I'm pretty surprised that Pete Sampras, with all the world travel he has done playing tournaments, had never been to Greece - his ancestoral homeland.
But hey, the only reason I've been to Mexico so many times is because I went to San Diego State University and we were just minutes away from cheap beer and food.
Sampras is in Athens this week to play in a tennis tournament but also has some personal reasons. He told the Associated Presson Tuesday that "this is about sharing some time with my folks in my mom's homeland. I'm going to go out and enjoy it. It's a personal trip and obviously a professional trip, and I didn't want to lose sight of either one. I'm here to explore my heritage more. I'm proud to be here for the first time."
Sampras' mother, Georgia, left Greece with her six siblings when she was 25 and moved to Canada and then to the United States. His father, Sam, was born in the United States to a Greek immigrant father.
"Very much a big Greek family," Sampras said.
Sampras will be playing in a seniors tournament in Athens this week. He won his first tournament on the tour earlier this month - his first professional match since 2002 when he beat Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open final. He will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 14.
"I kind of regret stopping," he said. "It is flattering knowing ... that I can still be competitive."