Editing Pete Sampras (section)

==Early life==
Pete Sampras was born on August 12, 1971, in [[Washington, D.C.]] He is the third child of Soterios "Sammy" and Georgia (née Vroustouris) Sampras. His father was born in the United States to a [[Greeks|Greek]] father, Costas "Gus" Sampras, and a [[History of the Jews in Poland|Polish-Jewish]] mother, Sarah Steinberg.<ref>{{cite news |last=Dean |first=Paul |date=September 20, 1990 |title=For Pete's Sake: Old-Fashioned Sam and Georgia Sampras Keep in Background as Their Son Basks in U.S. Open Glory |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-20-vw-1091-story.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012140622/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-09-20-vw-1091-story.html |archive-date=October 12, 2020 |access-date=October 8, 2020 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=May 15, 2008 |title=Sampras visits ancestral home for first time |url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18682181/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070525024508/http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18682181/ |archive-date=May 25, 2007 |access-date=February 20, 2008 |publisher=MSNBC |agency=Associated Press}}</ref><ref name="Higdon">{{cite web |last=Higdon |first=David |date=October 2, 1996 |title=Questions from the Net: Your Top Ten Questions to Pete Sampras |url=http://www.tennisserver.com/netgame/netgame_10_2_96.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071013215522/http://tennisserver.com/netgame/netgame_10_2_96.html |archive-date=October 13, 2007 |access-date=February 20, 2008 |work=Tennisserver.com}}</ref> His mother is also Greek; when she was 19,<ref name=":0">{{Cite news |last=Stevenson |first=Samantha |date=1990-09-12 |title=Not All Joy for Sampras Family |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/12/sports/not-all-joy-for-sampras-family.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230905131055/https://www.nytimes.com/1990/09/12/sports/not-all-joy-for-sampras-family.html |archive-date=September 5, 2023 |access-date=2023-09-05 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> she immigrated to the United States from the village of [[Sellasia]] in [[Sparta (modern)|Sparta]].<ref name=":0" /> Sampras attended regular services of the [[Church of Greece|Greek Orthodox Church]] on Sundays.<ref>{{cite book |last=Srinivasan |first=Archana |title=Biographies of Bio-Sporting Legends |publisher=Sura Books |year=2007 |page=80 |isbn=978-81-7478-644-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Green |first1=Nick |title=Ten questions for Pete Sampras |url=https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jul/01/tennis.features |access-date=4 August 2019 |work=The Guardian |date=1 July 2007 |archive-date=November 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181122052037/https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2007/jul/01/tennis.features |url-status=live}}</ref> At the age of 3, he discovered a tennis racket in the basement of his home and spent hours hitting balls against the wall.

In 1978, the Sampras family moved to [[Palos Verdes]], [[California]], and the warmer climate there allowed the seven year-old Sampras to play tennis for most of the year. From early on, his great idol was [[Rod Laver]], and at the age of 11, Sampras met and played tennis with the legend.<ref name="Officialbio" /> The Sampras family joined the [[Jack Kramer Club]], and it was here that Sampras's talent became apparent. As a teenager, Sampras trained with tennis coach [[Robert Lansdorp]]. The forehand he learned from Lansdorp was the same forehand he used throughout his career. The key was an emphasis on driving through the ball and not hitting extreme topspin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tennisplayer.net/public/famouscoach/robert_lansdorp/lansdorp_and_champions_mind/lansdorp_and_champions_mind.html|title=Robert Lansdorp and the Champion's Mind|website=www.tennisplayer.net|access-date=December 13, 2017|archive-date=December 13, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171213085859/https://www.tennisplayer.net/public/famouscoach/robert_lansdorp/lansdorp_and_champions_mind/lansdorp_and_champions_mind.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He was spotted by [[Dr. Peter Fischer]], a pediatrician and tennis enthusiast, who coached Sampras until 1989.<ref name="Officialbio">{{cite web|url=http://www.petesampras.com/sampras2.html |title=The King of Swing. Pete Sampras |publisher=Petesampras.com |access-date=February 22, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080509195030/http://www.petesampras.com/sampras2.html |archive-date=May 9, 2008 |df=mdy}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Break Point: The Secret Diary of a Pro Tennis Player |last=Spadea |first=Vince |author2=Dan Markowitz |year=2006 |publisher=ECW Press |pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781550227291/page/36 36, 125] |isbn=1-55022-729-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781550227291/page/36}}</ref> Fischer was responsible for converting Sampras's double-handed backhand to [[One-handed backhand|single-hand]] with the goal of being better prepared to win Wimbledon.<ref>{{cite book |last=Shifrin |first=Joshua |title=101 Incredible Moments in Tennis: The Good, the Bad and the Infamous |year=2005 |page=229 |publisher=Virtualbookworm.com Publishers |isbn=1-58939-820-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=One-handed backhand now a rarity in post-Henin era |url=https://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2008-06-23-tennis-backhands_N.htm |work=USA Today |access-date=June 5, 2010 |date=June 24, 2008 |first=Douglas |last=Robson |archive-date=July 16, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100716211959/http://www.usatoday.com/sports/tennis/2008-06-23-tennis-backhands_N.htm |url-status=live}}</ref>