"Pete Sampras set a whole other standard of greatness and that's all he cared about"

Canadian tennis player Milos Raonic has stated that Pete Sampras redefined greatness with his game in tennis.

Sampras, regarded as one of the greatest tennis players of all time, won 14 Grand Slam titles. In a career spanning over 14 years, the American held on to the No. 1 ranking for a total of 286 weeks. He was also inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame for his unmatched contributions to the sport.

In a recent episode of The Craig Shapiro Tennis podcast, Raonic hailed his favorite player growing up, Sampras, for setting new standards of greatness.

"[On favorite player growing up] Pete Sampras. It was only about the tennis. He just set a whole other standard of greatness and that's all he cared about. People forget how quick he was. Like he moved just as well as these other guys do nowadays, right?" Raonic said (at 40:20).

Sampras was known for his precise and powerful serves, giving him the nickname "Pistol Pete." Raonic, however, feels that the American's status as just a "serve and volleyer" is understating his abilities.

"People want to categorize him and it's easy to categorize him as a serve and volleyer and most people assume you're a serve and volleyer, serve and volleying, cause you don't move well on the baseline. That's not the case," he continued.

The former World No. 3 then opined that Sampras has the "greatest running forehand" in the sport's history:

"This guy had the greatest running forehand of all time. And you knew where it was going. Every time you cross-court, and you still wouldn't get back."

"Pete Sampras is arguably, if not, the greatest serve game player" - Paul Annacone

Pete Sampras pictured at the 2011 BNP Paribas Showdown

Pete Sampras' former coach Paul Annacone showered praise on the American for his exceptional serve quality. In a recent podcast, the coach opined that Sampras had a "computer-like mind" about how he wanted to manipulate his serve.

"Pete is arguably, if not, the greatest serve game player, he's one of a handful. He had a really interesting inner computer-like mind about what was needed on his serve, which I found pretty amazing," Annacone stated.

Annacone coached Sampras for six years, from 1995 to 2001. During this period, the American won nine Majors, including five Wimbledon titles. Annacone also had a brief second spell with the 14-time Grand Slam champion towards his retirement.

Pete Sampras' last brush with professional tennis was at the 2002 US Open, where he defeated longtime rival Andre Agassi in the final.