Sampras brings back the jump smash

 

Originally published on: 28/03/12 11:11

He may have been eclipsed by Roger Federer in the minds of many as the greatest player of all time, but 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras remains an unrivalled icon in American tennis.

The last man from the US to win Wimbledon, and indeed the year-end World Tour Finals, Sampras still holds the record for most weeks spent at No.1 in the world with 286 – a tally even Federer has not (yet) accomplished.

In a rare interview, the 40-year-old Los Angeles resident speaks to Pat Cash in this month’s edition of CNN Open Court, telling the former Wimbledon champion about the power of the big four, why the American men don’t even come close at present, and who he thinks will win the French Open – the one Grand Slam Sampras, a semi-finalist in Paris in 1996, never won.

Since he never met 46-year-old Cash on court during their playing days, Sampras challenges Cash on court and unleashes his trademark jump smash.

Click the image below to see a preview of the program, which airs on CNN International on Thursday 29 March at 10:30 BST and 17:30 BST.

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