US pegged back by Spain in Davis Cup
by: Ossian Shine, Reuters
April 5, 2002
Alex Corretja rallied back from two sets down to stun seven-times Wimbledon
champion Pete Sampras 4-6 4-6 7-6 7-5 6-4 and haul Spain back to 1-1 with
the U.S. in their Davis Cup quarterfinal Friday.
The shock victory was only the fourth time Corretja has won a match on
grass in his 12-year career while Sampras was looking for his 100th win
on the surface.
The defeat at the Westside Tennis Club in Houston, Texas, was only the
second time that Sampras had lost a five set match on grass.
The U.S. had taken a 1-0 lead into that match after Andy Roddick had beaten
Tommy Robredo 6-3 7-5 7-6 earlier Friday.
Corretja, with a losing record on grass, rallied to beat Pete Sampras
4-6, 4-6, 7-6 (4), 7-5, 6-4 on Friday to give Spain a 1-1 tie with the United
States.
"It's nice to win a tournament but to beat Sampras on grass when you
lose the first two sets in pretty special,'' Corretja said. "As a professional
tennis player, it's pretty special. I started to feel good at the beginning
of the third set.''
Andy Roddick gave the United States the lead by beating Tommy Robredo
6-3, 7-5, 7-6 (7) in the opening match at Westside Tennis Club. If Sampras
had held on the win, the Americans could have clinched the best-of-five
match in Saturday's doubles match.
"It would have given us a 2-love lead and put them against the wall,''
Sampras said. "We've given them confidence. We're still in good shape and
there is no reason to panic. I just felt I let the team down. We could have
put the pressure on them.''
Corretja started to come alive in the third set while Sampras, who has
won seven Wimbledon titles on grass, showed signs of wear.
Corretja hit a passing shot for a winner in the third game and raised
a fist into the air. He held serve in that game and eventually forced a
tiebreaker in the set.
Corretja won the first six points in the tiebreaker as Sampras started
missing his serve and the passing shots that he hit so crisply earlier in
the match. In the fifth set, Sampras double faulted at break point, giving
Corretja a 3-2 lead.
"When I got ahead 6-0 in the tiebreaker, I felt I had a chance to win
the match,'' Corretja said. "I think he was starting to slow down his second
serve and I thought I could have a nice time to return.''
Corretja ended the match with an ace.
Todd Martin and James Blake -- together for the first time in Davis Cup
-- will try and nose the Americans in front on Saturday when they take on
Corretja and Juan Balcells in the doubles.
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Davis Cup Quarterfinals Tie - USA vs spain
Post-Match Interview
Pete Sampras loses to Alex Corretja
6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 5-7, 4-6
RANDY WALKER: Questions for Pete.
Q. You appeared pretty well in control of the match, 6-4, 6-4. How did
it kind of slip away?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think a big part was had a few chances in that third.
I don't think I had any break points but had some -- a couple love-30s.
That was kind of a big part of the match. Once you get to a tiebreaker on
grass, it's -- you can roll the dice. And he hit a couple good shots. I
threw in a double. And before I knew it, he was up 6-love. The whole match
kind of changed the momentum after that third set. He kind of grew some
confidence and started laying a little bit better. I had a ton of chances;
I really did. I had a lot of opportunities to break him. I have to give
him a lot of credit, because he hung in there after being down two sets.
He competed well. He played well. And I can only say I had my chances. I
didn't convert on too many break points. And as much as I was dominating
my service games throughout the match, you need to be able to win those
big points. And I give him credit. He came up with some pretty good stuff
when he had to, and he played really well. I mean, he definitely hung in
there, hung in there well, and he gave himself a chance. And he ended up
getting it done. But I'm kind of kicking myself a little bit. Just can't
afford to take your, you know, your foot off the pedal on grass. Just for
a moment. You know, it could change in a couple minutes out there. And anything
can happen, and it did.
Q. Foot faults. I mean, I don't remember you ever being called for one
let alone five.
PETE SAMPRAS: I ... I don't know. I mean, I... I guess I was. I don't
know. My left foot must have been on the line at some point. You know, I
got called on a couple tough ones when I put in some aces. But what can
you do except to accept it and move on. There wasn't -- wasn't great timing.
Q. Is Corretja the best Spanish player you ever played with?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think over the years -- I haven't played Ferrero,
but I think Alex, the way he's played against me over the years, he's a
very, very tough player. I think he's the best player they have there -
at least out of all the guys I've played. He's pretty good.
