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12/8/10 4:14 AM | Johan Lindahl
Pete Sampras has gone public after his lifetime of tennis memories went missing from a locked and secured public storage facility in Los Angeles.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner says police have told him to go public with the devastating news in hopes of making progress on the strange case.
"I'm not one to gloat about trophies, or show them off," Sampras told the LA Times. "I've never been like that. I just want them for my kids to see. They didn't see me play, but I'd like them to see these things."
Sampras retired in 2002 after winning the 2002 US Open final over arch-rival Andre Agassi. "Losing this stuff is like having the history of my tennis life taken away," he said.
The Sampras loot was being stored in west LA as the family moved home, with the former player never suspecting that his goods would not be safe. Police have offered few leads and Sampras has no idea if his trophies were targeted.
Also taken were medals, plaques, crystal, rings and media clippings stored in dozens of boxes inside the unit. But there is a bright side. "I have 13 of my 14 Grand Slam trophies. Some are at home and some up at NikeTown (in Portland). My first Australian Open trophy is gone, and so is everything else."
The 29-year-old winner of 64 career titles said he was shocked at the news of the theft. "I was like, 'What?'" he said. "I thought there were security cameras. I thought these things were locked up tight. I was shocked."
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That's such a weird thing to steal. How is somebody going to fence trophies like that without getting caught? Duh.
cherylmurray , 12/8/10 3:10 PM
Stealing the objects of Pete's legacy is an offense not only to him but to all his fans and to the history of Tennis. This is indeed shocking and sad. I hope it is all recovered soon.
grafight , 12/8/10 3:59 PM
Weird. Here's a thought: It was an eccentric fan :D
Hope they find em. Pete was a player of a kind.
samprallica , 12/9/10 12:28 AM
This is mildly depressing in the grand scheme of things. They better be an eccentric fan or else they are really scummy.
sarkilsays , 12/9/10 3:04 AM
Even if it was a nutty fan, I still find it an odd theft. It's not as though said fan would be able to show them off to anyone.
cherylmurray , 12/9/10 4:41 AM
probably another one of agassi's joke :)
...but i too hope he gets them back.
homos , 12/9/10 2:34 PM
It sounds like a bad coincidence.
Some robbers break into random storage, find bunch of shiny trophies, think "must be worth something" and bug out.
I can't see this being targeted.
freedomsstain , 12/9/10 2:48 PM
29??
rbennett , 12/9/10 9:14 PM
9 year old :)
FEDistheGOAT , 12/9/10 11:29 PM
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I do hope that pete gets all of his trophies back. Its definitely something he would want to show his children as they get older.
tj600 , 12/8/10 2:20 PM