Samprasfanz

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) — Pete Sampras is serious about sticking to tennis.

Not only will he keep playing, but the 14-time Grand Slam tournament champion is bringing back Paul Annacone as his full-time coach.

Annacone resigned Thursday as managing director of USA Tennis High Performance after a year of running the program aimed at developing stars of the future.

“The opportunity to rejoin Pete at this time in his career is special for both of us, and an opportunity I could not pass up, and one that requires full-time dedication,” Annacone said.

He worked with Sampras from 1995 until December 2001. They got back together in July on a part-time basis, and Sampras gave Annacone a lot of credit for helping him win the U.S. Open — ending a drought of more than two years without a title.

After beating Andre Agassi in September’s final at Flushing Meadows, Sampras said he would consider retiring.

He said this week he’ll play in 2003, after skipping the Australian Open.