Pete Sampras is widely regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
In fact, before the legendary Roger Federer came along, he held the record for the man with the most singles Grand Slam titles in history.
There were many facets of the American’s game that naturally drew plenty of praise, but chief among them was his serve.
With a rock-solid shoulder and a robot-like style, he terrorised returners for decades before his eventual retirement.
Naturally, that puts him in the perfect position to critique this particular area of the sport, or offer legendary praise.
Pete Sampras was left in awe of Serena Williams after watching her up close
Speaking back in 2012, Sampras was keen to laud Serena Williams in particular after watching her up close.
However, it was at Wimbledon where he was left truly stunned by his compatriot, lauding her as one of the best to ever do it in the women’s game.
He admitted: “Serena is the best player in the world. It’s nice to see her in great shape. She is also the athlete who is the most beautiful and one of the strongest players of all time.”
Sampras was told he made his opponents feel uncomfortable with his awkward, unique play style, but gained the name ‘Pistol Pete’ for the power of his serves.
Focusing on Serena’s in particular, he then added: “I got to see her at Wimbledon. Her service is an incredible weapon and the grass shows that even more. I think her service is one of the fastest in the history of women’s tennis. She can hit it so hard, but at the same time she has a great control.
“What Serena and Venus have been able to accomplish is great if you think where they come from. They are two great champions. Serena is stronger than any other. Despite having won a lot, she continues to find the right motivation to triumph and every tournament counts.”
What has Serena Williams said about her serve?
Although Sampras’ claims came in 2012, Williams has been vocally proud of her serve in the years beforehand.
In 2009, speaking to the press after beating Elena Dementieva in the Wimbledon semi-finals, she admitted: “Yeah, I definitely owe this win to my serve.
“You know, I lost serve a couple times. But, you know, when it was key and it was time for me to hold serve, I was able to hold serve. You know, I always had a nice couple aces that was really able to clinch on very key points.
“I thought that I served well, so I was very excited about that.”
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Then, just a year later, Serena spoke about being able to rely on that shot at the same event, adding: “I think that ‑‑ I don’t know. Several years ago when I would be down like 30‑40, I would serve a big serve and it would bring me back. Or I would be down Love‑40 and I would be able to serve some great shots and it would really bring me back into the game.
“I think I’ve always relied on my serve to be good and to be, uhm, really strong. But, uhm, I don’t know. I think in the eve of my serve’s career, it’s just gotten better, which is always a plus.”
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