Sampras and Wilson Serve Up a Baby

By Todd Peterson

Tuesday November 26, 2002 01:00 PM EST

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He's a father figure on the court, and now he's also one off the court.

Tennis champ Pete Sampras has maintained a low profile since his Sept. 8 upset of Andre Agassi at the U.S. Open in Flushing, N.Y., with good reason. Sampras's actress-wife Bridgette Wilson has given birth to the couple's first child, Reuters reports.

A note on the tennis star's Web site congratulates the 31-year-old Sampras and Wilson, 29, as well as their new son, Christian Charles Sampras. Both mother and son are reportedly doing fine.

Following his September victory, Sampras told PEOPLE, "This is as good as it gets. This (victory) feels the most special because of where I was a few months ago."

Sampras's standing prior to his U.S. Open win hardly indicated the so-called King of Swing would be back atop the tennis world. In the months leading up to the tournament, Sampras was bumped from Wimbledon in the second round, resulting in 26 months and 33 tournaments without a title. Talk in the tennis world suggested the former star should throw in the racket.

"There was a moment I started believing all the negative stuff I was hearing," Sampras admitted. But he credits Wilson, whom he married in September 2000, with helping him get back on the path to sports stardom.

"She reminded me who I was and the character that I have," he told PEOPLE.

Wilson, meanwhile, has another production on the way. She stars in the new snowbound action flick "Extreme Ops," which hits theaters Friday.