Samprasfanz

Last week Sports Illustrated writer Richard Deitsch interviewed Pete Sampras for the magazine’s Q&A. The 35-year-old Hall of Fame tennis player will compete in the Outback Champions Series, an over-30 tour, in Boston from May 2-6. In July he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Here are additional excerpts from their conversation. SI: What has retirement been like for you? Sampras: Retirement is a work in progress. It’s not like you can read a book and figure it out. But I realized in 2005 that I needed to start doing something. I wasn’t structured at all. I was kind of waking up, playing golf, not really doing much. When I committed to playing a little tennis in some exhibitions, it was the best thing for … Read entire article »

He’s not the first retiree to ask: “Golf, is that all there is?” The difference is age. Most men in that position are in their 70s. Pete Sampras is in his 30s. So he could do something about it. He got back in the game. His game is tennis, of course. He holds the most men’s Grand Slam singles titles. And he’ll be in Charlotte Sept. 26-30 as part of the senior tour. “I’d say 2005 was kind of a pivotal year,” Sampras, 35, told the Observer in a phone interview. “After I played enough golf and had some fun, I felt the need to be more fulfilled in the work area … “I like to work. I like to get my hands dirty.” In other words, he misses the competition, but not enough to … Read entire article »

Tennis legend, 35, to play on July 18 in Central Park First published: Tuesday, February 6, 2007 SCHENECTADY — Nearly 20 years ago, a little-known tennis player named Pete Sampras came to Central Park for the OTB Open. He was 16 and ranked No. 247 in the world. As Sampras played on Court 6, tournament director Nitty Singh snapped photos of the skinny teen smacking the ball over the net with power and precision. Sampras later asked Singh why she wasn’t taking pictures of anyone else. “Because you’re going to be No. 1 someday,” Singh said. Sampras reached the semifinals of the tournament before losing to No. 1 seed Tim Mayotte 6-2, 7-6 (5). Singh invited Sampras to dinner, but he declined because Indian food wasn’t part of his diet. He did, however, say he … Read entire article »

by: Kamakshi Tandon, TENNIS.comWednesday, February 7, 2007 It’s almost too easy. Tiger Woods shows up in Roger Federer’s box at the U.S. Open. Roger shows up to watch Tiger in Shanghai. Roger and Tiger become friends. Tiger wins his seventh tournament in a row just as Roger wins the Australian Open. Tiger = Roger. Trouble is, it is too easy. If you want to draw parallels between contemporaries who dominated golf and tennis, the best comparison isn’t Woods and Federer — it’s Woods and Pete Sampras. Think about it. Woods and Sampras are closer in age (31 and 35, respectively) than Woods and Federer (31 and 25). They project similar personalities — detached, literal and focused. In fact, the first time I saw Tiger speak, he immediately reminded me of … Read entire article »

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Pete Sampras thinks he could have held his own against Roger Federer but conceded on Tuesday that the Swiss master is poised to smash his record of 14 grand slam titles. Sampras, who retired after winning the 2002U.S. Open, considered what the result might have been had the two giants of men’s tennis met in their prime. “I don’t think one guy would have dominated the other,” said the American during a teleconference to announce his return to tournament tennis, playing a limited number of events on a tour for over-30 players. “I think our games are pretty similar. It would have been a great clash to see us in our prime. Roger is doing what I never did Tweet … Read entire article »