Close Encounter with Pete Sampras
Location: Australian Open (Melbourne, Australia)
Date: January 22, 2000
I met Pete on the middle Saturday of the Australian Open during that famous hour long (or whatever it was) training session. He was hitting up with Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
After he finished training, Pete came to my side of the court and started signing autographs. I had a cap with me that I had already got a few players to sign so I wanted Pete to sign it as well. Eventually he got to where I was and signed my cap. Then he actually stayed where I was and signed more autographs!!!
I couldn't get out so I thought I'd just stay here and look at him!!! Lo and behold, he actually started talking to me!! He was there for several minutes and he was asking me about the tennis, who had I been watching, have I been enjoying it, have I been watching the ladies play as well, do I live around there, all these sorts of questions!!!
I couldn't believe it was really happening. By this stage I was really on auto-pilot!! So I thought I would ask him a question (or basically it just came out!!!) I asked him if he was playing the next day!!! Stupid hey, I already knew he was, but I just wanted to keep him there a little longer. He said yeah, that he'd be playing in the afternoon, so I told him that I would be there watching him!!!
He flashed me a big smile and said "Thanks. Have a nice day and enjoy the tennis, won't you!!"
I said, "I sure will!!!"
Pete is really soft spoken too, I had trouble now and them hearing him and at one stage I had to ask him to repeat what he said because I couldn't hear him (that was the question about whether I'd been watching the ladies or not), it was either that or the fact that there were heaps of people around me screaming his name, one or the other!!!!
I really still can't believe that it all happened, and that he actually spoke to me rather than the other girls around me! The 22nd of January 2000 is a day I won't forget!!!