Posted on: May 03rd, 2007
Sampras Back on Court in Seniors Tour
- petepageBy JIMMY GOLEN, AP
May 2, 2007, 8:33 PM EDT
BOSTON -- Pete Sampras took some time away from changing his kids' diapers this winter to make a playdate of his own. The soon-to-be Hall of Famer, who retired from competitive tennis in 2002, hung out with Roger Federer when the current world No. 1 was in California to play at Indian Wells. On the first day, they had a friendly workout hitting balls back and forth for about three hours.
"The next day," Sampras said, "he came to my house and we stepped it up a little bit. Two great players, playing on a practice court; just two guys going toe-to-toe.
"It was competitive. I held my own. For me, at my stage, I felt pretty happy about that."
What's encouraging for Sampras should be discouraging for the rest of the field at the Champions Cup stop in Boston this weekend. Jim Courier, a four-time Grand Slam winner who organizes the senior tour, said Sampras is still a great player despite the layoff.
"I can assure you that his game is more than ready to take on the competition here. This week, we're up against it," Courier said before the tour began play at Boston University's Agganis Arena on Wednesday. "If Wimbledon was best-of-three, Pete Sampras would be the No. 2 seed right now."
The 35-year-old Sampras will play in the five-day round-robin along with fellow Grand Slam winners Courier, John McEnroe, Pat Cash, Petr Korda and Mats Wilander. Todd Martin, who won the event in Boston last year, is also in the field, along with Wayne Ferreira, who played in a record 56 Grand Slam events.
"This year's field is deeper, stronger than any field we have had so far," Courier said. "Adding Pete to the mix ... with the records he holds and the prestige he brings, is unquestioned. It will all be great, until we play."
Sampras was ranked No. 1 for a record 286 weeks while winning seven Wimbledon titles, five at the U.S. Open and two at the Australian Open. Sampras, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, retired after beating Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final for a record 14th Grand Slam title.
"I shut it down for about three years," he said Wednesday. "I didn't watch any tennis, didn't pick up a racket."
Instead, Sampras played a lot of golf and helped take care of his two children, now 4 1/2 and 1 1/2. Bored and a little restless and still in contact with Courier, he decided to give the over-30 tour a try.
"I love my kids," he said. "But if you ask me if I'd rather play Jim or change some diapers, I'll play Jim."
Sampras opens Thursday night against Korda, then plays Wilander on Friday and McEnroe on Saturday night. The top players after the round-robin advance to the championship and consolation matches.
Top prize in the $142,000 purse is $50,000 for an undefeated champion. The players also earn points during the six Outback Champions Series events toward a year-end title.
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