Newly crowned US Open champion Pete Sampras said his 14th Grand Slam triumph was probably his best ever.

The four-set win over Andre Agassi on Sunday moved Sampras to compare it with victory at Wimbledon in 2000 when he captured a record 13th Grand Slam title.

Sampras had not won a Grand Slam since his last Wimbledon triumph and this season had slumped in the world rankings in what had been his worst year.

But on Sunday he defied the form book and his critics as he rolled back the years for a vintage Sampras performance.

"This one might take the cake," said Sampras.

"I never thought anything would surpass what happened at Wimbledon a couple of years ago, but the way I've been going this year, to come through this and play the way I did today, it was awesome."

Sampras, whose wife Bridgette Wilson is expecting their first baby, thanked his family and friends for their support through what he admitted had been a trying time.

"I got through it with a lot of support from my wife, from my family, working with Paul [Annacone, Sampras' coach] again.

"So much of kind of what I was going through this year was mental. It wasn't forehands and backhands and serves. I kind of got down on myself extremely quick out there.

"All I could do after Wimbledon was start working again, get back to the drawing board and start doing the running and the practicing. And it paid off this week."

Sampras, who was urged to retire by many during his two-year title drought, refused to be drawn on his future but admitted that he would find it hard to surpass winning a US Open final against his greatest rival.

"I'm going to have to weigh it up in the next couple of months to see where I'm at," he said.

"I still want to play. I love to play. But to beat a rival like Andre in a major tournament at the US Open, a story book ending, it might be nice to stop."

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Sampras said that he and Agassi had shared a special moment as the two hugged at the net after the match ended.