATP Tour Event (Role Models).
Pete began playing tennis at the age of seven, and when he was nine, his father asked Pete Fischer, a physician and amateur player, to hit with his son. Fischer was so impressed with Pete's ability, he became Pete's personal coach. When Pete was eleven, he had the opportunity to hit with his childhood hero Rod Laver. Pete later told his coach that he was so nervous he couldn't get the ball over the net.
Pete rarely won a major junior tournament. Fischer believed that someone of his talent should play up in age groups against older and stronger players to develop his all around game. When Pete reached the age of 14, Fischer changed Pete's two-handed backhand to a one-handed. At the same time of his backhand switch Fischer switched Pete from a safe defensive baseliner to a risky serve and volleyer. The reason he did this was to try and make Pete feel much more laid back and in the end it worked. Pete turned pro at the age of 16 following his junior year in high-school. By the late 1980's, Pete split with his coach Pete Fischer because Pete felt that Fischer was an overbearing perfectionist. After the split with Fischer, Pete picked up a new coach, Tim Gullikson. Tim Gullikson showed Pete the value of playing percentage tennis--going for smart, conservative shots rather than flashy, difficult ones. On May 3, 1996, Gullik...
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...aw: 96
R128 Bye, () N/A
R64 Kiefer, Nicolas (GER ) 36 6-3 3-6 6-3
R32 Roddick, Andy (USA ) 131 6-7(2) 3-6 (S.L. Price)
As you can see Pete has had a few wins but about two years ago, the peak of his career, he wouldn't have lost to any of those players. If you noticed in the Miami Ericsson open he was beat by Andy Roddick a young 19 year old player who just turned pro. That just reinstates my point that he will not be able to keep up with the young up and comers.
WORKS CITED
1. " Role Models on the Web: Pete Sampras" April 27, 2000
Available: www.rolemodel.net/Sampras/Sampras.html April 27, 2001
2. Price, S.L. "The Passion of Pete Sampras." Sports Illustrated May 26
1997: 56-63
3. "Pete Sampras." Current Biography. 14th edition. The HW Publishing Company
233-242
To promote tennis playing Prince currently sponsors teaching pros, as well as, over 100 professional tennis players. There are several other
Years of playing the game and not improving, Gawande incidentally finds himself play tennis with a young man who is a tennis couch. The young man gives Gawande a tip about keeping his feet under his body when hitting the ball. At first he is uncertain, stating, “My serve had always been the best part of my game….. With a few minutes of tinkering, he’d added at least ten miles an hour to my serve. I was serving harder than I ever had in my life” (Gawande, 2011, p.3).
Samuel "Sam" Taliaferro Rayburn was born in Tennessee in 1882. He was the eighth of 11 children. When Sam was 5 he moved west with his family to a 40-acre cotton farm just outside the small community of Flag Springs, Texas. At the age of 18, Sam left the family farm and went to East Texas Normal College in Commerce. His father sent him off with $25 and he added to that by sweeping school rooms, ringing the class bell and building fires in school stoves. After a year of college, he paid debts and earned more money teaching in Greenwood, Texas. He then returned to Commerce and finished his three-year degree in two years.
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Pete Rose Bart Giamatti’s decision to ban Pete Rose from the Baseball Hall of Fame was not a fair decision at all. Pete Rose was placed on Baseball’s ineligible list in 1989 when commissioner of baseball, Bart Giamatti, concluded that Rose had bet on baseball games, including games involving his own team, the Cincinnati Reds. In an agreement made with Baseball, Rose accepted his banishment from the sport. Although he never admitted to having gambled at baseball games (Maury). Pete Rose was a phenomenal baseball player and manager.
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Because of home life traumas, Althea frequently skipped school. The times that she did go, she struggled though the day. While she was growing up, she also ran away from home numerous times. As any young child would do, Althea searched for an outlet from the everyday hardships of school and home life. This is where she discovered tennis.
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In conclusion, Arthur Ashe successfully accomplished his American Dream, earned admiration from many and was recognized as one of the greatest tennis player in the country. As one of the first African American male tennis player who overcame inequality, he became an inspiration to others and encouraged them to work hard for their dreams. It had been years ever since his death in 1993, yet his legacy still live on.
When we were asked to start thinking of our topics for our research papers Michael Jordan had just announced his retirement from basketball. There were all of these specials on the sports channels and the news so I had to find out what all the commotion was about. This is why I chose Michael Jordan to be the topic of my research paper. I hoped to find out how he became to be considered the greatest basketball player to ever play the game. I learned about a lot about Michael during the first week of my search since he was getting so much attention from the media at the time.
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Achievements Off The Court Exceeded His Extraordinary Accomplishments As A Tennis Champion.” Philly.com 9 Feb 1993: n.p.
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