Following a decline in form at the turn of the century, Sampras claimed his 14th and last major at the 2002 US Open over long-time rival and compatriot Andre Agassi, and retired from the sport thereafter, aged 31.

Things happen" [4] At the age of 3, he discovered a tennis racket in the basement of his home and spent hours hitting balls against the wall.

Pro Indoor in Philadelphia, where he defeated sixth-ranked Andre Agassi, eighth-ranked Mayotte, and eighteenth-ranked Andrés Gómez in the final.

Sampras beat Agassi in straight sets to become the US Open's youngest-ever male singles champion at the age of 19 years and 28 days.

[24] He also played doubles with John McEnroe on the US team that won the Davis Cup on home soil, beating Switzerland 3-1.

He won two grand slam titles on the year and was the key figure for champion United States in the Davis Cup, beating Russia in the final in Moscow 3-2.

[27] Sampras' longtime coach and close friend, Tim Gullikson, had mysteriously collapsed during the tournament and was forced to return to the United States.

Sampras had what would end up being his best run ever at that year's French Open, defeating two past former champions Sergi Bruguera and Jim Courier (in 5 sets on both occasions and overcoming a 2-0 deficit against the latter) before losing in a semifinal match to the eventual winner, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, 7-6(7–4), 6–0, 6–2.

[30] Sampras also won singles titles in San Jose, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Munich, and Paris, and the ATP Tour World Championships in Hanover, Germany.

Sampras failed to defend his Australian Open title, losing in the quarterfinals to Karol Kučera,[31] and won Wimbledon only after a hard-fought five-set victory over Goran Ivanišević.

The year started with a withdrawal from the Australian Open due to fatigue, and Sampras failed to win a title during the early part of the season.

[32] However, he then went on a 24-match winning streak encompassing the Stella Artois Championships, Wimbledon (equaling Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam singles titles), Los Angeles, and Cincinnati (a rematch of the previous year's final with Patrick Rafter).

Sampras reached the semifinals of the Australian Open in early 2000, falling to the eventual champion Agassi in a five-set match.

In the 2000 US Open, Sampras overcame Richard Krajicek in four sets at the quarterfinals (including a comeback from 2-6 down in a tiebreaker), and upcoming star Lleyton Hewitt in the semi-finals, but lost the final to Marat Safin.

Sampras' 31-match Wimbledon win streak ended in a five set loss to Roger Federer, aged 19, in the fourth round; this was the only time the two tennis legends ever played an official professional match.

He won back-to-back US Open titles in 1995 and 1996, despite vomiting on the court at 1–1 in the final set tiebreak due to dehydration in the 1996 quarterfinals against Àlex Corretja.

Combined with his two Australian Open titles, this gave Sampras a total of fourteen majors won on grass and hard courts.

On April 6, 2006, three and a half years after his retirement, Sampras resurfaced and played his first exhibition match in River Oaks, Houston, Texas, against 23-year-old Robby Ginepri.

In 2007, Sampras was announcing that he would play in a few events on the Outback Champions Series, a group of tournaments for former ATP players who have met certain criteria during their careers.

The following year along with Federer, Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal, Sampras played an exhibition doubles match at Indian Wells to raise money for the people of Haiti who had been affected by the earthquake.

For both, it was considered a career rejuvenation, as Sampras had suffered a string of disappointments in the last year while Agassi was regaining his status as a top-ranked player after winning the French Open.

[61] In August 2010, Sampras played an exhibition game with Agassi at the indoor arena Coliseo Cubierto El Campin in Bogotá, Colombia.

Seven-time Grand Slam champion John McEnroe believed Rafter to be a "one-slam wonder", since it was only his second career ATP title.

Sampras was displeased, and stood at the baseline for several seconds, making the victorious Rafter wait at the net, and then refused to shake the umpire's hand.

had suggested at the time that the Sampras-Rafter feud was inflamed by the media since Sampras' traditional rival Andre Agassi was still in the midst of a comeback from injury.

[citation needed] Sampras, whose struggles from 1998 continued over to early 1999, lost a third consecutive time against Rafter at the World Team Cup, in straight sets, just before the French Open.

[64] Later that summer, Sampras withdrew from the U.S. Open due to an injured back, while Rafter retired in the first round as a result of a torn rotator cuff.

Possessing an all-around skill, in the early years of his career, when not serving, his strategy was to be offensive from the baseline, put opponents in a defensive position, and finish points at the net.

When successfully executed, he won many points outright or put opponents immediately on the defensive, due to the considerable pace and flat nature of the shot.

His rackets had weight added to bring them close to 400 g, but the frame proper was a production model manufactured at a Wilson factory on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent.