GOAT Index

Two legends at a time. Thousands of votes. One ranking.

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Pete Sampras: the case for the GOAT

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    Pete Sampras: the case for the GOAT

    USA · Born 12 August 1971, Washington, D.C., USA · Career 1988–2002

    American serve-and-volleyer with one of the greatest serves ever and a lethal running forehand, who ruled the 1990s and especially the grass of Wimbledon.

    Career highlights

    Why Pete Sampras could be the GOAT

    Sampras finished six consecutive years at No. 1, a record no one has broken, and retired holding the record for most men's majors. His seven Wimbledons in eight years made grass his kingdom, and he signed off by winning the 2002 US Open in his final match. Under pressure, his serve was the most reliable shot in tennis.

    What fans say

    Pete Sampras is #7 of 20 in the fan ranking, with a 3–2 head-to-head record from 52 Men's tennis votes. See the full Men's tennis GOAT ranking

    Pete Sampras head to head

    How the ranking works. Every head-to-head vote is a result, like a game. The standings use a Bradley–Terry model, the same idea behind chess ratings: beating a highly rated legend counts for more than beating a long shot. Ratings are shown on a chess-style scale centred on 1500.

    One vote per matchup per person. If you see a pairing again in another session your new answer replaces the old one, so nobody can stuff the ballot by repeating a matchup.

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      Photos come from Wikimedia Commons under the licenses listed. Each links to its source page.