The American sat down for a chat with CNN's Open Court show host Pat Cash, who like Sampras is a former Wimbledon champion.
Sampras was still a boy when Cash won his only grand slam crown in 1987, but went on to notch a record seven championships at the British grass-court event and 14 majors overall -- which was a record until Roger Federer beat it in 2009.
Sampras, now 40, has been retired from top-level tennis for almost a decade, and has two sons with actress wife Bridgette Wilson.
He talks about his post-playing days, his record-breaking achievements, the state of the men's game and why the U.S. can't expect to dominate tennis anymore.
On life after tennis:
"I've been into golf, trying to get into the gym to stay somewhat fit. I've got two boys now, they're active kids.
On court with Pete Sampras
"Retirement is a work in progress. I try to figure out my day, and what I know about myself is that I need structure. I can't just wake up and watch TV and do nothing. I need a day off working out, seeing the wife, play a little golf, see my kids.
"I've worked hard my whole life, since I was a little kid. But now it's a point in my life now where I can just enjoy it, but at the same time I still need to work."
On his post-retirement exhibition clashes with Roger Federer in 2007 and 2008:
"It was pretty intense. When we signed up to do it, the last thing I wanted to do was play horrible and embarrass myself. I wanted to be respectful.
"Roger was really good, and he's a great guy ... I felt pretty comfortable, I was only 35 at the time, so I was still playing pretty good tennis, but I think the most important thing is that I really got to know Roger.
Michael Chang's historic French victory
"He's such a nice guy, good family man. He's quick and he's really good and he's got all the shots and he's a great player, but I just wanted to make sure I didn't make myself look like an idiot. I wanted to play well and I felt like I did that."
On the state of the men's game:
"To have Roger and Rafa Nadal playing -- and Novak Djokovic has now been the dominant player and Murray's getting closer -- it's a great time for tennis, an interesting year. Is there a guy coming through who is going to to dethrone those guys? I don't think so. Berdych, Tsonga? Yeah, they have their moments up to that level, but I think it's a little bit like the '80s with McEnroe and Lendl -- those guys played each other all the time, and we're seeing that today.
"I love watching Roger and Rafa play. I mean the lefty and the righty, the grinder against Roger, who is classic ... Djokovic being a great athlete ... I'm a huge fan of all those guys."
On America's lack of successors to Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Michael Chang and himself:
"It was a freaky time, it really was, and for American fans and media to expect it every 10 years ... let's be realistic. It's unfair to Mardy Fish, Andy Roddick and John Isner. They are really good players but they're nowhere near Roger and Rafa and Djokovic.
Searching for the next U.S. tennis ace
"To get to where I was with Andre and Jim and Michael, it might take another 10, 20 years. I think the world has got a little bit stronger, a little bit better. Guys are pretty hungry out there ... the game has gotten bigger, more people are playing the sport around the world.
"Americans have been a little content, maybe a little soft. It's just not happening at the moment. It seems like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Tom Brady, they're like major stars in our country and it seems like tennis has died down a little bit. I don't see anything changing anytime soon. The American media and fans expect Wimbledon winners, guys being number one -- it's pretty hard to do."
On the dying art of serve and volley:
"It's gone. I mean you (Cash), Bjorn Borg, Stefan Edberg, you were the guys that I grew up watching play, so I just developed this serve and volley game at a young age. You have to start young. I started at 13, 14 -- if you're 20 and don't serve and volley, it's too late.
Philippoussis: From serving to surfing
"And seeing you play Wimbledon, seeing Boris (Becker) play Wimbledon, it impacted on me -- if I was to win Wimbledon, I needed to get into the net. I decided to serve and volley and do it as a young kid, and at first it was difficult. I love watching Roger, Nadal, Djokovic but it's sad to see Wimbledon today with everyone staying back.
"Technology might be an issue because with these big Babolat rackets, they don't need to volley, you just hit the crap out of the ball. Whereas we grew up with the wood racket, so you had to hit it properly. It'd be nice to have someone come up that serves and volleys. It's definitely a lost art, and it's unfortunate."
On the ATP Tour's 2011 rookie of the year Milos Raonic, widely tipped to be the next Sampras:
"Huge serve, huge second serve. But again, he's not really looking to get in, he's looking to serve big and crack it and then get in. The feel isn't quite there with him, but he doesn't need to do it when you serve so big.
"It's a timing thing, it takes a certain rhythm, practice. (Players) like Milos or Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, Tomas Berdych, they serve big, but they're not willing to get into the net on their serve. I'm a fan of all these guys, but serve and volley tennis, unfortunately, has pretty much gone."
On bowing out at the top by winning the 2002 U.S. Open, his final tournament:
"I broke the (grand slam) record when I was 29 -- I went through the next two years trying to find motivation. I just felt week in week out I didn't have it in me anymore, I just wanted to win one more major. I switched coaches, didn't really work out very well with that. I went back to Paul Annacone over the summer, and I just knew I had the game, I just needed to put it together and play that last U.S. Open.
"It was raining a lot that first week, so I had to win five matches in seven days at 31 -- a lot of work at the U.S. Open. To beat Andre (Agassi) at the end was a great ending. Quite honestly, I wasn't planning on retiring, but once Wimbledon came and went for me, I knew I was done -- my heart wasn't in it. I didn't want to practice, I didn't want to play any tennis.
"But it was a great way to end it. It wasn't really my plan, and from being as low as I could be -- losing second round at Wimbledon against (world No. 145) George Bastel, I was like almost in tears -- to come through two months later..."
On being No. 1, beating Connors' record of five successive years at the top of the rankings, and passing Roy Emerson's mark of 12 grand slams in 2000
"The No. 1 was a big deal for me -- six years in a row. I played in Europe for about two months to do it. That was huge for me, that's a big record. To beat Roy Emerson at Wimbledon with my parents there, beating Patrick Rafter, a great Australian, it was great way to do it. It was 9 o'clock at night, it was a storybook ending, quite an emotional time for me.
"So yeah, it was all about being No. 1 and winning majors, that was my goal, and I created a certain lifestyle to really create that. I was very focused, very single-minded. I just needed to be a certain way as far as my personality, so I felt I wanted to win majors and break some records and be world No. 1 as long as I could."
On being a father:
"Right now they are nine and six. They are great kids, I love them. I want them to listen a little better, I want them to do their homework and not give me a hard time and do what I say. I'm taking it in small steps, but I'm not sure they are going to be into tennis. I got them doing tennis lessons every week, and I have them doing golf lessons every weekend, just to try keep them active, get them out of the house.
"We live in a day and age of a lot of computers, Wiis, and iPods -- so much technology -- so I want to get them out of the house. I just want them to be good kids, respectful kids, be nice to people. If they play tennis great, if not, I'm okay with that."
Source: CNN 11/20/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|02:19|:|Sampras no idol threat to Milos |:||:|1321780743|:|NOVEMBER 17, 2011
Thursday night’s event at the Air Canada Centre was billed as The Faceoff but, for once, it had nothing to do with pucks, the Maple Leafs or the associated heartbreak.
This was mostly just about fun.
Pete Sampras, one of tennis’ most celebrated players, debuted the game at the hockey palace against Canadian Milos Raonic, who some believe sits on the cusp of being equally celebrated some day.
“I just hope I can be competitive. He (Raonic) obviously has a huge serve,” Sampras told a press conference prior to the match.
“I’m not as agile as I used to be and hopefully Milos remembers that I was his idol. That I could be his father,” said Sampras, who retired from the ATP tour in 2003, kidding his superstar-in-training.
For those keeping score, Sampras showed he still had plenty of game with Raonic’s serves hitting 222 kilometres an hour. Neither lost serve through 12 games before Raonic prevailed 7-6 (7-4), 6-1, ending it with an ace.
But this was a night when that was mostly incidental. There were old hockey players and moonlighting Toronto broadcasters masquerading as tennis players. Not sure if that’s worth a 100 bucks a ticket, but they did get to see Sampras: A little slower, curls thinning on top, but still a master at selling the game, if not quite so dominant playing it.
The event was held to give Canadian tennis a boost, not to mention put a little cash into the pockets of sponsors and participants and, oh yeah, give Raonic the opportunity to play his boyhood idol. And, 5,000 tennis fans showed up to say that was a good idea.
At age 40, Sampras is now where Raonic someday hopes to be: Grand Slam tournament winner, No. 1-ranked, Hall of Famer, and happily retired to the Champions Tour.
“Remember, I’ve won 14 more majors than you,” Sampras kidded the 20-year-old from Thornhill, who went on a mercurial run from 156th to 31st in the world rankings.
The 6-foot-5 Raonic’s serve and volley game, is reminiscent of Sampras’ own.
“He was a big inspiration to me,” said Raonic, whose serve has hit 140 miles an hour, “especially seeing how he was able to dictate and impose his own game with that (serve). The fear it puts in opponents’ eyes, knowing you’re able to close out a set with your serve just puts a lot more pressure on them.”
On Thursday night, Raonic got a chance to see his hero’s game up close. Although Sampras admits it isn’t nearly what it used to be.
“Everything just falls apart when you hit 40,” he said.
These days, he plays former stars such as Andre Agassi and Jim Courier as part of the Champions Series. Or guys who, as tennis players, make great TV announcers. But Raonic? Now, that’s a challenge.
“Playing Milos is a whole different game. He’s got a big serve and a big game. It’s like night and day,” he said. “Playing Courier and Agassi, we’re older ... For me to come up here and compete is not easy.”
For Raonic, it was a hoot. How sweet is it to be sitting on a podium in front of TV cameras while one of the best players the game has seen, is telling the world how great you are?
“Amazing,” said Raonic.
It’s not like the two are buddies, either. They met for only a few minutes last year in San Jose. The bond is the game, and the way they play. Powerful. Aggressive.
“I think he’s got a great game (for today’s tennis). Everyone playing today ... pretty much stays back. It’s pretty one-dimensional,” said Sampras. “I want so badly to see some serve-and-volley tennis. It’s heartbreaking to see everyone stay back. To see some variety and see guys come in and impose their will. As a fan of tennis, I miss it. It’s unfortunate the art of serve and volley has gone.”
It is an art Raonic watched Sampras master, an art he is eagerly forging. No Canadian has ever won a Grand Slam singles. None has ever won the Rogers Cup since it became a tournament of stature. For Raonic, both could become reality.
“It’s up to Milos,” said Sampras. “When you have a serve like he has, he’ll be tough to beat. What Milos needs is experience. He’s only 20. Very young. Let’s be patient. It takes time to be a champion. Let’s not get carried away. All the tools are there, but ... don’t expect him to win Wimbledon next year. It’s going to take some time. He can do it. He’s got a great future.”
Sampras, meantime, is content in the present, trading shots with McEnroe, Connors — or occassionally, a young stallion like Raonic — and where his best volleys now come when he’s talking up the game.
“It’s nice to be back in the sport (but) I’m enjoying it on my terms,” he said. “I don’t need to grind like I used to. It’s Milos’ turn for the sleepless nights and all the stress.”
He laughed. Beside him, Raonic, a mountain of expectations on his horizon, smiled. A little.
Source: Toronto Sun 10/29/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|23:06|:|Sampras Beats Safin And Backs Russian's Political Ambitions|:||:|1319951168|:|Pete Sampras won his long-awaited clash with Marat Safin in Chengdu, China on Saturday, and then backed the Russian's political ambitions. The American triumphed 6-1, 6-7(6), 10-8 and then paid tribute to his opponent, predicting he would 'go a long way' in his political career.
Sampras benefited from an awful start from Safin, who could barely get two consecutive shots over the net. He bounced back to produce some fantastic tennis in the second set and the deciding Champions' Tie-Break in a match that ultimately lived up to all expectations.
"I played really well today and won the important points," said Sampras. "Marat wasn’t on his game, particularly in that first set. His serve was way off so that made life a little easier for me and I served well. It’s good to get a little revenge (for the 2000 US Open final) though."
When told of Safin's intention to run for parliament in Russia, with the elections taking place on December 4th, Sampras was not surprised.
“Marat is very intelligent, articulate and well spoken so I think it’s great that he’s getting involved in government in his homeland. I think he’ll do a great job - he’s good with people and people like him, and that’s half the battle with being a politician. He’s very young and it’s nice to see that he’s got this passion in him."
The American even went one step further. With half a twinkle in his eye, he said:
" In 20 years Marat will be the President of Russia! Trust me, this guy is going to go a long way. The guy is an international star and the future President.”
For Safin, it was an enjoyable experience even if he was unable to play as he had hoped.
"He served great, that’s why they call him Pistol Pete!" said Safin. "It’s written on his shoes and it says everything. He deserved the win today. My serve was really bad. In that first set I couldn’t do much from the baseline, especially with my forehand which deserted me completely. But at the end of the second set I managed to get into the match. Pete has more experience than me and he played well when it mattered.
Sampras will now move into the third place play-off match after Younes El Aynaoui continued a dream week with a straight sets win over Wayne Ferreira. El Aynaoui finished round-robin play undefeated and will now face Carlos Moya in the final. The Spaniard defeated Thomas Enqvist 6-4, 6-4 in the Group B decider.
Matches are played over the best of three sets, with a Champions’ Tie-break (first to 10 points with a clear advantage of two) to decide the winner.
After Chengdu, the ATP Champions Tour will move on to Santiago, Chile for the city’s first ever ATP Champions Tour event, The Royal Guard Champions (November 10-13) and after that the Tour will arrive in London for the year-end AEGON Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall (Nov 30 - Dec 4).
To view the order of play and the round-robin groups in Chengdu, go to Results.
Source: ATP Champions Tour 10/29/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|23:02|:|All-Star Chengdu Open Headlined by Sampras|:||:|1319950965|:|Asia's Only Champions Tour Event Hosts Amazing Field of Competitive Contemporaries
Another year, another historic lineup at the Chengdu Open, Asia’s only ATP Champions Tour Event. In its third year, the Chengdu Open has emerged not just as a fan favorite, but also as a player pleaser—and thus has attracted one of the Tour’s best lineup of stars out of nine international events in 2011. Today, the City of Chengdu in China’s Sichuan Province, and CCTV-IMG Sports Management Company, announced the star-studded eight-player field for the October 27-30 tournament at the Sichuan International Tennis Center. Headlined by Pete Sampras (USA), 14-time Grand Slam singles Champion, and the top three ranked players on the ATP Champions Tour in 2011, Mark Philippoussis (AUS), Carlos Moya (ESP) and Thomas Enqvist (SWE), the Chengdu Open will also feature Marat Safin’s (RUS) historic debut on the ATP Champions Tour, as well as fan-favorites Paradorn Srichaphan (THA), Younes El Aynaoui (MAR) and Wayne Ferreira (RSA). Together, the storied players own 154 ATP Tour singles titles and over $100 million in career prize earnings.
To be eligible to compete on the ATP Champions Tour, players must have been a World No. 1, a Grand Slam singles finalist or winner, or a singles player on a Davis Cup-winning team during their tenure on the Tour. Each event may also invite two wild card players.
The Chengdu Open will be played over four days with the eight players divided into two round robin groups of four players. The first group features Safin, Ferreria, Sampras and El Aynaoui; the second group consists of Enqvist, Moya, Philippoussis and Srichaphan, thus ensuring fans will see the top-three ATP Champions Tour players clash head-to-head during round-robin play. The winner in each group will advance to the final on Sunday, while the second-place finishers in each group will play-off for third place. Matches are best–of-three sets, with the deciding set played as a Champions tiebreak, with the winner being the first to reach 10 points with at least a two-point margin.
Chengdu Sports Bureau Director General Qin Wenlin said, “We are pleased to welcome back the returning tennis legends and warmly greet the new friends who have heard so much about our city’s hospitality and giant pandas. We look forward to making this a memorable experience, both for them and for all the fans. The Chengdu Open is always a highlight of the city’s sporting year, with each edition somehow proving even better than the last. We are humbled that so many tennis superstars have signed up for what may be one of the strongest fields ever in the history of the Champions Tour.”
Indeed, the Chengdu Open’s reputation among the players has served as a siren call to attract new stars, not just to China, but to the ATP Champions Tour as a whole. Safin, the dangerous Russian who defeated Sampras in straight sets in the finals of the 2000 US Open, has chosen Chengdu to make his debut on the ATP Champions Tour, just as Sampras used the event to make his professional tennis debut in China. “The Chengdu Open is my first ATP Champions Tour event and I am really looking forward to returning to China and to playing in a new Chinese city, famous for spicy food, friendly people and your giant pandas,” Safin said. “China has always been a very welcoming destination for me. I have memories of many great matches in Beijing and Shanghai.”
An Australian Open and US Open Grand Slam singles Champion who attracts legions of fans wherever he plays, Safin bid the ATP World Tour an emotional farewell at the 2009 China Open in Beijing, choosing to make his retirement announcement at an on-court ceremony immediately following his loss to Rafael Nadal. Safin will no doubt look to create new memories before a similarly packed stadium in Chengdu, this time hoping to leave a victor.
In 2011, the tournament will feature a new twist, designed to captivate local fans and enhance local participation. During the first three days of round-robin play, after the first two singles matches, two of the legendary players will return to the court with local amateur Chinese partners to contest a 45-minute timed doubles, or mixed doubles match, with a sudden-death point being used if the score is tied when the 45 minute buzzer sounds. Day One will pit Enqvist and his partner against Safin and his teammate; On Day Two, Moya and his partner will take on Philippoussis and his teammate; Day Three will feature Srichaphan and his local counterpart against Ferreira and his partner. The selection process for the local players will be announced later.
Sichuan Sports Bureau Director General Zhu Ling said, “The Sichuan Sports Bureau is particularly excited about the new doubles format, which will allow local players to play alongside and against some of the best tennis players in the history of the game. The local Sichuan flavor will undoubtedly thrill the fans and help to grow Sichuan’s already substantial tennis fan base. This could be a historic first for China also.”
Tournament Director and IMG Senior Vice President and Head of Tennis, Asia, Nick Freyer said, “It is a tremendous honor for us to work with the Chinese Tennis Association, the Shuangliu Municipal Government, the Chengdu Sports Bureau, the Sichuan Sports Bureau, the Chengdu Culture & Tourism Development Group L.L.C, the Chengdu Sports Industry Co., Ltd and our valued joint venture partners at CCTV to bring this incredibly talented lineup of players to Asia’s only ATP Champions Tour Event. Thanks to the hard work of all involved, this tournament has emerged as a player favorite. Last year, Pete [Sampras] made the Chengdu Open his first ever visit to China. On the last day of the event, he came to me and said, ‘I am so impressed with China and how this tournament has been run and if you ever want me to return for an event in China, I will be there.’ To have Pete deliver on his promise says volumes about Pete and Chengdu.”
Indeed, Sampras’ enthusiasm for the event was evident as he greeted the local fans via a video message: “Everybody in Chengdu, this is Pistol Pete Sampras here. Looking forward to coming back to Chengdu! Last year I had a great time: great facilities, the organization was fantastic—had such a great time.” Sampras did continue on to mention one area upon which last year’s experience could be improved: “Last year, I left some unfinished business—I lost in the final. This year I want to win the event! It is a very tough field, once again—Thomas Enqvist, Mark Philippoussis, Carlos Moya these guys are still playing very well. So I’m looking forward to coming back—hopefully to win the event!”
Philippoussis, a Wimbledon and US Open finalist, certainly enters the tournament as the man to beat, having dominated the Tour since his debut this year, winning the first three 2011 events at Delray Beach, Zurich and Bogota—the latter directly at the three-set expense of Moya, 7-5, 6-7(3), 10-4. Nicknamed “the Scud” for his missile-like serve, Philippoussis will no doubt look to serve his way through the tough Chengdu field, including his frequent foe, Moya, the former world No.1 and Roland Garros champion responsible for mentoring a certain fellow Mallorcan, Rafael Nadal.
Returning to the Chengdu Open for a third time, this will mark the first time Enqvist touches foot on Chinese soil ranked anything other than No. 1 in the South African Airways rankings, displaced by the formidable ATP Champions Tour newcomers, Philippoussis and Moya. Enqvist will seek to recapture his 2009 Chengdu Open crown: “I am really looking forward to coming back to Chengdu and trying to win the title again. I had fantastic time in Chengdu for the past two years and I am looking forward to playing with legends like Pete Sampras, Carlos Moya and the others. I hope to have a chance to go back to look at the pandas again. You have an extremely strong field this year so be ready for some tough tennis.”
Thailand’s Paradorn Srichaphan, Asia’s No. 1 ranked player for many years whose stellar play almost single-handedly ignited a tennis boom across South East Asia, made his ATP Champions Tour debut in Chengdu last year as a wild card. “Last year I was impressed by the high standard of play in Chengdu,” he said. “This year, the field is even stronger with the addition of Marat Safin, Carlos Moya and Mark Philippoussis. It is also great to see Pete Sampras returning. As Asia’s only official Champions Tour tournament, it is a pleasure for me to be a part of the tournament once again.”
For Safin, Ferreira and El Aynaoui, this October will mark their first trip to Chengdu.
El Aynaoui, an iconic figure in Morocco whose fame transcends the sports arena, was named by readers in a 2003 poll by leading Moroccan newspaper L'Economiste as their favorite role model for society, ahead of the prime minister. In tennis circles, he is renowned for his role in the classic 2003 Australian Open quarterfinal against Andy Roddick. El Aynaoui set up the clash with Roddick (who would reach the World No. 1 ranking later that year) by defeating then World No. 1, Lleyton Hewitt, in the fourth round, and then battled Roddick in a five-set, five-hour match thriller. The 4–6, 7–6, 4–6, 6–4, 21–19 epic, which broke the record for longest fifth set in Grand Slam tennis history (only just broken in 2010 by the Isner-Mahut Wimbledon marathon), is remembered as one of the best matches of the decade, as both players sustained the stunning quality of play throughout.
Ferreira, who became the first South African to win an Olympic medal in 32 years when he captured the bronze at the 1992 Barcelona Games, was quick to commit to play the Chengdu Open in 2011. “I heard that the last two years you had a great field of players who played tough tennis but also enjoyed the warm hospitality which included a visit to the pandas,” he said. “I will be training hard and look forward to playing some good tennis on my first visit to China after very many years.”
In addition to watching 14 classic match-ups, fans can also enjoy the on-site entertainment programs and contests, including the entertainingly playful event signature Panda Mascot and the "Catch the Ball Challenges." After each match, the winning player will hit six autographed balls into the stands. Fans who catch the balls not only keep the autographed ball but can also claim a host of exciting event-related prizes. Fans will also be able to meet the players at the daily autograph sessions held throughout the tournament—and for the first time in Chengdu Open history, six fans will get to play 45-minutes of tennis on Centre Court with legendary ATP Champions – a first for Chinese tennis.
With each edition of the Chengdu Open building on the success of the last, players and fans alike anticipate October with abated breath.
The event will be broadcast on CCTV 5 and is part of the historic CCTV-IMG Sports Management Company venture which is a 20-year exclusive joint venture formed by IMG Worldwide, Inc., the global sports and entertainment company, and China Central Television (CCTV), the world's largest television broadcaster.
The selection process for the local doubles players, the match schedule and ticketing information will be released at a later date. For more information on the Chengdu Open, visit www.chengduchampions.com.
10/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|10:35|:|[Sept 22, 2011] - Champions' keep tennis alive and well|:||:|1317486949|:|Jim Courier has revamped his Champions Series, changing it from tournaments for Over-30’s to a series of one-night stands, featuring four players drawn from a pool of players who have either been No. 1 in the world, won a Grand Slam singles title or played on a winning Davis Cup team.
Pete Sampras, fittingly enough, kick-started this venture Thursday night in the HSBC Cup at the BankAtlantic Stadium, home of the Florida Panthers, in Broward County, FL by beating Courier 8-6 in a one-set final after Courier had come from behind to beat Jimmy Connors 7-5 and Sampras had downed Michael Chang.
"The US Open’s over so we are trying to keep the tennis flame alive by taking some top quality play to 12 cities around the country, most of which do not have regular ATP events," said Courier.
Friday night was Washington where Mark Ein, owner of the Washington Kastles of World Team Tennis, was promoting the event at the Verizon Center. Then Saturday in Philadelphia. After a breather, the schedule takes them to Minneapolis on Sept. 30 and Boston for the Staples Cup the next night. Stops in Arizona, Seattle, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, St. Louis and Buffalo follow.
Courier will play most of the events with Sampras signed up for seven along with Andre Agassi, who was due to play Washington and Philadelphia. John McEnroe, who pulled out injured for the opener, is slated for eight and Bjorn Borg is due to join the party for St. Louis and Buffalo.
There is a bonus pool for the top three, sharing $1 million with $500,000 going to the No. 1 points winner.
When the players had finished their practice sessions in the cavernous Panthers arena, we watched the USTA mini-tennis kids take to the court under the approving gaze of Sampras.
"That’s the way to start them, with soft balls and small courts," he said. "Otherwise everything is too big and difficult and they don’t have fun. It’s got to be fun otherwise they will find something else to do."
Sampras says he is dedicated to getting kids to play tennis but refutes reports that he has been working with USTA training schemes at Carson, Ca.
"No, I haven’t been over there," he said. "But I do hit with a lot of young players in LA."
Sampras was soon being asked about his thoughts on the pro game and the role he played in it.
"here came a time when I just didn’t want to be there any more," he said. "Finishing with my 14th Grand Slam at the US Open was a perfect, if unexpected, way to go. For me, it was emotional, not physical, the reason for my stopping. The grind had become too much. I had nothing left to give."
Of all the current crop of top players, Sampras expects Roger Federer to continue longer than most.
"Roger’s going to play for a while," he said. "His game enables him to endure the physical side of it better than some. Winning (6-2, 6-2) takes him an hour; it takes Nadal two hours. It’s easier for him. And he loves it — he loves the hotels, the whole lifestyle. Having kids hasn’t stopped him. He just gets help."
Sampras is obviously an admirer: "Roger’s dominated the game more than any of us have ever done. And he’s done it with grace. He’s a great champion."
Novak Djokovic also came in for some praise: "Novak’s enjoying the best year I’ve ever seen. To beat Nadal six times is incredible. We had dinner earlier in the summer and had a good chat and he asked about being No. 1. I just said, ‘Keep it simple, don’t get too caught up in things.’ It came across that I was a bit removed from everything but that enabled me to stay on top."
10/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|10:18|:|[Sept 23, 2011] - Chang beats Sampras, Courier in Champions Series event|:||:|1317485886|:|WASHINGTON -- Michael Chang beat Jim Courier 8-3 in the finals Friday night at the HSBC Tennis Cup.
Chang beat Pete Sampras 6-4 earlier to advance to the final, and Courier got past Andre Agassi 7-6 (4).
Sampras won the opening event of the Champions Series Tour on Thursday at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The quartet dominated the professional tour in the 1990s, combining for 27 grand slam titles - 14 by Sampras.
For the four Hall of Famers and their now four-decade-old bodies, having a savvy trainer available as they compete in the Champions Series is a necessity.
"Andre's got the bad hip. My back's always been stiff," the 40-year-old Sampras said with joking sincerity.
"The trainer, he's the most important guy on the tour."
From a distance, all resembled reasonable likenesses of the players the world grew to know, though upon closer inspection Sampras' hair was slightly thinner, Agassi's stubble a touch grayer and there was just a touch more weight on Courier and Chang.
Washington was the second leg on the 12-city tour, a venture spearheaded by Courier that his former rivals gravitated toward.
"To compete against Andre, Jim and Michael, it seemed like it would be some fun," Sampras said. "I like to work, I like to get out of the house and get into shape."
But was is it tough to get back into playing shape?
"Not this playing shape," Sampras said.
"The crowd was really into it, good vibes out there," Chang said after playing before a couple of thousand fans.
The series, which also features Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Mats Wilander has a $1 million bonus pool for the top three finishers at the end of the season.
Rallies were prevalent and true competition sparked in spots, but maintaining the role of entertainers - and staying in one piece - remained in play throughout.
"We all want to hit the ball good and we're all professional, we want to make sure these fans get a good show," Sampras said. "Its not cutthroat tennis like it used to be, but at the same time we all have a lot of pride."
Sampras teased Chang after Chang muscled in two consecutive aces. On the next point, the 1989 French Open champion smacked another free point off his serve.
"How does it feel now?" a smiling Chang barked at Sampras, who had arguably the most dominant serve in history during his reign.
Mockingly frustrated by a flurry of winners by Agassi, Courier handed his racket off to ball girl, who eventually rallied with the eight-time major champion and hit a winner of her own that somehow counted toward Courier's tally.
Agassi also called for a brief substitute, providing his ball girl with a towel between swings with Courier to wipe her brow.
Despite practically growing up together on courts near and far, the individual nature of tennis meant their younger versions were more competitors than confidants. Now they get to barnstorm the country together, making up for lost time.
"This is a whole different deal," Agassi said. "We'll be traveling together tonight, driving to Philly, spending time. It gives you a chance to get to know one another, which I think will only add to all of this."
Agassi, Connors, Courier and Sampras will compete in Philadelphia on Saturday night.
10/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|10:13|:|[Sept 23, 2011] Champions Series: Legends deliver laughs, and good tennis|:||:|1317485611|:|WASHINGTON – Walking onto the floor of a 20,000-seat arena that usually showcases the Washington Wizards and Capitals, a spectator may feel lost in the crowd. But on Friday evening at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., the setting was surprisingly intimate as tennis took center stage in the HSBC Tennis Cup
From Andre Agassi high-fiving spectators, to Jim Courier surrendering his racket to allow a ballgirl to play, to Michael Chang recreating a human version of the Hawkeye line-calling system, there was something in store for every tennis enthusiast.
The evening began innocently enough with Pete Sampras and Chang taking the court to hit with select fans before gearing up to answer questions from the media. Sampras shyly walked toward our group of reporters, flashing his grand-slam winning smile. Though he was reserved and quiet during his professional years, he was anything but Friday night. Instead, a charismatic, thoughtful, and witty Sampras emerged, cracking jokes and fielding questions covering Novak Djokovic's dream year to his take on the possibility of a player's union. It was evident he was at ease and even possibly missed playing tennis saying "it's not cutthroat tennis anymore, but as players we have a lot of pride and it is friendly competition."
The event is part of the Champions Series, a five-week, 12-city tour that utilizes a condensed set format, which Sampras wholeheartedly supports. Sampras doesn't simply "like it," he "loves it!" He elaborated, stating that "physically, there's nothing too taxing" in events like this and it diminishes the possibility of an injury.
He did hint at the necessity of getting back into shape at age 40, but not necessarily for this particular tour: "Last week I hit a little bit with Mardy Fish, and we played hard. I played as hard as I could, and I was exhausted. He was fine, fresh as a daisy. But I was serve-and-volleying on everything which is much harder on my body."
On court, Sampras' style has not changed and neither has appreciation from fans, as he was greeted to thunderous applause for the first match of the night against Chang. His opponent straightaway boomed three consecutive aces in the second game, triggering Chang to joke "How does it feel now?!" referring to "Pistol" Pete's legendary 130+ mph serves.
Not wanting to be outdone, Sampras laughed and stepped five feet in front of the baseline, putting pressure on Chang's serve. The point ended prematurely when Sampras' forehand was called wide, but he raised his hand, jokingly wanting to challenge. Throwing a mild tantrum for entertainment value, he enticed the crowd to support him. But Chang came to the rescue by re-creating the path of the ball on his own. Ball in hand high above his head, he predicted the trajectory in slow motion and tiptoed his way to the spot. It was clear to Chang and the makeshift Hawkeye system the ball had been out by a mile. Chang eventually sealed the deal by breaking Sampras' serve and winning the first semifinal 6-4.
As Andre Agassi was welcomed on court for the evening's second semifinal, an ironic tune blasted over the loudspeakers, Elvis Presley's A Little Less Conversation. For anyone familiar, it is the theme music to the now defunct TV show Las Vegas, which is also Agassi's hometown. Smart play, DJ.
