Pete Sampras' prediction over whether anyone would win more than 14 Grand Slams after he won Wimbledon for the final time

Pete Sampras enjoyed a stunning career and he was widely considered the best to have ever swung a racket when he was in his pomp.

When it came to Wimbledon, he was the king. Way before Roger Federer came along, Sampras was the man to beat when it came to the grass court season and very few could overcome him.

When talking about the game’s best players ever, Sampras actually chose Novak Djokovic as his GOAT over Rafael Nadal or Roger Federer.

Sampras finished his career with 14 Grand Slam titles and seven of those came at SW19 in front of the Wimbledon crowd who grew to love him.

At that time, it was hard to imagine anyone would come along and win Wimbledon more than seven times and certainly Sampras thought his record would stay intact for a while.

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Pete Sampras made a prediction on his Grand Slam haul after winning Wimbledon in 2000

After beating Pat Rafter on Centre Court, Pistol Pete was quizzed on whether or not his haul of 14 Grand Slam titles would ever be beaten.

Back then, little did he know that Nadal, Federer and Djokovic would dominate the sport and completely blow the total set by Sampras.

In 2000 after winning Wimbledon for a seventh time he said in his press conference that he’d be surprised in the modern era if anyone beat his total.

He said: “Well, time will tell if it will be broken. I think in the modern game, it could be difficult. It’s a lot of commitment, a lot of good playing at big times. You know, it’s hard to see one guy or three guys that I see maybe doing it.

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“It’s possible. I mean, the next person might be eight years old hitting at a park somewhere around the world. You never know. There’s guys that are, you know, great players that could possibly do it. But it’s not easy.”

The big three made a complete mockery of Sampras’ call

As the best player to exist at that time, it’s quite something that even he didn’t anticipate anyone achieving what he managed in the game.

The Big Three blew Sampras’ total out of the water and dominated the sport for many years competing against each other.

Federer managed to win eight Wimbledon titles with Djokovic currently sitting on seven – the same number as Sampras – trying to join Federer before his career finishes.

Now, there is a real question over the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner can go another step further and win more Grand Slam titles than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic.

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