A Champion's Mind

Lessons from a Life in Tennis

De: Pete Sampras, Peter Bodo

Narrado por: Mark Deakins

Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player ever, a man whose hard-nosed work ethic led to an unprecedented number one world ranking for 286 weeks, and whose prodigious talent made possible a record-setting fourteen Grand Slam titles. While his more vocal rivals sometimes grabbed the headlines, Pete always preferred to let his racket do the talking.

Until now.

In A Champion’s Mind, the tennis great who so often exhibited visible discomfort with letting people “inside his head” finally opens up. An athletic prodigy, Pete resolved from his earliest playing days never to let anything get in the way of his love for the game. But while this single-minded determination led to tennis domination, success didn’t come without a price. The constant pressure of competing on the world’s biggest stage—in the unblinking eye of a media machine hungry for more than mere athletic greatness—took its toll.

Here for the first time Pete speaks freely about what it was like to possess what he calls “the Gift.” He writes about the personal trials he faced—including the death of a longtime coach and confidant—and the struggles he gutted his way through while being seemingly on top of the world. Among the book’s most riveting scenes are an early devastating loss to Stefan Edberg that led Pete to make a monastic commitment to delivering on his natural talent; a grueling, four-hour-plus match against Alex Corretja during which Pete became seriously ill; fierce on-court battles with rival and friend Andre Agassi; and the triumphant last match of Pete’s career at the finals of the 2002 U.S. Open.

In A Champion’s Mind, one of the most revered, successful, and intensely private players in the history of tennis offers an intimate look at the life of an elite athlete.©2008 Pete Sampras; (P)2008 Books on Tape

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Consider this book Sampras’ 15th Grand Slam. A thoroughly compelling read that–apart from retracing a gilded sport career–really probes the ‘hard drive’ of a champion. It’s as if all the emotion and insight that Sampras sometimes seemed reluctant to express during his playing days comes spilling forth.”
—Jon Wertheim, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated and SI.com

"As the title says, this is a remarkable look into a champion's mind, and maybe one of the best tennis memoirs ever. Pete captures the pressure a player feels once he's reached the top. He puts us next to him on the court, and we get a clear sense of what made him extraordinary: he was supremely determined, dedicated to learning the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents, and committed to never ever yielding a point easily. Pete wrote this book the way he plays tennis: full-out."
—Rod Laver

“Even playing at a high level, it’s hard to know what the experience of winning–and trying to stay on top–is like for another competitor. We all react so differently to pressure, to the glow of the spotlight. It is brutally hard to stay grounded, and yet this wonderfully candid book shows that it was Pete’s rare ability to compartmentalize and draw strength from his family that allowed him to reach the sport’s pinnacle. Whether championships are in your past or just live in your dreams, you’ll learn a lot from Pete’s story.”
—Monica Seles

"Pete Sampras was always able to rise to the occasion, winning so many big matches at the biggest events. This book provides the reader a glimpse into Pete's remarkable career and how he was able attain his vision of being the best player in the world. We can all benefit from the insight he offers."
—Roger Federer

Love Agassi v Sampras? You'll love this!

I grew up a huge tennis fan. I especially loved watching Andre Agassi versus Pete Sampras. I have read Agassi's book 2 times. This was my first time through the Sampras book and I loved it. The book is not about Andre Agassi but do you respect is given to him. I loved reading about Pete's life. It's Pete side of the story of one of the great decades and tennis. I enjoyed the book immensely, and could see myself reading it again.

Stick with it

First half is very slow, boring and a little painful. The second half is good. A bit more emotional and insightful. Pete was a great champ and a good guy; that shines through this book.

Great to Hear from Pete

It took me a long time to finally buy and listen to this audiobook and I think the reason why is because of underwhelming feedback from Audible members on their reviews.
Now that I have listened to the entire book I can say it was absolutely worth a credit and was a great book.
Pete Sampras was my favorite player as a kid because he had such an overpowering game an was so consistently great and this book takes you closer to his perspective of it all.
If you are a fan of him or just want to find great books about tennis (which Audible is in sore need of) check this one out.

Honesty

Great honest and direct. Quite different from Agassi’s book and every bit as good. Pete really tells his story and how he felt.

Review

Excellent book graphing the life and career of a great tennis legend from start to finish! Well done Pete!

A snore

A gifted man, that Sampras and most likely a good guy. But the book is a snore, with little insight offered. The reader mirrored the subject matter. I knew what I was getting into, however, but that era of tennis was so good, I wanted to garner even more insight.

Tennis Fan

Love Pete but story is fairly boring. It’s still worth a listen as a fan.

Interesting book, you can feel the arrogance but it is ok

You can sense Pete’s arrogance and distorted view of things, but he is without a doubt a legend of the sport and his story is really interesting

Amazing Book

Heart of a true champion!

I enjoyed the rivalry details and how he stayed humble not matter what.

Going back in time

I’m a big fan of people reading their own autobiographies. Listening to him relive his tennis life was enjoyable. If you’re looking for something eye-popping, this isn’t it. I laughed at his behind the scenes stories “towel!” and felt for him when he admitted his mistakes “bricks”. I didn’t find him arrogant as some of the other readers found him. I think of him as a regular guy, who trained intensely to become the number one tennis player, learned from his mistakes both on and off the court, and grew into the husband, father and respected man he is today.