Both Agassi and his opponent Jim Courier were in good moods, so it was unfortunate that the players were not mic'd up as their entertaining personalities resonated through the arena. Time and again, they picked on each other's playing styles, with even some friendly taunting by Courier, pulling up on his shorts much like Agassi does before serving. Agassi took the challenge and hiked his own shorts even higher. They knew how to play to the audience's weakness.
Agassi and Courier stayed remarkably limber and interactive with both attendees and ballkids, and the crowd roared with satisfaction as the two-man show continued. At one point, feeling dejected after Agassi hit a world-class passing-shot winner, Courier handed his racket to a ballgirl to play for him. Hilarity ensued as she won the point against Agassi. But again, it turned into another "competition within a competition" for the two men as Agassi answered by giving his racket to another ballgirl and granting her the chance to score on Courier. And it worked again, the ballkids stacked up well to these professionals, bringing the crowd to their feet.
Outside of the players' willingness to engage the audience, the most striking aspect to witness firsthand was each player's evolution in their game style since the time they were professionals.
Overall, the consistency and pace have diminished, but that is expected of those away from the upper ranks of tennis. However, Chang is still a quick mover and continues to hug the baseline, although not sliding nearly as much; Sampras has stayed true to his serve-and-volley ways going more for placement than pace; and Courier keeps his forehand-oriented game but replaces pace with a bit more variety.
The lone exception here is Agassi, who seemed only a step off from where the world last saw him prior to his retirement in 2006. The precision, energy and power in the majority of his shots and serves nearly fooled me into believing he was still playing professionally. In his press interview earlier in the night, he stated that he has kept himself active in the gym, and it really shows. Although he lost in the last moments of the match to Courier, he seemed closer to an elite athlete than any other man on the floor. And that's saying a great deal for a group of four men who hold 27 Grand Slams combined.
The evening ended with Chang taking down Courier in the final, but each attendee left with a renewed respect for what players do after the pro tour: they still play and they play with heart. 10/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:06|:|[Sept 24, 2011] - Sampras edges Agassi to win Champions Shootout |:||:|1317481564|:|PHILADELPHIA, (Sept. 24, 2011)—Two American tennis legends renewed their rivalry in Philadelphia Saturday night as Pete Sampras hung on to beat Andre Agassi in the championship match of the Champions Shootout 8-7 (5), to win the third event of the 2011 Champions Series at the Wells Fargo Center.
“Andre is the best returner I’ve ever played,” said Sampras. “He’s a friend and rival, and I have a lot of respect for his game, so it was nice to get the win tonight. I’ll be playing several more events in this Series, so I’m looking forward to more great battles with Andre."
Trailing 7-6 in the eight game pro-set finals, Sampras held his serve to force a tiebreaker, then never trailed during the tiebreaker. He went ahead 5-2 before Agassi battled back to even it at 5-5. Sampras then jumped back ahead, and closed out the match with a cross-court winner off an Agassi serve.
“Pete always seems to put together his best shots at the end of matches,” said Agassi. “That’s the way he’s always been. But I liked the way I played tonight, and we had a great time here in Philadelphia with these sports fans. I really enjoyed coming here.”
For the victory, Sampras earned 400 points and moved back atop the official 2011 Tour rankings with 900 points after three events. It was his second victory in the 2011 Champions Series, having also defeated Jim Courier Thursday night in Ft. Lauderdale. Agassi gained 200 points tonight and sits in fourth place with a total of 300 points. The top three finishers will share a one million dollar bonus pool at the end of the 2011 Champions Series.
Agassi reached the final with a 6-3 victory over Jim Courier, who was in action for the third straight evening. The pair also met in Friday night’s semifinals in Washington D.C., with Courier coming out on top in that one. Sampras advanced with a 6-4 semifinal triumph over Jimmy Connors. The 59-year-old Connors was making his second Champions Series appearance in his return to competitive tennis after a 10-year absence and played sublime tennis to push Sampras to 6-4. Connors had the crowd eating out of his hand during the semifinal but the younger Sampras was too tough in the end.
The Champions Series resumes next Friday night in Minneapolis in the Leeann Chin Challenge at the Target Center, at 7:30 pm. Tickets and unique interactive VIP fan experiences for the 2011 Champions Series are on sale to the general public and start at $35. Tickets are available at venue box offices, all Ticketmaster locations, 202-397-SEAT or online at www.ticketmaster.com.
The 2011 Champions Series is a competitive tennis circuit featuring legendary tennis icons and world-renowned champions Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Jimmy Connors, Bjorn Borg, Michael Chang and Mats Wilander. The 12-city tour of one-night tournaments is being played in major U.S. arenas from September 22 – October 22. Each tournament features four Champions paired off in one set semifinals and culminates with the winners meeting in an eight-game pro-set championship match.
TONIGHT’S SCORES
Semifinal 1: Agassi def. Courier, 6-3
Semifinal 2: Sampras def. Connors, 6-4
Finals: Sampras def. Agassi, 8-7 (5)
10/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:31|:|Sampras falls to Safin in first-ever Diamond Court Match|:||:|1317479486|:|On a chilly night in Beijing, Marat Safin defeated Pete Sampras in straight sets during an exhibition match at the opening ceremony of the Beijing China Open 2011.
Sampras had his cross-court game working early but was unable to overcome Safin’s powerful first-serves. Sampras was broken early in both sets that ultimately proved the decisive factor in the match.
Despite the crowd heavily favoring Sampras, Safin was able to win the match 6-3, 6-4, in just over an hour.
After the inaugural match on Diamond Court, the two paired up with two of China’s most promising tennis stars, Peng Shuai and Zhang Shuai in a mixed doubles match.
Playing alongside Safin was Peng Shuai, currently ranked 20th in the WTA. On the other side of the court was 22-year-old, Zhang Shuai, who was paired up with the former No. 1 Pete Sampras.
In a crowd-entertaining match, both Sampras and Safin had the crowd laughing at their clowning-around, as Peng and Zhang showed off the skills that have the tennis world talking about the two upcoming Chinese players.
Zhang Shuai will face Slovakia’s Dominika Cibulka and Peng Shuai will face Italian Flavia Pennetta in the Women’s Singles tournament beginning tomorrow. 10/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:28|:|The Opening exhibition match- Sampras VS Safin|:||:|1317479289|:|Beijing, China, Sept.30th - The opening exhibition in the National Tennis Court between Marat Safin and Pete Sampras ended. Safin beat Sampras by 6-3/6-4. In this splendid game, both Safin and Sampras entertained and amused fans by their skills. For an exhibition match, they brought laughter to the spectators.
Before the match, the whole stadium was crowded by enthusiastic fans. Safin's fans were holding his posters and screaming his name to draw his attention. In the third game, Safin challenged for his second serve, but the umpire neglected to notice that Sampras showed that this serve was in before Safin's challenging. However "bad boy" Safin didn't return this favor. When Sampras thought his serve was in, Safin made a gesture to show that the ball was only few centimeters out. However after he went close to check serves line, he exaggerated the distance to half a meter, which made whole stadium laugh.
Compared to the energetic and humorous Safin, Sampras, who played with gentle smile through the whole game, earned applause by his brilliant scores. He played very well in the fifth game particularly with his beautiful forehand and the shot promoted applause from spectators. However, you have to admit the age gap between the two players, especially after Sampras reached 40. Safin finally won this game by an ACE.
The funny Safin entertained the spectators very much. As a player famous for smashing the racquet, Safin knew well that it was not appropriate to lose his temper when giving an exhibition performance. Yet, to show his unique character and entertain the spectators, he pretended to smash his racquet for several times.
In the second set, the two tennis kings were more focused and the match became close, in which spectators were deeply caught. Sampras was leading by 4-3 after his cool forehand half-volley scored. Very much satisfied with the hit, Sampras also won the thundering applause from spectators. However, his opponent Safin never wanted a tie break. After holding his next serve game, he fought fiercely back. Later, a forced error made Safin roared to vent his dissatisfaction, which was a natural manner of him. After securing six consecutive scores, he claimed the match in the end.
Source: China Open 10/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:27|:|Sampras and Safin to debut at China Open's new stadium|:||:|1317479221|:|BEIJING, Sep. 29 (Xinhua) -- Former tennis great Pete Sampras and Marat Safin will play the debut match at the new stadium of China Open on Friday to mark the opening of this tournament.
The new stadium, named National Tennis Stadium or "Diamond Stadium", has a retractable roof and a diamond-like structure. It is located in the Olympic Green Tennis Center, which hosted the tennis matches at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.
"It is my first time being there. I have numerous expectations towards my tour in China, especially the game with my oldfangled adversary Safin," Sampras said in a news conference on Thursday, meanwhile, Safin was obviously more familiar with the city, saying Beijing has always been a very welcoming destination for him.
"I had a memorable farewell match here," added the Russian, who lost to Rafael Nadal in the quarter-finals of China Open two years ago and received a touching retirement ceremony from his Chinese fans.
"The first time I came to China Open was in 2002, and I entered the final in 2003. I'm really happy to come back again," said Safin.
Sampras, who won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, also hoped that Chinese fans could enjoy the exhibition match on Friday.
The exhibition match is supported by Youth Tennis development Fund in China. Talking about the youth tennis training, Sampras regarded the coach's ability as the key element, while Safin reckoned the character of a fighter and the ambition were needed.
Since Chinese Li Na claimed the first ever Grand Slam title at French Open, tennis has been a hot spot in China, seeing more children get onto the court and play tennis. Safin was happy to see the improvement, "It's great that Chinese tennis improved a lot in recent years and become more popularized among young people."
The China Open, an ATP World Tour 500 series and WTA premier event, will formally start on Saturday. 10/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:24|:|Former No.1 players arrive at 2011 China Open|:||:|1317479048|:|Former men’s No. 1 players Marat Safin and Pete Sampras participated in a press conference and welcome ceremony Thursday at the 2011 Beijing China Tennis Open in anticipation of their match scheduled for Sept. 30.
This is Sampras’s first trip to Beijing, Safin however returns as the first ever winner of the men’s China Open singles title, which he won in 2004.
After speeches from 2011 China Open officials, the two athletes were adorned with gifts of Chinese calligraphy scrolls, 2011 China Open mascot figurines, wooden sculpted boxes and painted handprints.
During the ceremony, the players autographed boards to give to the China Tennis Youth Foundation. To the crowd’s amusement, Safin admired Sampras’s signature.
After competing in numerous tournaments throughout their careers, Sampras retired from tennis in 2002 and Safin retired in 2009.
Sampras explained what he misses from tennis since retiring, "I miss the moment, I don’t miss the stress I don’t miss the travel, I don’t miss being the best player in the world, but you miss the big moments in the sport," Sampras said. "When the Wimbledon final comes around I watch it and certainty there’s a part of me that misses it, but you know you get to a point where you move on and you just admire the guys that are playing today。"
This is not the first time Sampras and Safin will play each other. The two faced off during the final of the 2000 U.S. Open where Safin defeated Sampras to claim the Men’s Singles title.
10/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:22|:|Pete Sampras: Arguably the greatest tennis player ever heads to Beijing|:||:|1317478928|:|Pete Sampras arrives in Beijing this month for an exhibition match at the China Open with Marat Safin. Time Out catches up with the centre court legend to discuss comebacks and predictions.
The ATP and WTA tours appear more competitive than in recent years. Is this what the sport needed?
It is good to have a handful of players competing for championships. There are some new faces coming up and challenging the top players for these titles and that is healthy for any sport.
2010 China Open champ Novak Djokovic is now top of the ATP rankings. Do you foresee him dominating like you and Federer did?
I think he has had an unbelievable year and to get to number one is a great accomplishment. It is too early to see if he will dominate or not. There are a number of factors involved: one’s ability to compete at a very high level for an extended period of time, your health and how others respond all factor in to it. I still think that Nadal, Federer and a few others will raise their game and compete.
You’re playing Marat Safin in Beijing this month. Is the rivalry still there?
It is a bit different from when we used to play on the Tour. Today, my priority is playing well so that we can put on a good match and the crowd enjoys it. When we do get on the court, my competitive juices come out, but it doesn’t drive me like it used to.
What do you miss about the Tour?
I miss walking on to centre court of a Grand Slam final.
You’ve played a lot of players still active on the circuit in your retirement and beaten a lot of them. If offered a wild card into a Grand Slam now, would you take it?
I would not because I have too much respect for the sport. Playing an exhibition match against one player is a lot different from playing a tournament. I enjoy competing against some of the players of today, but I don’t think I can maintain that over a number of days.
Source: Time Out Beijing 7/13/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|07:43|:|"Li Na and Friends" to square off with Sampras and others at two-day tennis event in Wuhan|:||:|1310564590|:|Beijing, July 9 (ANI): Li Na, who became the first Asian-born player to win a singles Grand Slam title a month ago, has confirmed plans to be a part of a special two-day tennis extravaganza in her hometown, Wuhan, along with superstars like 14-time Grand Slam singles champion Pete Sampras and Carlos Moya.
Li will also challenge new rival and rising star, Sabine Lisicki, who had defeated her in a thrilling contest at Wimbledon.
The event titled "Li Na and Friends" will be held on December 17-18, 2011, the city of Wuhan leadership and IMG has announced.
Li expressed her gratitude happiness over the fact that the event would be organized in her hometown.
"It has been an amazing few weeks for me and my family and I would like to thank you all for your good wishes and support which have touched my heart and which I will never forget," Xinhua quoted Li, as saying.
"I am so delighted that this Li Na and Friends event can take place in my home city of Wuhan, and am so thankful that Pete, Sabine and Carlos happily agreed to come to China. I would particularly like to warmly thank the City of Wuhan, the Mayor, Vice Mayor, Wuhan Sports Bureau and my team at IMG for joining forces to make this wonderful celebration possible," she added.
The two-day event will feature two matches per day, with reports saying that on December 17 (the first day), a singles match between Sampras and Moya, and a mixed doubles match, pairing Li and Sampras against Moya and Lisicki, would be played.
On December 18, Li will seek to avenge her three-set Wimbledon loss to Lisicki (6-3, 4-6, 6-8), this time in two sets, also with a ten point tie-breaker to determine the match if they split sets. (ANI)
7/13/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|07:28|:|Sampras still boring? No|:||:|1310563684|:|"I'm not," Sampras said. "I got my own jet. Hollywood girlfriend."
Twelve years later, most would still want to describe Sampras as boring, but they can't. Not when that Hollywood girlfriend is now his wife. They have two boys, Christian and Ryan, and they certainly bring their own brand of excitement.
"It's very different," Sampras said of being a father rather than a top-ranked pro. "They are at the age now that they understand what's going on. They're in school and doing all the homework and reading … You're just trying to help them any way you can. You want your kids to listen and behave and do what you say, but they do the opposite. They are boys. First thing in the morning they are up and ready to go. I'm just barely waking up. As a tennis player you only worry about you, but now I'm thinking about them. I enjoy it. It's a lot of fun."
Sampras brought the fun to The Tennis Club Newport Beach Saturday night. He said he agreed to play for the World Team Tennis league because he could choose his team. When you've won 14 Grand Slam titles, including seven at Wimbledon, you can call the shots. He chose Newport Beach because it was close to his home in Los Angeles.
He knew his wife, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and the boys could come and see him play. Bridgette and the boys also made a mini vacation of it. They visited The Wedge in Corona del Mar and went to Fashion Island in Newport Beach during the day before the match.
Yes, things have changed since Sampras talked about his life and personality on "60 Minutes." He talked about his desire to be the best. And, others, like John McEnroe gushed about Sampras and how he made it all look so easy.
Things didn't come so easy on Saturday. Sampras tweaked his ankle. After he played his two sets, losing in doubles, 5-0, and winning in singles, 5-3, he went to the clubhouse to rest his leg for treatment on his ankle. Nearby, Christian, 8, and Ryan, 5, played. Bridgette agreed to speak with me.
She told me how she and Sampras met before talking about Pete as a dad. She gave me the short version. After making the movie, "Love Stinks," Bridgette said she would never get a date because she played such a psycho woman. The film's trailer ends with the statement: A movie about a relationship that's worse than yours.
Little did she know that movie would lead to her finding her husband. Bridgette said Sampras and his friend, John Black, the public relations chief of the Lakers, went to see the movie. Sampras kind of jokingly told Black to get Bridgette's phone number because they shared mutual friends.
"And then here we are, almost 11 years later and two kids later," said Bridgette, best known for her roles in "Billy Madison," "Mortal Kombat," and "The Wedding Planner." "We got married in his backyard and we flew down my pastor from Oregon."
Elton John, as a favor to Sampras, also played at the wedding. Four months later, Bridgette confessed to Craig Kilborn that she did not know Sampras was a famous tennis player before meeting him.
"I am more into football and basketball," Bridgette said on Kilborn's show.
"Yes, real sports," Kilborn joked.
Bridgette said she doesn't watch her husband play much now that he's in retirement. She's focused on the boys, and so is Sampras.
When Christian was born eight years ago, Bridgette described the tennis legend as intimidated early on as a father. But he is well beyond that now. Mostly he can be a disciplinarian, she said.
"He's a good one to be on the journey with, because it's definitely a partnership," Bridgette said. "He allows me my freedom and I allow him his freedom. So it's good."
Before you take that last quote of context, Bridgette was referring to freedom in parenting.
"It took a while to get there," Bridgette said. "I can remember when we first had Christian, he was always like, 'what are you doing?'"
But it's different now. They're in it together.
Bridgette didn't talk about her upcoming projects or any films she would want to pursue.
"I'm just enjoying the summer moments with the boys because I know it goes too quick," she said.
Some of those moments were spent in Newport Beach. Sampras was happy to share it with the Breakers, who play host to the Kansas City Explorers Wednesday night, when the Bryan brothers, Bob and Mike, will be featured.
"I don't get a chance to play in L.A. often so for them to come out and watch me is exciting for me and for them," Sampras said.
Source: Daily Pilot 7/13/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|07:22|:|Sampras, King draw crowds in Newport|:||:|1310563330|:|July 11, 2011By LORI BASHEDA
Tennis legends Pete Sampras and Billie Jean King brought out the crowds Saturday night for a World Team Tennis match at the Tennis Club at Newport Beach.
The Newport Beach Breakers lost the match in overtime to the New York Sportimes, but everyone seemed to have a good time anyway. The intimate Breakers stadium, next to Fashion Island, holds 1,200 seats. Only 125 tickets went unsold. The night raised thousands of dollars for Hoag Hospital's diabetes center.
Before the match, Sampras – who is playing WTT this summer for Newport Beach -- was reminded by the press that he won a CIF singles championship at the club back in '87, when he was 15, but he had no recollection. "Did I really?" he asked. "Wow. That's crazy."
King, who didn't play but introduced the teams, then told the press that any child, or adult for that matter, who plays tennis should get themselves a tape of Sampras serving and then play it on a loop until they can copy his service motion. When I asked for her best memories of growing up in Long Beach, she said it would be playing tennis on the public courts there, a different one each day of the week. One of those courts is now named after her, but she still calls it by the old name, Rec Park, saying she can't bring herself to call it her own name. "That's embarrassing," she said.
Source: OC Register 6/18/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:44|:|Pete Sampras' take on the big four for Wimbledon 2011|:||:|1308408267|:|Pete Sampras ruled Wimbledon. He won at the All England Club seven times, the most titles in more than a century, overpowering opponents with his devastating serve. Tennis, perhaps, has never seen a better second delivery.
So who better to discuss this year's tournament than Sampras, overall a 14-time Grand Slam champion and still a keen follower of the game?
In a telephone interview with ESPN.com, Sampras labeled buddy Roger Federer as the "slight" favorite at tennis' beloved grass-court major, ahead of world No. 1 Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. Federer is "oozing with confidence" after reaching the French Open final, Sampras said.
Sampras praised Nadal, calling him a "machine" who surfaces "once every 25 years," but cautioned the Spaniard about his workload. He suggested Djokovic, owner of a recent 43-match winning streak, now has an "aura." As for Scot Andy Murray, the final member of the big four, Sampras says the type of pressure he's under at SW19 is virtually unparalleled.
The Fed Express
Federer, surprising many, ended Djokovic's winning streak in Paris. Two days later, give or take an inch, he might have upset Nadal in the finale.
Federer -- who was playing under Sampras' former coach, Paul Annacone, for the first time at Roland Garros -- showed more variety versus Nadal on dirt than ever. He returns to a more comforting surface, gunning for a seventh Wimbledon crown himself.
Sampras: "When Wimbledon comes around, you have to put Roger as the man to beat on that surface. He played extremely well in the French Open final and lost to one of the greats of all time on clay. I see him oozing with confidence.
"I see different things, especially in the final of the French, that Roger is trying to do -- be a little more aggressive, take the ball earlier, which is obviously tougher to do against Rafa on clay. And I like what I see. He wants to improve, and he still enjoys it. I think Paul has helped him with the mental side, just talking about strategy. Paul knows what it's like, he knows what a great player goes through, and it's really helped Roger in my mind."
The defending champion
By Nadal's own admission, it wasn't his finest French Open. Coming off four losses to Djokovic, two on clay, he lacked his usual level of confidence. However, he managed to claim a sixth title.
Nadal, as is his custom, hopped on a train and played the Aegon Championships in London, despite the fatigue, exiting in the quarterfinals. Federer and Djokovic, meanwhile, bypassed Wimbledon tuneups.
Nadal seeks a third French Open-Wimbledon double.
Sampras: "Whenever Wimbledon comes around and you look at Rafa's game, you might find him a little bit vulnerable. But year in, year out, he comes out with great results. He beats the guys he should, and before you know it, he's in the second week playing great. He saw what he had to do a couple of years back to play well at Wimbledon, and he's improved those areas.
"He's a machine. He feels he has to put in the time ahead of Wimbledon, and I respect that, but there's a part of you that has to give the mind and body a break. It might be a blessing in disguise he went down early [at Queen's], just to regroup and enjoy Paris a little bit. He's just one of those athletes that come once every 25 years. He keeps going and going. I hope that Rafa, as he gets older, is aware of his schedule and body. That's the only thing that can hold him back."
This year's phenom
The unplanned four days off Djokovic had in the second week of the French Open might have disrupted his rhythm. Emerging from the break, the 24-year-old faced a difficult task, encountering an in-form Federer.
Still, his 2011 record stands at 41-1. Djokovic, the top returner in tennis at the moment, is a different player than the one who underachieved most of the previous three seasons.
Sampras: "It's incredible what he's been able to do, be so consistent. Mentally he's figured it out, really shown great improvement. I think now he has an aura about him. He's turned into a great player.
"If you look at the history of the game, when I broke through and started to dominate, and Roger, we were about 23. Novak won that early major in 2008; it takes you a few years to figure out how you need to play, who you're playing against and to be really comfortable in your own skin, and I think Novak has turned the corner. With his game and athletic ability, I'm not surprised he's right there. When you break down his game, he doesn't have any holes."
Wimbledon Withdrawal
Pete Sampras says he won't be at Wimbledon this year, even if friend and occasional practice partner Roger Federer reaches the final.
A title for Federer would mean seven at Wimbledon, tying him with Sampras for the Open era men's record. Sampras witnessed Federer eclipse his Grand Slam tally at the All England Club in 2009, the only time he's been back to the tournament since calling it quits in 2002.
"Probably not on the cards," Sampras said in a phone interview. "The record breaker was something I wanted to be at. But if he's there this year, I'll probably stay home and watch it."
Sampras has played in several exhibitions and on the seniors' tour following an initial hiatus in retirement.
So, could commentating be next for the 39-year-old? Chris Evert is back in the booth, returning at Wimbledon.
Sampras said no. He still prefers spending much of his time in California, where he resides.
"I sort of enjoy what I've been doing, playing every now and again, which keeps me in a bit of shape and keeps me a bit young," said Sampras, also an avid golfer. "I love being with my wife and kids. I still love the game, watching it and talking about it, but commentating is not something I'm willing to travel for. I enjoy sort of being in L.A."
Sampras, comparing Djokovic to Andre Agassi as a returner: "It's hard to say who has a better return because pretty much the style of play is one-dimensional today. When I was playing, you had a lot of different looks. If he was up against a Goran [Ivanisevic], [Stefan] Edberg or [Boris] Becker consistently, you could really get a sense of how well he returns.
"But he's a great returner and will continue to be. I look at his percentage of breaking, and it's something ridiculous. I think it's the best in the world."
The home hope
Many know the numbers by now, but here's a reminder: No British man has won a major since the 1930s. And if the drought was to end, most locals would want the magical occasion to transpire at Wimbledon.
Murray has been good enough to reach three Grand Slam finals, yet unable to produce his best at crunch time. A semifinalist at Wimbledon in 2009 and 2010, the often irritable (at least on court) Murray raised expectations by triumphing at Queen's this week.
Sampras: "I look at him as one of the favorites, but maybe not quite the same as the other guys. On a given day, if he plays well and gets the crowd support, he could very well have some destiny on his side.
"He's dealing with a lot more than the other guys, in terms of the pressure of the country and the media on every move and on everything he says. It's tough enough playing these guys, then you add all that. It's nothing that any other player has experienced. Maybe Becker, but he didn't have a major in Germany. Even in my generation with Tim [Henman], he talked to the press every day; it's like an ongoing thing in the back of his head. I hope Andy can shut that noise out and play his tennis.
"I do see him get agitated sometimes. Every now and again, you see him yelling at his box. He's an emotional guy, and that's what makes him tough -- he's in every point. But you'd like to see him recover a bit quicker and potentially chill, into something more positive. He's a little temperamental, which is fine. It's just that in this sport, you have to have a short memory. You play a bad point, you move on."
Source: ESPN
6/18/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:40|:|Sampras on marquee|:||:|1308408036|:|June 16, 2011 -
Pete Sampras seemingly has little in common with Dirk Nowitzki.
But at about the time Sampras began carving out a legacy as one of the greatest tennis players of all time in the early 1990s, Nowitzki was winning junior tennis tournaments in his native Germany.
Nowitzki eventually switched to basketball and won his first NBA title Sunday night with the Dallas Mavericks. Sampras, a Los Angeles resident who can often be seen at Staples Center watching the Lakers, said he appreciated something else about the way Nowitzki finally won his ring.
"You know, I just like to see good basketball," Sampras said in a phone interview. "I don't have any preference for one team over another. You're just happy for Nowitzki. He's sort of a humble guy, and obviously he's a great player. It was a welcome result. Nothing against Miami, I was just happy for Nowitzki."
The word that stands out is "humble." It's a fitting adjective to describe Sampras as well, throughout his professional career that included a then-record 14 Grand Slam singles titles. But the word that would go through opponents' minds when Sampras unleashed a 140-plus mile-per-hour serve at them, that was probably more of the four-letter variety.
Sampras, who turns 40 in August, still has the big serve. He's coming back to World Team Tennis this summer, scheduled to play with the Newport Beach Breakers for a third year after a previous stint in 2006-07. Sampras is a marquee player at The Tennis Club Newport Beach on July 9, when the Breakers play host to the New York Sportimes. The Sportimes are scheduled to feature former world No. 1 Martina Hingis for that match as well.
Sampras won't mind splitting the bill. He's happy to get out and play in a competitive match. Most of the time when he hits a tennis ball nowadays, it's because one of his two sons, 8-year-old Christian or 5-year-old Ryan, wants some time with dad.
That's true now more than ever, since school is out for the summer.
"Yeah, they're into it," said Sampras, married to actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras. "They're kids, you know. They last 15 or 20 minutes then they're off to something else. If they're into it, great. If not, I'm not going to push a sport on them. If they're into it they're going to want to hit the tennis balls, not because it's me forcing them."
The Breakers will be happy to see Sampras come back to Newport Beach. He said he's in better shape than he was in the first stint with the team in 2006. At the time, Sampras had hardly picked up a racquet since his retirement years earlier.
"[Sampras] shouldn't have [played this season]," then-Coach Dick Leach told the Daily Pilot after one match. "You can't put down your racquet in 2003, then pick it up three months before you play a match. That's too hard. He's a great guy, great to his teammates and the fans love him. But [with him in the lineup] we can't win."
"Pistol Pete" played a more extensive schedule that year. The Breakers made the WTT Finals though, as unthinkable as it might sound, they succeeded despite the rusty Sampras. At one point they were 0-6 in matches in which he played. But he came back stronger the next year in Trevor Kronemann's first year as coach.
Now Kronemann is entering his fifth year. Sampras obviously has nothing to prove to anyone, but he said he's still competitive and wants to win. He didn't look rusty Feb. 28, when he beat longtime rival Andre Agassi, 6-3, 7-5, in a nationally televised exhibition match at New York City's Madison Square Garden.
"I feel like I'm in good shape and I'm going to prepare a little bit more," Sampras said. "I'll see if I can find my range and rhythm a little sooner. It's a format where you don't have a lot of time to mess around."
Sampras didn't mess around during his playing career, especially on the grass courts at the All England Club. Wimbledon starts again next week, and Sampras is fully aware of the statistics. Roger Federer has already passed Sampras' career Grand Slam mark, but if he wins Wimbledon this year he'll tie Sampras' mark of seven titles at the most prestigious major.
Federer is another humble guy. Sampras showed his humility again when talking about the Swiss player, who many now consider the greatest player ever.
"Roger, it seems like he's breaking all my records," Sampras said. "He could very well finish with more Wimbledons than me. I'm fortunate that I got my seven. Little did I know that [Rafael] Nadal will probably pass me [in total majors] at some stage. These guys have really taken the tour and dominated incredibly well."
Sampras won his last major in what turned out to be his last match, the 2002 U.S. Open final over Agassi. He was 31 then; Federer will turn 30 in August. But Sampras thinks Federer won't need to change things up too drastically as he gets older.
"Against everyone except two or three guys, he can do what he's always done," Sampras said. "At the French he came in a little bit, served and volleyed some, mixed it up. He tried to be aggressive and take the initiative. I think he does that very well. Against the rest of the guys, he can just play like he's always played. He's better than 98% of the guys … He's still going to win majors. I'll be surprised if he doesn't win one of the next two. We'll see how it all unfolds."
Sampras could say the same about his date with the Breakers on July 9. There are worse places for him to be than back in Southern California in front of a packed house, playing the sport he's always loved.
The professional landscape has changed since his retirement. Tennis has become more international since Americans dominated the 1990s. In this week's ATP rankings, there are just two American men — Mardy Fish (No. 9) and Andy Roddick (No. 10) in the top 10, and no others in the top 35.
Sampras also has signed on to play on the Champions Series circuit this fall, as have Agassi, Jim Courier and John McEnroe.
"I think it gives some younger fans a chance to see us," Sampras said. "Now these kids can only watch us on Youtube. If we can inspire some young kids to play tennis in some way, that's great. Is that the magic formula for getting young American players playing? I don't know, but it can only help.
"To see Roger and Novak [Djokovic] play, and Roger and Nadal, to see those guys go toe-to-toe is great tennis. Not a lot separates those guys. The margin is so small, anything can happen. Their tennis is so strong, like we used to be in the U.S., but in fairness you can't put that on Andy and Mardy. You've got to be somewhat sympathetic and fair to them. You know, tennis is doing really, really well around the world and in the U.S. … we need that American presence."
Sampras will provide it again in Newport Beach for at least one night, as a certain German basketball star continues to celebrate in Texas.
Source: Daily Pilot 5/04/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|07:23|:|Sampras refused to play Agassi in exhibition following heated call|:||:|1304515381|:|Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi were more Federer-Nadal than McEnroe-Connors. During their careers, the two tennis stars had a rivalry that was mostly confined to the court and didn't include any petty, off-court troubles.
It took retirement for things to get heated.
