Pete Sampras was robbed of the majority of his trophies and well as some other important memorabilia, reports the L.A. Times. Sampras still has 13 of his 14 Grand Slam trophies, but his 1994 Australian Open trophy was stolen from a public storage facility in West Los Angeles, along with 64 other winner's trophies, including five ATP World Tour titles, two Davis Cup crowns and 11 ATP Masters titles.
Police have encouraged Sampras to go public in hopes that someone knows something about the location of the hardware, or will give them back.
“I'm not one to gloat about trophies, or show them off,” Sampras said. “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. Losing this stuff is like having the history of my tennis life taken away.”??
Sampras also lost a signed program from Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, a signed piano bench from Elton John and a signed guitar from Carlos Santana.??
"For me to have it for my kids is priceless," he said. "I just hope it hasn't already been destroyed. That's why I wanted to get the word out now."
CNN reported that the Los Angeles Police want to question a "person of interest" in the theft, saying that the the storage center is "highly secure."
Sampras and his wife, the actress Bridgette Wilson, and their two sons recently moved from their Thousand Oaks, California, home to Brentwood. They are listing their Thousand Oaks property on the grounds of the Sherwood Country Club for $25 million.—Matthew Cronin