Posted on: October 20th, 2009
Q & A with Pete Sampras, Yuki Bhambri and Ryan Harrison
- petepagePete Sampras
This is your second trip to Macao. What are you most looking forward to?
Whenever I step out into the court against Andre it is great, like a heavyweight fight. He’s a great personality and a great player. I am looking forward to competing again against him, maybe not quite at the same cutthroat level, but still a high level of play.
Your final professional match was against Andre in the 2002 US Open final. What are your feelings about that match?
It was a great way to end my career. At that point people that written me off, they had lost faith in me. It was a fitting end- my first and last grand slam victory was at the same tournament and against Andre. He was my rival all through the 90s. At that point I was emotionally done, so to go out in that way was great.
Are you in good shape? How often are you playing?
I play whenever I can. Normally when I have these events coming up I hit for a couple of weeks before. I am hitting the ball pretty well and I’ve been hitting with a lot of young kids out in California. I am not as nimble as I was but I still hit the ball well. It’s just the movement that has changed.
Andre played a couple of weeks ago on the Champions Tour, did you check him out?
Andre is fortunate to be playing again as he has had a lot of problems with his back. It’s great to see him competing again. We both have a lot of pride and large egos and want to beat each other. I’m not sure what will happen in the match, but hopefully I will find my way early in the match as you need to do that against Andre.
What are the aspects you miss about playing with Andre?
Andre has the best return of serve in the game. You always need to be at your best against him. He doesn’t give you a lot of opportunity as he hits the ball so early. It’s a great challenge to play him, but I beat him in a couple of big matches, just as had his fair share of wins against me too. It was always high quality tennis. Andre and myself are closer in age than Roger (Federer) and Rafa (Nadal) so we had a lot more time playing against each other.
Do you think Asia is a growth area for tennis?
Yes, definitely. I played Roger (Federer) in Seoul, Macao and Kuala Lumpur a couple of years back and it was sold out. People love tennis in Asia and it is growing. The game is worldwide and it’s only going to get better and better in Asia.
After the US Open, with Del Potro beating Federer in the final, do you feel there is a changing of the guard in Men’s tennis?
Roger (Federer) still has a few good years left. He is still the player to worry about and I still like him at the majors. As long as he can keep his motivation he is still inspired for the slams. Of course you’ve got other guys like Del Potro now believing they can win, but I wouldn’t say it is a changing of the guard. Roger will win more majors, he maybe just won’t be as dominant as he used to be. Rafa has been hampered by injury- he hit a great streak and then hit a wall both mentally and physically. He could play less clay court events which could help him peak at the majors, but he is a great player and he is always going to be around the top 2 or 3 as long as he wants to be. He has a lot of heart.
Did it hurt to watch your Wimbledon record be broken?
It was an inevitable event. I was happy to be there. It’s a different feel because this is a different generation. With the match with Roddick he managed to find a way to win and I am happy for him. It was great to see him after the match.
Pete, this is your second time in Macao, what are you looking forward to doing in Macao?
Well last time I wasn’t around for long, so this time I would like to gamble a little, maybe a bit of blackjack. Obviously I have a few things I have to do for the event and I want to make it as good as possible and to give back to the fans and the organizers and sponsors. And of course I want to play well.
Yuki Bhambri and Ryan Harrison
Have you met Pete or Andre before? Are you looking forward to playing with Pete and Andre in Macao?
Yuki: It’s my first time to meet both players. Growing up I watched them play so I am so excited to be meeting two of the legends of sport.
Ryan: I’ve never met either of them in person. Pete and I tried to set up a hit about a year and a half ago, but it didn’t work out. I agree with Yuki, I grew up watching these guys play, and I am so excited to be out on court with both of them.
How do you manage expectations that have been placed upon you?
Ryan: I’ve always tried to focus on what you can control. You have to focus on that and not what other people are saying, that is all out of your control. You have to have belief in yourself.
Yuki: You have to believe in yourself and your ability. It has to come from the heart. You’ve got to put in the work and the practice sessions. Everyone has to deal with it, it’s about mental toughness- you have to keep going.
When will you be making your way into the senior ranks?
Yuki: I’ve played a couple of ATP events and I know Ryan played at the US Open. For me it will take one to two more years to make my mark in the senior ranks.
Ryan: We’ve both had opportunities already. At the US Open qualifying I had a tough match, but I had a bunch of opportunities. Playing 1 match at that level is very different to consistently playing well at that level. I’d like to break into the senior ranks in the next year.
Do you have a particular preference over playing doubles with Andre or Pete?
Ryan: I have an attacking game and I love to take the net. In this way I have idolized Pete as his game is more similar to mine. But I also have a huge amount of respect for Andre- he is very inspirational and it is a great honour to be on court with him. I don’t have a preference; it is a privilege just to be on the same court as them.
Yuki: Just to be on court with them is very inspirational. I hope to learn a lot from them. It doesn’t matter which I play with, they are both legends. Sampras versus Agassi was always fun to watch, I got into sport watching them play.
Are you nervous about playing with Pete and Andre?
Yuki: Definitely you would be. They are great players that we have watched all our lives, so nerves will be a factor.
Ryan: Yeah, I’ll be nervous as these are great players, but I’ll use those nerves to raise my level of play.
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