One year after Agassi embarrassed Sampras with awkward jokes made during an exhibition match, Sampras is still holding a grudge. He refused to play his long-time rival last week during a scheduled exhibition in Argentina after a testy phone call with Agassi following their last match. From TENNIS.com:
"Andre phoned Pete after that match to tell him he should have slowed down a little bit to make it more entertaining and not take the exhibitions that competitively," said one of the sources. "The conversation didn't have a friendly ending and Pete wanted to cancel the whole thing."
The match in question took place in February as Sampras easily cruised to a 6-4, 7-5 victory at an exhibition at Madison Square Garden. Sampras took little mercy on the hobbled out-of-shape Agassi that night, running him around the court and going for first-serve aces instead of engaging in the longer rallies that are customary at such events. Pete was playing for payback.
It didn't go unnoticed by Agassi, who complained about the move three days later in an interview with Busted Racquet:
I asked Pete to be a little sensitive with him breaking off serves left and right and jerking me around the court, but he thought it was more important to get his aces and do his drop shots and make me look my age. As a result, I'm still recovering. [...]
Pete certainly is more capable than me on the court these days and the quality of that entertainment was solely in his hands.
Agassi laughed it off when we spoke but his frustration was clear. There was a distinct coolness in his voice when he mentioned Sampras. His tone lightened when we moved on to other topics.
The tension spilled over into the recent exhibition, in which Marat Safin and Mardy Fish were brought in to be replacement opponents. TENNIS.com continues:
Sampras and Agassi spent almost two days in Buenos Aires. They arrived in separate flights, stayed at the same hotel, but on different floors, and didn't share the table at the welcome dinner held on Tuesday. "Sampras asked the organizers not to meet Agassi at any point," the source said.
They gave tennis clinics separately and spoke with the local media at separate press conferences, while the other waited in the VIP lounge. The only time they got together was during the official photo, when Major of Tigre posed between them. They had no real contact at all.
The pair will be forced to make nice on Tuesday when they're scheduled to be on a conference call together announcing the schedule for a new Champions Series tennis tour that begins this fall. Can't imagine what Pete and Andre will be asked about.
Source: Yahoo News 5/04/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|07:21|:|More friction for Agassi and Sampras after exos|:||:|1304515299|:|May 1, 2011 - Since their meeting at Madison Square Garden in March, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras have continued their exhibition tour in various South American stops. The two played last Wednesday in Argentina—but not against each other, as previously advertised. Agassi beat Jim Courier, 6-4, 7-5, and Sampras bested Mardy Fish, 4-6, 7-5, 10-8, in front of a sell-out crowd of 8,000 in Tigre, near Buenos Aires.
The exhibition was originally scheduled for December, but Agassi asked for a postponement due to a hip injury. Fans were told to save their tickets for April, only to find out just a few weeks prior to the match that the two weren't going to square off against each other.
Sources with knowledge of the negotiations told TENNIS.com Sampras declined to play Agassi after the two had a heated conversation following Sampras' two-set win at MSG.
"Andre phoned Pete after that match to tell him he should have slowed down a little bit to make it more entertaining and not take the exhibitions that competitively," said one of the sources. "The conversation didn't have a friendly ending and Pete wanted to cancel the whole thing."
After that, Argentine organizers got an e-mail from tour owners Premier International Group with new directives: both players would play, but not against one another. Courier was called and Fish later replaced the first choice, Marat Safin. A bit comically, local organizers justified the change by arguing, "People have to root for both of them, so we give them [both] the chance to be winners."
Sampras and Agassi spent almost two days in Buenos Aires. They arrived in separate flights, stayed at the same hotel, but on different floors, and didn't share the table at the welcome dinner held on Tuesday. "Sampras asked the organizers not to meet Agassi at any point," the source said.
They gave tennis clinics separately and spoke with the local media at separate press conferences, while the other waited in the VIP lounge. The only time they got together was during the official photo, when Major of Tigre posed between them. They had no real contact at all.
The relationship between the former No. 1 began to worsen when Agassi's explosive 2009 autobiography contained descriptions of his rival as a poor tipper and a narrow-minded person. The two then clashed over the remarks during the 'Hit for Haiti' exhibition held in early 2010 with Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal in Indian Wells. With the players miked for the event, Sampras made fun of Agassi's pigeon-toed walk, while Agassi mimicked Sampras by feeling around in his pockets and saying he didn't have any money. Sampras answered back with a rocket serve directed toward Agassi's body, and also said, "You got personal."
Agassi later apologized and said things went too far.
During last Tuesday's press conference, Sampras gave a politically correct answer when asked about their relationship. "We get along quite well," he said. "Back in the day it was really tough to have friendships out there especially when you compete for major tournaments. We are very different, different personalities, different games, people...but we get along quite well."
Speaking at his press conference before the event, Agassi said, "My invitation to come here to Argentina was part of a beautiful night of tennis and I was invited to play my long-time competitor and friend Jim."
He then added jokingly, "If Pete wants me to beat him afterward, I'll do that too."
Sampras couldn't have heard him, as he was waiting behind a closed door for his turn to speak.—Jorge Viale 3/28/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|07:19|:|In Retirement, Sampras Looks for Balance|:||:|1301318383|:|March 28, 2011 - Pete Sampras, winner of 14 Grand Slam singles titles, retired officially in 2003 but has been showing plenty of interest in playing the game of late. He has taken part in exhibitions in the United States, including a match in Madison Square Garden in New York last month against Andre Agassi; played in a senior tournament in Zurich; and signed on to take part in a 12-city tour of the United States in September and October with Agassi, Jim Courier, John McEnroe and others.
Sampras, who will turn 40 in August, spoke in an interview last week. Here is a transcript from some of the interview.
Q. Seems like you’ve been playing, or at least practicing, fairly intensely. I know you trained with Roger Federer before the Indian Wells tournament.
A. We’re pretty good friends, so we hit a few balls for a couple of hours, and it’s fun every now and again to go out and push it hard. I don’t like doing it a lot, but when he was in town, him being who he is, I wanted to not embarrass myself and be somewhat competitive, and I think I did that.
It’s fun. It gets tougher as you get older. I don’t move as well. I’m not quite as durable, but standing and hitting, I still do it pretty well.
What’s the level of pleasure playing the game gives you at this stage of your life?
A. You know what it does for me is, at home, it gives me a balance. I love playing golf. I love spending time with my kids and my wife, but at the same time I do need to work. I do need to feel like at the end of the day I did something for myself. So hitting a few balls is good for me. It keeps me in shape. It keeps me a bit focused. It’s not something I need to do every day. But every now and again, if I have a match coming up, I’ll hit every other day for an hour or an hour and a half and get out of there, and I get into the gym.
I think when I stopped playing, when I retired, I took two years of not doing anything, and I felt I was getting a little bit restless, maybe a touch bored, and I felt I needed something to kind of get me going, and hitting a few balls is something I tried and really, it’s given me a good balance over the last number of years. Listen, I’m not going to play a ton, but if I play a dozen matches a year, I’m happy. Every few months, if I have to go overseas, I don’t mind that. It’s always nice to make a few bucks here and there as well.
Q. I remember talking about this with you when you were still on tour: that you were well aware that when you retired you would basically never need to work again, that by age 30 you had taken care of your needs and your family’s needs. Do you feel thankful for that now on a regular basis?
A. I’m in complete control of what I want to do in my life and that’s a great place to be at 39 years old. At the same time, my childhood and all my years of playing, I definitely sacrificed a lot, and that’s why I was willing to sacrifice because I knew when I was retired I could pick and choose what I wanted to do, so it really is a nice place to be in life. I can spend a ton of time with my kids, take them out to the park during the week, and most guys are working eight to six.
Q. When you play matches like the one in New York last month or the upcoming tour in the fall, who do you reach? Who do you see in the stands when you look around the Garden?
A. I’m speaking to the older generation, to be honest with you. It’s funny. I was hitting with this one kid who goes to U.C.L.A., and he never saw me play, and I was like, “Wow, you never saw me play.” And it was weird to hear him say that. He said, “I’ve only seen you on YouTube.”
Q. What’s your take on the state of the men’s game at the moment? Novak Djokovic is off to an undefeated start to the year. Seems like the days of Nadal and Federer sharing all the spoils are over. Do you see it that way?
A. I don’t think it’s over. It might be a little less frequent. I still think there’s four guys, now five guys in Juan Martín del Potro, that are really the dominant players, and I think it really depends. But I do think that Djokovic is clearly up there now obviously with those guys, but I still look at Roger and Rafa and think they could very well play in the final of some more majors. It depends on who’s playing well. There’s only a handful of really great players in the sport.
3/10/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|19:50|:|All Things Pete|:||:|1299811822|:|Steve Flink - Tennis Channel
3/7/2011 3:00:00 PM
When my phone rang last Wednesday morning, it had only been just over 33 hours since Pete Sampras had accounted for Andre Agassi 6-3, 7-5 in their eagerly anticipated BNP Paribas Showdown at New York’s fabled Madison Square Garden. Sampras was now on the line, calling from back home in California, and he was right on schedule. It was 8AM as he spoke from Los Angeles, but Sampras sounded upbeat and clear-headed, his mind uncluttered, his voice full of conviction, his outlook positive.
As our interview commenced, Sampras easily conveyed how much he enjoyed performing admirably on a renowned stage in New York in front of 17,165 people. “It was pretty cool,” he said. “When you come to the Garden you always want to be at your best in your home country in front of more than 17,000 people. People paid good money to see good tennis. I felt we did that. There is still a lot of pride I feel out there. When the ball is in my hand and I am about to serve, I want to do something special with it. That is just the way I am built, to try to do something well. Obviously I am not as good as I used to be but to be able to still hit the ball pretty well is important to me. I felt I owed those fans some real good tennis. It is not a dog and pony show. I felt I had a real responsibility to go out there well prepared and play some good tennis. I am glad I was able to do that.”
At 39, Sampras plays his tennis very selectively these days, sensibly choosing when and where he wants to compete without overdoing it, making certain he has spent the right amount of time getting ready for his exhibitions and senior tournaments, planning a schedule in a way that allows him to be consistently enthusiastic about what he is doing. But for his appointment with Agassi in New York, Sampras was primed for the occasion, fueled by the volumes of history he and his rival had created together. Agassi was always Sampras’s premier rival across the years; from 1989-2002, they collided 34 times, with Sampras recording 20 victories. More importantly, they met in five Grand Slam tournament finals, with Sampras the victor in four of those duels.
Above all else, Sampras and Agassi ran into each other at every stage of their careers in New York. Sampras stopped Agassi in three U.S. Open finals (1990, 1995, and 2002), and bested his rival all four times they clashed at Flushing Meadows, including their epic 2001 four set, all tie-break quarterfinal under the lights. Moreover, Sampras was 2-0 against Agassi at Wimbledon. Sampras, of course, celebrated a record six years in a row stationed at No. 1 in the world (1993-98) and collected 14 major singles championships, while Agassi had to settle for only one year-end No. 1 ranking, and eight majors.
And so, for the fans of New York, the memories of these two prodigious American players remain vivid and enduring. It made their Garden showdown that much more appealing. Agassi is 40 now, while Sampras will hit that numerical milestone in August, and their followers know full well that there won’t be too many opportunities left to watch them compete against each other, even if exhibitions can never match the intensity of the matches they contested during their heydays. Sampras realized that the New York audience on February 28th wanted to be reminded of what it was like to watch him play when he was at the height of his powers.
In the second game of the match, with Agassi serving at 0-1, 15-30, he served wide to his adversary’s backhand, and Sampras chipped a return down the line. Agassi cracked a forehand into the open court, sending Sampras scampering for his famous running forehand. Sampras suddenly seemed transformed straight back to the middle of his prime. On the dead run, at full stretch, as if by wizardry, he released a vintage forehand winner up the line.
I asked him how gratifying it was to play the old running forehand with such astonishing verve. He replied, “At the beginning of the match and even in the warm up, I could feel the energy and vibe of the arena. He got me out wide on my forehand and I just went for it and made it. To hit it that hard on the run felt good to me. I am not really in that situation that often these days. Quite honestly, I haven’t done that in about nine years so it has been awhile. I just sort of leaned that way after hitting a weak return of serve. Honestly, these days I don’t know what is going to happen when I play so that shot surprised me a little bit. Maybe it is like riding a bike and it always going to be something that is in me, something I am not going to forget how to do. I could see that crowd of 17,000 people and they seemed like they were on the edges of their seats when it happened. That lifted my energy up and got my adrenaline going more than I have experienced in a long time. That is my signature shot. It felt great to pull that shot off.”
That dazzling winner took Sampras to 15-40 and moments later he had the break and control of the set. He went up an early break in the second, lost his serve in the following game for the only time in the match, but from 4-5 in the second set he garnered three games in a row to close out Agassi, who did some exemplary ball striking when he was set up but did not move nearly as well as Sampras. Whenever Sampras drew Agassi wide and volleyed to the open court, Agassi was unable to answer the bell. Sampras told me, “With the conditions being reasonably quick and the falls flying a bit, Andre was having a hard time controlling it. When he started playing better in the second set, he said something at one of the changeovers like, ‘It’s nice to make a few.’ I think he may have been a little stressed out because he doesn’t play as much these days and my game matches up well against his. He was a little anxious and he missed a few that he normally doesn’t. I felt I was playing well.”
Asked to analyze what happened in the second set when he had the early break before Agassi managed to fight his way back into the set, Sampras said, “I took my foot off the pedal and played a loose game and he stepped it up. I thought that set might go to a breaker but I was able to break him at 5-5. So when I served for the match at 6-5, I felt confident in closing it out. When you have the serve as a weapon it can be a great asset at a time like that and it can be discouraging for my opponent. So I felt pretty comfortable serving that one out. Aside from the one game I got broken it was going pretty smoothly for me. I had a pretty good night overall.”
Many observers wondered whether there was any lingering animosity between Sampras and Agassi after their much publicized incident in March of 2010. Sampras and Roger Federer were playing Agassi and Rafael Nadal in a dream doubles match at Indian Wells, raising money following the massive earthquake in Haiti. They called it the “Hit for Haiti”, and all of the players wore microphones to entertain the crowd. Agassi was highly amusing at first but then insulted his old rival with a tasteless routine about Sampras giving a valet driver a one dollar tip way back when. Sampras was clearly put off by the demeaning way Agassi was portraying him, and he served a ball at Agassi in response. That doubles exhibition ended awkwardly for both players. Agassi had stepped well beyond the lines of decency with his conduct, turning what should have been a happy occasion into a time of sadness and angst for everyone concerned.
I asked Sampras if there was any lingering animosity between himself and Agassi when they came to New York to play at the Garden. He gave me his take on the “Hit for Haiti” incident, and explained how he had put it behind him. Sampras said, “It had been a good night. We were talking back and forth and having a good time, and we had four of the greatest players all on the same court. Hitting that ball at Andre was my way of keeping it light and just having fun with it but he kept going on and on and that was when I got really uncomfortable. I felt like I had just swallowed a frog. It just got so serious after I had some fun aiming that ball at him. It got to a point where it was personal in a way about an issue I never really understood: the whole tipping thing. It wasn’t like my feelings were hurt. People that know me know that I am not like whatever he was claiming I was. They know I am not cheap. “
Sampras paused briefly, then continued: “We finally touched base and a few months later we cleared the air when we played in Puerto Rico. He said, ‘Pistol, I apologize. I went too far and that was five minutes I wish I could have taken back.’ I said, ‘It’s over. I don’t want this to linger and affect our relationship’ because as much as we were different when we competed for majors, we actually came out of our careers as pretty good friends. Not best friends, but respectful unlike some of the other generations like Lendl and McEnroe and those guys who genuinely did not seem to like each other in those days. Andre and I went into it with a pretty good relationship and came out of it with a pretty good relationship. I didn’t want one incident to change that. Sure he said a few things about me in his book but that is fine. I just didn’t want what happened in the Hit for Haiti to linger for the next six months or more. I wanted to clear the air at the Garden again and just say, ‘Listen, it’s over.’ People want to blow it up. When Andre and I are together we get along fine. I don’t know him extremely well and he doesn’t know me extremely well either, but that’s okay. So many people saw that incident on YouTube and you have this whole internet thing these days, but we have talked a few times and moved beyond it. In New York I did my best to diffuse the situation.”
It was apparent watching the two Americans compete at the Garden that they have indeed moved past that moment. They were clearly comfortable going about their business. Time and some thoughtful conversations have healed the wounds. But be that as it may, what else is on the Sampras agenda these days? “I am actually going to Zurich this coming week for a senior event over there with a good field. I think Stefan Edberg, Tim Henman, Michael Stich and Goran Ivanisevic will be there so it will be real tennis. I may do a few more matches with Andre later in the year, and there is talk of some events with John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Andre and me. Things pop up here and there and if it is worth my time and I still enjoy playing and my body holds up, I will keep going.”
Sampras also will play one night of WorldTeamTennis this summer. “I am excited to be playing one night in Newport Beach,” he says of that endeavor. “Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss are friends of mine and it is close enough to my home to drive and hour and play some tennis so I am looking forward to doing that.”
Across the next couple of years, Sampras will inevitably get his share of good opportunities to perform, and to display his remarkable athleticism and enduring shot making brilliance. And yet, he will be 40 in August. Where does he see himself ten years from now?
“I don’t have any timeline on how much longer I am going to play,” he says. “As long as there are opportunities and my body can handle it, I will play some. Tennis has given me a nice balance in my life. I love golf, I love my wife and kids and spending time with my family. But ten years is a long way down the road. I doubt very much I will be playing tennis then, but I said that when I retired from the tour also and here I am still playing. At 50, if something pops up in tennis that would be interesting like an academy, I would consider it. Being able to help young kids, juniors, and those looking to turn pro is something I would enjoy. Helping out kids in tennis would be fun and as I get older it might become more of a priority, but over the next couple of years I will continue to play a little bit here and there. I like the simplicity of my life right now. It is a good rhythm for me. As I get older it is hard to say what I would want to do. If a good business opportunity is there for me that makes sense I will look at it, but right now I make pretty good money playing a little bit of tennis and it pays the bills and it is good for my kids to see me on television playing tennis. They know their Dad is working and going to the gym and that is important for me to have them not see me just sitting around and waiting for them all day. It’s important for a man to work.”
Yet the work he is doing on court now might become slightly less burdensome as he moves to a larger headed racket with the new strings used by the likes of Rafael Nadal. Sampras has been trying some different frames over the last six months and used one of those in New York against Agassi, but as he explains, “Wilson and I are working together on a racket that works for me. The strings with these new frames have given me the ability to hit the ball flat with control and it helps me generate more power and spin on the rest of my shots. The technology has got to a point where it is as far as you can possibly take it. With these powerful rackets, it gives me the ability to swing hard and have control while generating a lot more spin. I can feel it on my second serve and on high backhands. It is easier to generate more power from above my shoulder, and you can just really feel the spin. It is easier on my body and easier on my arm. It really makes tennis more tolerable to play. I remember playing Verdasco last year in San Jose and his ball was jumping and kicking. A lot of it is the way guys are hitting the ball but a lot of it is the technology as well. I have enjoyed experimenting and coming full circle from a guy who didn’t want to try anything to a guy willing to try a lot of different rackets and strings. But at the end of the day I am working with Wilson to find the right one for me.”
As important as it is for Sampras to target places to travel in pursuit of practicing his old craft as a tennis player, he also recognizes the significance of staying in excellent shape. That is why he makes certain to place great value on his workouts. It was apparent to one and all in New York that Sampras seems trimmer and in better shape than he has been in for quite a long while, probably since he played the last official match of his career in defeating Agassi to win the 2002 U.S. Open. What is Sampras doing these days to get himself in such stellar condition?
“I am working in L.A now, “he replies, “with this trainer who I worked with in my last year on the tour. His name is Gunnar Peterson. I see him three times a week and run for 40 and get into the gym for an hour with him and he just busts my ass. I feel exhausted when it is over but I also feel great. I feel like I have achieved something. I have done that for the last eight months plus I do some things on my own. I put that time into the gym not just for my tennis but to feel good in my everyday life. Obviously the stronger and fitter I am, the more I am going to enjoy playing tennis. Gunnar is an excellent trainer and he puts me in an environment where I really work hard. I put in that hour-and-a-half as hard as I did when I was playing on the tour. People have mentioned to me that I look thinner and reasonably lean. I don’t see it, but when you put in the time like I have you get the results. When I stopped playing the tour and didn’t do anything for three years I hit almost 200 pounds. In my old playing days I was about 183. Right now I am at 187 or 188 and that is a comfortable weight for me. Quite honestly, working out makes me feel good throughout the day and taking good care of myself makes me a more patient Dad and husband. If I don’t do anything and sit around all day that is no good for anybody.”
Meanwhile, Sampras’s older son Christian, 8, is taking some tennis lessons, but his father is not overbearing in the least. As Pete Sampras explains, “With school it is tricky. He is done at 3:30 and sometimes even later. I have got him taking lessons once a week on Friday with my sister Stella’s assistant coach, who is great with kids. Christian is enjoying it. He likes playing football and a little baseball, but tennis is a great activity for him. I love to see him out there learning how to play but I am not pushing him in any way to play tennis. If he is into it, that is great. If not, that is okay. But he is enjoying it. A half hour or 45 minute lesson is plenty for him. He enjoys hitting the ball—primarily over the fence! He actually has good hand-eye coordination, moves well, and is a good athlete. I am not sure if tennis will be his thing or not. Time will tell. He is going to a private school now and he has got so much homework that it is amazing. When I was in public school I was done by 1PM and then I would do my homework but his day gets done pretty quickly so playing any sport is difficult. There is no time for him to be a kid.”
Before the interview ended, I wanted to get Sampras to weigh in on the Davis Cup captaincy of his old rival and colleague Jim Courier. How does he feel about that selection? “They made a wise choice with Jim, a great choice,” he asserts. “He is respected by the players and he played a lot of Davis Cup himself. He knows the feeling, knows the game and knows strategy, which is a great asset for the team. He has been a top player and he dominated the game for a few years. Jim is very organized and practices hard and he will be there for the guys in any way that he can. He is smart enough to mould his personality to make it work, whether that is for Andy Roddick or John Isner or other team members. But there is only so much he can do. The rest is up to the players.”
Courier may well reside as captain for a long time, but would Sampras ever be interested in that job himself if it became available? “At this point,” he answers, “probably not. Maybe later on down the line as I get older it might appeal to me, but now I don’t think it is for me, at least for the next number of years. I would like the tennis part, and helping the guys out on the court. If I ever did it, I would arrange to get someone else that would work with me and take care of all the minutia so I could stick with the tennis.”
3/09/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|19:03|:|Sampras Sees Off Muster And Eyes Ivanisevic In Zurich|:||:|1299722635|:|March 8, 2011 - Pete Sampras beat Thomas Muster 6-3, 7-6(2) at the BNP Paribas Zurich Open, and will now face his old rival Goran Ivanisevic on Wednesday in his second round-robin match.
The American needed to fire on all cylinders to see off the super-fit Muster, and ultimately it was his greater weight of shot that told.
"I played Thomas a few years ago in Brazil and he's in much better shape now than he was then," said Sampras. "He's hitting the ball well, he served well and he made me work pretty hard there in the second set."
He will now face Ivanisevic, who suffered a straight-sets loss against the in-form Mark Philippoussis, who recently won the Delray Beach ATP Champions Tour event.
"Although I got the better of Goran during our careers I never liked playing him," said Sampras. "That serve is just so big I never felt comfortable on the court with him and I've heard that he still serves really big so it's definitely going to be tough against him tomorrow. The field here is so good that there are no easy matches and I've been drawn in a tough group as well. I'm here to win though."
When told that Ivanisevic believes Sampras "took a lot of years off my life" with his victories over the Croatian at Wimbledon, Sampras replied:
"I might just have! Those Wimbledons were tough to swallow for him, especially the one where I felt like he played a bit better than I did (in 1998). He's a great champion and it was nice to see him finally win it there. It will be memorable for us to get out there tomorrow and play again."
Ivanisevic struggled to contain the raw power of Philippoussis on Tuesday. The Australian broke the Croatian in the very first game and went on to win 6-3, 7-6(2).
"It was definitely a good start for me today," said Philippoussis. "I have a lot of respect for Goran's game and he played well today so it's a good win to get on the board. I hit some big serves out there too so I'm pleased with that."
Matches are played over the best of three sets, with a Champions' Tie-break (first to 10 points with a clear advantage of two) to decide the winner. After all round-robin matches are complete, the top player in each group will meet in Saturday's final.
View the round-robin groups, results and the order of play for the week in Zurich.
After Zurich The ATP Champions Tour will head to the Southern hemisphere for a South American swing that will cover Sao Paulo, Brazil (May 5-8), Guadalajara, Mexico (May 11-14) and Bogota, Colombia (May 19-22).
3/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:26|:|Sampras-Agassi, McEnroe-Lendl renew rivalries|:||:|1298993179|:|(AP) – February 28, 2011
NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Sampras held up his hands in apology when his shot ticked off the net and fell in for a winner to give him triple match point against Andre Agassi.
The two were on their best behavior Monday night during their exhibition at Madison Square Garden. No repeats of their charity match last March, when Agassi's jokes got a little too personal and Sampras fired a serve at him in reply.
Sampras won 6-3, 7-5 this time on a night full of nostalgia, a reprise of his final match when he beat Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final here in New York.
This city was the site of many memorable career moments for both.
"I came back to the people I love to say hello," Agassi said.
Earlier, John McEnroe had the short shorts and big hair ready to pump up the crowd late in his match against old adversary Ivan Lendl. McEnroe never got the chance, twisting his ankle a couple of hours before the match and having to retire leading 6-3 in the one-set, first-to-eight event.
McEnroe was hurt practicing with Sampras but tried to tough it out. He jumped out to an early lead, aggressively going for shots to try to limit how much running he would have to do.
In an on-court interview with younger brother Patrick afterward, McEnroe revealed he was wearing the "circa 1985" shorts underneath his longer, more modern ones. He said later he also had a wig on hand for the "circa 1982" hair.
Lendl suggested they should return to the Garden next year to play with short shorts and wooden rackets.
That sort of witty banter wasn't likely during their careers, when Lendl and McEnroe faced each other in a record 20 ATP Tour finals. But now they're both in their 50s.
Lendl didn't play for 14 years because of back problems, but with plans to open a junior tennis academy, he returned to the court and has started taking part in senior events.
He's not sure how much he'll keep playing — Lendl doesn't like to travel, preferring to hang out on the golf course at home in Florida and go for long walks with his two German shepherds.
"It's not as if we see each other a whole lot," McEnroe said of their current relationship. "I don't think it's that much different in a way, but it's easier to look at each other in more of a bemused way than in the past. When you're trying to win the majors or be the best and you look at your adversary, it's a lot easier to look at the glass half empty and what's wrong.
"When you get older and there's not as much at stake, you start to say, 'Well, the both of us went through a lot in our own ways.' And you start to look at it: 'Well, maybe once out of 10 jokes he is funny.'"
Four tennis greats with 37 combined Grand Slam titles took the court at the BNP Paribas Showdown. For guys who are long retired, there's still an edge in the air when the Sampras-Agassi and McEnroe-Lendl rivalries are renewed.
The four traded good-natured barbs at a news conference Monday morning, often about their past tensions.
Just under a year ago, Agassi and Sampras faced each other in what was supposed to be a friendly match for charity. Wearing a microphone, Agassi mocked Sampras for being stingy, a claim he had made in his book. Sampras responded with a high, hard serve that forced Agassi to duck.
Asked about the state of his relationship with Sampras, Agassi replied, "Strictly platonic."
"That's the nicest thing you've said about me in two years," Sampras quipped.
"We've straightened it out," Agassi said. "Like I've said 150 times, it was a complete mistake on my part. 'Hit for Haiti' raised a lot of money; we did a lot of good things. But we unfortunately had a microphone on our mouths, and I was talking a lot. One thing wasn't good."
They'd played two exhibitions in Latin America since.
"In my eyes, it's over," Sampras said. "It's unfortunate what happened. Andre apologized. It's just one of those things that sort of got blown out of proportion over the last six months. We're still here. He's a rival and a friend." 3/01/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:23|:|Sampras' serve still sizzles|:||:|1298992995|:|Monday, February 28, 2011
NEW YORK -- While Monday's first match -- a 50-something battle between Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe -- ended with a sprained-ankle retirement by McEnroe, the main event in the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden was so not old-man doubles.
Back in the day, Pete Sampras had the game's best serve and Andre Agassi usually neutralized that with a peerless return of service. But eight and a half years after Sampras won the last tournament he ever played -- the 2002 U.S. Open, over Agassi in the final -- that serve overpowered Agassi, early and often.
When one ace down the middle went darting into the crowd, Agassi could only smile and widen his eyes in mock horror -- or maybe it was real. Sampras, it turns out, has borrowed some of today's technology, those super-cool strings that give Rafael Nadal's game some needed pop against Roger Federer.
There was no radar gun at the Garden, but Agassi's former coach Brad Gilbert, who has a keen sense of these things, estimated that Sampras' first serve on this fast court could reach as high as 133 mph. That's good enough to hold serve on a fast court against some of today's better professionals.
Sampras was so supremely confident, on numerous occasions he announced to the crowd behind him where the serve was going -- down the T or out wide. He served and volleyed on second serves with regularity.
In the end, Sampras looked something south of his 39 years and Agassi, in an impression accentuated by his baldness and pigeon-toed gait, looked all of 40 -- and then some. Sampras won 6-3, 7-5 before a supportive, near-sellout crowd of 17,165.
"We played pretty good for a couple of old guys," Sampras said, clearly thrilled with his showing.
Sampras, always concerned with the bottom line, kept coming forward and pressuring Agassi, who looked, frankly, rushed. Agassi, ever the Las Vegas kid, seemed just as intent on entertaining the crowd.
The funny thing? Sampras actually camped it up, making some leaping volleys look a little harder than they might have been. He induced several bursts of laughter in pockets of the crowd with his post-point observations.
"Back when we were playing, Pete's biggest weapon was his serve," Agassi said. "It looked as good as ever."
What was his prematch goal?
"My hope was that I'd get injured, after seeing what happened to poor Johnny Mac," Agassi said, laughing. "Hopefully, we created a little nostalgia. That's why we're here."
Precisely.
That Sampras and Agassi renewed their complicated and contrasting rivalry was a pleasant gift to tennis fans in the dead of winter. They won a combined 22 Grand Slam singles titles, with 14 going to Sampras -- he prevailed in five of six major finals. By their own admission, they experienced some peaks and valleys in their relationship.
This was so not the "Hit for Haiti" disaster of a year ago, when Agassi and Sampras sniped in a charity doubles event at Indian Wells while partners Federer and Nadal twisted awkwardly in the wind.
The two longtime rivals entered amid WWE-style fireworks and the "Star Wars" theme; when one bank of sparks erupted, Sampras seemed startled and abruptly skipped to his place by the net. They made a point of chatting amiably, with smiles on their faces, before the match. In warm-ups, Agassi let a lob go and dropped a between-the-legs shot on the already buzzing crowd. Afterward, Sampras made a point of calling Agassi "a friend and a rival."
Sampras was simply better in the big moments; Agassi prone to the unforced error.
Agassi, trailing 3-5 in the first set, saved two set points, but lost the set when Sampras handled a shot hit right at him with delicate ease.
Agassi double-faulted to give Sampras a critical break in the third game of the second set. Naturally, he broke right back. Serving at 5-all, Agassi fell into a 15-30 hole when Sampras executed a volley winner. A forehand into the net and a backhand long put the match on Sampras' racket.
Still, you sensed that, in the time-honored tradition of exhibitions -- when there is a big payday, it's amazing how many times the result is the three-set maximum -- Agassi would level the set. Not even close.
Sampras' first offering was an ace down the middle, followed by another unreturnable serve. A backhand clipped the net cord and dropped in and, even when Sampras spun in a first serve, Agassi topped it into the net.
