THE END OF AN ERA - PETE SAMPRAS

Although it was much expected , the retirement of Pete Sampras caused immense sadness to millions of Tennis lovers like me . Arguably , one of the Greatest players to have graced the Court , Pete's acheivements speak volumes for his immense talent & incredible hardwork . 14 Grand Slams in this Competitive era is not a joke. He was the undisputed King of Grass ( Wimbledon) & seeing his Serve & Volley game in the Wimbledon is sheer joy. He has called it quits at the right time after an incredible win at the US Open 2002 , where in 1990 as a young 19 year old he captured the attention & hearts of the entire globe.

Unlike most of the tennis players of the current era , he let his Racket do the talking instead of his mouth. He has remained my favourite player for a long time & I would definitely be missing him .

I would also like to mention that my becoming a fan of Sampras , was greatly influenced by my favourite sportswriter - Nirmal Shekar ( He writes for THE HINDU ). If there is one sentence I could say about Nirmal it is -- He writes poetry in prose . He is one heck of a writer ( If you want to know what Sportswriting is all about then read his articles , its sheer poetry ) . Nirmal is huge fan of Sampras and am waiting for the next Sportstar edition for his article on Sampras's retirement .