Q. Considering the match he put together today, is it kind of hard to
figure out why he doesn't play Wimbledon and on the grass?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think he probably grew a little confidence today,
and there's no reason why he can't play well. He serves pretty well, moves
well. You can stay back on grass and just, you know, hit some big shots,
and he did today. You know, it's a match I felt I was in control, that I
should have won. But he competed well, and hung in there very well. But
there's no reason why he can't play well on that stuff because he's a good
athlete, and that's part of the battle of playing well on grass, is being
a good athlete. And that's what he is.
Q. Confidence-wise, what's kind of going through your mind right now
with this particular game, it being on grass?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I mean, definitely a match I should have won on paper.
A match I felt like I was in control. And, you know, like I said, you take
your foot off the pedal for just a moment, and anything can happen. It can
be a craps shoot. I let that happen. I let that tiebreaker slip away. I
let it get to a tiebreaker. Then all of a sudden anything can happen out
there. I had so many chances to break him and to kind of close him out a
little bit there, and I didn't get it done. Felt like I played fine. I didn't
return that well. I think he did a good job mixing it up, coming in, staying
back. I never really felt like I got a good rhythm out there. But I thought
I served pretty well. Threw in a few doubles, had some bad opportunities
at bad times. But I felt I hit the ball fine, just didn't return that well.
And, you know, the confidence, I've played well all week, felt like I played
well in the first couple sets. Even in the third I thought I was playing
fine. And at times in the fourth and fifth, I felt myself rushing a little
bit. And, you know, give him credit because he stepped it up a little bit
there. But it's not the way I wanted to have the result. I wanted to, obviously,
give us a 2- love lead and put those guys up against the wall. But now they
feel like they have a chance, and we'll see what happens over the next couple
of days.
Q. After playing Alex, what's your advice for Andy on Sunday?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I mean, where he serves. On the ad side he served
90 percent of the serves to the backhand. You know, when you're playing
out there, you don't really see it. But looking back at the match, I mean,
he did that on every breakpoint. And I should have just leaned a little
bit more on that side. You know, Andy's got to, you know, serve big and
come in a little bit. And Alex is a crafty player. He's a veteran out there.
He knows what he's doing. There's not a whole lot of strategy when it comes
to grass. It's having a few chances, it's converting. It's not slipping
a little bit. And that's -- you just got to stay on your toes. You know,
it's pretty straightforward stuff on grass. It's not a whole lot to talk
about. It's just hopefully serving well and returning well, and that's really
it.
Q. One thing like this of today, does it make you think your career is
coming to an end?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, that's your opinion, isn't it?
Q. (Laughing.)
PETE SAMPRAS: Wait, is something funny? Do you think it's funny?
Q. Doubles. Alex has to play tomorrow and you can rest. So is this only
-- I mean, this is a tie.
PETE SAMPRAS: Say that again.
Q. Yeah, you still have one day to recover, so it's only a little bit
(inaudible).
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it's happened. We're still in good shape. There's
no reason to panic for the team. I'm disappointed that I let them down today.
I felt like I could have given those guys a little bit of pressure off them,
James and Todd, tomorrow, to go out with a 2-love lead. Now it's a must-win
for us. I still like our chances, but at the moment I'm disappointed for
the result and for the team. But still a long way to go. So we'll see what
happens tomorrow.
Q. Pete, you've won so many big five-set matches on grass in your career.
But today, you were out there, and it doesn't look like you feel like you're
going to win it. It doesn't look like the Pete Sampras out there who knows
he's going to win the fifth set. Do you have confidence in yourself? Are
you kind of doubting yourself?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I have a ton of confidence. I mean, even though I
was in the fifth, I felt like I was playing fine. You know, I had break
points, I had chances to break him, you know. And I had -- I mean, that's
all you can ask for. And could have changed within a couple shots. And all
of a sudden, you know, he kind of hung in there, hang in there. I was in
every service game. Over the years, sure, those were times that I raised
it a level and got that big point and all of a sudden I'm serving for the
match. Today I had chances. I didn't convert. I didn't return all that well
in the big points. He hit a couple good shots to break me, and threw in
a double. And that's -- it's not a lack of confidence, it's just the way
it goes. You know, you just try, you know, try your best and try to hopefully
get the job done and believe in yourself. I did, it just didn't happen.
You're not going to win every close match out there. And today I came up
a little bit short.
Fastscripts
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