Roddick serves a winner for charity
Rising star beats Sampras before sellout crowd
in exhibition
July 20, 2002
Power and precision ultimately won out against history and prestige as tennis returned to the Dallas area Friday for one memorable night.
In a contest pitting one of sport's rising stars against one of its greatest champions, Andy Roddick defeated Pete Sampras, 5-7, 6-3, 6-4, in an exhibition benefiting the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation before a sellout crowd of 8,032 at SMU's Moody Coliseum.
Roddick's powerful serve and pinpoint groundstrokes ultimately won out against Sampras' deft touch and serve-and-volley style that has won him 63 tournaments and an all-time best 13 men's singles Grand Slam championships.
But spectators witnessed a high-level match against two of the United States' top players - one whose stature in the professional ranks is on the rise and one who refuses to slip out of the spotlight.
Roddick has a 2-0 edge against Sampras in head-to-head matches. But while match experience against a player he refers to as his idol is helpful, Roddick said taking advantage of any moment with Sampras can be nothing but beneficial to his career.
"Sometimes before Davis Cup practice, I go out about a half hour early and just watch him go about his business," Roddick said. "He's very professional about things, and he definitely takes it very seriously day in and day out, so I've learned a lot by watching him."
Despite two tournament titles in 2002, Roddick wants to end his season on a better note. His best performance this year in Grand Slam events was a third-round showing at Wimbledon, and Roddick is hoping to surpass his quarterfinal showing at last year's U.S. Open.
Roddick's future in the sport comes at a time when the United States needs a young player to have a breakout performance to increase interest in the sport.
"I think Andy's doing just fine," Sampras said. "He's realistic, he's got good people around him, he's got a good attitude, he's working hard and he's got the game. And that's what it comes down to."
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