Pete Sampras advances in Toronto
Source: Associated Press (AP)
July 31, 2002
Pete Sampras, seeking his first tournament title in over two years, beat
Hyung-taik Lee 3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2 Wednesday night in a second-round match
in the Tennis Masters Canada.
Sampras,
the No. 13 seed and sentimental favorite of the 8,300 fans in attendance,
advanced to face Tommy Haas in the next round.
Haas won for the second time since his parents survived a near-fatal motorcycle
accident, defeating Sjeng Schalken 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 earlier Wednesday.
Sampras hasn't won a tournament title since capturing Wimbledon in 2000.
He received a standing ovation after his featured night match that lasted
2 hours, 8 minutes.
"Here, I want to go out there and be positive and play with some energy,''
he said. "My goal here is to do well and to win, but also to go out there
with a positive attitude.
"I don't deserve to beat myself up. I don't deserve to torture myself
any more than I do.''
Sampras, who fired 23 aces for the second night in a row, sees small signs
that his game is turning around.
"It's just a general attitude,'' he said. "I'm not getting down on myself,
which I've done a little bit this year when things weren't going well, and
things were snowballing, and I was starting to get deflated.''
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TMS Toronto - Round 2
Post-Match Interview
Pete Sampras defeats Hyung-taik Lee
3-6, 7-6 (5), 6-2
July 31, 2002
TOUR OFFICIAL: Okay. Pete fires 23 aces from the second straight match.
He goes to the round of 16 against Tommy Haas and he holds a four in two
lifetime advantage against Haas and he was here once before in 1998 and
Pete won that match in the round of 16.
All right questions for Pete
REPORTER: What did Pete have on that day, Greg? What was his clothing
that day?
TOUR OFFICIAL: 7-6, 6-2. (Laughter).
PETE SAMPRAS: What I was wearing was probably white.
REPORTER: Yeah. Knowing you it would be.
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't wear black on a hot day. It wouldn't be smart.
REPORTER: You're smarter than a lot of guys, Pete. I'll say that.
PETE SAMPRAS: That's what age will do to you.
TOUR OFFICIAL: Okay, Tom. Questions for Pete
REPORTER: Did you dodge a bullet?
PETE SAMPRAS: A little bit. I felt I was getting outplayed there for the
first set and a half and he played great. I mean I really felt like he was
returning well, putting a lot of pressure on my service game early on and
played one bad service game and he was serving well and he wasn't missing.
I mean he only made eight errors the whole match. That's a pretty high level
and I give him a lot of credit. He qualified. He beat Clement so he's playing
with a lot of confidence and he has improved since the last time I played
with him at the Open I believe in '99 maybe.
REPORTER: 2000.
PETE SAMPRAS: 2000. You know managed to squeak out the breaker and raised
it a touch there on the third and it was a tough match. It was a good one
to get through and, you know, back-to-back. Back-to-back. Tough matches.
I had to serve my way out of trouble again tonight so it gets a little tougher
each day.
REPORTER: Pete, back-to-back three setters. Tough ones. Both of them.
How are you feeling in terms of physically? Is there fatigue setting in
at all?
PETE SAMPRAS: I feel pretty good. You know it is humid out there and I
was sweating a lot so it's important to drink the fluids and eat the right
foods and, you know, it gets late. You don't get to bed 'til, you know,
1:00/2:00 in the morning and each day gets a little bit tougher as you get
up but physically I feel fine. The body is holding up. It is a tough turnaround
but, you know, I feel like I'm going to be ready to go tomorrow.
REPORTER: Pete, what was the -- just to backtrack a bit. What was the
decision to skip L.A. All about and come here and not play Los Angeles?
Normally it would have been a tournament after Wimbledon you might have
played.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. I just -- I was sorting things out. A few things,
just my mind, and my coaching situation and I needed to kind of focus on
that and I needed some time to get ready and start practicing and getting
into it and, you know, it is a tough -- to play L.A. You get to the weekend
to come here. You play either Monday or Tuesday. It's nice when you're used
to have those byes (Ph) and play on Wednesday. You know that can make a
difference but, you know, I wanted to play well here in Toronto. It is a
big tournament. All the great players are here. I wanted to get here --
you know I got here Friday night to get ready and it's paying off.
REPORTER: What are the little signs you sense in you that your game is
coming back? Are there little things just -- a smoother backhand is going
or whatever that makes you feel like you're getting it back?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's just a general attitude. I'm not getting down on myself.
I have been doing that a little bit this year when things aren't going well
I kind of snowball and kind of get a little bit deflated, and here I just
-- I want to go out there and be positive and play with some energy, and
if I do that I'm going to play pretty well. I might not win every match
but my goal here is to do well and win but also go out there with a positive
attitude and I deserve to do that to myself. I don't deserve to torture
myself any more than I do so it is two good wins and, hopefully, I'll get
through tomorrow.
TOUR OFFICIAL: Any further questions?
REPORTER: What's wrong with this?
PETE SAMPRAS: Is it one-on-one?
REPORTER: Yeah. (Laughter). What about Haas? What's the key against him?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, again, I have to serve -- serve really well. I have
been doing that the last couple of matches and he is just a higher level
than Wayne, or Lee, but I think these guys played great. You know I've been
struggling a little bit this week with the -- with the return and try to
get on the offensives. You know the court is playing pretty quick and I
need to get -- my transition isn't that great right now. I need to return
a little bit deeper and I can come in a little bit more and I have been
kind of playing a little too far behind the baseline so I need to return
well against Tommy and put some pressure on him. And, you know, these guys
are playing well and definitely it will be a good test tomorrow.
TOUR OFFICIAL: Anything else? All right.
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