Pete Sampras is regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, with 14 Grand Slam titles to his name, including seven at Wimbledon, five at the US Open, and two at the Australian Open throughout his 15-year career. But beyond the trophies and screaming fans, Pete has faced some incredibly tough battles, from the loss of his coach to his wife's devastating diagnosis. Join HELLO! as we learn all about Pete's quiet home life with his loving family, and the challenges he overcame to become a tennis god.
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Love match
As soon as Pete laid eyes on Bridgette Wilson in the 1999 comedy Love Stinks, he knew that she was the one. At the time, Pete was recovering from a leg injury that he had sustained at the RCA Championships in Indianapolis. "There was a bright spot to that otherwise terrible late summer – my injury was directly responsible for my wife and me meeting," he wrote in his 2008 memoir A Champion's Mind.
"While I was hurt, I was watching this movie, Love Stinks, with a friend, John Black. Bridgette Wilson, an actress in the film, caught my eye. Actually, she blew me away when I saw her. I thought she was stunning." He then asked John, who was the LA Lakers Vice President of Public Relations at the time, to reach out to her on his behalf. While their first date had its awkward moments, the duo eventually hit it off and wed in 2000 after nine months of dating.
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Family first
The tennis great and the Hollywood star welcomed their eldest son, Christian, in November 2002, and their youngest, Ryan, in July 2005. Bridgette revealed to People that her parenting style greatly differed from that of her husband. "We had to give each other permission to be different as parents," she told the publication. "That's why there's a mom and dad with two different approaches because you do need both."
The duo both decided to retire in the '00s despite their relatively young ages and soaring careers, in order to be present in their sons' lives. "For now, I want to be there when [the boys] wake up, and I want to be there to put them in bed," Bridgette said. Pete later explained to The New York Times that retiring was the right choice for himself and his family.
"I'm in complete control of what I want to do in my life and that's a great place to be at 39 years old…I knew when I was retired I could pick and choose what I wanted to do," he said. "So it really is a nice place to be in life. I can spend a ton of time with my kids, take them out to the park during the week, and most guys are working eight to six."
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Bridgette's battle
The family of four was struck by tragedy when Pete revealed in 2023 that Bridgette had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer a year prior. The former athlete shared the news via ATP Tour on X. "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 began.
"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," he continued. "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 will end this by humbly asking for good thoughts and prayers for our family as Bridgette continues to thrive on her healing journey. Thank you," he concluded.
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Breaking point
Pete overcame a major challenge at the height of his career when his longtime coach, Tim Gullikson, was shockingly diagnosed with brain cancer. One of the tennis legend's most vulnerable moments came during the quarterfinal against Jim Courier at the Australian Open in 1995, when he began to cry and took a moment to collect himself on the sidelines. The star's coach had collapsed in the locker room ahead of the tournament and subsequently learned of his diagnosis, before he was flown back to the US.
"I think people understand that I'm normal, I have feelings like everyone else," he later told the LA Times of the emotional moment. "I'm not a robot out there. I'm as normal as the guy across the street, and I think that's what people have to realize: when they see tennis players, we're not above everyone; we do the same things everyone else does." Tim passed away a year later.