Tennis legend

Pete Sampras 

Next month will see me as usual glued to Wimbledon. I hardly watch tennis at any other time, but Wimbledon holds a special kind of attraction. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I grew up partly in a sports-obsessed country (Australia)and it was staple fare every year - cricket in the summer, rugby in the winter, tennis in June, the Olympics, ice-skating, gymnastics, etc.

BBC World Service had an interview today with Mr Tennis Nice Guy who announced his retirement last year. He is a 14 Grand Slam winner, who often played when in a great deal of pain - and still he managed to win.

He hardly raised any objections, was always civil and polite, didn't grunt and groan when service or returning, and yet was extremely competitive and goal-oriented. His departure from tennis was a personal decision - he just had enough and wants to get on with whatever the rest of his life has to offer.

He had a cute smile too, did Pete Sampras!