Pete Sampras' Trophies Found In Boxes At Hospital

Photo:  Getty Images

Last December Pete Sampras had his storage space in West Los Angeles ransacked, and unfortunately many of his 64 cherished tennis trophies, including his first Australian Open trophy went missing.  But today is Pete's lucky day, because law-enforcement has found them, but in a very odd place.

Via TMZ:

Pete is all smiles now -- we're told a private investigator working the case for Sampras got a tip the boxes would be dropped off behind a Los Angeles hospital on Saturday.

According to law enforcement, the PI tipped off security at the hospital, who eventually spotted the boxes and called LAPD. We're told cops have no idea how they got there, but they are investigating.

There is no word yet whether all the trophies were returned.

New BFFs? Novak Djokovic and Pete Sampras

Pete has apparently dumped Roger Federer and moved on to a new bestie, Novak Djokovic.  Nole recently got to meet his idol, and then posted these pictures on his Facebook page.  He captioned this photo with:

This picture has a special place in my collection. Pete was my biggest idol when i was growing up. I was dreaming of winning Wimbledon trophy like he did... who knows, it might come true one day, i'm working on it! :)

Too cute. 

Update on Monday, March 14, 2011 at 8:30PM by [OnTheGoTennis]

Sorry guys, I just realized this pics were from Indian Wells last year, but they are still cute!  Enjoy.

Pete Sampras Got Into Donald Young's Kitchen

Donald Young, the promising junior talent touted by John McEnroe who failed to live up to the hype when he turned pro in 2004, finally managed to deliver on that promise, defeating world number five Andy Murray 7-6 (4), 6-3, in the 2nd round of the BNP Paribas Open.  Prior to this win, the highest ranked player he had defeated was Felicano Lopez in 2008. 

So what caused the turn-around for the 21 year-old player who on his Twitter account recently used the hashtag #secondcoming?"  (If you aren't familiar with Twitter lingo and therefore don't know what a hashtag is click here.)

Pete Sampras got into his kitchen.

Young, who has recently been working with the USTA coaches on his fitness as well as hitting with Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey, had the opportunity to hit with his idol Pete Sampras in the off-season.  And Pete apparently enjoys a bit of gamesmanship. 

In his post-match press conference Donald said:

It was great . He beat me in a groundstroke game. He gave me a lot of crap for it. He was talking a lot of trash. He calls me princess and he talks a lot of stuff. He says it's all in jest. It was a different side. First of all, I didn't know whether to take it serious or not. I was kind of psyched out. He still plays well. He told me he expected to see good things from me and for me to get better. I took it to heart. He calls it getting in my kitchen. He is obviously a great player. I look up to him. He's my favorite player. Amazing to be on the same court.

Up next for Donald Young is Tommy Robredo, who in their last meeting back in 2009, won in 4 sets.  So Pete, please stay in his kitchen, and while you're there can you grab me some popcorn?  Because I'm entertained.

Post-match quotes via Tennis.com

Photo via Getty Images

Photos: That's A Lot of Titles

Roger Federer and Pete Sampras are new BFFs on and off the court, and recently they hooked up and went to a LA Lakers game where they met some of the players including Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol.  Just a quick stat - If you combine Pete and Fed's Major titles with Kobe's rings, it equals 35 titles.  Talk about being in the presence of greatness....

Photos via the ATP World Tour Facebook Page

Interview With Jerry Solomon CEO of StarGames, LLC About The BNP Paribas Showdown

Tennis will be featured again at Madison Garden Square Garden on Feb 28th with the BNP Paribas Showdown, showcasing the epic rivalries between Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, and Ivan Lendl.   The night, which is part of Tennis Night In America, is the kick off event for a month long celebration of tennis.  Throughout March, the USTA will be holding various Youth Registration Events, which is their largest youth recruitment effort.   I had the opportunity to talk with Jerry Solomon, CEO of StarGames LLC who is the organizer of The Showdown, about Tennis Night in America and the role of exhibition matches to increase the popularity of the sport.

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