"I was a serve-and-volley player, he stayed back," Sampras said. "It was a great clash of titans, like Borg and McEnroe."
One of the surreal (and fascinating) elements of the evening was the big-screen replays of some of Sampras and Agassi's biggest matches, which were played during changeovers. Both players seemed to enjoy watching those clips, along with the fans.
"I had a lot more hair back then," Sampras said, drawing a laugh.
"Pete's looking good," marveled John McEnroe. "It looks like he's been putting in the hours, at least in the gym. I'm not sure how much tennis he's playing. Pete's just moving so well.
"Pete's into it, and that's nice to see. Over the years, you wondered how much he was digging playing."
2/09/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:51|:|Pete Sampras, Gael Monfils leave them laughing in SAP Open exhibition|:||:|1297266705|:|Feb 8, 2011 - For the lighter side of tennis, Monday night at HP Pavilion was the place to be.
Push-ups, sit-ups, between-point wind sprints, photo breaks ... the exhibition match between retired 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras, 39, and up-and-coming French showman Gael Monfils, 24, had a little bit of everything.
When it ended, there was even some smack talk.
Peeking ahead to an exhibition match against longtime rival Andre Agassi (also retired) at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 28, Sampras told the crowd of 4,911, "I'm looking forward to playing Andre. I'm always looking forward to kicking his little (behind)."
It was the last laugh in a match filled with them.
On the opening night of the SAP Open, Sampras and Monfils ran around the court for a little more than an hour before the Frenchman emerged with a 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory.
"It's not easy to come up here sort of cold turkey and try to play him," Sampras said. "But all in all, I was very happy with the way I played and didn't embarrass myself. I had a few chances there to maybe squeak out a set. But I'm almost 40 now, and he's in the prime of his life."
Sampras, who won two SAP Open titles during his legendary career, has been no stranger to the tournament post-retirement. The exhibition Monday marked the fourth consecutive year in which Sampras kicked off the SAP Open by playing an opening-night exhibition.
Last year, Fernando Verdasco went on to win the tournament after playing Sampras in the Monday exhibition.
For Monfils, the second seed this week behind Verdasco, the match Monday was an honor.
"To play against you, Pete, was a dream come true," he said during an on-court interview.
While there were some superb shots in the match, a few of the memorable moments had little to do with tennis.
At one point, Sampras, perhaps underlining the fact he is approaching 40, took a seat behind the baseline as if to take a break. Monfils' response: He dropped to the ground and did five push-ups, then sprinted up the court and dropped again, this time doing five sit-ups.
The crowd erupted in laughter.
At another point, Monfils approached a group of photographers next to the court and asked one of them for his camera. Monfils took the camera on the court and snapped a shot of Sampras.
Showmanship aside, Sampras was impressed with Monfils' game.
"I played against a lot of good movers in my day," Sampras said. "But he was one of the best I've ever played. It was incredible. He slides like 8-feet long. He's got a great future."
Sampras, meanwhile, wants to keep playing, with one exception: "Next year, I hope I can play (John) McEnroe or Agassi," he said, "someone a little more my age."
Source: Mercury News 2/09/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|02:51|:|Monfils defeats Sampras in exhibition|:||:|1297245103|:|Gael Monfils of France took on Pete Sampras, the American great, in an exhibition match at the SAP Open in San Jose, California.
The match was part of the promotional activity for the tournament, and was scheduled in the evening session.
While Sampras has been in retirement since 2002, he has played several exhibition matches since then, including one against Tommy Haas at the 2008 edition of this very tournament.
He has also played Roger Federer twice and most recently colluded with Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andre Agassi in a doubles fund raiser for the earthquake struck country of Haiti.
He also won two Outback Champions Series titles in 2009, defeating both John McEnroe and Pat Rafter en route.
Since Monfils and Sampras play contrasting styles of tennis, this match was always going to be an exciting show.
As world no.12 and the second seed at this tournament, Monfils is an accomplished top-level player. His power, coupled with his incredible athleticism makes him an excellent, albeit unconventional, defender.
Sampras on the other hand is one of the finest aggressive players tennis has ever seen. His serve and volley game was unique during the 90s and it is so even more now.
The encounter was, as expected, close. The scoreboard said 7-6, 6-4 at the end, and even though it was a straight set victory for the second seed, it was a hard fought one.
The first set went into a tiebreak and saw some excellent game-play. Sampras's serve was obviously not as devastating as it once was, and unsurprisingly, Monfils, was the better server of the two.
The American's serve and volley game was also effectively castrated by the pace and fitness of the 24-year old Frenchman. The younger man rained down three speedy aces at one point, and it is a testament to Pete's supreme skill that he kept right on the heels of his opponent throughout.
The second set was a little easier for the Frenchman, who finally got a break to win it 6-4.
Monfils made the match the spectacle it was supposed to be. Playing his childhood hero, he was exuberant and excited, at one point even asking a ball boy to take his picture with the Legend.
In the post match interview, Sampras was impressed by the young man's movement, lauding him as one of the best movers he'd faced.
A Pete Sampras exhibition match is a tradition at the SAP Open, and a fine one it is. It is a chance for the world to see arguably the greatest tennis player ever in action, and a chance for many young tennis players to face their idol.
This match served well as such an occasion, and the organizers must be thanked for their efforts regarding it. 2/09/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|02:49|:|Monfils beats Sampras in exhibition at SAP Open|:||:|1297244980|:|SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)-After one long point, Pete Sampras sat in a chair to catch his breath, while Gael Monfils dropped to the ground to do a push-up, followed by a sprint and then a sit-up.
That was just one piece of evidence of the 15-year age difference between the two competitors in the exhibition match that highlighted the opening night of the SAP Open on Monday.
Monfils was faster on the court, showing the ability to track down drop shots and other volleys Sampras thought would be winners. Monfils had more power on his serve as evidenced by three straight 130-plus mph aces at one point. And Monfils got the better of the 14-time Grand Slam winner, beating Sampras 7-6 (4), 6-4.
"I felt I played a little better than I did last year and held my own," Sampras said. "Physically, that's the most I've served and volleyed in the last seven years. Not easy. Gael is a great mover, returns well and made me work really hard on my service game. All in all, I'm very happy with the way I played. I had a few chances in the first set that I let slip away. He's the real deal."
This exhibition marked Monfils' debut at the San Jose tournament. He can only hope that opening his first trip here with a victory over Sampras will work out as well as it did last year for Fernando Verdasco, who followed up his exhibition victory over Sampras with a tournament win.
Monfils thoroughly enjoyed the lighthearted affair, playing to the crowd of 4,911 whenever he got the chance. At one point, Monfils grabbed a camera from a photographer and snapped a shot of Sampras. Then between games, Monfils fetched his cell phone from his bag and had a ball boy take a photo of him with Sampras.
Monfils later filmed Sampras' postmatch interview with his phone, recording praise like this: "I've played a lot of good movers in my day. He's one of the best I've ever played."
Monfils, who was just 4 years old when Sampras won his first major title at the U.S. Open in 1990,
"To play against you, Pete, is a dream," he said after the match.
Sampras played an exhibition here for the fourth straight year. Afterward, he said he'd like to play someone closer to his own age next year, like John McEnroe or Andre Agassi.
Sampras will square off with his old rival Agassi later this month in an exhibition at Madison Square Garden and he took the opportunity to hype up that match.
"I always beat him in New York," he said. "I will say that."
Sampras is also finally starting to embrace the technology that has taken over the sport in recent years, switching from the old Wilson racket he used during his career to the more powerful Babolat that is so popular with today's players.
"I need a little bit more pop," he said. "I need it if I'm going to play some tennis." 1/02/11|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|00:35|:|[Dec 17, 2010] - Some of Pete Sampras' stolen items have been recovered |:||:|1293953735|:|December 17, 2010
Three scrapbooks and a trophy stolen from Pete Sampras at a West Los Angeles public storage facility over a month ago have been recovered.
Lt. Robert Edgar, of the LAPD commercial theft division, said that a citizen contacted the police last Friday after finding those items in Griffith Park.
Nearly 100 trophies and awards were stolen from Sampras' storage facility, including his first Australian Open trophy, an Olympic ring and seven ESPYs.
"I can't tell you if it was a random event or if they knew if the property of Pete Sampras was there," Edgar said.
Edgar said the police have several leads, but declined to to comment on the specifics.
Sampras said none of his items were insured because he didn't think there was a way to assess their value.
Leila Dunbar, who runs her own appraisal company and was the vice president and director of the collectibles department at Sotheby's for nine years, said she was surprised to hear that.
"Sports memoribilia has been sold at public auctions for more than a quarter century," she said, "so there are obvious ways of being able to find that information and assess it."
Dunbar said that at an auction, she'd give a starting price of $50,000 to $75,000 for a Pete Sampras Australian Open Trophy, but estimated that it would sell for $100,000 to $150,000.
"Pete Sampras is considered to be one of the top five singles players of all time," she said. "There's going to be a lot of interest."
Dunbar said she'd predict one of Sampras' Wimbledon trophies could sell for $500,000. Luckily for Sampras, none of his seven Wimbledon trophies were kept in his locker.
"The greater the athlete, the more trophies they possess, they should get it insured," Dunbar said. "Their stuff could be worth hundreds of thousands and sometimes millions of dollars."
As for how much the thieves could make by selling Sampras' items on the black market, she said not much.
"My guess is that the trophies would be sold for a fraction of what their potential value would be at an auction," Dunbar said.
Source: LA Times 12/09/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:22|:|Pete Sampras Is Offered Replica of Stolen Davis Cup Trophies by Federation|:||:|1291954934|:|The International Tennis Federation will offer former world No. 1 Pete Sampras a replica of his stolen Davis Cup trophies.
Sampras, whose 14 major championships are second in men's tennis history to Roger Federer's 16, was robbed of most of the trophies he won throughout his playing career, the Los Angeles Times reported yesterday.
Sampras, 39, told the newspaper that while he still has 13 of his Grand Slam awards, he lost 'everything else,' when dozens of boxes were stolen from a public storage facility in west Los Angeles. Items included trophies for his first Australian Open title as well as two Davis Cup wins.
"We were sorry to learn of the theft," Francesco Ricci Bitti, president of the London-based International Tennis Federation, said in a statement. "We know how special a Davis Cup victory is for a player, and if he is unable to recover the loss of his two Davis Cup trophies we would like to offer him a replica trophy in recognition of his outstanding record in the event."
Sampras won the Davis Cup, the ITF's elite team competition for men, with the U.S. in 1992 and 1995 with victories over Switzerland and Russia, respectively.
Australian Open organizers also expressed their regret about the theft. Sampras won the first of his two Australian Open titles in 1994.
"We have been in touch with the Sampras camp overnight just to see if there is anything we can do," tournament director Craig Tiley said in an e-mailed statement. "We are keen to help out one of our great champions in whatever way we can."
'Very Valuable'
"It is a very valuable trophy but its worth goes far beyond dollars and cents," Tiley said.
Sampras said none of the trophies or memorabilia was insured because there was no way to assess their value.
He and his family recently moved and rented two storage units, the Times said. Items stolen also included awards for winning 64 ATP Tour events and reaching the finals of 24 others; trophies from his five season-ending ATP World Tour titles, 11 ATP Masters event titles; an Olympic ring; and six trophies for finishing No. 1 in tennis's annual ranking, according to the report.
12/08/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|03:19|:|One of tennis' ultimate winners, Pete Sampras, suffers a major loss|:||:|1291803579|:|LA Times
December 7, 2010
Trophies and other memorabilia from Sampras' record-setting tennis career recently were stolen from a public storage facility. He still has championship hardware for 13 of his 14 Grand Slam singles titles, but almost everything else is gone.
When Pete Sampras finished his legendary tennis career, he had enough hardware to open a store. Also, the perfect name: Aces.
No longer.
Sampras has been robbed of the majority of trophies, medals, plaques, crystal and rings that are a testament to a career that brought a then-record 14 major titles and status as one of the greatest ever to play the game. Three weeks ago, he found out that the dozens of boxes containing these symbols of his career had been stolen.
"I have 13 of my 14 Grand Slam trophies," he said. "Some are at home and some up at NikeTown [in Portland]. My first Australian Open trophy is gone, and so is everything else."
Seven Wimbledon, five U.S. Open and one Australian Open trophy remain.
"Everything else" includes trophies for winning 64 tour tournaments, and finalist hardware from 24 others. It includes what he was presented for winning five season-ending ATP World Tour titles, for being on two Davis Cup winners, and for taking 11 ATP Masters event titles. It includes an Olympic ring, seven ESPYs and six trophies awarded to the player who finished No. 1 in the year-end rankings. Sampras, now 39, did that from 1993 to '98.
The items were stolen from a public storage facility in West Los Angeles. Sampras had rented two units and stored furniture and the boxes of memorabilia. All, except for some large furniture, was taken.
"We've had some housing issues," Sampras said, "and we stored things while we were sorting that out."
A few years ago, he and his wife, actress Bridgett Wilson, and their sons Christian and Ryan had moved from Beverly Hills to Thousand Oaks and a home in the hills surrounding Sherwood Country Club. Recently, they moved again, this time to Brentwood.
Sampras said he never considered that his things wouldn't be safe.
"I was like, 'What?'" he said. "I thought there were security cameras. I thought these things were locked up tight. I was shocked."
He said police currently have no leads, but they encouraged him to go public in the hope that somebody who knows somebody who heard something might come forward.
An LAPD spokesperson confirmed an investigation is ongoing and said the responsibility has been transferred to the commercial crimes unit downtown.
Sampras said he had no way of knowing whether his trophies were targeted, or if they just were taken with the furniture that was stolen.
Obviously, putting the 1994 Australian men's singles championship trophy on EBay would quickly raise questions, as would just about everything else Sampras lost. So the next step for those with Sampras' hardware is clearly problematic.
Nor is Sampras treating this as a catastrophe.
"I'm not one to gloat about trophies, or show them off," Sampras said. "I've never been like that. I just want them for my kids to see. They didn't see me play, but I'd like them to see these things."
Christian is 8, Ryan 5. Sampras' last professional match was his 2002 victory over Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open final.
"Losing this stuff," he said, "is like having the history of my tennis life taken away."
Magazine articles are gone, including many with Sampras on the cover. So are newspaper clippings, including front-page L.A. Times stories after he tied and broke Roy Emerson's Grand Slam record.
Also lost are a signed program from Pearl Jam lead singer Eddie Vedder, a signed piano bench from Elton John and a signed guitar from Carlos Santana.
Sampras said none of this was insured because there was no real way to assess value.
"For me to have it for my kids is priceless," he said. "I just hope it hasn't already been destroyed. That's why I wanted to get the word out now. I know this is a longshot, but I'd regret it if I didn't at least try. Maybe somebody knows something.
"That's all I can hope for." 11/15/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|05:25|:|Agassi and Sampras will play an exhibition game in Buenos Aires|:||:|1289823952|:|Buenos Aires, November 11, 2010
Tennis legends Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras will play an exhibition game in Buenos Aires on December 16. The Americans, living history of tennis, will play on hard court in Tigre, at a stadium built especially for the occasion.
It will be the first time of "Pistol" Pete in Argentina, while Agassi was here in the Davis Cup in 1988. The long-awaited event will be presented this afternoon at Hotel Panamericano.
The clashes between Agassi and Sampras were classic tennis matches in the 90’s and part of 2000.
Sampras was the biggest winner in 34 games, obtaining 20. Agassi was always the most charismatic and knew how to beat Sampras in Grand Slam major encounters.
11/15/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|05:24|:|[Oct. 24, 2010] Sampras Falls to Rusedski in Straight Sets in Chengdu Final|:||:|1289823844|:|CHENGDU, China. October 24, 2010 – On Saturday October 16th, Greg Rusedski (GBR) received a phone call asking him to replace the injured Michael Stich at the Chengdu Open. On Sunday October 24th, Rusedski hoisted the Chengdu Open trophy over his head after defeating 14-time Grand Slam Champion Pete Sampras (USA) 6-4, 6-2.
Sampras looked sluggish and a step slow in the gray Chengdu drizzle, forced to play from behind for essentially the entire match after getting broken at love in his second service game. Rusedski’s backhand crosscourt passing shot repeatedly streaked past the net-rushing Sampras, who couldn’t get his racket on the crisp winners. With a chance to break back at 3-4, 30-40 in the first set, Sampras chipped and charged only to receive the familiar refrain of Rusedski’s backhand passing shot. Rusedski did not give him another look, and closed out the first set with an ace.
Rusedski broke Sampras in the first and third game of the second set to open up a 3-0 lead before play was suspended as the persistent drizzle slicked the courts.
Play resumed more than two hours later with a light mist still falling, as both players were eager to get the match on the books. Rusedski and Sampras were cautious, taking measured, deliberate steps on the glistening court. Rusedski’s already hard-to-read serve skidded off the slippery surface, and though Sampras held his own serve twice following the rain delay, he had no chance at breaking.
"We were both being careful out there," Sampras explained of the post-rain delay play. "It was a tricky situation with the court being so wet, and I didn't want to serve as Greg served: 140 [mph] on the first point. Greg, you beat me fair and square today," he said amid laughter. "We wanted to get the match in for the tournament and for the fans, and Greg certainly made it official by serving 140 in the rain."
"Hey, it was only 130 [mph]. It wasn’t 140. I don't hit it that hard anymore," replied Rusedski, in good-spirits after such a great week. "I'm really happy to win against a great champion like Pete Sampras," he said. "I'm very pleased. I had played a lot of tennis coming into the event. I played really well this week. I surprised myself how well I played."
Rusedski now owns a 1-0 record against Sampras on the ATP Champions Tour after a 1-9 head-to-head on the ATP Tour.
Sampras has played two previous events on the ATP Champions Tour, winning his debut on the ATP Champions Tour in Sao Paulo in 2008, and then reaching the semifinals at the Royal Albert Hall in London the same year. Chengdu was his first appearance on the ATP Champions Tour in almost two years.
10/24/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|00:32|:|Sampras and Rusedski to Square off in Chengdu Open Final|:||:|1287901929|:|CHENGDU, China. October 23, 2010 - Pete Sampras (USA) and Greg Rusedski (GBR) plowed through their respective round robin groups without dropping a set, securing their places in the Chengdu Open Final on October 24. Sampras boasted a double victory, finally beating his jet lag and then easily eliminating Paradorn Srichaphan (THA) 6-2, 6-3. Sampras was at his freshest since arriving in Chengdu on the 20th. "Today I actually felt more coherent, like I was actually here," he said. "I just felt better movement-wise. I was finding my range a little bit better, I really hit the ball well from all sides of the court. I served pretty well. I just felt physically better. I just finally got the jet lag under control...in time to go back tomorrow," he laughed.
Hitting his shots with conviction, Sampras also projected confidence after the match. "I'm ready and prepared," he said. "I feel like I played pretty well today. Certainly Greg has got a big game, big lefty serve on this court. He'll be tough to beat. Regardless, I'm looking forward to it." 10/22/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|23:45|:|Sampras defeats Forget 7-6(9), 6-3 to Lead Chengdu Round Robin Group|:||:|1287812731|:|CHENGDU, China. October 22, 2010 – "Pistol Pete" brought his ammunition on Day Two of the Chengdu Open, defeating Frenchman Guy Forget 7-6(9), 6-3, and treating fans to the close contest they craved. Punctuating points with winners, the players served their way into a tiebreaker, in which they traded six aces and five service winners. Sampras chipped a short backhand return at 10-9, luring Forget up to net before unhooking a sharply-angled backhand passing shot to capture the first set. Sampras' game really started clicking in the second set as he carved volleys and cranked ground strokes into both the corners.
"I thought we both played pretty well," Sampras said after the match. "Guy has always given me problems. He's beaten me a number of times; the lefty serve is very tough to play, especially a little bit at altitude, the ball kicks up very high to my backhand. And Guy, you can tell he's been playing, he looks very fit. The first set could have gone either way. I had some chances, I had some break points there -- didn't convert-- and then, when you get into a tiebreaker anything can happen. He played a great game to break me back in the second set. It was good tennis. I was happy with the way I played, but to play Guy is very tough. Never really felt comfortable out there."
Sampras may not have felt comfortable, but his game looked great. The shot-making from both sides left the fans wanting for instant replay.
On the final day of round robin play, Sampras will face young-gun Paradorn Srichaphan (THA), who picked up his first win in Chengdu by defeating Pat Cash (AUS) 6-4, 5-7, 10-5 (Champions Tiebreak). 10/22/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|23:43|:|2010 Chengdu Open - Sampras Defeats Pat Cash 6-3, 6-1 |:||:|1287812621|:|The headline match featured fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras (USA) in his China debut versus Chengdu fan-favorite Pat Cash (AUS), the 1987 Wimbledon Champion who regaled fans at last year's inaugural Chengdu Open with his animated play. Sampras reigned supreme, defeating Cash 6-3, 6-1 with his trademark clean-struck heavy ground strokes and legendary serve. Sampras had triple-break point at 1-1, but Cash rallied to win four straight points and hold serve. At 3-3, Sampras whipped a forehand passing shot up the line to get the break. His play struck a chord with the enthusiastic fans, who hooted as he unleashed a vintage Air-Sampras overhead smash. The match epitomized the nostalgic beauty of the ATP Champions Tour, with the level and style of play leaving fans aching for eras past.
Throughout the match, Sampras uncoiled his backhand and unfolded his forehand with the grace of a bird spreading its wings. Sampras broke early and repeatedly in the second set, though he noted after the match that conditions were tricky. "I didn't realize there was altitude here, and Pat still possesses a good serve and volley game, mixes up his serve and is tough to break. Once I settled into the match and started feeling my range a little bit, it went pretty smoothly, but Pat is still a very good athlete."
10/20/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|07:04|:|Chengdu Open 2010 – An ATP Champions Tour|:||:|1287579876|:|Chengdu Open 2010 – An ATP Champions Tour
Time:2010/10/21-2010/10/24
Venue: Sichuan International Tennis Centre
Player Groups
GROUP A
Pete Sampras (USA)
Paradorn Srichaphan (THA)
Guy Forget (FRA)
Pat Cash (AUS)
GROUP B
Pat Rafter (AUS)
Thomas Enqvist (SWE)
Michael Stich (GER)
Yevgeny Kafelnikov (RUS)
Chengdu Open 2010 – An ATP Champions Tour
Match Schedule
October 21, 2010 (Thursday)
Start at 4:00 pm Group B : Enqvist vs Kafelnikov
Start not before 5:30 pm Group A : Forget vs Srichaphan
Start not before 7:00 pm Group B : Rafter vs Stich
Start not before 8:30 pm Group A : Sampras vs Cash
October 22, 2010 (Friday)
Start at 4:00 pm Group B : Enqvist vs Stich
Start not before 5:30 pm Group A : Cash vs Srichaphan
Start not before 7:00 pm Group B : Rafter vs Kafelnikov
Start not before 8:30 pm Group A : Sampras vs Forget
October 23, 2010 (Saturday)
Start at 4:00 pm Group B : Stich vs Kafelnikov
Start not before 5:30 pm Group A : Sampras vs Srichaphan
Start not before 7:00 pm Group B : Rafter vs Enqvist
Start not before 8:30 pm Group A : Forget vs Cash
October 24, 2010 (Sunday)
Start at 12:30 pm Group A 2nd vs Group B 2nd
Start not before 2:00 pm Group A 1st vs Group B 1st
9/21/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|02:48|:|Pete Sampras Named 2011 Tennis Night in America Spokesman|:||:|1285058895|:|Pete Sampras, a member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, will serve as the first spokesman for the 2011 Tennis Night In America, a joint promotional effort between the United States Tennis Association (USTA) and StarGames Inc. Tennis Night in America, the annual celebration of tennis that includes youth registration events at facilities around the country and concludes with the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden, will take place Feb. 28, 2011.
"I am honored to be the first spokesperson for Tennis Night in America," Sampras said. "Tennis was a great sport for me when I was young and having tennis facilities around the country come together to promote the game and the BNP Paribas Showdown makes for a great celebration for tennis. Last year, Tennis Night had over 700 tennis facilities involved. I would like to see that reach 1,000 in 2011."
Tennis Night in America showcases tennis at local facilities around the country. In 2010, more than 700 tennis clubs and recreation centers hosted open houses, clinics and parties. Along with the festivities was the USTA's Youth Registration Night, the organization's largest youth tennis recruitment effort.
"Tennis Night in America is a great platform to raise awareness of our sport, and now with the help of one of tennis' greatest stars, we can raise the level even higher," said Kurt Kamperman, chief executive, community tennis, USTA. "We believe Tennis Night can be a platform to kick off the tennis season in hundreds of markets throughout the United States."
Sampras, who began his professional career at the age of 16 in 1988, holds 14 Grand Slam singles titles, the most Wimbledon titles with seven, two Australian Open titles, five U.S. Open singles titles, and the record for the most number of weeks as world number one with a total of 286 weeks.
Sampras debuted in 1988 and played his last professional tournament in 2002 when he captured the U.S. Open, defeating longtime rival Andre Agassi in the finals. Sampras walked away with a total of 64 singles titles and a world number one ranking, which he held for a record six consecutive years from 1993-1998. Sampras was inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.
In addition to serving as the Tennis Night in America spokesman, Sampras will also play in the BNP Paribas Showdown. In 2011, the event will renew classic rivalries of the 1980s and 1990s, as John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl will compete in a one-set pro match (first player to win eight games), followed by a best of three set match between Sampras and Agassi. The four all-time greats have won a combined 37 Grand Slam Singles titles and 295 ATP Tour events.
Tennis Night in America began in 2009 and is a partnership between the USTA and StarGames, the co-promoter of the BNP Paribas Showdown at Madison Square Garden.
"We started Tennis Night in America as a promotional idea, and with the partnership of the USTA, it has grown into an exciting grassroots program to involve the broad tennis community," said Jerry Solomon, president and CEO of StarGames. "With Pete's support and involvement this year, the whole concept is taken to an even greater level. Pete has been an inspiration to so many tennis players, and we look forward to him spreading the message of the game on this special day."
The BNP Paribas Showdown is produced by StarGames and MSG Sports. Tickets will officially go on sale Sept. 27 at 10:00 a.m. and can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden box office and all Ticketmaster outlets. BNP Paribas Showdown information, including an opportunity to sign up for pre-sale alerts prior to tickets going on sale, can be found at www.tennisshowdown.com. 9/21/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|02:47|:|Sampras enjoying retirement|:||:|1285058839|:|These days, Pete Sampras chases after his sons instead of tournament titles.
Gone is the Sampras who pursued tennis glory across the world, piling up 64 ATP singles titles and 14 grand slams during a 15-year career in which he earned more than $43 million in prize money.
Now it’s a mad dash to get Christian and Ryan to school on time.
"Getting out the door by 7:45 a.m., we’re racing," Sampras said.
Still, Sampras’ life has slowed considerably since he retired eight years ago. A typical day in Brentwood, Calif., he said, involves hitting tennis balls in the morning, having lunch with wife Bridgette and squeezing in some golf before school gets out and it’s time to pick up the kids.
"I’m not a business guy," he said. "I’m an athlete. I go out and hit a couple of hours and I feel good about it. Nothing crazy, but it’s something to focus on."
He’ll come to Omaha on Dec. 3 for the Rock & Racquets event at Qwest Center Omaha. He and Andy Roddick will team up to play U.S. Open champions Mike and Bob Bryan in doubles and then take on each other. The Bryans also will perform with their band.
For a few years after he retired, Sampras wanted nothing to do with tennis. He felt exhausted and emotionally done with the sport.
He didn’t pick up a racquet and didn’t want to talk about the game, either. Instead, he hit the links. He even put on a few pounds.
"I wanted to get away and decompress," he said. "I enjoyed some things I never had a chance to do."
But after a time, Sampras said, he needed some structure. He started hitting a little bit and it felt good to be back in shape.
Exhibitions came next. He played one with Andre Agassi, another retired great, on Saturday.
"After a while, a man needs to work a little bit," he said. "Most people are starting out at 31. I was finishing at 31."
He says playing makes him a better father and husband. And although it’s nothing like the schedule he used to have, he enjoys the chance to get out and play.
Although he’s far removed from professional tennis, Sampras said he still loves watching. He saw parts of Rafael Nadal’s win over Novak Djokovic for the U.S. Open title.
"Nadal is just an incredible athlete. Mentally and physically he’s as strong as anyone I’ve ever seen," Sampras said. "He’s just 24. Mentally and physically if he stays strong, he’ll win as many majors as anyone."
"Arguably, he’s the player of his decade, he and Roger."
Although Roger Federer at 29 is close in age to when he retired, Sampras said the Swiss star still enjoys playing and traveling. It’s something that no longer held any joy for Sampras.
"I wouldn’t count Roger out by any means," Sampras said. "Week in and week out, I don’t necessarily see him being as consistent as he used to be. He’s accomplished so much, but the motivation gets tougher as you get older."
Roddick, he said, has had a great career, although he’s faced stiff competition. Sampras said it could be years before the U.S. sees special times like when he, Agassi and Jim Courier were competing.
"The media, they want the champion of the U.S. Open and Wimbledon to be an American. I don’t see that happening any time soon," he said. "Roger and Nadal, they are clearly a level beyond anyone else."
Sampras says he misses the majors, being in that last match on a Sunday at Flushing Meadows. The Super Bowl, he called it. He does not miss the day-to-day grind or the stress of being the best player in the world.
"I had ups and downs and went through a lot," he said. "At the same time, I was playing a sport as a living, which is every man’s dream."
He's not sure if tennis is a path that his sons will take, although he took it up around age 5 when he found a racquet in his family’s basement.
The boys are athletic, he said, but he’s been introducing them to golf. It’s a game he loves and finds challenging. And he’ll have a lot more time for it, he said, now that school is back in session. They had a crazy summer, and he says it’s time, too, to reconnect with his wife.
"Retirement is a work in progress," he said. "I have a pretty good balance. Playing tennis, family time and having fun playing golf. It took a while to get here. I like it."
8/31/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|10:10|:|The Making Of A Champion|:||:|1283271057|:|DEUCE Magazine
by James Buddell
August 26, 2010
Twenty years ago, at 19 years and 28 days, Pete Sampras went from anonymity to global superstar after he became the youngest US Open champion in history. The legendary American, his allies and rivals, reflect on the first of his 14 major titles.
Shy and impressionable, 18-year-old Pete Sampras arrived at the house of World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in Greenwich, Connecticut, in November 1989. He had replaced high school with tennis' nomadic life in the single-minded pursuit of becoming a great champion when he turned pro in Philadelphia 20 months earlier. As a natural talent, with an attacking style that was so fluent, even artistic, as to make the game appear easy, his game was in complete contrast to that of Lendl.
Lendl worked for everything. On the court, he dominated his opponents from the baseline until they buckled. Off the court, he lived the American dream, retiring to his 15,000-square-foot house behind six-foot high fencing and protected by two alarm systems. It was at this house Lendl invited Sampras for 10 days, prior to competing at the Nabisco Masters in Madison Square Garden, New York City.
Lendl 1989"Ivan wanted to see me play, so he gave me a call and invited me to his house, which was an eye-opener," recalls Sampras. "It was huge. Ivan and his wife, Samantha, made me feel welcome and comfortable.
"He soon had me biking 20 to 25 miles a day. And we spoke about my tennis, how hard you have to work if you want to make it to the top. I learnt a lot about how a top professional trained and how he looked after himself."
Lendl, who will compete for the first time on the ATP Champions Tour at Paris in October, remembers, "He stayed for about 10 days and observed everything. I could tell Pete was a huge talent, but [he] was still young and was still developing his game. Even the serve was still unrefined. I did not predict he would go on and win 14 majors."
