Tennis great Pete Sampras signs memorabilia deal
By Susan Lulgjuraj | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor
American tennis great Pete Sampras has joined a list of tennis stars offering event-used memorabilia.
Sampras signed on with The MeiGray Group, a New Jersey-based authentication company, to be included in the company’s United States Tennis Association Match-Used Authentication Program, the company announced.
The USTA program started in 2012 with the U.S. Open in New York City. The program will benefit the USTA Serves, the charitable foundation of the USTA.
“I’m glad to be working with MeiGray,” said Sampras, who is competing this fall in the PowerShares Series Champions Tour with Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and John McEnroe. “And I’m glad that this new program will benefit USTA Serves.”
MeiGray also has agreements with US Open Men’s Doubles Champions and 2012 Olympic Gold Medal Winners Bob and Mike Bryan, top-ranked men Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, John Isner, and Sam Querrey; and top-ranked women Victoria Azarenka, Agnieszka Radwanska and Sloane Stephens.
As part of the deal, Sampras will sign matched-used racquets, shirts and shoes. To find more information, visit MeiGray.com.
When it comes to cards, Sampras, who has won 14 Grand Slams, doesn’t have many autographs. He has just eight, according to the Beckett database. His last auto came in 2012 Ace Authentic, a cut autograph.
His last certified autograph was in 2011 Ace Authentic, a dual-signed card with Roger Federer numbered to just 25.
Susan Lulgjuraj is an editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly. You can email her here with questions, comments or ideas. Follow her on Twitter here.
