When tennis legend Pete Sampras stepped out to get coffee earlier this month, it was far more than just an errand run for the 14-time Grand Slam champion.
The routine act represented an extremely rare public appearance from the American, who has largely been absent from the limelight since his retirement in 2003.
There was another photographed trip to Starbucks last January, an appearance at Indian Wells in 2019, and a Nike event four years prior, with the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova all present.
But aside from those moments, and a smattering of other exhibition matches, we’ve hardly seen or heard from Sampras in the last two decades.
So where has he been?
It’s important to note that Sampras – even at the height of his playing powers – was known to be notoriously private and fame-averse.
Pete Sampras, seen in 2011, has largely shied away from the limelight since retiring in 2003
Sampras and his wife Bridgette Wilson were married in 2000 and have two sons together
He has largely faded from public view since he won the 2002 US Open – his last tournament
After winning the 2002 US Open (the last tournament of his career), he flew home to California and declined all media requests.
As Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim wrote in a 2021 profile of Sampras – which he declined to be interviewed for – the now-53-year-old ‘enjoyed press conferences, glad-handing sponsor parties, promotional appearances and the other duties that attend being a superstar, much the same way cats enjoy bathing.’
The report would go on to say that following his retirement, he spent ‘months’ without leaving his mansion in Beverly Hills.
‘Everyone has a different personality and I was more like Bjorn Borg or Stefan Edberg, the kind of role model where we keep our head down and just play,’ Sampras told Steve Flink, who authored a career biography of the player.
‘I was raised to be a tennis player – not a celebrity. That was who I was.’
That low-profile nature, both in his playing career and after it, has perhaps been further emphasized by the more public-facing lives of his American peers.
Andre Agassi became tabloid fodder due to his relationship with actress Brooke Shields and high-profile alleged affair with Barbra Streisand.
Meanwhile, a trio of players whose careers Sampras overlapped with – John McEnroe, his brother Patrick McEnroe and Jim Courier – have all gone on to be respected analysts on TV.
Sampras has avoided the airwaves, and has no desire to coach either.
‘I don’t want to travel and be at these events for more than a couple of days,’ the dad-of-two told CNN in 2016. ‘… I just don’t have it in me to put in the work.’
Sampras, seen in 2006, has spent much of his time after retirement raising he and Bridgette’s sons, Christian and Ryan
Many of his appearances have involved tennis. Here, he’s seen playing an exhibition match with Novak Djokovic at the 2019 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells.
He is known to have a relationship with Roger Federer, and the pair attended a Lakers game together in 2011
True to form, many of Sampras’ post-retirement appearances have been related to tennis.
He faced Agassi at the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden in 2011, attended the China Open the same year and was spotted at the Australian Open in 2014. Sampras also featured in the exhibition International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) match in Dubai in 2014.
Five years later, he would team up with Novak Djokovic for an exhibition doubles game at Indian Wells.
Even as he took in a Lakers-Bobcats game in 2011 and greeted coach Phil Jackson, Roger Federer was by his side.
He made a rare non-tennis outing in 2010 when he attended the Cedars-Sinai Sports Spectacular for charity.
While Sampras has never enjoyed the spotlight – and has certainly stayed away from it in retirement – those close to him have theorized that his private nature actually came from a confidence and conviction in his playing ability, which was all that really mattered to him.
‘As uncomfortable as Pete would seem in public, I always got the sense he was as comfortable in his skin as anyone could be,’ Todd Martin, who peaked at No. 4 in the world, told Sports Illustrated.
So how has Sampras been spending his time?
He and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson (who has mostly stopped acting since Sampras retired) have been raising their sons Christian and Ryan, who are now said to be 22 and 19 years old respectively.
He’s also been known to play golf, cards with friends or a casual game of tennis in his backyard, where he has a court.
As Wertheim put it, Sampras’ retirement has just as equally been defined by what he doesn’t have to do, as the press conferences, practice sessions and other obligations from his playing career have faded away.
‘Every time I see him, he seems totally happy,’ said Paul Annacone, Sampras’ longtime coach. ‘He has a really good perspective and view on being a dad and a husband, and he does whatever he wants to do.’
Sampras announced last year that his wife Bridgette was battling ovarian cancer
Sampras posted a picture of this Nike event to Instagram in 2015. He hasn’t posted to social media since
More recently, Sampras’ role as a husband came into public view when he announced that Brigitte was battling ovarian cancer last year.
In a statement released through the ATP Tour, Sampras touched on his own reserved nature and requested prayers for his wife.
‘As most have come to know, I am a pretty quiet and private person. However, this past year has been an exceptionally challenging time for my family, and I have decided to share what’s been going on,’ he said.
‘Last December, my wife, Bridgette, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Since then, she has had major surgery, pushed through chemotherapy and continues with targeted maintenance therapy.
‘It is hard to watch someone you love go through a challenge like this. However, seeing our boys step up and be such strong supporters of Bridgette, myself and each other has been amazing. Watching Bridgette continue to be an incredible mom and wife through it all has been inspiring.
‘I have also learned that it is very hard to reach for support when something is simply too hard to talk about. With that said, I am humbling asking for good thoughts and prayers for our family as Bridgette continues to thrive on her healing journey. Thank you.’
That statement, released in October 2023, was the last time that Sampras spoke publicly, while he is known to be inactive on social media as well (his last Instagram post was in 2015).
Hopefully, we hear positive news the next time he speaks.
