Sampras Shares Win with Wife
September 9, 2002
NEW YORK -- Even before he kissed the U.S. Open trophy he would say later was the icing on the cake of his resurrected career, Pete Sampras sought out his wife in the stands and kissed her.
No Bridgette Wilson, no 14th Grand Slam victory, no end of the worst slump of his career, he said after his remarkable four-set win against longtime rival Andre Agassi netted him his first victory in two years.
''She's a big reason why I've been able to kind of get through this tough period,'' Sampras said. ''She lives with me every day. Trust me, it's not easy. When you're struggling, you're not having fun. It's a burden. Just showed me that I met the right woman.''
He married the actress two months after he broke the Grand Slam record for titles at Wimbledon in 2000. That's when he turned his focus to family, not tennis. Coincidentally or not, that's when the dry spell kicked in.
Many pundits and analysts pointed to Sampras' domestication as the reason for his slump.
''I just felt like I was at a point in my career that it was a tough place to be after winning 13. Got married two months later. I was happy. I was happy being married. I met the woman of my dreams, and now we're going to have a child. That's what life's all about.''
Bridgette is due in November. Her husband was overdue when he came to his 13th U.S. Open. His winless streak was at 33, including a humbling second-round exit in June at Wimbledon. At the site of his greatest triumph, he hit his low point, he said.
His confidence was shot. Doubts crept in for the first time in his career. ''(I) just was empty,'' he said. ''I was working so hard. I was doing all the right things. It wasn't clicking. Little anxiety creeped in. You just lose a little confidence.''
His wife never wavered, however. She sent him a note at Wimbledon, saying she still believed in him. That kept him going.
''I got home and was pretty down for a week or so, and I just needed to kind of start working again. That's all you can do when you're at a low point, is start practicing -- and that's what I did. It paid off here.''
It paid off bigger than anyone expected. Now he's back on top of the tennis world he ruled for six years in a row in the 1990s as No. 1. Back then, it was a job. Now it's a joy he happily shared with his wife with a public embrace inside Arthur Ashe Stadium.
He could walk away now on his terms. But that's unlikely. This title revived him. ''All the adversity I was up against this year, I was able to get through it. That means more to me than anything.
''I've done too much in the game to hear the negative things and start believing it. Because there was a point I was believing it, maybe this time. But having my family, my wife just kind of keep me going . . . that was huge for me.''
So what's next for Sampras?
''I don't know where I'm going to go from here . . . going to take some time to enjoy it, reflect a little bit and kind of see where I'm at.''
Right now he's back on top.