Sampras Finally Calls on the Clay Master
March 4, 2002
They came close to getting together before it finally happened, a series of near misses. The pairing seemed ideal, and in the final scene, potential and promise seem to be realized.
This happens in the movies all the time, and it unfolded quite winningly in a small 1998 art-house film, "Next Stop Wonderland." Still, why-can't-they-get-together isn't limited to movies. For those who watched one certain tennis star struggle on slow surfaces throughout the world for years, a call to a respected Spanish clay-court guru residing at Mission Hills seemed a no-brainer.
And so, about 15 years after Pete Sampras first stayed at the home of the clay master, he placed the phone call. He acted, shortly after playing Davis Cup against Slovakia last month. "Obviously I would have liked to have had the call five years ago," Jose Higueras said.
Another teenager was with Sampras when they trained with Higueras and stayed at his home in the '80s. It was Michael Chang, who went on to win the French Open in 1989 under Higueras.
There's a line missing from Sampras' legendary resume: French Open champion. The unexpected joining of forces last week with Higueras, after a short spell with Tom Gullikson, signals, at long last, a commitment to solving the mystery of clay, of taking a thoughtful approach to the surface.
"It's up to me," Sampras said. "There are no magic pills out there, no guarantees. It's nice talking to Jose. He knows what a lot of clay courters are thinking out there, much more than I do, because he was one of them.
"It had crossed my mind. Obviously, I never pulled the trigger for whatever reason."
Higueras was blunt with Sampras.
"I told him, 'Listen, I believe in God, but I don't do miracles,'" Higueras said. "My belief is to work. I know he's going to play with me more hours than he's used to playing normally. My main goal is for him to get a little better.
"Physically, he is fine and eager to keep playing. If his game gets a little better at this level, not 40%, but five percent may be the difference for him to start winning the way he was before."
Higueras will be a busy man, working with Sampras and retaining his coaching job with the USTA. He won't be with Sampras at this week's tour stop, the Franklin Templeton Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz. (Sampras plays a qualifier in the first round and could face Andre Agassi in the semifinals).
Sampras' first event with Higueras will be the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, which, for the men, starts next Monday. Sampras and Higueras had practice sessions last week at UCLA and at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage. Apparently, there is a substantial difference between an ordinary practice and a Higueras practice.
"He told Jose, 'That's one of the hardest workouts I've ever had,'" said Tommy Tucker of Mission Hills. "That's nothing. He won't be at a lot of Laker games if he does what he's supposed to do."
Higueras isn't promising overnight results; he's taking a long-term view. No one is predicting the 30-year-old Sampras will be winning the Italian Open and contending deep into the French Open.
"It takes some time to adjust, to assimilate things, to know what the surface can do for you," he said. "If Pete is healthy and can play another five years, he'll be a much better clay-court player in two, three years than he is now.''
Higueras is no Bobby Knight. But ...
"He doesn't need to be," Sampras said. "He's not a yeller or a screamer but if you are not doing the work, he will say something. And he hates unforced errors."
The contract between Sampras and Higueras is simple. Higueras won't travel with him to every tournament and there is no piece of paper sealing their agreement.
"I'll tell you a secret," Higueras said. "I've never signed a contract with anybody, not Jim Courier in seven years and not Todd Martin in 10. The main reason is I don't want to be tied to them and by the same token, them to be tied to me. So far it has worked good for me.
"I hope I stay with Pete until he retires, that's my goal."
Tom Gullikson had hoped his partnership with Sampras would last longer, certainly more than two tournaments. Gullikson and Sampras said the split was amicable. After all, they hold a close bond. Tom's twin brother, Tim, who died in 1996, was Sampras' close friend and coach.
Said Sampras: "As far as Tom's concerned, we decided to go our separate directions."
Gullikson, quite naturally, was disappointed at the turn of events, objecting to Sampras' term "trial period" to describe the situation.
"I would have never accepted the job on a trial basis," Gullikson said. "There was a four-month out clause that went both ways. At no time did he ever mention he was dissatisfied with my coaching in any way."
That never came across in his conversations with Gullikson. In fact, Sampras praised Gullikson's enthusiasm in an interview last week. What he told Gullikson and reiterated was that he wanted to keep the friendship and coaching relationship separate.
"That's fair with me," said Gullikson. "I'll be friends with him a lot longer than I would have been his coach. In my opinion we were just getting started. At the end of the day, Pete's got to do what's best for him and that's fine by me."
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