"Could have done more to appreciate I was yin to their yang": When Pete Sampras wished to be treated with same respect as McEnroe & Connors by media

Pete Sampras is one of the greatest champions to have graced a tennis court and won 14 Grand Slam titles throughout his illustrious career.

The American was known for his shy, introverted demeanor on the court and was always in control of his emotions. However, this, along with his game style, was misinterpreted as boring by many.

Sampras wrote about this in his book, "A Champion's Mind". The American noted with sadness that he was accused of playing good tennis and as a result, was thought of as "boring" and a "threat to tennis."

"I stood accused of playing brilliant tennis that won minds, but not hearts. After one of my matches, a tabloid ran the simple headline SAMPRAZZZZZZZZ. . . . I had been raised to believe that winning matches is what counted, and that you didn’t make a fuss or draw attention to yourself as you went about that job," Sampras wrote.

"Now being good was boring, and a threat to tennis. It wasn’t easy to read that stuff, and it was the last thing I wanted to talk about in my press conferences. Whatever I said was bound to come off as defensive, self-justifying, or both," he added.

The former World No. 1 also claimed that people who interpreted his self-control as a "lack of emotion" were arrogant. In Sampras' opinion, keeping himself in check was no small feat as tennis was notorious for producing short-tempered players.

"Some people took it upon themselves to interpret my extraordinary self-control as evidence of a lack of emotion. This struck me as pretty arrogant. I had emotions, all right, trust me on that; I just knew how to master them, and that was true on and off the court. That’s no mean feat in a sport known for producing hotheads and emotional powder kegs," Pete Sampras wrote.

The American also stated that his colleagues Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Boris Becker had a lot of fans because they expressed their emotions openly. While he did not mind that, Sampras wished the media could have appreciated him more, understanding that his calmness was necessary to keep the balance amidst such players.

"Players like John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors, and Boris Becker won legions of fans because they so freely vented their emotions. I understood that they needed to do that to play—or feel like they were playing—their best tennis," Pete Sampras wrote.

"And, of course, it always made good copy, and added an extra layer of interest to the personalities of those guys. I never begrudged or envied that. But I also felt that the media could have done more to appreciate that I was the yin to their yang," he added.

Pete Sampras has a positive head-to-head record against Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Boris Becker

Pete Sampras during an exhibition match in 2010

Pete Sampras faced Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Boris Becker throughout his career and ended up with a positive head-to-head record against each of them.

Sampras won both of his fixtures against Connors, beating him at the 1992 Miami Open (then known as the Lipton International Players' Championships) and that year's AT & T Challenge in Atlanta.

The 14-time Grand Slam Champion faced John McEnroe thrice during his career and won every match, most notably the semifinals at the 1990 US Open, where he won his first Major.

Sampras and Becker locked horns on 19 occasions, with the former leading 12-7 in the head-to-head. Their most notable clash came in the final of the 1995 Wimbledon Championships, with the American winning 6-7(5), 6-2, 6-4, 6-2.