Title/Author:
“A Champion’s
Mind” by Pete Sampras and Peter Bodo
Tags:
Tennis,
autobiography
Published:
June 10,
2008
Length:
320 pages
Rating:
5 of 5
stars (Outstanding)
Review:
Pete
Sampras retired from tennis holding the record for most career Grand Slam
victories and his journey to setting that record is chronicled here in his
autobiography that covers his tennis career.
I added that last phrase to the sentence because unlike most biographies
or autobiographies on athletes, this book focuses solely on his tennis
career. There are stories about his
childhood, but they are about the development of his game during his youth when
he was a tennis “prodigy.” What is
refreshing, however, is that he doesn’t complain about any bad breaks during
his youth. There are no bad parent stories as can be so common in tennis (think
of the parent stories of tennis stars such as Mary Pierce, Jennifer Capriati or
the Williams sisters). There isn’t even
talk of his struggles. It reads that
Sampras is aware that he had a talent for the game, that he was raised
comfortably and is appreciative of what his parents provided for him.
That
appreciation also transcends to his coaches during adulthood. He gives credit to Pete Fisher for helping
develop his game although Sampras believes the athlete is ultimately responsible
for his or her success. He speaks
almost with reverence about Tim Gullickson who ultimately succumbed to brain
cancer (more about this relationship later).
Sampras also talks much about Paul Annacone and his coaching and
friendship as being another key component to the success he had on the
court.
Because
Sampras talks tennis and little else in this book, there is rich detail in many
aspects of his game. Not only match
highlights, but he talks much about his mindset to reach certain goals. From a teenager who burst into the spotlight
with his 1990 U.S. Open title up to his last Grand Slam, the 2002 U.S. Open,
the reader will follow Sampras’s career
and what he did physically and mentally to achieve the greatness that he
attained.
Two
passages that resonated with me were actually connected to each other. The first one is a moment that anyone who saw
it while watching this match like I did will remember. During a match against Jim Courier in the
1995 Australian Open, Sampras broke down and was openly crying. He had just learned of Gullickson’s terminal
diagnosis and the emotional toll on him finally broke through. This changed the minds of some media members
who felt that Sampras wasn’t emotional or even human – that this outburst
finally showed he was “human.” Sampras
always felt that was an unfair image portrayed.
He felt that he was simply able to put those aside when focusing on his
tennis. Yes, he had human emotions and
feelings but just didn’t express them openly as often. I thought that this reaction was a microcosm
of the entire book – that Sampras was not apologizing or bragging about his
career, he was simply who he was and this was why. It was refreshing to read such an
autobiography.
I also found it refreshing that when reading this, I wasn’t reading about an athlete who was heavily into partying, drinking, drugs or sex. He didn’t talk much about these topics, but until he met his wife late in his career, he just didn’t find those as important as his game. Again, something I found very refreshing. That was a big reason I loved reading this book and will highly recommend it for anyone who either is a tennis fan or simply wants to read a different type of autobiography.
Did I skim?
No.
Pace of the book:
Excellent. Since Sampras talks mostly tennis with very
few personal side stories, the book reads quickly and stays in chronological
order.
Do I recommend?
Yes, especially
for tennis fans, both avid and casual.
The avid fan will appreciate the inner tennis technical talk, the casual
fan will enjoy reliving the highlights of Sampras’s career, and anyone who
wants to read an autobiography that isn’t filled with a lot of chest thumping
will enjoy this as well.
Book Format Read:
E-Book
(Kindle)
Buying Links:
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