A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis

As Jon Wertheim said, "Consider this book Sampras' 15th grand slam." More than a tennis memoir, the always private and unassuming Sampras, of all people, let's you get inside of his head. Especially, as he discusses the latter stages of his career when sportswriters, fellow players and other experts considered his championship days to be over. Pete openly lets readers in on what went through his mind and how he was able to overcome any thoughts that kept him from focusing on one thing throughout his career, winning tennis matches.

I cracked open the book on a transatlantic red-eye flight thinking that I would read a couple of chapters to put me to sleep. Boy, was I wrong! I finally slept but only after finishing the book.
I am a tennis nut but I thought the content would be appreciated even by people that aren't tennis nuts. He covers his career and key matches but there is a lot of coverage given to people, his relationships and what made him a champion. It is difficult to walk the fine line of sounding confident without coming across as arrogant but Pete Sampras does a good job of that throughout the book like he did/does in real life - he talks about the Gift and how he went about harnessing it. He has very candid commentary about a number of other fellow pros like McEnroe, Connors, Lendl, Federer, etc. He talks about his relationships and competition with his generation of American players (Agassi, Courier and Chang) in a lot of detail as well as his relationship with his coaches through the years. All in all, if you are a tennis fan (or follow sports in general), this is a must read!

As a longtime Sampras fan, it was a delight to get my hands on this book. I could not put it down. Pete was -- and still is -- a class act. It was like a trip down memory lane reading about the matches I had watched so closely growing up. It was so nice after all these years to hear his thoughts on the game, his peers,and life in general. My only complaint? After reading this book, I was wishing I could turn on the tv and see him tearing it up on the court. How I miss the days when Sampras ruled tennis. To me, he'll always be the best tennis player of all time.

I have always been a Sampras fan and thought he got a bad rap as being "too dull" when how can excellence be dull? It was so good to be able to read something more personal about him as he lets us into his life, finally. He tells us what he was feeling and what it took to remain number one; things we could not know before, but he always seemed to realize how lucky he was to be able to be playing tennis. He lets us see how much more he is than a tennis player.

This book gives a clear picture of Sampras' personality which is pretty similiar to his game-straight forward, aggressive when necessary, and well rounded. Sampras tells of his parents' sacrifice so that he could become a champion, and his admiration of their values is evident throughout the book. He also tells of small sibling rivalries; helping his sister deal with Robert Landsorph, who seems to lose all of his students from Austin to Davenport to other coaches because of his belligerent demeanor; and the desinegration of his relationship with Pete Fisher after Fisher's arrest for child molestation. Tennis attracts a strange crowd, and the Sampras family may have found the strangest in Fisher who has taken more credit for Sampras' game than Pete gives him here. Who is to say which of the two is correct? In regard to his rivals, Sampras speaks in detail and honestly. His page or so that he gives to Connors is probably longer than any conversation between the two. Sampras also does a good job of showing the Jekyll and Hyde personality of McEnroe. He gives Lendl his due as an underated champion whose accomplishments are perhaps greater than Connors' or McEnroe's, a kind person, and someone who took time to help a future champion, Sampras at the age 17(Yes, the time with Lendl may have caused the bias). He also thoroughly analyzes the games, friendships, and rivalies with Agassi, Courier, Chang, and Martin. Finally, he nods to Federer as a worthy player to break his records, classy again. As far as romantic relationships, an important point to make is that unlike McEnroe, Sampras does not tell anything of his first girlfriend Delana Mulcahy who is substantially older than he and left Sampras for someone even younger or of his relationship with Kimberly Williams. For his not telling the dirt, he has certainly more class than McEnroe whose children will someday read what dad said about all the cokeheads he dated and the disturbing marriage to mom, Tatum O'Neal. Sampras does state that tennis took a priority and cost him until he met Bridgette Wilson. On a different note, one complaint-somebody needed to do a better job on the proofing. There are a number of cliches, and there seems to be no understanding about the difference between I and me, an English teacher's complaint. Regardless, Sampras' book reveals a champion and person of great character.