Pete Sampras is one of the greatest players to ever play tennis and left a lasting legacy on the sport.
Now retired, Sampras has firmly sailed off into the sunset and doesn’t really fulfil media or pundit duties as some of his former opponents like to.
Sampras won 15 Grand Slam titles and at one point, many felt that would struggle to be beaten but then the big three of Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal came along.
Naturally, the American’s achievements were blown out of the water but that still doesn’t take away from what he managed to do when he was strutting his stuff out on the court.
Sampras has zero interest in getting involved with the coaching side of things either and ultimately, he’s happy to keep himself to himself these days.
The player who Pete Sampras picked as the next big thing
It’s not overly clear when the footage was originally taken but as part of the ATP’s feature Chat With the Champions, Sampras was quizzed on the next big thing.
Sampras paused briefly and then picked out Grigor Dimitrov which perhaps isn’t a surprise given his reputation when he was a burgeoning youngster.
He said: “I think Dimitrov. I think he hits the ball great. He just has to figure out a way to win. He’s just a little confused out there. I think he’s got all the shots, he serves well, moves well but he’s the one guy who I think could do some things.”
Sampras dominated the sport in the nineties but it’s fair to say that Dimitrov has failed to live up to his expectation as everyone’s next big thing when he was coming through the ranks.
Grigor Dimitrov yet to win a Grand Slam title despite Sampras comments
It’s hard not to feel some sympathy for Dimitrov who was at his peak when the game’s big three were still winning big titles on a regular basis.
Sampras, in fairness, predicted that Dimitrov would make the world’s top four and reaching number three in 2017 has to be viewed as a fine achievement given the era he’s played in.
These days, he’s constantly battling injuries and his chances of winning that elusive Grand Slam title do look to be increasingly slim right now.
It’s quite tough to understand why Dimitrov has never managed to reach the final of a major event, reaching the semis in Australia, London and New York and never making it beyond the quarters at the French Open.
If a player like Sampras can get this prediction wrong, it only serves to highlight how tough professional tennis is in the modern era to be successful with some seriously talented players on the circuit right now.
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