While growing up in Southern California, Pete Sampras learned to love the true bounces of hard courts. In fact, being weaned on them -- and possessing a powerful serve -- helped Sampras win the first of his record 13 Grand Slam titles at the 1990 U.S. Open at age 19.

	Sampras grew up on hard courts and even won his first Grand Slam on one. It wasn't until later that he mastered grass.

"Everything," Sampras said of the fast, cement surface, "was perfect."

Of course, Sampras would learn to appreciate grass courts even more, particularly those at the All England Club.

Having won seven of the past eight Wimbledon singles titles, including four consecutive, Sampras has found a permanent place in his heart for the tournament he calls tennis' "Super Bowl." Still, it's somewhat remarkable that a skinny kid from Palos Verdes, Calif., would become one of the game's all-time, grass-court masters.

Barry MacKay, who gave a 17-year-old Sampras his first wild-card entry into a pro tournament in Northern California, has a logical explanation.

"When you think about it, the old fashioned California cement isn't that dissimilar from grass," said MacKay, a Wimbledon analyst for TNT. "It's fairly fast and the ball comes through pretty quickly, so a big serve like Pete's is rewarded. Even when Pete was growing up as a kid, it was faster then than today. It certainly helped that he grew up playing on that."

Sampras' first taste of grass courts was akin to a child's first sampling of spinach -- he hated it.

The first time he played Wimbledon in 1989, Sampras lost in the first round and suffered another one-and-done setback the following year. In 1991, he finally scored his first singles victory against Italy's Danilo Marcelino but got bounced by fellow American Derrick Rostagno in the second round.

	“	When I first came over here, the first three years, I didn't really enjoy grass. I thought it was a fast surface that was unfair. I kind of had a negative attitude towards the grass. I just didn't like the speed. ”
		— Pete Sampras

"When I first came over here, the first three years, I didn't really enjoy grass," Sampras said Thursday on a teleconference call from England. "I thought it was a fast surface that was unfair. I kind of had a negative attitude towards the grass. I just didn't like the speed."

Sampras' coach, the late Tim Gullikson, decided to retool his prized pupil's game -- and attitude -- for Wimbledon. Gullikson shortened Sampras' strokes to compensate for the low bounce on grass. He also placed a bigger emphasis on service returns because, as Sampras pointed out, "that's how you win Wimbledon -- by returning serve well."

A new and improved Sampras returned to Wimbledon in 1992 and disposed of defending champion Michael Stich in the quarterfinals. He lost a tough, four-setter in the semifinals to eventual runner-up Goran Ivanisevic but came away with a new appreciation and zeal for sod.

Sampras would lose just once more in his next 54 matches at Wimbledon.

"Working with Tim definitely helped me to get over the hurdle of playing on grass," said Sampras, whose last singles loss at Wimbledon came against Richard Krajicek in the quarterfinals in 1996.

"I was nervous the first time I played there," he added. "Over the years, I've been out there so many times, it (Centre Court) is a comfortable court that I have grown to love. ... I feel like I'm at my court at home."

MacKay believes Sampras benefits from a homecourt advantage. By being the perennial top seed, Sampras has the luxury of playing his matches on the well-manicured lawn of Centre Court, which stays in better shape than the other courts over the tournament's two-week run.

"There's more running room there, too," said MacKay, who thinks the extra space allows Sampras to unleash one of his biggest weapons, the running cross-court forehand.

"You can do a lot of things there that you can't do on, say, Court 12, because of its size. Court 12 is like 60 by 100 feet. Centre Court is like 80 by 140 feet. That gives someone an advantage no matter who he's playing."

Sampras agreed.

"I'm very comfortable with (its) speed. I'm comfortable with the surroundings. ... It's a comfort level that I don't have to think twice about," he said.

"I love the court because it's small, intimate and you get to see the people. You play in some of these stadiums around the world and you don't feel connected to the people. With Wimbledon, you feel a certain connection."