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| A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis | 
 enlarge | Authors: Pete Sampras, Peter Bodo
Publisher: Crown
Category: Book
List Price: $24.95
Buy New: $13.75
You Save: $11.20 (45%)
New (33) Used (15) Collectible (1) from $12.25
Avg. Customer Rating:  24 reviews
Sales Rank: 14133
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 320
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.2 x 6.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0307383296
Dewey Decimal Number: 796.342092
EAN: 9780307383297
ASIN: 0307383296
Publication Date: June 10, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW COPY !
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Product Description
Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player ever, a man whose hard-nosed work ethic led to an unprecedented number one world ranking for 286 weeks, and whose prodigious talent made possible a record-setting fourteen Grand Slam titles. While his more vocal rivals sometimes grabbed the headlines, Pete always preferred to let his racket do the talking.
Until now.
In A Champion’s Mind, the tennis great who so often exhibited visible discomfort with letting people “inside his head” finally opens up. An athletic prodigy, Pete resolved from his earliest playing days never to let anything get in the way of his love for the game. But while this single-minded determination led to tennis domination, success didn’t come without a price. The constant pressure of competing on the world’s biggest stage—in the unblinking eye of a media machine hungry for more than mere athletic greatness—took its toll.
Here for the first time Pete speaks freely about what it was like to possess what he calls “the Gift.” He writes about the personal trials he faced—including the death of a longtime coach and confidant—and the struggles he gutted his way through while being seemingly on top of the world. Among the book’s most riveting scenes are an early devastating loss to Stefan Edberg that led Pete to make a monastic commitment to delivering on his natural talent; a grueling, four-hour-plus match against Alex Corretja during which Pete became seriously ill; fierce on-court battles with rival and friend Andre Agassi; and the triumphant last match of Pete’s career at the finals of the 2002 U.S. Open.
In A Champion’s Mind, one of the most revered, successful, and intensely private players in the history of tennis offers an intimate look at the life of an elite athlete.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 19 more reviews...
Class Act June 18, 2008
23 out of 24 found this review helpful
This book gives a clear picture of Sampras' personality which is pretty similiar to his game-straight forward, aggressive when necessary, and well rounded. Sampras tells of his parents' sacrifice so that he could become a champion, and his admiration of their values is evident throughout the book. He also tells of small sibling rivalries; helping his sister deal with Robert Landsorph, who seems to lose all of his students from Austin to Davenport to other coaches because of his belligerent demeanor; and the desinegration of his relationship with Pete Fisher after Fisher's arrest for child molestation. Tennis attracts a strange crowd, and the Sampras family may have found the strangest in Fisher who has taken more credit for Sampras' game than Pete gives him here. Who is to say which of the two is correct? In regard to his rivals, Sampras speaks in detail and honestly. His page or so that he gives to Connors is probably longer than any conversation between the two. Sampras also does a good job of showing the Jekyll and Hyde personality of McEnroe. He gives Lendl his due as an underated champion whose accomplishments are perhaps greater than Connors' or McEnroe's, a kind person, and someone who took time to help a future champion, Sampras at the age 17(Yes, the time with Lendl may have caused the bias). He also thoroughly analyzes the games, friendships, and rivalies with Agassi, Courier, Chang, and Martin. Finally, he nods to Federer as a worthy player to break his records, classy again. As far as romantic relationships, an important point to make is that unlike McEnroe, Sampras does not tell anything of his first girlfriend Delana Mulcahy who is substantially older than he and left Sampras for someone even younger or of his relationship with Kimberly Williams. For his not telling the dirt, he has certainly more class than McEnroe whose children will someday read what dad said about all the cokeheads he dated and the disturbing marriage to mom, Tatum O'Neal. Sampras does state that tennis took a priority and cost him until he met Bridgette Wilson. On a different note, one complaint-somebody needed to do a better job on the proofing. There are a number of cliches, and there seems to be no understanding about the difference between I and me, an English teacher's complaint. Regardless, Sampras' book reveals a champion and person of great character.
Brilliant and surprisingly personal June 11, 2008
15 out of 20 found this review helpful
Pete Sampras was not just a great tennis player. He is one of the classiest athletes to ever compete in big-time professional sports. The fact that he was polite, soft spoken, and exceedingly decent probably reduced his overall fame and appeal in this strange upside-down celebrity culture of ours. We should all appreciate athletes like him when they come along.
I highly recommend this book, not just for tennis fans but for everyone. It offers a peek inside an amazing career that was not only high-pressure and often filled with glory but also totally dependant upon hard work.
Sampras may not have been flashy but he was the real deal, a talented player who worked harder than most of us can ever imagine. His reward is a legacy of both class and greatness.
--Guy P. Harrison, columnist and author of 50 Reasons People Give for Believing in a God
Couldn't put it down! June 23, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I cracked open the book on a transatlantic red-eye flight thinking that I would read a couple of chapters to put me to sleep. Boy, was I wrong! I finally slept but only after finishing the book.
I am a tennis nut but I thought the content would be appreciated even by people that aren't tennis nuts. He covers his career and key matches but there is a lot of coverage given to people, his relationships and what made him a champion. It is difficult to walk the fine line of sounding confident without coming across as arrogant but Pete Sampras does a good job of that throughout the book like he did/does in real life - he talks about the Gift and how he went about harnessing it. He has very candid commentary about a number of other fellow pros like McEnroe, Connors, Lendl, Federer, etc. He talks about his relationships and competition with his generation of American players (Agassi, Courier and Chang) in a lot of detail as well as his relationship with his coaches through the years. All in all, if you are a tennis fan (or follow sports in general), this is a must read!
"Courageous and Heart-felt" June 10, 2008
4 out of 16 found this review helpful
Although I just purchased this book, I can tell already I am in for a treat. It takes guts to open up in this way. As a tennis pro myself, I can relate to much of this, but it is the deeper lessons that are within the words that we all can relate to. I intend to write a much more thorough review after reading the whole book, but thus far, it is enjoyable, engaging and highly recommended. One Man's Love Story - A Near-Death Experience
Even more of a fan now June 20, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have always been a Sampras fan and thought he got a bad rap as being "too dull" when how can excellence be dull? It was so good to be able to read something more personal about him as he lets us into his life, finally. He tells us what he was feeling and what it took to remain number one; things we could not know before, but he always seemed to realize how lucky he was to be able to be playing tennis. He lets us see how much more he is than a tennis player.
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