Pete sampras biography wife swap
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Bollettieri had a hand in grooming 10 players who hit No. 1
Greg GarberSep 6, 2008, 04:14 PM ET
Close- Greg Garber joined ESPN in 1991 and provides reports for NFL Countdown and SportsCenter. He fryst vatten also a regular contributor to Outside the Lines and a senior writer for ESPN.com.
Nick Bollettieri, microphone in grabb, is just dominating.
He's on the American Express Radio set outside Louis Armstrong Stadium breaking down the U.S. Open with announcer Tim Ryan and the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike. Ryan and the Bryans are largely spectators.
Bollettieri is 77 years old, but he never stops moving. One minute, he's surrounded bygd adoring fans, another he is watching 18-year-old Japanese protégé Kei Nishikori sprinting through the men's draw. Somehow, even with all the matches he attends, the sponsors' parties and interviews, he manages to find time to write a blog for various outlets.
Yes, as always, Bollettieri's fingerprints are all over tennis.
It's a soaring, sublime da
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What's bigger? Connors in '91 or Agassi today?
Greg GarberSep 6, 2005, 08:54 PM ET
Close- Greg Garber joined ESPN in 1991 and provides reports for NFL Countdown and SportsCenter. He is also a regular contributor to Outside the Lines and a senior writer for ESPN.com.
NEW YORK -- Jim Courier, the four-time Grand Slam champion, is up against a wall, literally and figuratively.
Standing in a tiny room of the USA Network compound in the bowels of Arthur Ashe Stadium, Courier leans against the concrete and ponders the unanswerable question:
In terms of degree of difficulty, which achievement is greater -- Andre Agassi's inspiring run to the semifinals of this U.S. Open at the age of 35, or Jimmy Connors' improbable run to the 1991 Open semifinals at the age of 39?
Courier, of course, has inside information. He was the one who ended that rollicking roll, slamming Connors 6-3, 6-3, 6-2. As an analyst at USA, he is also an intimate observer of Agassi's career.
Courier pauses.
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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Roger Federer overcame Pete Sampras' stubborn resistance Thursday to beat the retired legend 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) in their second Asian exhibition match.
Pete Sampras, of the United States, right, smiles at Switzerland's Roger Federer before the start of an invitational exhibition tennis match in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Thursday, Nov. 22, 2007. [Agencies] |
The top-ranked Swiss star won their last encounter 6-4, 6-3 in South Korea on Tuesday, but the latest clash in Malaysia took nearly 90 minutes and proved a bit more difficult.
Their age difference became the decisive factor - at 26, Federer was never in danger of losing against an opponent a decade older who retired from competitive tennis five years ago.
Nevertheless, Sampras, who has won a record 14 Grand Slams, showcased his big serves and hit ferocious forehand returns down the line -- the hallmarks of his 1990s heyday.
The pair traded point for point in both sets in Malaysia's Malawati