Pete Sampras Signed Tennis Ball comes professionally framed with a certificate of authenticity on the back. Petros “Pete” Sampras an American former world No. 1 tennis player. His professional career began in 1988 and ended at the 2002 US Open, which he won, defeating long-time rival Andre Agassi in the final. Sampras won 14 major singles titles during his career, which was an all-time record at the time of his retirement: a then-record seven Wimbledon titles, two Australian Opens and a joint Open Era record five US Open titles.