Posted on: May 17th, 2003
The Sampras Interview
- petepage[May 17, 2003, Neil Harman]'Wimbledon is the one place where I really get emotional. This has been a very, very hard decision'
THE tone of his voice gives the game away. He says it is not a "for ever"decision, but to all intents and purposes it is. "I climbed the highestmountain and I'm not sure if I can top that," Pete Sampras said yesterday.
After 14 years of English summers spent accumulating a lifetime's worth of medals and memories, Sampras has chosen to be at home in Los Angeles when Wimbledon rolls around in five weeks' time. The languid grace combined with the devastating power of the most wonderful service action the sport has seen, the spellbinding volleys, the masterful movement, the slam-dunk overheads . . . all have become yesterday's treasures.
At 31, almost nine months after his last competitive match and seven since the arrival of his first son, Christian Charles, Sampras does not have it in him to challenge on the stage that was once his own patch of grass. "I didn't say anything for a long time because I didn't have anything worth saying, I just wanted to get out there and practise and see how it went," he said. "I have found out that my heart isn't in it and I always promised myself I wouldn't just play, I had to play to win. "I'm not into farewell tours and saying goodbyes. I've got to be out there to win, doing whatever it takes to be what I want to be. I would be doing myself a disservice going out there and I don't want to do that to myself. You need to be on top of your plan, on top of your emotions, have a purpose. I've just felt like it's not there. But I'm not ready to retire. I can't make that choice now. I don't want to close the door 100 per cent.
"There might be a possibility I could play next y
ear, I don't know that yet. I'm going to miss Wimbledon, but I'll find out what it feels like not to play. Then I'll be much clearer if I want to continue or not. Right now, mentally and physically, I'm nowhere near close enough to where I need to be to compete for the majors. You can't do it halfway."
As ever, Sampras speaks plainly, but even down a phone line to his home, you get the sense of a man whose heart is breaking, ever so gently. "It's very
difficult for me to have to own up to my feelings," he said. What would he not give to walk out on Centre Court (by instinct he would turn and bow, and expressed disappointment that it is no longer de rigueur) and whip a few more butts? He could play grass-court tennis in his sleep.
His record at Wimbledon is astonishing. He first played the championships in 1989, when, as a 17-year-old, he was knocked out in the first round by Todd
Woodbridge. The same happened in 1990, when Christo van Rensburg put paid to his chances. But Fred Perry, Great Britain„ęs three-times champion in the 1930s, had seen enough to be convinced that Sampras would win the title one day.
Derrick Rostagno, Sampras's fellow American, defeated him in the second round in 1991 and the following year he was beaten in the semi-finals by Goran Ivanisevic. The breakthrough arrived in 1993, beginning a run of seven championship victories in eight years, interrupted only in 1996, when Richard Krajicek defeated him in the quarter-finals en route to the title. With his twilight success in the 2000 final over Pat Rafter, Sampras overtook the record of 12 grand-slam titles, held by Roy Emerson.
In the past two years, Sampras's flame has dimmed. He was beaten in the fourth round by Roger Federer on Centre Court in 2001 and then, sadly and badly, by George Bastl, another Swiss, in the second round on the notorious Court No 2 last year. During that defeat he constantly referred to a letter, written by his wife, Bridgette, telling him that he was the best husband, the best player, the best man in the world and not to worry about the match.
In his press conference only a few minutes later, he choked up. "When I heard I was on Court 2, I wasn't happy about it," he said. "But as predictable as I've been here, you are going to have a match like this every ten years. I plan to be back. I love playing here and though I'm pretty bummed out right now, I'm not going to end my time here on that loss."
That was then. In all, Sampras played 65 singles matches at Wimbledon and won 59. He never lost in his seven final appearances. A couple of months later, when no one gave him a prayer, he won his fourteenth grand-slam title at the US Open -- his "mountain top". Since then he has gone about fatherhood with great glee, leading some to suspect that family contentment is behind his announcement.
"I have a wonderful family, but I want you to make it absolutely clear, to let people know that this decision has nothing to do with me being a father," he said. "It's about me as an athlete. If I had a goal that I wanted to achieve, the family would come to London. And I am my own boss. Of course, those who are close to me have had their opinions, but this is my choice. I'm just not driven right now.
"This is hard to admit but it's true, I'm owning up to it. Wimbledon is the one place where I really get emotional, so you can imagine that this has been a very, very hard decision. I've wrestled with it for months and months. I just didn't want to put the work in on the practice court that was required. I'd go out there for a couple of days, but on the third I didn't have it in me.
"For me, tennis has been about victories, records, numbers. My six years in a row as No 1 was agonising, but I made myself do it. There aren't that many
challenges left. I'm very content with the feeling that I can let Wimbledon go. I don't know if I'll watch it. I'll probably be anxious to see some results. I'll miss it when I'm 32, 42 or 52, but I have to remind myself what I've achieved, where I've been at. That's life."
Paul Annacone, Sampras's coach, said his man was the exception that broke the rule. He played tennis in a different way, one that brought a contrasting sense of joy, of beauty. The final last year was played between strict baseliners, a trend that Sampras believes is with us for the foreseeable future. It says much about how remote he has become from the sport that he was not even aware of Tim Henman's shoulder injury. "Of course, I wish him well, I'd love to see him win it," Sampras said.
With that, he bids you farewell. He does not want to consider whether he would return to defend his US Open title in September, he just wants time to reflect on what he has done to Wimbledon, and to himself. How can the man who has climbed the highest mountain seem so low?
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