Sampras had sampled the disciplined lifestyle and immediately returned to Bradenton, Florida, to re-join his friend Jim Courier at the IMG-Bollettieri Tennis Academy, where he was living, and where he would start to bulk up his muscles and develop his game as an instigator, which he had showcased in beating defending champion Mats Wilander at the US Open.
Throughout the 1989 season, Sampras had toured the world with his brother and financial advisor, Gus. His father, Soterios, an engineer, accompanied them to four European tournaments, but Pete barely won a match and he thought he brought his son "bad luck".
In late July, having lost to his junior rival Michael Chang at Stratton Mountain, Sampras was introduced to Joe Brandi, an experienced Puerta Rican coach - working at the tennis academy Nick Bollettieri established in 1978 - by Sergio Cruz, who was working with Jim Courier.
Brandi, the father of former Sony Ericsson WTA Tour player Kristina Brandi, who now lives in Buenos Aires, remembers, "Later in the year Cruz, who was one of the most prolific coaches at the time, had to go to Spain to coach junior players. So when Pete came to train at the academy for six weeks in November, I was charged with helping him.
"Pete was a great human being, a delightful young man, who loved the sport and loved to work."
Bollettieri AcademyAccompanied by Courier, Sampras set out at six o'clock each morning for a 45-minute run. Upon their return they would play tennis for up to six hours, take a lunch-break and then weight lift, undertake sprints and conditioning work into the evening.
With instant recall, Brandi says, "Pete had tremendous potential, but had never worked on his conditioning, which was as bad as his shot selection. If you're not fit at this level, you won't win anything let alone a trophy.
"We worked together on his balance, [his] return of serve, first volley and slice backhand. Pete Fischer [one of Sampras' childhood coaches] had changed his double-handed backhand to a single-hander and he was still feeling his way. He hit his backhand like Ilie Nastase did, leaning on the back foot but Pete's running forehand was, and I believe still is, the greatest shot of all time. His first and second serves were very good."
Bollettieri remembers Sampras' time at the academy. "Joe Brandi was a no-nonsense coach who knew only one way to train: hit thousands of balls and get into the best shape of your life," the 79 year old says. "When Pete's physical condition improved, so did his movement, which then effected his shot selection including not going for quick winners.
"Pete Sampras was not only a hard worker but his work ethics were performed in the same manner, he did everything [and] showed no emotion."
Sampras started the 1990 season , ranked World No. 81. Having spent Christmas with his family, he travelled to Australia by himself, reaching the Sydney quarter-finals and Australian Open fourth round. "Upon his return to the States he called me to request my services full-time," says Brandi.
In only their second tournament together, at the Ebel Pro Indoor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a nerve-free Sampras beat No. 6-ranked Andre Agassi and No 8-ranked Tim Mayotte en route to his first ATP final. He went on to outclass Andres Gomez 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-2, picked up the biggest pay cheque of his fledgling career, $135,000, and celebrated his first title with 18 holes of golf in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Twenty years on, Sampras confesses, "At the start of the 1990 season, having beaten a couple of top players, I felt as if I might get myself into contention for the big tournaments and majors. I'd been progressing a little better, picked up the Philadelphia title and was feeling more comfortable in the shots I was hitting."
He lifted the Manchester trophy pre-Wimbledon, then built up steam during the summer hard-court swing, reaching semi-finals in Toronto (l. to Chang) and Los Angeles (l. to Edberg), and quarter-finals in Indianapolis (l. to Reneberg) and Long Island (l. to Ivanisevic).
"For me, Pete got his big, big mental breakthrough at Toronto when he beat John McEnroe for the first time in the quarter-finals," said Brandi. "He had excellent results during the US swing and came to the US Open having played a lot of matches. During the US Open he was in the zone for two weeks, but no way was he prepared to win the title!"
SamprasIn 1990, Flushing Meadow earned the nickname 'Flushing Mellow', when tennis-mad Mayor David Dinkins prevailed upon the air-traffic controllers at nearby LaGuardia Airport to redirect the deafening flights of runway 13, away from the National Tennis Center. It meant an aviation-free fortnight, rather than the final-weekend deference the Federal Aviation Administration had shown in previous years. It also went some way to persuade US Open officials to keep the event in Queens after the lease expired in 1994.
Sampras, always an anti-entourage player, booked himself into the Parker Meridien hotel in New York City with his coach, Brandi. At that time, he had four Top 10 wins and two titles in 45 tournaments to his name.
Named No. 12 seed, Sampras remembers, "I arrived at the US Open as an outsider. No one realistically thought I would have a chance to go really deep in the draw, let alone win it. I think the experts figured I wouldn't play that well and that I was going to roll over."
Sampras rolled through his first three matches without the loss of a set, against Dan Goldie, Peter Lundgren, Jakob Hlasek. Through to the Last 16, Sampras played down his title chances. "Maybe in a couple of years, but I don't think it's realistic right now." He went on to overcome an upset stomach to beat World No. 6 Thomas Muster, who had made a miraculous return after a drunk driver severed ligaments in his left leg in March 1989.
In the quarter-finals he met his mentor, World No. 3 Lendl, a hard-court powerhouse and three-time US Open champion. "Ivan was looking to reach the US Open final for the ninth straight year, but my game matched up well with his and he was slowing down," says Sampras, who had greater power and proved more resourceful.
Brandi reveals, "Lendl was his most difficult match. Pete won the first two sets, but found himself at 1-5 down in the fourth set. I remember saying to a friend alongside me, 'If he doesn't win at least two games in this set he will be in trouble come the decider.'"
Lendl, who had compiled an outstanding 55-5 record at Flushing Meadows since 1982, confesses, "When I came back from 2-0 down in sets to 2-2, I thought I would win - but Pete kept serving great and was able to adjust the rest of his game. That was the first time I thought he could win a good number of majors."
Lendl won the fourth set 6-4, but Sampras broke early in the fifth set and eventually won 6-4, 7-6(4), 3-6, 4-6, 6-2. "I was not happy losing," says Lendl, who would eventually retire due to chronic back pain in 1994 having won eight majors from 19 finals. "At the time, I felt he was always going to stand or fall with his serve."
Sampras Next up was McEnroe, a four-time former titlist, enjoying a sublime run at 31 years of age, under the guidance of his old coach Tony Palafox. Ranked World No. 21, he was unseeded for the first time in 13 years.
"I got very nervous beforehand, but I settled early [breaking serve in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead]," admits Sampras, whose serve-volley game, 17 aces and innumerable down-the-line passing shots, proved too much for the New Yorker, who at the time Brandi believed, "was annoyed the game had changed and that the younger kids were overpowering him."
Twenty five miles west of Los Angeles, his mother, Georgia, and father, were both oblivious to his fate. Too nervous to watch the match live, they were taking-in a movie, Presumed Innocent, starring Harrison Ford, at a nearby cinema.
"Because of Super Saturday, I played the night match," says Sampras, "I then showered, did press, went to sleep and did not have time to think too much about the final and the enormity of the situation I was in."
The reality was that Sampras was one-part of the first all-American US Open final since 1979, when McEnroe beat his good friend Vitas Gerulaitis. He would face Las Vegan Andre Agassi, the World No. 4, who had finished runner-up to Gomez at Roland Garros in June. It was the third meeting of their senior careers; their fifth, including junior matches.
It had been 10 years since Sampras first met an equally-small 10-year-old Agassi, at a tournament in Northridge, California. Agassi beat him easily. "He toyed with me for about two hours," says Sampras. This time, Agassi was made to suffer.
Brandi remembers the build-up to the first of Sampras' 18 major finals. "Pete made sure he didn't leave his best tennis on the practise court. He was very relaxed. Correction…completely relaxed, ahead of the final against Agassi.
"I told him the game plan to keep the points short, attack Agassi up the court and keep any stroke to his backhand short. With Andre's double-handed backhand it would make it difficult for him to pick the ball up. Pete also served wide on the deuce court, meaning Andre couldn't run around his shots, and he also attacked every second serve."
Agassi As Agassi and Sampras made the 100-yard walk from the locker room to the Louis Armstrong Stadium Court, surrounded by terse security guards, both were in a confident mood. Sampras, the classic serve-volleyer, wore all-white; Agassi, who, the day before, had beaten defending champion Boris Becker in the noon-time sun, was the pre-match favourite. The best returner since Connors wore day-glow yellow spandex shorts.
"Andre was clearly the more established player, who had already made a name for himself," says Sampras. "So I didn't really feel the pressure."
Sampras hit 13 aces – many clocking close to 125 miles per hour – and lost only 17 points in his first 13 service games. Agassi would mutter, "Why are you so slow?" between points. Sampras would notch his 100th ace of the championship to hold serve for a 5-2 lead in the third set. "Andre looked tentative and didn't play as well as he could," admits Sampras. "He wasn't being the aggressor from the baseline; he let me dictate the points. He hit the ball very short and I took advantage of that."
Agassi soon ended his agony by hitting a forehand into the net to give Sampras a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win in one-hour and 42 minutes, a cheque for $350,000, a place in the Top 10 and the record books as the youngest US Open champion at 19 years and 28 days – beating 1890 title-holder Oliver Campbell, a student at Columbia University, by five months. It was the culmination of "four hot days" when Sampras hit top form.
Agassi later admitted, "Anything he touched turned to gold out there. This was a good old-fashioned street mugging. That's all it was." With his tail between his legs, he would immediately set about strengthening his physique as well as his serve in order to prove "that the Open was just one day in New York."
Bollettieri, AgassiTwenty years on, Bollettieri confirms, "Andre's loss was a huge disappointment. His father said Andre would have to improve his serve. I knew he was suffering in so many ways because he was a very sensitive person. If I had to select one reason why Pete beat Andre it would be: Pete's serve! If pushed to give another reason it would be that Andre was the favourite and did not hold up to the pressure."
For Sampras, who had not been bred to become a superstar, it was the start of a different life. His parents were soon forced to call Pacific Bell to change their phone number and also buy a new answering machine when it broke.
"I hadn't gone to college, so socially I hadn't had the experience of mixing with a variety of people," says Sampras. "As a junior, I had only played tournaments in the States, such as the Orange Bowl and the 1987 US Open. By winning, I went from one extreme to another… going from anonymity to being recognised around the world, talking on the Johnny Carson Show. It was like growing pains. It was tough and I wasn't quite ready for it."
In a now classic tale, Sampras' parents, who had not watched their son play more than five times during his lifetime, had been cruising around a Long Beach shopping mall.
"I went from one extreme to another... going from anonymity to being recognised around the world."
Georgia Sampras first saw her son had won when she went up an escalator at a shopping mall and watched as Pete shook hands with Agassi. Even then, she wanted confirmation from a guy who had watched the drama unfold on CBS Sports. Soterios got the idea something good had happened when his wife ran out of the shop and kissed him.
They quickly drove home and opened up two bottles of champagne to celebrate with their children Gus, Stella and Marion. After walking off the court, Sampras found the time to speak to his family in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. It was a moment to savour with his greatest supporters.
Sampras
Sampras celebrated the biggest win of his 30-month pro career by taking a light dinner with Brandi and his agent at that time, Ivan Blumberg. "We then went back to his mini suite and sat and talked all night about tennis and life," recalls Brandi. "I told him his life would change. He didn't believe me at all. At the time, I predicted he would win 5-9 majors. I was way off the mark."
Sampras woke early to appear on all three network morning shows. By noon he was on a plane to Los Angeles. The first of a series of exhibitions beckoned later that week. He struggled with shin splints through the end of the year, but earned a cool $2 million for winning the Grand Slam Cup (d. Gilbert) in December to finish as World No. 5 – an improvement of 76 places in 12 months.
"I did get locker room respect, but I wasn't totally aware of it," Sampras remembers. "Everyone was nicer and friendlier, but I was largely unaware of the other players' feelings, although whenever I turned up at tournaments it always felt as if I had a huge bull's eye on my chest.
"It took me two or three years to tighten up my game and the same period to get used to being comfortable with being a superstar. I wasn't quite there to be a consistent major contender and it took some time to build my defensive game."
Sampras would again reach the US Open final in 1992, but after a sleepless night fighting stomach flu, he lost to defending champion Stefan Edberg 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-2.
Sampras, Agassi 2002Undeterred, he kept working hard and always remained true to himself and his upbringing in the pursuit of multiple Grand Slam championship titles. He would eventually win 14 — two Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons and five US Opens — and finish year-end World No. 1 for a record six straight years (1993-1998).
"His parents must be really proud as to how he turned out," says Brandi, who parted company with Sampras in November 1991, to return to his role as a father to two young children. "I admire him a lot. He never gave excuses when he lost and is a great champion, perhaps the greatest of all time."
His last professional match was in the 2002 US Open final against Agassi. Watched by his actress-wife, Bridgette, Sampras proved his critics wrong by winning 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to provide the perfect bookend to a career that will be forever linked with the US Open. 8/24/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|10:10|:|Bogota Exhibition|:||:|1282666203|:|August 20, 2010
Pete Sampras defeated Andre Agassi at the tennis exhibition in Bogota, Colombia 6-4, 6-3.
MORE ON THE EVENT
Thursday, August 26 2010 - Bogota, Colombia - Following the highly acclaimed, record-breaking tennis exo in Puerto Rico this past May, Premier International has made history again. Bringing world class tennis to the heart of Colombia for the first time, Premier continues to impact untouched markets with overwhelming success.
Together with production partner IMLA, Premier International, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras continued to reach new heights this past week, as Bogota, Colombia played host to the tennis tour that continues to rock Latin America. In front of 13,000 on a chilly evening at the Coliseo El Campin, an overwhelming roar welcomed the two legends to Colombia for the first time. As the lights dimmed and the players made their entrance, the coliseum's music was drowned out by the passion of Colombian fans witnessing their heros live and in person. After a week of media buzz and events surrounding the matches, the night of August 20 would see the Seguro del Estado Agassi Sampras Tour climax in front of a packed house. The new Kings of Bogota did not disappoint the anxious eyes, putting together a match that continued to stir the longtime rivalry. Entertaining the crowd in true fashion, the Champs showed each other lightning quick serves, captivating rallies, and even a few smiles. Agassi began the match looking stronger than Sampras, jumping out to an early lead. However, as the night went on, Sampras played mistake free tennis, battling against not only his rival but the temperature and altitude as well. After a highly competitive main event, Sampras defeated Agassi in straight sets (6-4, 6-3).
Link to Gallery
7/07/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras-Agassi, McEnroe-Lendl at MSG in February|:||:|1278519675|:|
(AP)- Jun 29, 2010
NEW YORK - Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi are renewing their rivalry - and in the Big Apple, no less. John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl, too.
Those four tennis greats - owners of a combined 37 Grand Slam titles - will participate in the 2011 BNP Paribas Showdown exhibition matches at Madison Square Garden on Feb. 28.
Sampras-Agassi will be best of three sets. McEnroe-Lendl will be one set of first to eight games.
Sampras and Agassi met in three U.S. Open finals in New York, with Sampras winning each time, including his first major title in 1990 and his 14th in 2002 - the last match of his career.
McEnroe won the U.S. Open four times, and Lendl three. They met for the title in 1984, with McEnroe winning, and the next year, when Lendl won.
Tickets go on sale Sept. 27.
Online: http://www.tennisshowdown.com
Pete Says He'll Help, but Wants Bigger Financial Commitment; Hall of Famer Also Mends Fences with Agassi (Well, Sort Of)
March 8, 2010
SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Not long after Andre Agassi’s tell-all book “Open†hit the shelves, Pete Sampras began to hear whispers that his name was liberally tossed about throughout the best-selling autobiography. And not always in a positive light.
Pistol Pete’s immediate reaction? “I’d like to sit with him man to man and ask him about it.â€
Well Sampras got his wish when the two recently hooked up for a meeting-of-the-minds powwow, albeit via telephone.
“He talked and I listened,†said Sampras, who admitted that he has yet to read the book, co-authored by J.R. Moehringer. “It was positive. It was cordial. He said what he had to say, and I told him where I was at.â€
“It’s not a big deal. Andre likes to push the envelope a lot in what he says and does. But with me, I always thought we were above all that, taking shots. I certainly could have taken my shots at Andre over the years and in my book, but I chose not to,†said Sampras, who penned “A Champion’s Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis†(with Peter Bodo) in ‘08. “He chose to be open and honest about a lot of different things — and that’s his choice. But I was a little surprised.â€
While Sampras insists he doesn’t harbor any ill will toward Andre, it’s clear that Agassi’s jabs (among them that Sampras was a cheap tipper, and “I envy Pete’s dullness. I wish I could emulate his spectacular lack of inspiration.â€) still reverberate.
“I think it freaked him out the way I did my thing,†said Sampras of the singular, at times icy resolve that became his trademark during an unparalleled six-year run at No. 1 in the ‘90s. “It sort of messed with his head that I was able to maintain my focus, which to me wasn’t a big deal. But he was amazed by it. The fact that I was a little on the quiet side — he couldn’t understand that. And I think, ‘Why can’t you understand that?’ That’s what Borg did. That’s what Roger does. It’s something that’s very normal to me.â€
And then there’s the revelation that Agassi hated tennis.
For his part, Sampras went the way of comedian Garrett Morris and his old SNL alter ego, New York Met Chico Escuela.
“Tennis has been pretty good to me,†said Pistol Pete, who looked every bit his 38 years in an unspectacular 6-3, 7-6(2) loss to 24-year-old Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in an SAP Open exo on Monday night. “I’m flying home in a private jet, so I’m not going to complain about it. Those are strong comments. I think they came from his childhood and his father. But at the same time, it’s hard to hear someone complain about being world famous and making a lot of money. It’s a good life. I wouldn’t trade it.â€
If he could write his book all over again, would Sampras strike back?
“No. It’s not my style,†he said. “I didn’t want to offend anyone in my book. I was sensitive to my family’s feelings. I was sensitive to other players. I could have gone down that road with some different situations, but I chose not to. It wasn’t about that for me, doing the book. It was about how I did it, how I became a champion, my mind, what I went through in my career. The publisher wanted me to talk about that stuff, but I wanted a book that my kids are going to read, and their kids are going to read, something I’m proud of, not about shocking people. That was my choice. I didn’t make a lot of money doing it, and I didn’t really care about the money.â€
Speaking of money, Sampras makes it sound as if that’s all that’s standing between himself and the USTA when it comes to helping co-develop the next generation of American champions.
“I talked to the USTA about trying to help out a little bit,†Sampras explained. “We’re sort of on different pages with that. If I’m going to do some things, I want to be compensated…I’m into helping some kids, helping some young juniors or pros. I mean, I do know what I’m doing out there. I talked to [USTA Player Development GM] Pat McEnroe a few times, [but] he’s just on a different page.â€
“I have time on my hands. If the USTA wants to step up a little bit, I’ll make a champion,†Sampras grinned, all but serving up a dare to the powers that be in White Plains.
While he made it clear that he has no plans to travel, the father of two says he would be willing to get involved with the USTA Training Center in Carson, Calif., a stone’s throw from his L.A. home.
“I’m available for services. And when the phone doesn’t ring, I know it’s them,†he quipped. “It’s not about the money…I’m not asking for the moon here. It’s just the principle and the way I operate. I’m willing to give back if it works for me.â€
It’s hard to imagine that PMac & Co. wouldn’t extend a nice offer to Sampras. With only eight American men in the top 100 (and only three inside the top 50), it would certainly be a feather in the USTA Player Development cap to have America’s greatest-ever player among their troops. But if an offer was made, it apparently wasn’t big enough for Sampras. Which means, of course, it is about the money after all.
1/20/10|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Reflects on 2009|:||:|1263974985|:|
Jan 11, 2010, Tennis Channel
Among his many laudatory qualities, Pete Sampras's decency and humility are the twin attributes that always spring to mind when I am interviewing him. He is prideful without being arrogant, self assured yet not cocky, steadfast in his convictions but able to understand and appreciate other points of view. During a telephone interview at the end of the first week of this new year in a new decade, Sampras sounded upbeat and near the top of his game as he reflected on an eventful 2009. He talked about his first visit back to Wimbledon in seven years for an historic occasion, his exhibition in China against old rival and friend Andre Agassi, his ups and downs on the Outback Champions Series Tour, and how he views the future from the vantage point of a 38-year-old champion looking to compete in his own way and decidedly on his own terms as he selectively goes about his business.
The natural launching point for our discussion was the dramatic and unannounced trip Sampras made to see Roger Federer defeat Andy Roddick in an epic final at Wimbledon on July 5th. Federer, of course, not only secured a sixth Wimbledon singles crown, but broke a record he had shared with Sampras, winning a 15th career major title to stand alone atop the historical ladder at the Grand Slam events among the men. As the fortnight progressed at Wimbledon and Federer moved safely through the draw to reach the final, everyone speculated about whether or not Sampras would show up for the big occasion. In the end, he felt he needed to be there.
Did he have a difficult time making the decision? "I didn't know what I was going to do," Sampras replies. "There was no guarantee that Roger was going to get to the final. I had been thinking that it is quite a long trip and I asked a ton of people what they thought I should do. They all said, 'You have to go.' I felt that was easier said than done, hopping on a plane for 12 hours, and needing to make sure my kids were taken care of. But when push came to shove, it was the right thing to do for me to go, and I wanted to be there out of respect for Roger. The fact that we are pretty good friends certainly added to it."
After landing in London and rushing into town with his wife to their hotel for a change of clothes, Sampras arrived in the Royal Box early in the first set. As he joined former champions Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Manolo Santana in the prime seats behind the court, the audience murmur rose to a remarkably excitable buzz, and the seven time champion acknowledged the fans with an appreciative wave as he sat down in the Centre Court.
"I really didn't know what to expect walking in there," he explains now. "I sort of sat down and figured during a changeover people would be doing other things. But all of a sudden the attention went towards the Royal Box. It was a nice ovation they gave me and then Roger kind of signaled to me. It felt good. People didn't know I was coming and I kept it pretty quiet. For those few seconds it was nice to get the response from people. There was a buzz and people were looking over and photographers were turning my way, but I didn't want to take away from the match."
Sampras settled in for what turned into a stupendous contest, and enjoyed himself immensely. "It was the highlight of the year being back at Wimbledon. It was surreal. Being back there brought back a lot of great memories for me. Seeing Roger break the record made people ask me if I was rooting against him, and I really wasn't. I think all of us--- Laver, Borg and myself--- were kind of wanting Andy to pull the match out because this would have been his first Wimbledon title. Andy was working so hard and sitting behind him we could see the strain on his face while Roger always looks so cool. Roddick was so close and he just slipped for about 15 seconds in the tiebreaker and that gave Roger a little bit of breathing room."
Sampras paused for an instant, and then added, "We all felt bad for Andy. That was his one shot really to be assured of a Hall of Fame career. To beat Roger on that court would have solidified his career. It is not that he hasn't had a very good career, but winning Wimbledon over Roger would have added a ton to what he has been able to do, and he came up just short. At the same time Roger has been a great champion and I have said many times if somebody was going to break my record I would like it to be him. I felt it was a great moment for the sport having myself and Bjorn and Rod all there in the Centre Court to see it. You won't have many moments like that in tennis. It was very cool and I got a lot of nice compliments from people who really respected that I was there. At the end of the day I was glad I did it."
Meanwhile, Sampras made his share of appearances on the court in 2009, winning two Outback Champions Series event in Boston and Los Cabos, and losing the final of Charlotte to Jim Courier. In Boston, he took a hard fought final from John McEnroe 7-6 (10), 6-4. McEnroe will be 50 next month, but somehow he plays on phenomenally well at senior events despite being significantly older than his most of his adversaries. I asked Sampras about how McEnroe manages to defy the clock to such a large degree, and he answered, "John hasn't ever really stopped playing, while I went through a stretch of about three years where I didn't pick up a racket and I play sporadically now, so it has made my body not as ready or as sharp as it needs to be at certain times, while John keeps playing a lot of matches and even at 50 he is in great shape. He stretches a lot in the locker room. And he still has the discipline and the hands, which you are not going to lose. The only thing you lose is some flexibility and movement, but I am amazed that at 50 he still holds his own and is so consistent in his play."
At Los Cabos, Mexico, in the spring of 2009, Sampras took on Patrick Rafter in the championship match, meeting his former rival for the first time since their U.S. Open round of 16 clash in 2001. That was another high quality skirmish, with Sampras fending off one set point at 4-5 in the opening set on an unstoppable first serve scorcher to the backhand, and saving another set point in the tie-break. Eventually, despite not serving out the match at 5-3 in the second set, Sampras exploited his superior resources and shot making skills to prevail 7-6 (6), 6-4 over the affable Australian.
As Sampras points out, "Pat is young and is in good shape and still plays well. I remember the court in Los Cabos was moving quickly and we played straightforward tennis where I was coming in a lot and so was he. He is in shape and the tennis was good. I squeaked that one by and came through in the end, and then made it a vacation with the wife afterwards. It was a good event for me."
Perhaps the most surprising loss Sampras had in an otherwise productive and successful 2009 season of competition was his final set, Super Tie-break defeat against an unwavering and purposeful Courier on the hard courts of Charlotte. On that occasion, Sampras routinely took the opening set before Courier retaliated in the second. In the Super Tie-Break, Sampras was serving into the sun at 8-9 and match point down when he double faulted to lose the contest.
What does he remember most about that encounter? "It was a reflection of my not preparing all that well at home before that event, and that can catch up with you", he answers. "I really felt that this past year my hips and my back were just [giving me problems] and sometimes I don't have the spring in my step. If I am going to continue to play I will need to be more diligent with my body and my tennis and just be more consistent. Against Jim that day, I played well enough to win but Jim is playing quite well and after winning the first set I sort of let it slip there, but I got over it quickly. It is such a change from when I used to play and I was so wrapped up in every win and loss. I am still competitive and like to win, but if I don't I am okay with it."
Having said that, there are clearly times when Sampras is driven by an occasion or a moment that inspires him to perform with more panache and greater vitality. Such an occasion was his exhibition duel with Agassi on October 25th in Macau, China, in the same setting where he toppled Federer in another meeting two years earlier. The two prodigious Americans had last clashed in an official match at the 2002 U.S. Open in the final, when Sampras toppled his compatriot in four sets in the last match of his illustrious professional career. It was the fourth time without a defeat at the championships of their country that Sampras had bested Agassi, and his 20th triumph in 34 head-to-head clashes against his most storied rival.
Now, seven years later in China, it was time for a renewal of sorts. They were playing simply for pride and a good payday, but both men put on a terrific show. Was this like watching Sampras and Agassi competing in their primes? Plainly, it was not. The passage of time has diminished both men in different ways, and yet they performed admirably, and played a match worthy of the time and the situation. In fact, taking into consideration that Agassi is 39 and Sampras only a year younger, they were first rate.
Agassi set the pace in the early stages. He broke Sampras for a 3-1 first set lead, and served almost unconsciously well all through that set, releasing 8 aces in five service games. Agassi was going for broke on his delivery, finding the corners uncannily well, and keeping a not yet gelling Sampras at bay. But Sampras was finding his own groove on serve, and the rest of his game fell neatly into place. Sampras commenced the second set with two aces and two service winners in a love game, and that set the tone. He broke Agassi for a 3-1 lead, and seized control of the set. At 5-3, 40-30, Sampras directed a first serve to the backhand, followed it in, and made a vintage backhand half volley pickup down the line off a sizzling return. Agassi chased that shot down, but Sampras had the net covered, placing a forehand volley carefully into a wide open court, celebrating his second set win with a patented fist pump.
On they went to a Super Tie-break, and Sampras remained ascendant. He opened that sequence by walloping a trademark forehand crosscourt winner for a quick mini-break, then advanced swiftly to 3-0 with a solid serve-and-volley combination followed by a crackling first serve that Agassi could not handle on the backhand return. It was 3-0 for Sampras, but Agassi recouped quickly. He took both of his service points, and then reached 3-3 when Sampras netted an easy backhand first volley down the line from close range after a strong first serve.
Sampras went immediately back to work. He sent out a huge first serve down the T that Agassi could barely touch to reach 4-3. An aggressively struck backhand return from Sampras coaxed Agassi into a backhand mistake, and now it was 5-3 for the younger American. Yet Agassi stood his ground to take his next service point for 4-5. Sampras answered that with two excellent first serves to the backhand, with Agassi unable to make either return. 7-4 Sampras. Agassi obstinately closed the gap to 7-6, but Sampras was unyielding. He made a remarkable backhand half volley off a fine return from Agassi to force his adversary into a passing shot error, and then aced Agassi out wide in the deuce court with an impeccably delivered sliced first serve.
It was 9-6 for Sampras, but Agassi was not through. He saved two match points, erasing the second with a magnificent backhand down the line passing shot winner. Serving at 9-8 with a third match point opportunity, Sampras reproduced a clutch serve that had worked wonders for him across the years on big points against Agassi. He went down the T in the Ad Court with his opponent leaning the other way, and that emphatic ace was a fitting way for the clash to end. He had aced Agassi with the same serve on match point to seal his victories at the 1995 U.S. Open and 1999 Wimbledon finals. Match to Sampras 3-6, 6-3, 10-8.
Unmistakably, Sampras improved substantially as the match wore on. After losing his serve in the opening set, he was untouchable, taking 36 of 41 points on his delivery thereafter. He won 20 of 22 points on serve in the second set, and 8 of 9 in the concluding Super Tie-break. Moreover, he found the range off the forehand, volleyed with precision and feel, and stopped allowing Agassi to dictate with any regularity from the back of the court.
Recalling that confrontation, Sampras says, "It was special. I got over there and practiced the day I got in and again the next morning. The intensity of the practices was a little more than usual and walking on the court with Andre with 15,000 people there to see us, there was just a buzz in the air so I tried to step it up a little bit. I thought we both played quite well. We both don't move as well as we used to but Andre still hits the ball, great, still hits it hard. It was good for us to play in that environment and they slowed the court down from how it was when I played Roger, which was a good thing. It was much more of a medium pace, whereas against Roger it was like playing on ice. I settled down in the second set and got a hold of his game and the pace and started getting my serve going and I got into a good rhythm. It was good to see Andre and catch up with him a little bit. It was a good match and maybe a springboard for us to play a few more times this year."
That exhibition was played not long before Agassi's controversial autobiography "Open" was released. I asked Sampras if Agassi had mentioned the book to him when they were in China. "He did. We talked about my book ("A Champion's Mind") and we talked about his, and we spoke about his process and my process. He didn't give me any details. He just said, 'There are some things in there that are going to shock you. Fasten your seatbelt.' This was literally a week or two before his book came out, and then the whole thing exploded."
Has Sampras read the Agassi book? "I haven't read it," he responds. "I have gotten wind of some of the things he said about me, the part about me being robotic and the lack of inspiration, something of that nature. People wanted me to respond but it has never been my nature to take shots. When I wrote my book I didn't want to offend anyone. I wanted to explain to people about my career and my childhood and how I did it. Andre took a different approach and that is fine. I have always respected Andre and we have been pretty good friends over time."
I brought up the fact that Sampras and Agassi were always deferential towards each other all through their careers, and that they always seemed to fully endorse an unwritten code of not saying anything negative about each other. In my view, Agassi broke that code flagrantly in his book and I told Sampras I thought Agassi seemed to go out of his way to make derogatory remarks and tell unflattering stories about him.
"There is a friendship and a respect there between us," says Sampras, "and you are right that there is a certain code that even when we were really competitive we sort of rose above all of the catty things. Taking shots and doing it in a book did surprise me. It is something I might ask him about if we sit face to face, but it is his choice and he has to live with whatever he brings up in his book. But with me and him I just always felt we have always been above that. I do respect Andre, but I think when you get in a situation where you are talking to a writer and doing a book, you are using this writer as therapy. You start talking and you are getting into it and maybe his real feelings came out and maybe there is some animosity he has towards me deep down. I don't know."
