It has been 21 years since Pete Sampras announced his retirement from tennis. He remains to be one of the most decorated players in the sport. Sampras held the record of 14 grand slam titles for seven years until Roger Federer broke the record in 2009 at Wimbledon. The former player was present when Federer lifted the Wimbledon trophy to win his 15th Grand Slam title.
Sampras has held multiple records in the sport but has been away from the spotlight since retirement. He has kept his personal life away from the media. Sampras is also not active on social media. The American has been spending quality time with his wife, Bridgette Wilson, and children.
How Pete Sampras met Bridgette Wilson?
Sampras was 28 years old when he first met Bridgette Wilson in 1999. The former world No.1 was on a 24-match winning streak when he met with a leg injury, which made him rest for three months. During this period, Sampras was watching the movie, “Love Stinks,” where Wilson was the lead actress. He was amazed by Wilson’s presence in the movie and challenged his friend to get her number.
The 14-time grand slam champion was stunned after getting her number. Sampras then made a call to Wilson and set up a date at an Italian restaurant. The couple did not talk much but felt an instant connection between them.
Pete Sampras revealed his awkward date with Wildon, “Our first meeting was almost painful, it was so awkward. We were both tongue-tied, and we barely made eye contact. It was comical, or at least it would have been to anyone who wasn’t either of us.”
After dating for around 9 months, they were in a relationship and got married in September 2000. Sampras retired two years after the marriage, and Wilson slowly stopped her acting career.
Pete Sampras family and kids
Sampras and Wilson became parents for the first time in 2002 as they were blessed with a baby boy. Christian was three years old when the couple gave birth to their second child, Ryan. There is not much information on Christian and Ryan. But both have not been involved in tennis so far. The 52-year-old was only 31 years old during his retirement but has confessed to being lucky to have Wilson as his wife.
The former actress was also a model and singer before pursuing her career in movies. Wilson had acted in numerous movies before her marriage but wanted to be a full-time mother to her children.
Unlike many other celebrities back then, Sampras wanted to stay private about his love life and wanted his partner to be the same. And he found that in Wilson. He said, “Bridgette was there for me. She put her career aside after we were married. Bridgette always wanted to be a mother. That is why I knew she was the one for me.”
Sampras had said that it was rare to find a partner like Wilson. The couple have been going through tough times in recent years, as revealed by Sampras.
Sampras shares news about medical condition of his wife
Sampras has revealed that Wilson has been battling Ovarian cancer since December last year. The 50-year-old has been going through chemotherapy and also had a major surgery. Sampras shared that Ryan and Christian have been the pillars of support for him over the past few months.
A message from Pete 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ZReXGOCUQs
— ATP Tour (@atptour) October 29, 2023
Sampras wrote, “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 has been amazing. Watching Bridgette continue to be an incredible mom and wife through it all has been inspiring.”
The tennis legend shared the news with the fans through the ATP tour social media handle. Sampras called for good thoughts and prayers for his family. The tennis world showed their support and love for Sampras as fans hoped for a speedy recovery.