On This Day: Sampras reaches No. 1 in 1993

Reaching No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings is a rare achievement, but scaling the summit at a young age is even rarer. Just ask Pete Sampras.

The then-21-year-old American became the 11th player to reach the top spot on April 12, 1993 and over his illustrious career, he would secure a place in history by spending 286 weeks at No. 1. Sampras, who is the eighth-youngest No. 1, ranks third in the all-time list for weeks spent at the top, behind Novak Djokovic (428) and Roger Federer (310).

A remarkable 1992 season, highlighted by five tour-level titles, set the stage for Sampras’ ascent the following year. While his greatest Lexus ATP Head2Head rival of the 1990s, Andre Agassi, was celebrated for his all-court game, Sampras dominated with his aggressive, net-charging style. This became further apparent in the 1993 campaign.

Sampras began with a red-hot 30-3 record, capturing hard-court titles in Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong, and at the ATP Masters 1000 in Miami. The final in Hong Kong was perfectly poised for the ultimate takeover. Sampras was rewarded for an epic three-hour victory over Jim Courier by knocking him off the top spot and attaining No. 1 in the PIF ATP Rankings for the first time.

Few could have predicted the level of dominance Sampras would maintain over the next seven years. The American star achieved an unmatched six consecutive Year-End ATP No. 1 presented by PIF finishes from 1993-1998. His longest uninterrupted reign at the top spanned 102 weeks (April 15, 1996 - March 29, 1998) and is the fifth-longest in ATP Tour history.

Sampras fittingly concluded his storied career by claiming his 14th major title at the 2002 US Open, where he became the only player to win the final Grand Slam tournament in which he competed.

“Every kid says they'd like to be World No. 1 as a dream growing up, but you don’t really mean it,” Sampras told ATPTour.com in 2018. “The goal for me was always to win Wimbledon, to be mentioned in the same breath as Laver and Rosewall, but being No. 1 was the icing on the cake... Staying at No. 1 was the hardest part. You need heart, mind and talent to be No. 1 for years.”