Shifting from Agassi to the subject of Tiger Woods and the great golfer's altered and shaken world, Sampras speaks thoughtfully and with his usual sense of restraint. "I don't know Tiger that well, but we are all surprised and it is a sad situation. I am not going to sit here and judge him and point fingers. It is all very sad and it is going to take some time for Tiger. Maybe he is a little embarrassed now and is not sure what he wants to do. Once he puts a club in his hand it will be like riding a bike and he will still do well. It is just going to take some time for Tiger to figure out what is next for him."
Next up for Sampras will be an exhibition against Fernando Verdasco at San Jose in February. He says, "It is a tricky situation for me, dealing with so many different elements, being older and trying to find my game and be consistent in a one off match. Even in my prime it took me a match or two to find my bearings. Verdasco is a top ten player with a big serve and a huge forehand. Hopefully I don't embarrass myself. It will be a tough test for me. Especially in the last year or so my body has not been quite as limber. It won't be easy but I will do what I can and it will be easier to find my game indoors."
Aside from the Verdasco match, and possibly a few more friendly showdowns with Agassi, Sampras says, "I don't have much scheduled. I am not going to do the Outback Series events in Boston and Charlotte this year. If there is something closer to home, maybe down in Mexico, I will consider it. I am just sort of slowing down with it. I think the romance is sort of dying. I was a little more inspired when I came back three years ago after not doing much for three years before that. I was a little more inspired back then. It is not the training that I mind--- it is just the practicing on the court. When you want to move and feel a certain way and you don't, it can be frustrating. The way I play, serving-and-volleying, is such a physical game that it is tough on the joints. To get up and serve now, I need like 30 minutes to warm up. It takes a while for the body to get going. I still enjoy playing and I am always going to play a little bit, but it isn't going to be like it was a few years ago."
Along with so many other keen observers of the game, Sampras looks forward to the upcoming Australian Open. "I look at one of the top five guys probably winning it," he projects. "Nadal seems eager and so does Roger. I see Murray having a big year and I think it is time for him to step up and win one of these things. It should be an interesting and a good year and the Australian Open is such a fair test. I look forward to it."
Over the course of a sterling career which featured 14 major title victories, Sampras seldom was at his zenith at the Australian Open. He took seven of his Grand Slam championships at Wimbledon, captured five more at the U.S. Open, but had to settle for two Australian Open triumphs. "I always felt," he muses, "that every time I went to Australia with the balls and the changing conditions and the Rebound Ace surface, I never really felt comfortable playing there except for a few years. Every year it was something new. Now they have finally got a good hard court and the guys seem to enjoy it and I just wish they had that 15 years ago. Rebound Ace for me personally was the worst court that I could play on. I never like conditions to change in the middle of a tournament. On Rebound Ace the court varied too much. I was very temperamental when it came to the conditions. I felt reasonably good in Australia and won it a couple of times, but it was not great for me."
As the interview was concluding, I wanted to know how Sampras felt about the parallels between Federer now and himself in 2000. When Sampras took possession of the men's Grand Slam title record with 13 at Wimbledon that year, he had growing problems with his motivation, and endured a 33 tournament drought before making a spectacular comeback to win his last tournament ever at the 2002 U.S. Open. Federer has the record now. Will he find himself in the same predicament?
According to Sampras, "When you have achieved so much and have broken the record, I found I didn't have the same urgency to win week in and week out. But when it comes to the majors, Roger will be motivated to add to his record. He won't win ten more majors but he will be striving to peak at the majors and I think he will win two or three more. He is a little older and a father with twins who has had a shift in his life. There are younger guys coming up to make it tougher. I went through it with Hewitt and Safin, and he is dealing with Del Potro and Djokovic and Murray, but Roger is still a great player and Wimbledon is always a tournament he could win as long as he plays the game. It is human nature to have a letdown when it comes to the grind of the tour, but when it comes to the majors, Roger is a perfectionist. He is a very competitive guy. As nice and as cordial as we both are, deep down we hate to lose."
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AP, Jan 14, 2010
SAN JOSE, California (AP)—Pete Sampras would like a sit-down with longtime rival Andre Agassi away from the tennis court to discuss Agassi's harsh words about the 14-time Grand Slam champion in his recent autobiography, "Open."
Sampras said on Thursday he was surprised and disappointed by Agassi's "shots" at Sampras in the book and would like to meet "man to man" to discuss it.
Sampras hasn't read Agassi's book, in which Agassi acknowledged taking crystal meth, and doesn't plan to. Agassi also talks about evading punishment for a
failed drug test and dealing with the insane pressure he felt from his overbearing father and coach.
"He was a big rival," said Sampras, who retired in 2003. "I think it's a reflection that I didn't know Andre all that well in our competitive days. Got to know him a little bit better as we got older, but in (our) mid-20s at times he was there and at times he was a little removed. Little did I know he was
getting involved in some bad decisions."
Sampras spoke on a conference call organized by the SAP Open, where he is scheduled for a Feb. 8 exhibition match against Spain's Fernando Verdasco.
Sampras even expressed amazement at Agassi's timing to make such dramatic revelations about his personal life and problems.
"He had a lot of peaks and valleys, a lot of ups," Sampras said. "Everyone's sort of asking about it and talking about the crystal meth. He decided to bring
it out now, which was a little surprising, but Andre always likes to separate himself from the rest, good or bad."
In the book released last autumn, Agassi made references to Sampras being dull with a "lack of inspiration" and said the two couldn't be any more different.
Agassi made a statement that Sampras "sounds more robotic than" a parrot.
"I envy Pete's dullness. I wish I could emulate his spectacular lack of inspiration, and his peculiar lack of need for inspiration," Agassi wrote.
Agassi told of betting coach Brad Gilbert about how much Sampras tipped a parking valet. They asked the valet, who said $1.
"We could not be more different, Pete and I," Agassi wrote.
Sampras won't debate that.
"I got wind of a few things that he said about me, and I was a little surprised and a little disappointed," Sampras said. "I always felt like Andre and I had risen above taking shots at one another. When I did my book, it wasn't my way of settling scores or taking shots."
Agassi also criticized Michael Chang and Boris Becker.
Sampras acknowledged he and Agassi are drastically different people despite their tremendous success on a tennis court and everything they did for the rise
of their sport in the U.S.
Agassi said he sometimes hated tennis and going out to practice for hours at a time. He said he sometimes deliberately lost matches, too.
"We were going in two different directions," Sampras said. "I think he was sort of lost and not sure what he wanted, and I knew exactly where I wanted to go. In
order to be the best player in the world, tennis has to be your life. It's a sacrifice, and something I was willing to do and it was something he was willing
to do at times. But consistently I was willing to sacrifice more than many.
"You can't have it both ways. I did it my way, and I have no regrets when I look back on my career that it was just a big focus for me."
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Thu Jan 14, 2010 4:09 pm EST
The most interesting parts of Andre Agassi's autobiography, "Open," weren't the salicious details that captivated the press and public last fall. Maybe it's because it was old news by the time most read through the book, but the stories of meth use and weaves and Brooke Shields were comparitively dull compared to other aspects of the tome, namely the brutally honest shots Agassi took at his peers.
Michael Chang got it bad, with Agassi (and ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer) making sure to mock Chang's piousness at every opportunity. Boris Becker also wasn't spared. But Agassi saved most of the bitterness for Pete Sampras, his longtime rival.
Thursday, Sampras told reporters he as "disappointed" by Agassi's remarks and said he'd like to meet "man to man" to discuss it. Sampras said:
"[Agassi was a big rival. I think it's a reflection that I didn't know Andre all that well in our competitive days. Got to know him a little bit better as we got older, but in (our) mid-20s at times he was there and at times he was a little removed. Little did I know he was getting involved in some bad decisions.
"He had a lot of peaks and valleys, a lot of ups. Everyone's sort of asking about it and talking about the crystal meth. He decided to bring it out now, which was a little surprising, but Andre always likes to separate himself from the rest, good or bad."
"Open" took the obvious shots at Pete, calling him "dull" and "robotic" and lacking inspiration (a barb which was ironic given the fact that Agassi's book detailed a life spent seeking inspiration). It's nothing Pete hasn't heard before. The commentary was fair, if unorginal.
More questionable were two biting anecdotes Agassi shared about hanging out with Pete. One involved going to an opera and made the same usual Sampras critiques (wooden, lifeless). The other involved Agassi and Sampras leaving a restaurant. After watching Sampras get his car from a valet and driving away, Agassi asked the valet how much Sampras had tipped. "One dollar," was the reply.
Agassi wrote, "we could not be more different, Pete and I."
It's always dangerous to make judgments about people based on one isolated, out of context incident. Just because you saw George Clooney brush off an autograph seeker once doesn't mean he's a bad guy. Maybe he was in a hurry. Maybe he didn't have a pen. I don't know. Same thing with Sampras and the tipping. Pete doesn't exactly seem like the kind of guy to keep rolls of hundreds in his front pocket. What if he didn't have any cash on him?
There's no attempted explanation for Pete's behavior in the book and no other examples of Sampras being stingy. Agassi told the story to show that he, Andre Agassi, would never tip like that. Therefore you, the reader, must conclude that even though Pete Sampras destroyed Agassi on the court, Agassi is the better man. It's as self-righteous as the stuff Agassi rips Michael Chang for.
But just because "Open" may not have been fair doesn't mean it wasn't a great book. It was probably helped by that fact, actually. If Agassi wasn't going to pull any punches with his own life, he shouldn't have been expected to with anybody else's.
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SAP OPEN MEDIA CONFERENCE
January 14, 2010
Pete Sampras
THE MODERATOR: Pete, thank you very much for joining the call.
PETE SAMPRAS: No problem.
Q. Few basic facts about Pete. He is a two-time SAP Open champion, '96 and '97; he owns 14 Grand Slam singles titles; and the thing that I just learned yesterday, he made the final at Wimbledon seven times and won all seven of those titles; for six consecutive years finished the season ranked No. 1 on the ATP Tour, and won more than $43 million in prize money.
Monday, February 8 at 7:00 p.m., Pete will kick off the 2010 the SAP Open with a charity singles exhibition against world No. 9 Fernando Verdasco of Spain, and this is the first time these two players have ever stepped on a court together.
So I'll kick off the questions. Pete, when you kick off the event in February, you'll play Verdasco, a guy you've never played. What are your thoughts about returning to go San Jose and playing Verdasco?
PETE SAMPRAS: I'm looking forward to it. I always enjoyed my time in San Jose having played a few years, played Tommy a couple times.
When you play a current player that's a really good player like Fernando, it's not gonna be easy for me. I kind of have to get to work here a little bit and hopefully play well.
It's always a good crowd that night, great atmosphere. I'm looking forward to it.
Q. What kind of training regimen are you on these days to do these exhibition matches? What keeps you interested in doing these matches? Is it getting back in front of the big crowd and playing, just sticking with it a little bit?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, it keeps me in shape and keeps me doing something that I'm pretty good at.
As far as my training regimen, I probably work-out just about every day I do something physical. If I don't play basketball, go for a run, get on the bike, do something.
As you get older, everything sort of slows down. I think playing has enabled me to be in good shape, and to go up and play someone like Fernando is not easy. Kind of have to start playing some sets and getting the body ready to go at that speed, which is a speed I don't really play that much at.
So when I play someone like Tommy or Fernando, it's whole new ballgame. It's not like playing the UCLA kids here. It's just a different pace, so I just gotta find my way and get up there and do what I can and have some fun with it.
But at the same time, these people want me to play well and serve and volley the way I used to. It's not as easy, but I'll do my best.
Q. Pete, how long does it take you to get your form back if you haven't been playing as regularly so you feel you're be at your best?
PETE SAMPRAS: I give myself a good two to three weeks where I'm playing every other day, you know, physically doing a few things, getting into the whole -- the heart of things for me is movement and flexibility, so I spend a little bit more time stretching.
It's easy for my body to break down, and it's important to stay healthy. And because I'm not playing consistently, I'm sort of prone to getting injured.
So it's just taking my time, easing my way into it, and then I'll just start playing some sets two or three weeks a little more seriously, and, you know, just really just try to find my rhythm and my game.
Then when you go out and play, obviously you do the work beforehand. When you go out there, you've sort of got some nerves and want to get off to a good start and settle into the match. Hopefully that's what I'll be able to do.
Q. I'm wondering, when you play the younger guys and maybe if you do well against them, in the back of your head, does that make you wonder how you could do right now if you were still playing?
PETE SAMPRAS: Not really. I have said this the last number of years, if I could be just competitive against Tommy Haas or Fernando or Roger when I played him a couple years ago, that's all I'm really looking for. If I win a set, great. If I happen to win, that's even better. I'm not expecting miracles out there.
When you've been retired six, seven years, you lose a little bit of your sharpness and movement. It's just a matter ever time where everything just starts slowing down.
So I enjoy it. I don't ever think about coming back. I'm happy with where I'm at in my life, and really glad not to be in Australia. I mean, I miss it obviously, but at the same time, it was a lot of work.
Q. I believe last time you visited San Jose you had the most Grand Slam titles, and now you're coming back as the ex-record holder. How does that feel, and have you gotten used to that title?
PETE SAMPRAS: I got used to it and I pretty much accepted it a couple years ago when Roger was winning major with ease. Even though he's had to work harder the last couple years, I always knew it was inevitable that he was gonna break the record, it was just a matter of when.
And to be there at Wimbledon last year, it wasn't bittersweet, because I accepted that he was gonna do it. There's nothing you can do about it today except sort of admire what he's been able to do and how good he is.
Records are made to be broken. I really felt 14 was gonna be a tough one to break, and little did I know that Roger was gonna come around in the next seven, eight years and do it.
I'm happy with what I was able to do in the '90s. It was a tough generation, and 14 was quite a bit. Roger is the player of his time and an incredible athlete.
Q. Is that as impressive as anything in his run, that he's done it in the number of years he's done it?
PETE SAMPRAS: Oh, yeah, just being so consistent and winning so many in such a short amount of time. I won my first at 19, and I think he won his first at somewhere 21, 22. So in that short span of time to win on the average the two a year, two or three a year is just incredible. It's just a great run of dominating in any sport maybe in the history of sports. It's just phenomenal.
The next couple years will be interesting to see if he can maintain it. But for three or four years he was winning his majors with easy, but now he's got more competition with Nadal. For a while he was unbeatable.
Q. What was your reaction to Agassi's book?
PETE SAMPRAS: Regarding what?
Q. Well, I mean, you know, the big revelation. He played a lot of tennis on crystal meth, for instance.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. (Laughter.)
Q. He was big rival of yours.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, he was big rival. I think it's a reflection that I didn't know Andre all that well in our competitive days. Got to know him a little bit better as we got older, but in the mid-20s and times he was there and at times he was a little removed. Little did I know he was getting involved in some bad decisions.
He had a lot of peaks and valleys, a lot of ups. You know, everyone's sort of asking about it and talking about the whole crystal meth. Decided to bring it out now, which was a little surprising, but Andre always likes to separate himself from the rest, good or bad. Certainly this is something that he has clearly separated himself from.
Q. Did you read of book?
PETE SAMPRAS: No.
Q. Did you plan to?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I'm not much of a reader. I don't know, I probably won't. You know, I'm not much of a reader.
Q. Have you heard of anything in there that might have upset you at all about the game or you?
PETE SAMPRAS: I got wind of a few things that he said about me, and, you know I was a little surprise and a little disappointed. I always felt like Andre and I had risen above taking shots at one another. When I did my book, you know, it wasn't my may way of setting scores or taking shots.
Personally, I was a little disappoint that had he took some shots. I'd like to sit with him man to man and ask him about it.
Q. One of the things Agassi always wrote was that he feels that winning all of the slams is more important than the number of slams won. Do you agree with that?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I mean, they're both great records. I like, you know -- having a lot just means you've been able to maintain it for many, many years versus obviously not having as many, just a short little window. You'd rather have it all, but I prefer to have the numbers.
Q. And how much does it bother you that you never won the French Open?
PETE SAMPRAS: At the time I was competing it was frustrating. I was disappointed with not being able to figure it out. In my everyday life today, I rarely think about it. It's one of those things that never seemed to find my game there at the right time. Came close one year, but it wasn't meant to be.
Q. I hate to keep harping on the Andre book, but I wanted to get your reaction to his statement that tennis played too big a part of your life and too little a part of his. What are your thoughts on that statement?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's the first I heard the statement. We were going in two different directions. I think he was sort of lost and not sure what he wanted, and I knew exactly where I wanted to go.
In order to be the best player in the word, tennis has to be your life. It's a sacrifice, and something I was willing to do and it was something he was willing to do at times. But consistently I was willing to sacrifice more than many.
You can't have it both ways. I did it my way, and I have no regrets when I look back on my career that it was just a big focus for me. Now being retired for six, seven years, I can do what I want. I felt like in the my physical prime, it was time to take advantage of it. I didn't want to let any time go by that I packed it in or I got soft. I just wanted to keep going.
Q. One of the other revelations was that he hated tennis at some periods of his life. Was there ever a moment during your career when you got up one day to go out to practice or you had a night match on a back court somewhere and you just really weren't up for it and sort of disliked the game, or did you always love it?
PETE SAMPRAS: Listen, we all have our days in all professions. It's tough. You have to get up and practice and train and do all those sort of grinding things. But at the same time, we're making a hell of a lot of money playing a sport and being recognized all around the world. I just felt like it was a pretty cool place to be.
Most 20 year olds were looking at what they're doing with their lives and getting in and out of college. And I just felt an appreciation for the sport. It's done a lot for my life and given me some financial security, which is great.
I never once hated the sport. It was more you had your times where you were just sort of getting through some tough moments. That's part of it. It's part of great job. You're gonna have your highs and lows. To say you hated it was a bit extreme for me.
Q. I know you spoke about the Wimbledon record. Anything that stands out to you that you would like to hold on to.
PETE SAMPRAS: Um, well, the years at No. 1 six years in a row is probably something that's gonna stay for a little while. That's one I'm proud of, and I worked hard to get that. That's just a lot of hard work and consistency and being on top for so many years, so I think that's a record that I'm proud of that is gonna be tough to break.
Q. I spoke a couple weeks ago to Fernando's agent, and he mentioned something interesting. He said that when he brought this up about playing against you, he said it was about a five-second decision. He smiled and said, I'm very excited to play against Pete Sampras. I can't wait. Why do you think he said that?
PETE SAMPRAS: He probably grew up watching me play a little bit and maybe admired my game. I'm not too sure why else. I'm looking forward to playing him. I've seen him playing quite a bit over the last few years, and he's got a big game and he's one of top players in the world. He serves well, huge forehand.
It's gonna be a competitive match. That's what I'm hoping for. I hope we spend a little time beforehand and hit a few balls and get used to his pace and go out and play some good tennis.
Q. Any chance we'll see you fall out of your shoes on match point?
PETE SAMPRAS: I'll tighten them up a little bit better this year. Let's hope that doesn't happen.
Q. Do you get invited to a lot of these tournaments? Why do you pick San Jose?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, Bill's been nice enough to invite me to San Jose. He invited me to Memphis for a Monday match. It's close for me. It's an hour flight. Pretty much up and back pretty much the same day.
To play someone like Fernando or Tommy Haas is exciting for me. It keeps me going and in shape. Those are basically the reasons why I choose San Jose.
If Bill was in New York, it would are tougher decision for me to go play one match. San Jose is convenient, and I'm looking forward to it.
Q. In this day and age when there's so much negative news about athletes, the debate seems to continue about whether or not professional athletes should be held up as role models. Do you think they should be?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I think so. I think kids are look up to who's on TV and things that I used to do or whoever, if it's Kobe or LeBron, I mean, that's what kids look up to. What kind of they're wearing and what they're saying.
Even my seven-year-old kid is into Kobe Bryant and watching him. I'm seeing it kind of through my kid's eyes, and as much as he looks up to me and all these other athletes.
I think there's a responsibility, and if you make some mistakes, I don't think you should be judged as hard as some of the guys. But it's something I was sort of aware of when I was doing my thing. I never wanted to embarrass myself or say or do anything to embarrass my family.
Some people liked it and some people didn't. I wasn't gonna sell out for more money or marketing or any of that stuff. I sort of stayed true to myself and the way I was raised.
Q. Was that a burden or all, or did you feel like it wasn't so tough?
PETE SAMPRAS: It wasn't so tough. I mean, I think people wanted me to push the envelope a little bit by doing more and saying more. And, sure, I could have created a little controversy, but that wasn't what I was about. I was about winning and being the best player in the world and about being a positive role model to some kids.
I think that's what means the most to me, is when parents come up to me and say, Wow, you were really great for my kid. Really feels like I'm making an impact versus getting involved in all the glitz and glamour of the sport.
It was a responsibility for me, but it was also the way I was and the way I was raised. I didn't want it offend anyone. I just wanted to play and let my racquet do the talking. And in a day and age where people and media want more, all this sort of 24 hour Internet stuff, it's getting out of hand. I'm glad I played in the '90s. Things were reasonably simple back then.
Q. Michael Chang was elected to the Hall of Fame one year after you. How do you feel about him getting in with one slam?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, well, I think he's proven he's a great player. Winning one is -- you know, I think there are some people in there that haven't won any majors in singles. Pam Shriver doesn't have a win there. I think Michael deserves it. He got to the final of the US Open and was a couple points away from being No. 1 in the world and beating me at the US Open.
So I think he's deserving of it. I think there are some people in there that are a question mark, but I think Michael is a great player and was at the top of the game for many, many years. Just always had a lot respect for Michael. Not the best of friends, but always respected him.
Q. When did you play him for the first time?
PETE SAMPRAS: I was eight years old and he was seven in California. I ended up winning the match, but he was one of the first guys that able to push me a little bit on the court. We battled through the juniors and early on in the pros. He's sort of been my rival throughout my career.
And as I started to dominate the sport a little bit, he was always the one that gave me problems. I think as I got a little better in my mid-20s, I sort of started to figure him out and really dominate him.
THE MODERATOR: Pete, thank you very much for your time today.
PETE SAMPRAS: No problem.
End of FastScripts
SAN JOSE, California (AP)—Pete Sampras will return to San Jose next year to play in another exhibition.
SAP Open tournament officials said Friday that Sampras will kick off this year's tournament with an exhibition match against Fernando Verdasco on Feb. 8 2010. Sampras played Tommy Haas in exhibitions at the tournament the past two years.
Joining Verdasco among the players in this year's field are Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Mardy Fish and Haas.
11/10/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Rained Out in Lakeway|:||:|1257855287|:|
Austin Tennis Classic Postponed
Sunday, 08 Nov 2009
myFOXaustin - Tennis legend Pete Sampras won 14 career Grand Slam Titles, but even he could not tame the rain as torrential showers postponed the Austin Tennis Classic in Lakeway.
The event helps raise money for the charity Children of Fallen Soldiers. Sampras' scheduled exhibition match with Todd Martin will try to be re-scheduled for sometime in December.
Fox 7's Dave Cody asked Sampras about Andre Agassi, who recently admitted taking crystal meth as a tour player in 1997.
"I didn't know what to say," said Sampras. "I respect (Agassi), he's a friend of mine, he was my main rival in the 90's and I tell him flat out he made a mistake absolutely. I said 'what were you thinking and to lie about it', but I look at Andre in the mid 20's and his late 20's - it was like a different guy."
11/04/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|[Video] Doubles Match in Macau|:||:|1257339822|:|
Pete Sampras / Yuki Bhambri vs. Andre Agassi / Ryan Harrison
11/04/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras to play Sunday in Lakeway exhibition|:||:|1257339363|:|
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
A little more than a week ago, Pete Sampras was in Macau — China's answer to Las Vegas — winning an exhibition tennis match against longtime rival Andre Agassi.
It was their first meeting on the court since Sampras' classic four-set win in the 2002 U.S. Open final, a triumph that gave him a then-record 14th Grand Slam title. Their recent match was played just before the storm of publicity and controversy hit about Agassi's new tell-all book, "Open: an Autobiography."
Among the revelations in Agassi's book was his admission that he actually hated tennis with a "dark and secret passion."
Did Sampras harbor similar feelings?
"He was pushed much harder than I was. I was helped. It never got to the point where I hated it," Sampras said Tuesday.
However, Sampras, who will play an exhibition against Todd Martin on Sunday at Lakeway's World of Tennis, did take a three-year long break from the sport not long after his U.S. Open triumph.
"I didn't pick up a racquet," he recalled. "I didn't want to watch it. I didn't want to read about it. I didn't want to talk about it ... I just wanted to get away."
Sampras, 38, married actress Bridgette Wilson nine years ago. They live in the Los Angeles area with their two boys, Christian and Ryan. For the first three years of his retirement, Sampras led a quiet life. Probably too quiet. Playing golf and poker when he pleased and chauffeuring the kids to school and their activities eventually proved not to be enough, mentally and physically.
"I had my aha moment. I saw a picture of myself," said Sampras, who had gone from a playing weight of 180 to 185 pounds to an even 200. He realized it was time to pick up a racquet again, which he did in 2006 to begin playing exhibitions and champions events.
Unlike Agassi, Sampras wasn't pushed into the sport by a parent. When he was a youngster, Sampras found a tennis racquet in the basement of his house and began hitting balls against the walls. The family's move from Washington, D.C., to sunny Palos Verdes, Calif., when he was 7 gave Sampras more opportunities to become immersed in the tennis culture. He showed an exceptional aptitude for the sport and was eventually coached to drop his two-handed backhand for the one-hand shot. He also was drilled on the serve-and-volley techniques that would prove so valuable later in his career.
"I used a wood racquet until I was 14. You can't cheat with a wood racquet," Sampras said. Playing with a sweet spot about the size of a pea taught Sampras to hit those volleys crisply.
"It's a style of play that is pretty much extinct," he said. "Players aren't developing their games now."
Sampras said young players now grow up being able to use the bigger, high-tech racquets to smash the ball from the baseline and don't alter that style much as they mature.
Sampras' net-rushing game served him particularly well at Wimbledon, which he won a record-tying seven times. In his sixth triumph there in 1999, he overwhelmed Agassi in straight sets, leaving a stunned Agassi to say in amazement, "He walked on water."
At Wimbledon in 2000, with a win against Patrick Rafter, Sampras claimed his record 13th Grand Slam title. He would have to wait two years and go winless in 33 straight tournaments before capturing his 14th major at the 2002 U.S. Open.
Although he was 31 and had just scripted the perfect exit from the sport, Sampras put off retiring.
"I remember getting back home and feeling vindication," said Sampras. "I was working with (coach) Paul Annacone. We'd hit a few balls, here and there, and I kept pulling out of tournaments."
When Wimbledon approached in 2003, Sampras dramatically picked up his pace, but on the third day of practicing hard, he realized the fire was gone.
"I was fine physically," Sampras said. "There was no number left for me; nothing left to prove."
If the magic number of Grand Slam titles had been 15, which Roger Federer recently reached, Sampras said he might have kept going. As for the one Grand Slam title that eluded him, the French Open, he said, "I wish I would have tried a bigger racquet on the clay ... It gives a little more spin, a little more power and you need a little more stick on the clay."
In addition to seven Wimbledon titles and five U.S. Open crowns, Sampras won two Australian Open titles, the first coming in 1994 against Martin, his opponent on Sunday.
ABC Services Tennis Classic
What: Exhibition match between Pete Sampras and Todd Martin
Where: World of Tennis, Lakeway
When: 2 p.m. Sunday
Tickets: Order online at www.etix.com or call 800-514-3849. Prices are $28.50 to $68.50. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Children of Fallen Soldiers charity.
Source: Statesman.com 11/04/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras on tennis, life after retirement|:||:|1257337989|:|
The owner of 14 grand slam titles and the top-ranked player at the end of the year for six consecutive years, Pete Sampras will be in Atlanta for an exhibition match against Todd Martin on Nov. 7 at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Proceeds will benefit the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta. Tickets are available at etix.com. Recently, Sampras spoke with the AJC about the game and his life since his retirement in 2003. Answers were edited for length.
Q: What do you see for the future of U.S. men's tennis?
A: I think after Andy [Roddick] and James [Blake], Sam Querrey is sort of the guy that is the best hope. After that, I think it is pretty thin. It's hard to predict where it's going to go. I don't know. I'm not too in touch with the young guys coming up.
Every country has their time. You look at the Swedes in the '80s and early '90s, they had four guys at the top. It's unfortunate, the media and the fans, they want grand slams, and they were a little bit spoiled in the '90s [by U.S. players], but you've got to be fair to James and Andy, that they can't be compared to myself and Andre [Agassi].
Q: So you're not of a mind that the answer is in training junior players differently?
A: I just don't think there's a magic formula to build a tennis center, do this, do that. It just goes through cycles. U.S. tennis competes with a lot of sports, basketball, football, baseball and golf now. It's tougher to get these kids out playing tennis. There'll be another crew of players at some point. It just might take a little time.
Q: Have you seen [former Georgia player] John Isner play?
A: I've seen John play. I think he's obviously got a huge game, a huge serve. He's going to have a lot of big wins. To be someone that tall gives him a great advantage, but can also hurt him. He's got great potential. He's going to get a lot of experience over the next number of years.
One thing I look at is, Does he have a weapon? John definitely has a huge weapon in his serve. He just has to be able to back it up with a few things and work on movement.
He's kind of crashing through here. He's also someone that American tennis should be looking at and saying we've got someone in our stable.
Q: What do you like about Roger Federer?
A: Just his movement and his balance. When he's playing, he always seems like he's under control. He obviously has a pretty big serve and an incredible forehand, backhand's real solid. He does everything real well. Just his movement, and he makes it look effortless.
Q. When you were described as the best player ever, was that something you heard so often that you grew numb to it?
I just feel good that I was a player of the '90s in a very tough generation. All-time, I never looked at myself like that. It was flattering, but I never really believed it.
Q: Is it possible there's a player on tour using performance-enhancing drugs?
A: Across the board now, there might be an isolated incident here or there. I don't think it's a regular thing in the sport. I don't think it's anything to be too concerned about.
But people always ask me, ‘[Rafael] Nadal's got to be on the juice.' There's no way the kid's on the juice. He's too good a guy. That's one person people always ask me about because of his energy. I just think he comes from a good background and isn't someone who would have to cheat to be successful.
Q: Do you watch women's tennis?
A: You can ask someone like Kobe [Bryant] if he watches the [WNBA Los Angeles] Sparks. If I have time -- I've got two kids -- to watch something, it's not going to be ladies' tennis. It's going to be basketball or football. Ladies' tennis, there's some great players, but it's not anything I'm interested in.
Q: How do you view these exhibition matches that you play? Strictly for fun, or something more than that?
A: Both. I think we're all having fun, but at the same time, when the ball goes up, you want to hit a good serve and play well. I still prepare myself to play good tennis. It's harder to now, because I don't move as well. I can still hit it good and get around. We'll have some good tennis and hopefully the fans will enjoy it.
Q: What athletes do you like watching outside of tennis?
A: I like watching Kobe. LeBron [James] is just a sick athlete. He's just a specimen. Roger's a great athlete and is fun to watch. I like athletes who make it look easy. Those guys, if they're on TV, I'll stop and watch them.
Q: What were you expecting when you retired?
A: I didn't know what to expect. What I did know was I was done playing and I spent three years of not doing anything, which was great for me. I could decompress and have some fun and eat some food I didn't eat while I was playing and just live it up a little bit. But after awhile, having fun and playing golf, I put on a few pounds and I thought ‘I need to turn this around.'
Q: Finish this sentence. Even though I won 14 grand slams and was the No. 1-ranked player in the world, I still have to ...
A: I still have to pay taxes. And they're going up. [Laughs]
Q: Have you been to Atlanta previously?
