French Open - Round 1
Post Match Interview
Pete SAMPRAS loses to Mark Philippoussis
4/6, 7/5, 7/6, 4/6, 8/6
An interview with PETE SAMPRAS
Q.
Your reaction at the moment obviously sums up how you feel.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. I'm sitting here very disappointed on what happened.Very close match. Could have gone either way. I feel like I had some chances, but Mark, I give him all the credit. He served huge, you know. He was serving consistently big, you know, starting off the game with a couple aces, very tough to break. But, you know, I thought I competed well to come back from two sets to one. It was an advantage to him when he was serving in the fifth set, always up one. Missed a few volleys there at 7-6, and that's it. I felt like I played well; not well enough. I had a few chances. Had a breakpoint there early in the fifth that I maybe could have capitalized and come out differently. You know, he served big. You know Mark, he's got the type of game, when he's serving that big, he puts a lot of pressure on your service games. I lost my service twice in a five-set match. Felt like I was serving and volleying well. I just wasn't making enough impact on his return games. On mine, he was dictating and controlling because he was serving big.
Q. Did you feel when you broke back at 4-3 that the impetus might have gone in your favor?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, not really. I felt like he was still serving very big, he was going to be tough to break again. He played kind of a loose game after I played kind of a loose game. You know, he's very tough to break on any surface, especially when he's serving consistently that big and that hard. It's tough to play when you're down Love-30 every game. I just didn't make enough of an impact on his serves, and it's tough to beat someone when you're struggling in that area.
Q. Were you surprised how calm and composed he was? It's not something he's always been known for in a tight situation.
PETE SAMPRAS: No, I wasn't surprised. Mark, he's been out here a number of years. He's played big matches. I felt he's a very experienced player. In the fifth set, it comes down to the nerves. He had the better nerve.
Q. Considering you'd had so little preparation on clay, that was a fantastic performance. Do you think to do even better here, to do what you really came to do here, you will have to come here earlier, to Europe?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, I don't think so. Playing Mark in the first round is certainly a tough draw. You'd like to play someone that serves that big maybe later on in the tournament.
But, you know, I've been playing fine. I played fine today. I didn't play poorly like I did last year. It's a tough draw for both of us to play each other so early. The court is playing pretty quick. If I could have gotten through this match, I think I would have been pretty tough to beat these next couple weeks. Just came up short today.
Q. How frustrating is it year after year to come and go through this, whether it's maybe having a good match or an off match?
PETE SAMPRAS: I certainly haven't gotten the breaks at this event over the years. One year hopefully I'll get those breaks. I'm obviously just walking off the court. I'm disappointed, a little bit down on myself. But I'll be back next year to hopefully get my game going. I feel like my game was there today. I didn't feel like I played poorly. I played fine. But it's frustrating flying home tomorrow. I was certainly hoping to, you know, be a threat here. It's unfortunate that I'm out.
Q. How much was fatigue a factor in that fifth set?
PETE SAMPRAS: None.
Q. No cramping or anything?
PETE SAMPRAS: (Shaking head negatively.)
Q. Do you think when you are losing the match, the clay is to blame?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, not at all. It is clay, but it's fast clay. It's just as fast as a hard court. You just slip a little bit more. I didn't get the breaks today.
Q. We cannot say that you cannot win on clay? Do you think that?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, my career's not over yet.
Q. You've already said you're going home tomorrow. Will you have some grass courts to work on in America or will you wait till you come back to London? You will play Queen's, I imagine.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. I haven't thought about it much, but over the years, that's probably what I'll do.
Q. Will you have any grass courts at home you can work on?
PETE SAMPRAS: I haven't thought that far ahead. Maybe -- I won't even go there.
Q. You've said a couple times you played fine. You feel a couple of points either way made the difference. Do you feel you're okay on clay now?
PETE SAMPRAS: I know I'm okay. There's never been a question in my mind that I can't play well here. I played fine today. I came up short. You know, I feel like the court here is quick enough to serve-and-volley. I was doing it well today. Lost my serve twice. You know, the game's there. It's just a matter of putting it all together and winning a close match like this. You know, it's a tough draw to play Mark in the first round, to try to feel your bearings. It's kind of enough to play against someone who gives you no rhythm and serves that big. You know, that's the way the draw goes.
Q. You've talked a lot in the past year of having more of a sense of your career, where you are at this stage of your life and career. Do you then start thinking at this tournament, "I've only got this many years left to win," where when you were younger it was all wide open?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, yeah. I mean, turning 29 this year, you know, the years are going. I see myself playing this game for a lot of years, but certainly every year the French goes by and I don't win here, it's one opportunity missed. But, like I said, I'll be back next year and every year that I'm playing this game. But when you're playing it and you want to do it now, at least get yourself in contention, and the last couple years I haven't even got into the second week. It's a little discouraging.
Q. If you never win here, will it always bother you, or you've done so many other things it won't stick in your mind?
PETE SAMPRAS: In a perfect world, a perfect career, you'd like to win all the majors, do everything in the game. I have a very high bar, you know, that I've raised. It kind of would be disappointing if I would not win it, but, you know, life will go on. It's certainly nothing to be ashamed of, not winning here. I would certainly one day love to do it.
Q. Losing here is a disappointment, but is particularly disappointing after putting in 3 hours and 39 minutes and competing hard in the fifth set, at a high energy level in the fifth set?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it is very frustrating when you feel like you played
pretty well, you competed for quite awhile out there. To come up short is
just a matter of a couple points when you play someone like Mark. It will
be tough the next couple of days, but it's part of what we do as competitors,
you're going to have tough moments. Certainly the flight home will be long.
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