A: The first-ever professional thing I ever did was at the Omni. I played doubles there, I was being recruited by [sports agency] ProServ. I was such a rookie, I went through the regular admission [gate] and kind of walked down the stadium [steps to the court]. That was my first Atlanta experience.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
10/25/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras triumphs in clash of the Titans|:||:|1256486303|:|
October 25, 2009 - Pete Sampras recovered from a set down to beat fellow retired American Andre Agassi in three sets in an exhibition match in Macau in the first meeting between the two since the 2002 US Open final.
The latest chapter of one of the greatest rivalries in tennis did not reach the same heights as their previous epic encounters, which included five grand slam finals, as Sampras came through 3-6 6-3 10-8 in just over an hour at the Venetian Macao Showdown.
Agassi edged the first set in 27 minutes with a solitary break in the fourth game, but Sampras responded with a much-improved performance in the second to prevail in 21 minutes to send the match to a decider with also a single break in the third game.
And in the third, a first to 10 championship tie-break, Sampras, who holds a 20-14 lifetime record over Agassi, was always ahead and despite a late rally from Agassi, capped the win with an emphatic ace.
Sampras said: "Andre just hits the ball so cleanly even after being retired for three years. The pace of his shots is just very heavy.
"Today he was serving great, I think he even out-aced me. It was a pleasure playing him, he is a great player with a great return of serve.
"I got off to a slow start, Andre was hitting it hard in the warm-up. Whenever I played Andre if I wasn't on it I was going to lose. Back in the day, I could beat some of the guys when not playing well, but Andre doesn't give you any room to breathe." 10/25/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras beats Agassi in Macao...twice! |:||:|1256486234|:|
Pete Sampras put one over his old nemesis Andre Agassi, beating the 8-time Grand Slam champion in a final set match tiebreak at the Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown 2009. In a close affair that thrilled the 11,000 strong crowd at the CotaiArena today, Sampras nicked the showpiece event 3-6, 6-3, 10-8.
The match was preceded by a 45-minute timed encounter between junior no.1 Yuki Bhambri and America's leading junior Ryan Harrison. Bhambri was a little fortunate to win that match with the set tied at 5-5, and the Indian ahead 15-0 in the game when the match was timed out.
The kids returned on court to partner their heroes in a doubles exhibition later, which Pete and Yuki won 7-5.
Speaking after the match Andre said, "It was a great afternoon. Playing in front of 11,000 enthusiastic fans was fantastic and there was real energy. It was a pleasure competing against Pete. It's always a joy to test your skills and see where you are at, no matter where you are in life.
"Pete's feel for the ball is unparalleled and his movement is still good enough that you can't be careful with the shots you hit against him.
"It brought back a lot of old memories. It's great when you can go out and play against someone whose game you are really familiar with. It all came flooding back to me on court, including the ace Pete did at the end (on match point)."
Sampras was lavish in his praise for his old foe, "Andre still hits the ball very clean and very heavy. His serving was great today and I think he even out-aced me. He's a great player with a great return of serve, and it just came down to a couple of points in the (tie) breaker. It was great tennis, a great crowd and hopefully we'll do it again.
"Back in the day, Andre was one of those players where if you weren't playing your best, you're going to lose. Some of the other guys I could beat them even when I wasn't playing me best, but not Andre."
Match Results:
Yuki Bhambri (IND) def. Ryan Harrison (USA) 5-5 15-0
Pete Sampras (USA) def. Andre Agassi (USA) 3-6 6-3 10-8
P. Sampras (USA) & Y. Bhambri (IND) def. A. Agassi (USA) & R. Harrison (USA) 7-5
Source: The Sports Campus 10/25/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Agassi, Sampras get to relive good old days again|:||:|1256441324|:|
Oct 25, 2009
The game that made them famous does not run in the family, insisted Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras, who will resume their illustrious rivalry today at The Venetian Macau Tennis Showdown.
Any hopes that the Sampras versus Agassi rivalry would continue into the second generation were dashed yesterday with the two legends revealing that their respective sons did not play the sport, which made the two Americans household names in the 1990s.
"The Sampras v Agassi rivalry is over unless Pete's son plays baseball," smiled Agassi. "My son, Jaden, is very much into baseball, not tennis."
Sampras added: "Christian [his son] doesn't play tennis. I don't think our rivalry will continue with our children. That is not going to happen."
Yet fans will get the rare opportunity of seeing one of the greatest sporting rivalries at the Cotai Arena today (2pm). The last time they met on court was in 2002 in the final of the US Open, when Sampras prevailed over his long-time friend and fellow-American.
"Playing Agassi is a treat for me. He is a good friend and a rival and I have not seen him in a long time," Sampras said. "Of course it is not the US Open or Wimbledon, but we will still be competitive. We will also have some fun out there."
It promises to be a treat with organisers also lining up the entire 75-member cast of Cirque du Soleil's Zaia production to add to the entertainment at the 15,000-seater indoor arena.
Not that the showdown will need outside help, with Las Vegas showman Agassi in fine fettle during yesterday's media outing, which included a hit-out with Sampras and rising stars Ryan Harrison of the United States and India's world number one junior Yuki Bhambri on a temporary court built on the miniature golf course on the seventh floor of the resort hotel.
"I don't think [today's] match-up is going to be a whole lot different to any we have played in the past," Agassi said. "I don't have to be good, but just better than one person."
Sampras was equal to the banter. What did he talk about after meeting Agassi for the first time in nearly five years? "Everyone talks about his wife," Sampras, who has a 20-14 career record against Agassi, joked. "But really, it was just about our kids, our retirement, and nothing about what happened [in the past]. We don't talk tennis or what happened at Wimbledon in 2000."
A lifetime devoted to the game seems to have leached out any inclination to dwell on the sport. Now happily retired - Sampras seven years ago and Agassi four years - the pair looked trim and in good shape.
"It is great to be back to Macau. I was here two years ago when I played Roger Federer. That was a treat. But to play Andre is special," Sampras said.
10/22/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Agassi, Sampras to rekindle rivalry in Macau|:||:|1256221485|:|
HONG KONG (AP)—Even though the stakes may not be as high as in their epic clashes of the past, Andre Agassi and Pete Sampras aren't planning to put on a friendly exhibition.
The two American icons, who staged one of tennis' greatest rivalries, will play each other Sunday in the southern Chinese gambling enclave Macau.
"It's going to be competitive tennis—obviously not quite as cutthroat as it once was—but I still feel we can both play quite well," Sampras said Thursday.
"As much as it's an exhibition, there's still a lot of pride. Our egos are pretty big. Once the first point starts, I'm going to want to beat him."
"Whenever I stepped out against Andre when we were playing, it was like a heavyweight fight. That's one thing I miss."
Both have been brushing up on their game in recent months, ensuring their will not be too much rust for Sunday's showdown.
Sampras, 38, played on the ATP seniors tour last year and Agassi made a one-time appearance at a seniors event in Arizona earlier this month, where he won two matches before losing to fellow American Todd Martin in straight sets in the final.
Agassi, 39, has been playing consistently in recent months and Sampras said he's been practicing against juniors in Los Angeles.
The former world No. 1s have 22 Grand Slam titles between them—eight for Agassi and 14 for Sampras. Agassi is one of six men in history to win all four majors and won Olympic gold in Atlanta in 1996. Sampras won what was a record 14 Grand Slams, a mark recently broken by Roger Federer. They played 34 times over a 13-year span, including five major finals.
Even with the passing of years since their memorable clashes of the 1990s and early 2000s, Sunday's match is likely to see Sampras again relying on his famously accurate and powerful serve, while Agassi's strength will be his returns and counter-punching groundstrokes.
"I believe having two styles that are so opposite, having two personalities that are so opposite really lent for a great rivalry," Agassi said.
Sampras recalled their last professional match—his four-set victory over Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final. The seven-time Wimbledon champion went into the match struggling with his form, ranked No. 14.
"I felt great. I felt a little vindication. People wrote me off. And I just sort of believed in myself at a time when everyone lost faith in me," he said.
Sampras added it was fitting to end his career against the same opponent and on the same stage where he claimed his first major victory. A skinny 19-year-old Sampras beat the neon-clad tennis rebel Agassi in straight sets in the 1990 U.S. Open final. 10/21/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Q & A with Pete Sampras, Yuki Bhambri and Ryan Harrison|:||:|1256100964|:|
Pete Sampras
This is your second trip to Macao. What are you most looking forward to?
Whenever I step out into the court against Andre it is great, like a heavyweight fight. He’s a great personality and a great player. I am looking forward to competing again against him, maybe not quite at the same cutthroat level, but still a high level of play.
Your final professional match was against Andre in the 2002 US Open final. What are your feelings about that match?
It was a great way to end my career. At that point people that written me off, they had lost faith in me. It was a fitting end- my first and last grand slam victory was at the same tournament and against Andre. He was my rival all through the 90s. At that point I was emotionally done, so to go out in that way was great.
Are you in good shape? How often are you playing?
I play whenever I can. Normally when I have these events coming up I hit for a couple of weeks before. I am hitting the ball pretty well and I’ve been hitting with a lot of young kids out in California. I am not as nimble as I was but I still hit the ball well. It’s just the movement that has changed.
Andre played a couple of weeks ago on the Champions Tour, did you check him out?
Andre is fortunate to be playing again as he has had a lot of problems with his back. It’s great to see him competing again. We both have a lot of pride and large egos and want to beat each other. I’m not sure what will happen in the match, but hopefully I will find my way early in the match as you need to do that against Andre.
What are the aspects you miss about playing with Andre?
Andre has the best return of serve in the game. You always need to be at your best against him. He doesn’t give you a lot of opportunity as he hits the ball so early. It’s a great challenge to play him, but I beat him in a couple of big matches, just as had his fair share of wins against me too. It was always high quality tennis. Andre and myself are closer in age than Roger (Federer) and Rafa (Nadal) so we had a lot more time playing against each other.
Do you think Asia is a growth area for tennis?
Yes, definitely. I played Roger (Federer) in Seoul, Macao and Kuala Lumpur a couple of years back and it was sold out. People love tennis in Asia and it is growing. The game is worldwide and it’s only going to get better and better in Asia.
After the US Open, with Del Potro beating Federer in the final, do you feel there is a changing of the guard in Men’s tennis?
Roger (Federer) still has a few good years left. He is still the player to worry about and I still like him at the majors. As long as he can keep his motivation he is still inspired for the slams. Of course you’ve got other guys like Del Potro now believing they can win, but I wouldn’t say it is a changing of the guard. Roger will win more majors, he maybe just won’t be as dominant as he used to be. Rafa has been hampered by injury- he hit a great streak and then hit a wall both mentally and physically. He could play less clay court events which could help him peak at the majors, but he is a great player and he is always going to be around the top 2 or 3 as long as he wants to be. He has a lot of heart.
Did it hurt to watch your Wimbledon record be broken?
It was an inevitable event. I was happy to be there. It’s a different feel because this is a different generation. With the match with Roddick he managed to find a way to win and I am happy for him. It was great to see him after the match.
Pete, this is your second time in Macao, what are you looking forward to doing in Macao?
Well last time I wasn’t around for long, so this time I would like to gamble a little, maybe a bit of blackjack. Obviously I have a few things I have to do for the event and I want to make it as good as possible and to give back to the fans and the organizers and sponsors. And of course I want to play well.
Yuki Bhambri and Ryan Harrison
Have you met Pete or Andre before? Are you looking forward to playing with Pete and Andre in Macao?
Yuki: It’s my first time to meet both players. Growing up I watched them play so I am so excited to be meeting two of the legends of sport.
Ryan: I’ve never met either of them in person. Pete and I tried to set up a hit about a year and a half ago, but it didn’t work out. I agree with Yuki, I grew up watching these guys play, and I am so excited to be out on court with both of them.
How do you manage expectations that have been placed upon you?
Ryan: I’ve always tried to focus on what you can control. You have to focus on that and not what other people are saying, that is all out of your control. You have to have belief in yourself.
Yuki: You have to believe in yourself and your ability. It has to come from the heart. You’ve got to put in the work and the practice sessions. Everyone has to deal with it, it’s about mental toughness- you have to keep going.
When will you be making your way into the senior ranks?
Yuki: I’ve played a couple of ATP events and I know Ryan played at the US Open. For me it will take one to two more years to make my mark in the senior ranks.
Ryan: We’ve both had opportunities already. At the US Open qualifying I had a tough match, but I had a bunch of opportunities. Playing 1 match at that level is very different to consistently playing well at that level. I’d like to break into the senior ranks in the next year.
Do you have a particular preference over playing doubles with Andre or Pete?
Ryan: I have an attacking game and I love to take the net. In this way I have idolized Pete as his game is more similar to mine. But I also have a huge amount of respect for Andre- he is very inspirational and it is a great honour to be on court with him. I don’t have a preference; it is a privilege just to be on the same court as them.
Yuki: Just to be on court with them is very inspirational. I hope to learn a lot from them. It doesn’t matter which I play with, they are both legends. Sampras versus Agassi was always fun to watch, I got into sport watching them play.
Are you nervous about playing with Pete and Andre?
Yuki: Definitely you would be. They are great players that we have watched all our lives, so nerves will be a factor.
Ryan: Yeah, I’ll be nervous as these are great players, but I’ll use those nerves to raise my level of play. 10/21/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|We are world's best athletes - Pete Sampras|:||:|1256088979|:|
Oct 17, 2009
SURE to spark intense debate, Pete Sampras claims tennis players are the finest athletes in the whole wide world.
Gearing up for an exhibition match with old sparring partner Andre Agassi next week in Macau, Sampras's contentious assertion will no doubt stir the emotions of rival sports enthusiasts across the globe.
Among others, elite boxers, gymnasts, cross-country skiers, surf lifesavers, triathletes, basketballers, handballers, cyclists, squash and soccer players and AFL footballers - in no particular order - could all argue they'd be the most supreme athletes on the planet. Sampras, though, says tennis stars ace the lot.
"People don't talk about it. I mean, in tennis, these athletes are incredible,'' the legendary American told ATP World Tour Uncovered.
"What these guys do on the run ... the guys that aren't maybe playing well and they come back - they're down two sets to love and they have the resolve to come back and can go on and on.
"You look at the NBA and you look at some of these guys and they're doing all these things and I think 'that's the best athlete'.
"But (then) I think tennis players are the best athletes, in my opinion.
"I'm not being biased. I know what it takes, I know hand-eye coordination. In an individual sport, you can't hide.''
The vexing question of which sport boasts the greatest athletes is, of course, one which will never be truly answered, and probably best saved for backyard barbecues.
But Sampras's qualified opinion is certainly worthy of consideration.
This is the very man whose clutch serve, breathtaking backhand and unrivalled work ethic delivered him 14 grand slam titles, a record six successive year-end No.1 rankings and $US43 million in prize money during a career statistically inferior only to the mighty Roger Federer.
There was little luck involved, even if Sampras says so himself.
"It was huge,'' Sampras said of his crowning achievement, the half-dozen straight years at the pinnacle of his sport.
"I did it for five years and it was a close race at the end of the sixth year; (Marcelo) Rios was pushing me and I remember I was over in Europe and I played like seven straight weeks to get it.
"And I wanted it. (Jimmy) Connors had five; I wanted six.
"And to be consistent in any sport is tough to do, and six years in a row is a lot of work, some stress involved and a great achievement.
"To dominate for the six years was not easy ... I sacrificed and worked hard and won some tennis matches along the way, but it wasn't easy.''
Hence why even Sampras marvels at the remarkable Federer, who surpassed the American's grand slam tally with a 15th major crown this year - at just 27.
Sampras was 31 when he won his 14th and last slam at the 2002 US Open, yet is not the slightest bit surprised the Swiss superstar has already established a new benchmark.
"I accepted that he was going to break this record a few years ago,'' Sampras said, in a rare interview with the humble champion.
"I mean, he was winning them with ease and was obviously a great player and he was just dominating the sport.
"So I knew it was just a matter of time. If not at Wimbledon, then the US Open or (at) the majors next year.
"He was going to do it eventually. So I'm not bitter by any means.
"If anything, I'm amazed by what this guy's been able to do.''
Retired now for seven years and happily married for 10 with actress Bridgette Wilson, Sampras admits filling the tennis void has its ups and downs.
"I'm still trying to figure it out - retirement's a work in progress,'' he said.
"I've got two kids - six and three - which is a lot of work and I'm enjoying life; playing golf, having some fun, playing poker and basketball and having some fun with that.
"Life's good. I couldn't complain. I wanted to be the centre on the tennis court. Other than that, I was pretty content just being sort of put to the side.''
He satisfies his craving for the game these days sometimes on the seniors circuit but mostly playing exhibitions.
"Still playing okay,'' Sampras said.
Damn right he is; the Washington-born, LA-based Sampras even upstaged Federer in one match of their exhibition series last year in Asia.
"Still playing well and hitting the serve like I used to be able to do and still hitting a few volleys,'' he said.
"What is does for me, when I'm home, it keeps me focused. It keeps me sharp, it keeps me in shape. That's what I'm looking for.
"It's not like I need to play tennis matches in front of people.
"I'm not going to come out of retirement and I'm not going to beat some of these young kids. I'm not too worried about it.''
Dining on strawberries and cream, rather than taming his rivals and enthralling royalty on The All England Club's Centre Court, is more difficult for Sampras.
"I miss Wimbledon,'' he said.
"I miss the majors. I miss the buzz of winning, playing in front of a lot of people.
"I don't miss the stress, the pressure, the travelling. I don't miss those days.
"But I miss being active. I miss the focus. But those days are over and now it's off to some other things.
"I miss it. I miss it a few weeks of the year but, other than that, I'm pretty content." 10/15/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|[Video] Pete Sampras - ATP World "Uncovered" Interview|:||:|1255611936|:|
10/08/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|"Pistol Pete" Sampras and Todd Martin to headline inaugural LIVE United Tennis Classic|:||:|1254969358|:|
Proceeds to benefit United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta
Atlanta, GA (July 29, 2009) - One of the greatest tennis players of all time, "Pistol Pete" Sampras, and American legend Todd Martin will headline the LIVE UNITED Tennis Classic on Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 4 p.m. at the Atlanta Athletic Club located at 1930 Bobby Jones Drive, Johns Creek, Ga.
WSB-TV anchor Monica Pearson will serve as the classic's honorary chair, and Murphy Jensen, host of Tennis channel's Open Access, will serve as host of the event. In addition to the Sampras and Martin men's singles match, the LIVE UNITED Tennis Classic will also feature local players in an innovative tiebreak shootout format. The format highlights the skills of area juniors, wheelchair athletes and local college players. All proceeds from the event will go to benefit United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta.
"We are very excited to have Pete and Todd join the LIVE UNITED Tennis Classic and this celebration of tennis in Atlanta," says Matt Olson, director of USTA Atlanta. "This will be an amazing day of world class tennis and family entertainment. I know that Pete and Todd are excited to come to Atlanta and provide fans with the best in men's tennis."
Pete Sampras captured his final grand slam title with his dramatic US Open victory over longtime rival Andre Agassi in 2002. His resume boasts 14 grand slam titles, including seven Wimbledon titles. He was ranked World No. 1 for six consecutive years from 1993 to 1998. In July 2007, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.
Todd Martin was a finalist at the 1999 U.S. Open and the 1994 Australian Open. In 1994, he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Grand Slam Cup. Every year from 1994 to 2002, Martin played Davis Cup for the United States. He was inducted into the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in May of 2007.
"I look forward to returning to Atlanta to be part of the inaugural LIVE UNITED Tennis Classic. It is an honor to help support an event that in turn helps so many in Atlanta through United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta programs. I know Todd and I both look forward to a great match at the Atlanta Athletic Club," said Sampras.
Pre-sale tickets are available on Saturday, August 1. Please contact your local tennis club or USTA Atlanta for a presale code. Tickets are available to the public beginning Sunday, August 9 online through www.etix.com or by calling 800.514.etix (3849). Ticket prices are $28.50, $38.50 and $48.50. 10/08/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras & Todd Martin to Headline the Tennis Classis in Dallas|:||:|1254969024|:|
Dallas, TX (September 9, 2009) - One of the greatest tennis players of all time, "Pistol Pete" Sampras and American legend Todd Martin will headline the Tennis Classic on Friday, November 6th at 7:00PM at Dr Pepper Arena in Frisco, Texas.
The always entertaining Murphy Jensen will host the event. In addition to the Sampras and Martin men's singles match, the Tennis Classic will also feature local players in The Lone Star Challenge: Pete Sampras and Team Dallas versus Todd Martin and Team Austin. Each team will consist of girls and boys 18 and under teams, Mixed 8.0 teams and club pro teams competing in tie-break shootouts. A portion of the proceeds from the exhibition will benefit the Children of Fallen Soldiers, a non-profit and non-partisan organization that finances the college education for children of soldiers from Ft. Hood killed in the line of duty.
"We are very excited to have Pete and Todd join the Tennis Classic and this celebration of tennis in Dallas," says Tim Stallard, President of Prolink Sports and Entertainment. "This will be an amazing night of world-class tennis and family entertainment. I know that Pete and Todd are excited to come to Dallas and provide tennis fans with the best in men's tennis."
Pete Sampras captured his final grand slam title with his dramatic US Open victory over longtime rival Andre Agassi in 2002. His resume boasts 14 grand slam titles, including seven Wimbledon titles. He was ranked World No. 1 for six consecutive years from 1993-1998. In July of 2007, he was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I.
Todd Martin was a finalist at the 1999 U.S. Open and the 1994 Australian Open. In 1994, he reached the semifinals at Wimbledon, the US Open and the Grand Slam Cup. Every year from 1994 to 2002 Martin played Davis Cup for the United States. He was inducted into the ITA Men's Collegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in May of 2007.
Tickets go on sale at noon on Saturday, September 12th. Tickets can be purchased on line through tickets.com or 866-337-1312. Ticket prices are $28.50, $48.50, and $78.50. 10/02/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to Play in Lakeway Tennis Match|:||:|1254492588|:|
Pete Sampras and Todd Martin will be among the headliners at the ABC Services Tennis Classic in Lakeway. The exhibition, beginning on November 8th, will benefit the Children of Fallen Soldiers.
The Children of Fallen Soldiers is a non-profit and non-partisan organization that finances the college education of children of soldiers from Fort Hood killed in the line of duty.
The event will take place at the Lakeway World of Tennis.
"I'm excited to return to Texas to participate in the Austin Tennis Classic benefiting the Children of Fallen Soldiers Organization," Sampras said in a statement. "It's an honor to support an event that in turn helps support such an important cause. I know Todd and I look forward to having a great match at Lakeway World of Tennis."
Tickets are available through www.etix.com or by calling 1-800-514-etix (3849). Ticket prices are $28.50, $48.50, and $68.50. 9/28/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Charlotte: Courier defeats Sampras to win |:||:|1254104181|:|
Double Fault on Match Point Gives Courier First Win over Sampras Since 1997
CHARLOTTE, N.C., September 27, 2009 - Jim Courier defeated Pete Sampras 2-6, 6-4, 10-8 (Champions Tie-breaker) Sunday to win the singles title at the $150,000 Breezeplay Championships at The Palisades at The Palisades Country Club in Charlotte, N.C. The victory was Courier's first over Sampras since the first round of the 1997 Italian Open in Rome and his first on a hard court over the 14-time major singles champion since the quarterfinals of the 1991 US Open.
Courier earned $60,000 by winning the title in Charlotte, his ninth career title on the Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over. Courier also earned 800 ranking points to extend his lead as the No. 1 player on the Outback Champions Series.
After splitting the first two sets, the two Hall of Famers played the customary first-to-10 point "Champions" tie-breaker, played in lieu of a third set. Courier clinched victory when Sampras double-faulted at 8-9 in the tie-breaker.
"That last double fault was hard on match point," said Sampras. "I was serving right into the sun on that one and it hurt a little bit."
Said Courier, "I wasn't expecting that match point to end on a double fault. He was going for 110 mph second serves and sometimes he's good enough to get away with that serve."
During their ATP careers, Sampras and Courier played a total of 20 times, Sampras winning on 16 occasions, including the Wimbledon final in 1993. Sampras won their only previous meeting on the Outback Champions Series, a 6-2, 6-4 win in round-robin play during the 2007 event in Athens, Greece.
"I think he was having a hard time picking up my serve at the beginning," said Sampras, who earned $30,000 for the runner-up showing. "Eventually he got there and started predicting it. Jim's a guy who's always going to compete and I knew that once we started the second set. I knew he was going to compete for that second set. I had a few chances in that tiebreaker and just couldn't get it. It was disappointing."
Due to weekend rains in Charlotte, Courier was forced to play his semifinal match against Todd Martin at 10 am on Sunday, postponed from Saturday evening. Following his 7-5, 6-2 semifinal win over Martin, Courier was able rest until the final with Sampras started at 4 pm, following Martin's 7-5, 6-2 win over Pat Cash in the event's third-place match.
"I was pretty relieved when his match point serve went out," said Courier of the final point of the singles final. "I felt flat in the first set. I thought I'd be loose, but my legs felt tight and lethargic. I definitely got more boost in my legs and my serve really started to click. If my serve clicks I can hang in the match."
The loss marked only the second time that Sampras has been defeated on the Outback Champions Series since joining the circuit in 2007. In 2008, he lost to John McEnroe 2-6, 7-5 10-4 (Champions Tie-breaker) in round-robin play in Boston.
Sampras won the opening event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, defeating McEnroe in the final of the Champions Cup Boston in February.
McEnroe won the second event of the year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, defeating Courier in the final. Sampras won his second title of the year at the Del Mar Development Champions Cup in Los Cabos, Mexico, defeating Rafter in the final. Courier won his first title of the 2009 season in April at the Cayman Islands, defeating Arias in the final. Cash successfully defended his title on the grass courts at the Hall of Fame Champions Cup in Newport, R.I. in August, defeating Courier in the final. Following Charlotte, the next event on the Outback Champions Series will be held in Surprise, Ariz., where Andre Agassi will make his debut Oct. 8-11.
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Andre Agassi, Sampras, McEnroe, Courier and others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. The Outback Champions Series features seven events on its 2009 schedule with each event featuring $150,000 in prize money as well as Champions Series points that will determine the year-end Champions Rankings No. 1. 8/04/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Plays to a Tough Room|:||:|1249391508|:|
July 29, 2009
LOS ANGELES — Pete Sampras was joking, but nobody got it.
Asked to assess his career in light of Roger Federer’s 15th Grand Slam title, Sampras looked thoughtful.
“I didn’t really accomplish much, I guess.”
There was silence. “You don’t feel that you … ?” a reporter started to say.
“No, that was just a joke!” said Sampras, who grinned and turned in mock desperation to a tournament official.
Sampras was 100 minutes away from taking the court earlier this week at the Los Angeles Tennis Open, held on the U.C.L.A. campus, not far from where he grew up in Rancho Palos Verdes.
His opponent, Marat Safin of Russia and Monte Carlo, was the man who beat him for the United States Open title in 2000.
Now Sampras, 37, and Safin, who turns 30 in January, were headlining an opening night card. Officials hoped it would jumpstart attendance at a tournament reportedly suffering from lost sponsors and a potential dip in revenues and interest.
The headliners delivered an entertaining exhibition won by Safin, 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 (tiebreak).
Serving bullets (one was clocked at 120 m.p.h.) and racing to net at virtually every opportunity, Sampras showed flashes of his classic serve-and-volley shotmaking that won him 14 of the world’s premier international tournament titles. He earned $43 million in prize money from 1988 to 2002.
Afterward, in a ceremony honoring his career, Sampras stood on the Straus Stadium court with his parents, his wife, Bridgette, and his two sons, Christian, 6, and Ryan, 3.
Sitting in a corner on the court, Jack Kramer, 87, one of the game’s greatest players and promoters, saluted the Sampras family with a wave.
Interviewed at courtside, Safin delivered a benediction. His questioner said: “You don’t face anybody who plays like this, do you?” referring to Sampras’s serve-and-volley tactics.
“Thank God,” said Safin, who has taken a vow to retire at the end of this year. The crowd roared with laughter.
Showing muscled arms in a sleeveless shirt, Sampras had delivered a series of punishing volleys that often kept Safin at bay. He punched consecutive aces to take a 3-0 lead in the second set and captured the set with an ace.
Often humble in his remarks on court and to reporters, Sampras did say, however, that he felt he was not being boastful in believing that in his prime he could frequently have beaten Federer.
“You have two great players,” he said. “I think I would have had my share of wins, and I think Roger would have had his share of wins.”
Recalling his rivalry with Andre Agassi, Sampras said, “You know, I didn’t beat Andre every time; he beat me — ah, just not in the big matches.”
When his words failed to elicit the desired laughter, Sampras turned to Peter Holtermann, a tournament official.
“There’s no sense of humor here!” he said, smiling. “No sense of humor.”
“You need a warm-up act,” Holtermann said with a grin.
Then the reporters laughed.
Source: NY Times 8/02/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Youtube videos on Pete vs Marat Safin Exo|:||:|1249188837|:|
Post match interview
Short Rally
Visit the Gallery to view the pictures from the match. 7/29/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras reasserts his game despite loss in exhibition match|:||:|1248874563|:|
July 27, 2009
One thing was clear as Pete Sampras battled Marat Safin on Monday night: he's still got it.
Safin emerged victorious, 6-4, 3-6, (10-6), but it would not have been obvious judging by the crowd's reaction at Straus Stadium.
In front of a pro-Sampras audience, the 37-year-old Sampras stole the show and took Safin – eight years his junior and the LA Tennis Open's No. 8 seed – down to the wire.
"It was too much stress," Safin told the fans following the match.
Sampras showed glimpses of the finesse he utilized to win 14 Grand Slam titles during a remarkable 15-year career. He displayed his powerful serve, once registering an ace of nearly 130 miles per hour. He pumped his fist and talked to himself – all blatant signs that a competitor still lies inside.
"I miss the crowds, the majors," Sampras said. "I still enjoy playing."
And underneath the lights on Monday night, Sampras proved it.
At the beginning, the match had the resemblance of a pick-up game. Sampras would shake his head and smile as Safin eased his way to a 6-4, first-set victory.
But then Sampras stormed back, at one time gesturing towards the stands with his arms extended as if to ask, "Did you see that?"
Sampras, who grew up in nearby Palos Verdes, broke Safin early in the second set, which resulted in another fist pump. Sampras then showcased his precise serve on consecutive aces to extend a 3-0 lead.
He even battled back from a 15-40 deficit to take a fifth point. Another fist pump from Sampras and another loud response from those in attendance.
"I hope the fans had a great time. I had a great time," Sampras said.
The "Millennium Challenge" went into a tiebreak third set, but Safin eventually pulled away with a few slices that Sampras could not reach. All Sampras could do was smile.
"I was a little slow," said Sampras, who in recent years has been playing more golf than tennis.
Sampras admitted that his new lifestyle is different, but he is trying to have fun along the way – even if the pace of the game has changed.
"The tricky part for me now is the way I play – the way I serve and volley – is hard on my body," he said. "It takes a lot of strain on the back and the hips. I'm just not as explosive."
Sampras also noted that he has a couple of matches scheduled against former rival Andre Agassi, as well as playing in some exhibitions and Senior Tour events.
"Playing a little bit has been good for me," Sampras said. "It keeps me in shape and keeps me a little bit focused. … It's a work in progress being retired at 37."
Russia's Safin is headed in the same direction as Sampras, announcing earlier this year that this would be his last season on the tour.
"I'm going to be chilling like (Sampras)," Safin said following the match.
Safin is scheduled to face Robby Ginepri on Tuesday night in the first round of the singles draw.
Sampras was honored with an on-court, post-match ceremony as a video screen displayed highlights of his Grand Slam title victories.
"I love playing here," said Sampras, who captured this event twice, in 1991 and 1999. "It's a great tournament; it's a great city."
In his pre-match press conference, Sampras said that he felt good knowing that he was "the guy" of his generation.
And on Monday night, before a capacity crowd that at one point chanted, "Let's go Pete," he proved it.
7/29/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|I thought I was untouchable, says Sampras|:||:|1248874516|:|
LOS ANGELES, California — American tennis legend Pete Sampras has admitted he was surprised when what he thought would be his untouchable mark of 14 Grand Slam singles titles was smashed three weeks ago by Roger Federer.
And the envious American, retired and living the good life in California with lots of golf and a touch of tennis, says he expects the Swiss master to continue the run to glory for years to come.
"When I was done (with my career), I felt I'd put up some numbers no one would touch," said the 37-year-old Sampras, who was beaten by Marat Safin on Monday night in a Los Angeles exhibition, a replay of the 2000 US Open final won by the then up and coming Russian.
Sampras, who watched from Wimbledon's Royal box on July 5 as Federer lifted his historic 15th Grand Slam title with a win over Andy Roddick, said he was somewhat shocked - in a good way.
"Little did I know Roger would surpass me in seven years," said Sampras, who set the mark of 14 with a defeat of Andre Agassi in the 2002 US Open final just before retiring from the sport.
"He saw 14 as his goal. Records are made to be broken. I believe in that. I also can't do anything about it. My days are over but I'm content with my 14.
"I'm still amazed at what Roger has been able to do, it's incredible."
Sampras also spared a thought for the devasted Roddick, who has now lost three Wimbledon finals to Federer.
"We all felt bad for Andy, he was distraught. He played so well and had his chances. But Roger was so stable and had more at the end. It was pretty cool for me - the future of sport is bright.
"Roger will win some more after 15. But Andy's performance was worthy of having his name (engraved) on that trophy.
Sampras also said that even though he has become a father for the first time that Federer should not find his twin daughters, born last week in Zurich, any distraction to his tennis.
"He'll hit the road as soon as he can," joked the American. "I'm sure he will start playing 40 weeks a year."
"I can't see Roger changing diapers at 4 a.m. at the US Open. I'm sure they will have help. I don't think fatherhood will affect his game.
"It's a life-changer, but he's focused on his tennis. He'll keep doing what's he's done the past few years."
Copyright © 2009 AFP. 7/29/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Retirement proves to be Sampras’ toughest test|:||:|1248874198|:|
Jul 28, 2009
WESTWOOD, Calif. – Pete Sampras looked quick enough during an exhibition match against Marat Safin here Monday night. What caught him flat-footed was a question during a news conference held before Sampras took the court.
“What are you working on?” a reporter asked. “What’s your favorite project?”
An awkward pause followed.
Dethroned by Roger Federer three weeks ago as the record holder for most Grand Slams won (15) by a tennis player, Sampras welcomed questions about his place in history. The present is more vexing, with Sampras facing a challenge every bit as formidable as Boris Becker, Andre Agassi and even Federer.
Retirement. At the age of 37
Recovering from the moment of silence, Sampras grinned and shot back , “Six- and 3-year-old kids. That’s a lot of work there.”
And then there’s his golf game, his handicap down to a 4. And hitting tennis balls with his kids for, oh, 10 minutes because they find tennis on Nintendo Wii more interesting than the real thing. And running on the treadmill because, well, when he makes public appearances like the one here Monday at the L.A. Tennis Open, he doesn’t want to look flabby.
Of course the real challenge is life, seven years after he officially ended his professional tennis career.
“It’s a work in progress,” he said, “being retired at 37.”
In his prime, was Sampras better than Federer? That’s the question Sampras fields again and again these days. The trickier one: How is he going to fill his days, once consumed with tennis?
“Every tennis player goes through it,” he said, and indeed there was the day John McEnroe had to contemplate life without berating tennis umpires.
As Sampras pointed out: “McEnroe’s still playing, and he’s 50.”
McEnroe plays on the senior circuit which to this point Sampras has eschewed. But Sampras has scheduled a couple of exhibition matches against his old foil, Agassi, and on Monday fired the first volley.
“I didn’t beat Andre every time,” he said. “He’d beat me. Just not in the big matches.”
Take that, Andre.
Once mind-numbingly bland, Sampras showed a new aspect to his off-court game. Someone asked him about Federer’s wife recently giving birth to twins.
“He’s going to be on the road as soon as he can,” Sampras said with a grin. “He’s going to be playing, like, 40 weeks a year.”
But newborn twins will pose no problem for Federer at the upcoming U.S. Open either, according to Sampras.
“I don’t see Roger changing diapers at 4 o’clock in the morning in New York,” he said. “What do you think?”
What we think is Sampras still cares – about his place in tennis history and how people view him and Federer. If he had to choose one player as the greatest of all time, Sampras said, he’d vote for Federer. But someone might want to follow him to the ballot box to make sure.
Sampras pointed out that Federer’s record against Rafael Nadal is 7-14 (it’s actually 7-13). Or Rod Laver – had he been eligible to play Grand Slams during a six-year period in the 1960s when pros were barred from those events – “might have won 25.”
Twenty-five, a figure that would dwarf Federer’s total, even if Federer adds another five. (Sampras has qualified the observation as one that Federer’s “critics” make. You know, for the record.)
After Federer won his semifinal match at Wimbledon, Sampras decided he should be there for the potential record-breaking moment. So he hopped on a redeye, changed clothes at the airport and, once he’d arrived at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club, found himself in a special box at center court.
From that view, he watched the epic match between Federer and Roddick, but differently than anybody else.
“Part of me, during the match, was thinking, ‘What am I going to do against this kid, Roger, in my prime?” Sampras recalled. “… Just the matchup, what it’d feel like.”
In his mind’s eye, Sampras was blistering 120 mph serves and rushing the net. Or, he was waiting on Federer’s serves and ready to pounce. No doubt he could feel the adrenaline, exhilaration and exhaustion largely missing from his life of retirement.
For those who wonder if Sampras might come out of retirement in hopes of winning another Grand Slam, there’s not enough Bengay on the store shelf.
“The tricky part for me now is that the way I play, the way I serve and volley, it’s hard on my body,” he said. “It takes a lot of strain on the back and the hips and I’m feeling like this year has been a year where I’m not quite as explosive. …
“I can’t pick up my racket and try to win another major. My days are over. So I’m content with the 14 I have. I’m amazed at what Roger has been able to do here. It’s incredible.”
But incredible enough to have vanquished Sampras in his prime? Tennis fans aren’t the only ones wondering.
On Monday, Sampras noted that most of today’s players, unlike so many he faced, are content to sit back on the baseline. Federer would have no luxury against Sampras.
“I just feel like I would bring in all the gas, bring in all the power that I had, try to mix it up, go to his backhand, just try to figure it out,” he said. “Put pressure on him. You’ve just got to put pressure on him.”
For an instant, Sampras no longer sounded like a retired 37-year-old, but rather a decade younger – Federer’s age, actually – and unleashing those 120 mph serves, rushing in for crisp volleys and, in preparation for Grand Slam finals, plotting the match down to the last shot.
But the reverie ended.
“Last question,” the moderator said.
No one bothered to ask the obvious: What’s next for Pete Sampras?
Off the court, he’s still trying to find his way.
Source: Yahoo Sports 7/26/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras still has the star power|:||:|1248580509|:|
Saturday, July 25, 2009
It’s hard to imagine anyone turning down an offer from Pete Sampras to mentor younger players.
But apparently the United States Tennis Association doesn’t need the services of one of the sport’s greatest champions.
“I’ve talked to the USTA about doing some things. Nothing seems to have come out of that,” Sampras said. “But I’ve done what I could. Maybe as I get a little bit older, I’ll do a little bit more.”
Sampras should receive a warm welcome at this year’s 83rd annual L.A. Tennis Open, which begins Monday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on UCLA’s campus in Westwood.
The Thousand Oaks resident is the tournament honoree, and will play an exhibition match on opening night against Marat Safin.
Sampras’ presence is part of a legends field that rivals the main draw for star power. Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang are scheduled to play each other in the ensuing days.
The last match of Sampras’ 15-year career was a victory over rival Andre Agassi to capture the U.S. Open title in 2002.
Sampras says he gave himself eight to 10 months after the win to see if wanted to play again. But once Wimbledon came and went, he knew retiring was the right decision.
“The last couple of years of my career were pretty exhausting, not winning any titles,” said Sampras, who turns 39 next month. “I think once I was at the bottom of the mountain there, losing Wimbledon, being as low as I could possibly go, losing on Court 2 then coming back and winning the Open, I had nothing left in the tank. I had nothing left emotionally. Physically, I could have kept going and probably would have done OK. But emotionally I was cooked.”
Sampras walked away from the game as the all-time leader in Grand Slam singles titles with 14. But his record was surpassed last month by Roger Federer, who won his 15th Grand Slam title at Wimbledon.
Sampras attended Federer’s five-set victory over American Andy Roddick after flying in from Los Angeles that morning.
“It was an historic moment. I was happy to be there,” Sampras said. “It was quite a trip, but it was well worth it, sitting there watching these two guys battle in an epic match.”
Although Rafael Nadal has proven a vexing foil for Federer, Sampras already considers the 27-year-old Swiss the greatest ever.
“He certainly in my book is,” Sampras said.
Sampras has formed a friendship with Federer, and believes his serve-and-volley attack would have presented a challenge to Federer.
“Do I think I could have beaten Roger in my prime? Sure,” Sampras said. “I don’t think anyone could beat me in my prime on grass.”
Although it’s only an exhibition, Sampras expects a competitive match against Safin. It will be a rematch of their 2000 U.S. Open final when Safin, who is retiring at year’s end, upset Sampras in straight sets.
“He’s not going to want to lose to someone that’s close to 40,” Sampras said. “All these matches against current guys, I want to play well. I don’t want to embarrass myself. If I can pull out a set, I’m ecstatic. If I can win the match, that’s even better.”
Sampras spends much of his free time working on his golf game and hanging around with his sons Christian and Ryan.
While they enjoy the sport, the two have yet to fully embrace their father’s tennis advice.
“It’s more getting them to listen more than coaching,” Sampras said. “They play every now and again. I’m just trying to keep them in line and behaving, nothing more than that. But if they’re into it as they get older, I’m cool with that.”
As for the criticism about not giving much back to tennis or to the Southern California area since he retired, Sampras says, “You have to understand when you retire from your sport, you need a few years to sort of decompress and get away from it. I have the last couple years played and been around. I’ve done what I could do when I was playing. I’ve done what I could do since I retired.”
And there is always a chance the USTA might finally take him up on that offer.
Source: Ventura County Star 7/26/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras, Courier Headline Seniors Tennis Charlotte|:||:|1248579506|:|
July 22, 2009
Pete Sampras will lead the field of champions returning to The Palisades Country Club in Charlotte to compete in the $150,000 Breezeplay Championships at The Palisades, to be held September 24-27.
Joining Sampras to compete on the hard court stadium court at The Palisades will be defending champion Jim Courier, Hall of Famer Mats Wilander and three-time finalist Todd Martin.
Sampras will be competing in Charlotte for a second time after capturing the title in 2007. The seven-time Wimbledon champion and owner of 14 major singles titles won the title in Charlotte two years ago defeating Todd Martin 6-3, 6-4 in the championship match. Earlier this year, Sampras won Outback Champions Series events in Boston and Los Cabos, Mexico. He will be seeking his sixth career Outback Champions Series event in Charlotte after joining the global champions tennis circuit in 2007.
Courier will be seeking his third title in Charlotte after winning titles at The Palisades in 2006, defeating Martin 5-7, 7-6 (6), (10-4 in Champions Tie-Breaker) in the final, and in 2008, defeating Martin again 6-2, 3-6, (10-5 in Champions Tie-Breaker) in the final. Courier, a two-time French and Australian Open champion, currently leads the rankings on the Outback Champions Series with 2000 points, followed by Sampras with 1600 points and John McEnroe with 1300 points.
Wilander will be making his debut in Charlotte in 2009. Like Sampras and Courier, Wilander is a former world No. 1 player and has won three French and Australian Open titles and one U.S. Open singles title.
Martin has played in Charlotte in all three previous editions of the event, reaching the championship match all three times -- losing to Courier in 2006 and 2008 and to Sampras in 2007. Martin was a singles finalist at the Australian Open in 1994 and the US Open in 1999.
The remaining players in the Breezeplay field will be announced at a later date.
7/21/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Interview with Pete Sampras - LA Tennis Open|:||:|1248182612|:|
LA TENNIS OPEN MEDIA CONFERENCE
July 14, 2009
Pete Sampras
PETE HOLTERMANN: I'd like to welcome everyone. I'm Pete Holtermann, media director for the L.A. Open Presented by Farmers Insurance Group. We're on the line with Pete Sampras, because he's going to be our opening night match, playing Marat Safin in a rematch of the 2000 US Open final.
To introduce our honored guest is tournament director Bob Kramer.
BOB KRAMER: Good afternoon. This is a special occasion for all of us, and for me personally. I want to welcome you all to this conference call, which is kicking off the L.A. Tennis Open, Presented by Farmers Insurance Group. We have our 83rd annual event coming up. Exciting stories to tell, nothing more prestigious than having Pete Sampras with us not only this morning but as our tournament honoree. This is a special kickoff to our event, which is also our silver anniversary here at UCLA. Pete has a slight connection with the campus. It's a very special moment to welcome the player that I think is the greatest player of all time. We can debate that forever.
But Pete has won our event twice. Certainly one of the greatest Southern California champions of all time naturally, someone who is coming back to play a reprise of his 2000 final with Marat Safin.
Pete, welcome aboard. Thanks again for tennis for making the trip to London.
PETE SAMPRAS: No problem. Thanks again for having me. It was great being over at Wimbledon seeing Roger break my record. A little bittersweet, but it was nice to be there, up with all the champions, Laver, Borg, Santana.
But I'm excited to play in L.A. I haven't played in this area in quite a while. I've always enjoyed the court at UCLA. I've won there twice, like you said. Playing Marat, who is a friend, who is on his way out, I believe he's retiring the end of this year, it's an exciting time, and hopefully I can play well and the fans enjoy it.
PETE HOLTERMANN: We'll go ahead and open it up to questions.
Q. Are there days that you might think you retired too early?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. No. The last couple years of my career were pretty exhausting, not winning any titles. I think once I was at the bottom of the mountain there, losing Wimbledon, being as low as I could possibly be, losing on Court 2, then coming back and winning the Open, you know, I had nothing left in the tank. I had nothing left emotionally. Physically I could have kept going. Probably would have done okay. But emotionally I was cooked. It was time for me to go.
I gave myself eight months to a year to really see if I would want to play again. Once Wimbledon came and went again the next year, I knew it was time for me to move on. It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the right decision.
Q. How competitively are you taking the match with Marat? It's a great way for you to sort of relive the old days when you played that great final. Are you going out there looking to take a scalp or have some fun?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think a little bit of both. We want to have some fun, a lighthearted match. At the same time he's competitive, I'm competitive. He's not going to want to lose to someone that's close to 40. All these matches against the current guys, I want to play well. I don't want to embarrass myself. If I can pull off a set, I'm ecstatic. If I can win the match, that's even better.
For me, as I can tell you now, having hit three or four days, I'm not nearly as good as I used to be. I don't move as well. To play one match every four months, it's a little unsettling. I'm not building off anything. I hopefully can find my game kind of through the first set and see where it goes from there.
It's competitive, but we're having fun. When the point starts, I'm going to want to win the point.
Q. Pete, can you talk a little bit about the relationship you've had with Marat over the years. You mentioned that you consider him a friend. I wonder who you may be still in touch with on the tour and what your relationship is with him.
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, Marat and I have always gotten along very well when we were playing. He's a really nice guy, great player, showed what he could do especially at the US Open the one year, he tuned me up pretty good. He's an expressive guy on the court, shows emotion. Off the court, he's a happy-go-lucky guy. I was pretty reserved when I was playing, to myself. For whatever reason, he and I seemed to get on really well. We practiced quite a bit together.
You know, he's a champion. He got to No. 1. He won a major, I think two majors. It's sad to see him go because I think he brought a lot to the sport. Haven't sort of kept in contact with him. But certainly when I see him, we'll talk about some of our matches. He's always asking me, when Paul was coaching Henman, he would ask Paul, How is Pete doing? He was always just a personable guy, really nice guy, and someone that I've always gotten along really well with.
Q. Who else on the tour now, anybody you stay in touch with?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, you know, with this text messaging, it's easy to stay in touch without talking. Roger and I have gotten to be pretty good friends over the past couple years. I text a little bit with James Blake. I sent Andy a little email after his loss. There's some older guys. Courier I still stay in touch with, Andre every now and again. This whole technology of BlackBerry and text messaging has made it easier to stay in touch with everybody. Alex O'Brien, who lives in L.A., Justin Gimelstob, quite a few guys that I used to compete against that I stay in touch with.
Q. I listened to your comments after the Wimbledon final. I don't know if you were asked this, how much Federer's record against Nadal affects your opinion? You were widely called the greatest ever by so many different people, had a positive record against your main rival, Andre.
PETE SAMPRAS: Very good question and tough question to answer. I do understand the argument as far as being the best ever. You have to be the man of your generation. He has come up short against Nadal. I can see the point.
It's hard to answer that. I don't know how to answer it. You know, it's not done yet. Roger's career isn't done yet. He's going to play Nadal a number of times over the next number of years, and he has to beat him. He has to beat him in the finals of majors. To be considered the greatest ever, he certainly in my book is. But he has to figure this kid out. He has to beat him. He's lost to him a number of times. You know, you got to be the man of your generation. He certainly is the man of his generation; he just has to figure out Nadal.
Q. Personalize it a little bit. When you retired, if you had that type of record against Andre, had a negative record against him in the majors, would you have been satisfied, been able say I'm going away from this, I have my 14, Andre got the better of me in a lot of my great matches, but no big deal because I won the most titles anyway?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, God, you're giving it some thought, huh (laughter)?
Q. Yes.
PETE SAMPRAS: It would have bothered me if I had a losing record against Andre in majors. It wouldn't have sat well with me. Did it mean I was the greatest or not the greatest? I don't know. It's the debate of greatest of all time. We so badly want to pin it on someone. With the numbers you have to give it to Roger. His record against Nadal, okay, you might not give it to him.
I mean, if I was 7-15 against Andre and I was done, it's hard to say I was the player of my generation just because he got the best of me. Like I said, the story's not over yet. We have another probably three, four years of these two guys competing against each other. If anything, I think Nadal is going to be hungrier now seeing Roger getting back to No. 1.
It's hard to give you a definitive answer when it's not done yet. I think Roger knows he's got to figure out this kid. It's a tough, tough matchup. Nadal is one of the few guys that believes in himself that he's better than Roger.
Q. Do you ever have the urge to take a wild card? You played Roger in the exhibitions. Do you ever have the urge to try to play in a tournament if they gave you a wild card?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, no. What I'm doing now is fine for me. It keeps me in shape. I still enjoy playing every now and again. To really lay it on the line against the guys today is not in me. I've been asked occasionally, but the answer is no.
Q. How about setting up an exhibition with Andre?
PETE SAMPRAS: We set up to play one in Macau later in the year. I hear he's gonna play a little bit. I'd love to play against Andre. It's a great ticket to come watch us both play, and hopefully we can do some more next year. I'm open to it. We'll see if Andre is into it.
We're doing one this year. We'll see how it goes. We'll go from there.
Q. A question about the US Open Series. It didn't exist when you were playing. Your XO is taking place during the calendar. What do you make of that format?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, to be quite honest with you, I'm so out of touch with those sort of things, that I don't -- I'm not really sure what it is. I can't really comment on it. Is it a number of tournaments you get points and you get more prize money at the end or something?
Q. Correct.
PETE SAMPRAS: I mean, I don't know. I don't stay in touch with those sort of things. I'll watch the Open. Other than that, I can't really comment on the series, if it's good or bad for the sport.
Q. On the No. 1 ranking, obviously Roger has a chance to finish the year No. 1. It's been pretty rare for someone to lose the year-end No. 1 ranking and regain it.
PETE SAMPRAS: It happens all the time.
Q. The year-end No. 1. Finishing the year No. 1. Only one person has finished the year No. 1, lost it the following year, then regained it. That was Ivan Lendl in the '80s. I'm talking about finishing the year No. 1.
PETE SAMPRAS: Got you.
Q. You did it six years in a row, you lost it, didn't regain it. I think your priorities shifted. Why do you think that's been such a rare occurrence?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think being No. 1 and staying No. 1 takes a lot of work. I think once you lose it, it is hard to get it back, especially if you've been up for a number of years. For me, I was cooked. I had other priorities. Whereas Roger, you know, he's not playing Davis Cup. He's got more time and energy to play more tournaments to get more points.
It's a testament of his resolve to get back there, the champion that he is, to get it back. He probably will finish No. 1. Why doesn't it happen more? I just think it's hard to get it back when you lose it, especially as you get older, like I did.
Q. Do you think the hard court season in the U.S. is in decline? Do you think that's a good thing or a bad thing for the game?
PETE SAMPRAS: The tournaments are in decline in which way?
Q. Used to be a long season, hard court season, everybody played. A couple of Masters. Indianapolis a while ago was somewhat demoted. Some of the European players express reservations about playing in the US Open Series.
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, it's a good point. If you look who's dominating the game, Roger, Nadal, Djokovic, Murray, the Europeans, it's hard for these guys to come over early. You go through the Open, they're here for two months. It's not easy.
In Roger's situation, he plays a few events that work well for him to prepare for the Open, and he calls it a day. The tournaments like L.A., the earlier events, get hurt. Certainly someone like Roddick or Blake, being in the U.S., will support those events. Still it loses the top guys.
It's unfortunate. It's a tough demand for these guys to come over for two months. It's like me going from Monte-Carlo through Wimbledon or something. It's a long time. You want to get home. So it takes a hit. It's hard for these guys to come over early.
The US Open Series I think won't be as successful because you're not getting the guys over here early enough. There are too many events.
Q. Would you like to comment on how special it was for you watching Roger winning his 15th Grand Slam.
PETE SAMPRAS: It was an historic moment. I was happy I was there. It was quite a trip, but it was well worth it, sitting there watching these two guys battle in an epic match, being up there with Laver, Borg, Santana. As much as we were happy for Roger, I think we were -- we felt bad for Andy because he played well enough to win. He's going to feel this loss for quite a while.
It was a great ending. To be down there with Roger, Laver and Borg, taking pictures with the trophy, doesn't happen very often in sports. To be part of that was pretty cool.
Q. What did you, Borg and Laver talk about after the match?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, not much. Sitting with Santana, had a few comments. We were down there talking about -- I was asking Laver how many majors he could have won, Borg, how many he could have won if he kept on going. You know, just curiosity. We were just talking. Roger and I talked a little bit about the match, how he was having a hard time picking up his serve, how well Andy played. That was pretty much it. It was just a quick little time.
Q. How would you rate your chances against Safin in the match coming up?
PETE SAMPRAS: Not great to actually win the match. He's playing a lot. He's playing every day. I'm so sporadic with my tennis, it's a tough deal. Play every four months, it's not easy to find your confidence, to find your rhythm. It's one of those things where I just have to find it as we go, and that's not always easy, even when I was back in my prime.
I want to play well and do some things I used to be able to do, but obviously I'm not quite as sharp as I used to be.
Q. Have you been training at all?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I've been hitting some balls, stepping it up here over the next couple weeks, go out there and do it.
Q. Any chances of you joining the Senior Tour?
PETE SAMPRAS: I already have. I played a couple here and there. Courier has a couple senior events I played. I've done a couple.
Q. What projects are you involved in post retirement?
PETE SAMPRAS: Not a lot. Just playing occasionally here and there, working on the golf game. I have two boys I'm hanging around with. That's pretty much it.
Q. Did you see any signs of want to coach in the future?
PETE SAMPRAS: Only from home and on my BlackBerry (laughter). I don't see myself going on the road and traveling. You know, never say never. I'm sure Connors never thought he would. As you turn 50, you never know what will come. I'm willing to be home and help out some young kids in the future, but not traveling.
Q. Have you coached your kids thus far?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's more getting them to listen more than coaching. They play every now and again. I'm just trying to keep them in line and behaving. Nothing more than that. But if they're into it as they get older, I'm cool with that.
Q. I'm going to put you on a spot. Rod Laver in his press conference at Wimbledon was asked Federer or Sampras. He picked you, based on your ability to bring heat, big serve, volley. Can you comment on that, whether you think there's not really a weakness in Roger's game or whether Roger would be vulnerable to the level of power you could bring to the court on grass?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think one thing Roger doesn't see on grass the last number of years is really a true serve and volleyer, someone that's willing to come in and put the pressure on and make him pass, make him return. With these big serves, I don't think anyone really scares him. I think my game would make Roger a little bit more uncomfortable. I would obviously come in on both serves and put the pressure on his backhand, sort of go from there.
If I would beat him? If I felt my best on grass, I did feel unbeatable, especially in the mid '90s. I was a tough guy to break, played well from the back court to have chances, and I moved well enough.
It's a flattering comment. Do I think I could have beaten Roger in my prime? Sure. I don't think anyone could beat me in my prime on grass. As Roger now, he feels unbeatable.
My game would make him uncomfortable. It would make him like he's not having to stay back and work his way at the point. I would sort of dictate the play. But, you know, he'd be a tough guy to break, especially when he's hitting 50 aces like he did. It would have been a great matchup.
Q. Can you respond to some local criticism here that maybe you haven't given back to the sport, to the city you grew up in, as much as some of the locals would like, you haven't come to the tournament at UCLA, that kind of stuff.
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I'm coming this year. You have to understand when you retire from your sport, you need a few years to sort of decompress and get away from it. I have the last couple years played and been around. You know, I've done what I could do when I was playing. I've done what I could do since I retired. I like being home. I've had the chance to play in L.A. here. I played a little exhibition in Anaheim a few years back.
I'm all for helping some of these kids. I've talked to the USTA about doing some things. Nothing seems to have come out of that. But I've done what I could. Maybe as I get a little bit older, I'll do a little bit more.
Q. Do you understand some people saying just stopping by, waving to the crowd? You understand how the locals might feel, right?
PETE SAMPRAS: Waving to who?
Q. To the fans out at UCLA, those kinds things, ceremonial kind of deal.
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I'm not into ceremonies. That's not for me, it never has been. I live a pretty private life. I like to play. I'll play in front of people. But to go and do a wave, it's just not for me. I'm a pretty shy guy. I don't like to really do too many things.
But I'll be there this year. They're going to honor me, so I'll be there.
Q. How about the match coming up at UCLA, that should be fun?
PETE SAMPRAS: I'm looking forward to it. Safin is a great player. He's retiring this year. We've had some pretty good battles. He got me pretty good there in the Open. I got him the next year. Hits the ball hard and well. He's a good athlete. I got my hands full here. Hopefully I'll prepare and play well.
Q. Seems like you're keeping yourself in great shape.
PETE SAMPRAS: Trying to. Working out, eating well. As you get older, it's a little tougher to stay lean. I've been keeping myself in good shape. If I'm gonna play, I don't want to embarrass myself. I want to play well, hold my own. Realistically it's hard for me to win some of these matches against the current guys. But I just want to play well. If I can pull off a few things here and there, I'd be happy.
Q. Can you talk about Roddick's improvements over the last five months. Looked like he was 20 or 30% a better player.
PETE SAMPRAS: Watching him play, he's moving a ton better. I think he's lost some weight and is moving better. Roger obviously moves a little bit better. When they got into those exchanges, Roger is gonna win 'em. He's doing that better. His backhand sort of drive is better up the line. He's slicing a little better. His transition game has gotten better. As you saw on that set point, 6-5, he's still a little uncomfortable, but he's getting better at it.
I was sitting up there watching, just serve and volley one time on your second serve because all Roger does is chip it. Put something in his head.
He's improved a great deal, is serving big, moving better. I think he realized he had to start moving better to compete with Nadal and Roger. Those guys move great. So he's on the right track. I just hope mentally this didn't take a lot out of him. It might for a little bit. This is a great opportunity to beat Roger on that court in his prime, to get his first Wimbledon, he's still feeling it. All he can take away is that he had it, he's improving, and hopefully one day he'll get his name on that trophy.
Q. Do you think he'll be able to turn it around by US Open time?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think by the Open he will. I think it might be a slow start, the first event or two he'll play this summer. The Open, he'll be ready. If anything, he gained a lot more support from the people. He's going to feel that there, feel the energy, feel like he can compete with anybody.
At the same time, I think it's going to take a few weeks of tennis to get it out of his system. He'll just move ahead and hopefully not look back too much. I'm sure he's replaying some of those points in his head. Sports is a cruel game. Unfortunately, he's feeling it now. But by the Open he should be fine.
PETE HOLTERMANN: I want to thank everyone for their time, especially you, Pete, for joining us. We'll let you go.
BOB KRAMER: It's a privilege to have you back again to relive some of the great memories here at the event. Thanks for your commitment to tennis. You've given back plenty and we're grateful for that.
PETE SAMPRAS: Thank you.
End of FastScripts 7/21/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras, Safin Resume Rivalry In LA|:||:|1248182070|:|
By Richard Pagliaro
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The seven-time Wimbledon winner returned to the the place he once called "a tennis cathedral" to watch Roger Federer break the all-time Grand Slam record they once shared with an epic 77-game win over Andy Roddick in the Wimbledon final. But these days Pete Sampras stays busy as a full-time father to his two sons, honing his swing on the golf course and ocassionally pushing players' buttons — tennis traditionalist Sampras, the man known for wearing all white and wielding the same Wilson Pro Staff strung with gut, has found technology and uses it to stay in touch with his friends on Tour.
"With this text messaging, it's easy to stay in touch without talking. Roger (Federer) and I have gotten to be pretty good friends over the past couple years," Sampras told the media in a conference call on Tuesday. "I text a little bit with James Blake. I sent Andy (Roddick) a little email after his loss. There's some older guys. Courier I still stay in touch with, Andre (Agassi) every now and again. This whole technology of BlackBerry and text messaging has made it easier to stay in touch with everybody. Alex O'Brien, who lives in L.A., Justin Gimelstob, quite a few guys that I used to compete against that I stay in touch with."
Sampras will renew his rivalry with Marat Safin when the pair stage a US Open rematch at the LA Tennis Open later this month.
The14-time Grand Slam champion, who held the No. 1 ranking for a record 286 weeks, will return to the LA Tennis Center at UCLA for the "Millennium Challenge" as part of the 83rd annual LA Tennis Open. Two-time LA Tennis Open champion Sampras meets Safin on opening night, July 27, in a rematch of the 2000 US Open final against Safin.
"I'm looking forward to it. Safin is a great player," Sampras said. "He's retiring this year. We've had some pretty good battles. He got me pretty good there in the Open. I got him the next year. Hits the ball hard and well. He's a good athlete. I got my hands full here. Hopefully I'll prepare and play well."
The 38-year-old Sampras, who pushed Lleyton Hewitt in a competitive exhibition in Memphis earlier this year, said he enters the exhibition with Safin hoping he can both compete and entertain.
"We want to have some fun, a light-hearted match. At the same time he's competitive, I'm competitive," Sampras said. "He's not going to want to lose to someone that's close to 40. All these matches against the current guys, I want to play well. I don't want to embarrass myself. If I can pull off a set, I'm ecstatic. If I can win the match, that's even better. For me, as I can tell you now, having hit three or four days, I'm not nearly as good as I used to be. I don't move as well. To play one match every four months, it's a little unsettling. I'm not building off anything. I hopefully can find my game kind of through the first set and see where it goes. It's competitive, but we're having fun. When the point starts, I'm going to want to win the point."
Winning the match, of course, may prove to be more problematic. Asked to assess his chances against Safin, Sampras replied: "Not great to actually win the match. He's playing a lot. He's playing every day. I'm so sporadic with my tennis, it's a tough deal. Play every four months, it's not easy to find your confidence, to find your rhythm. It's one of those things where I just have to find it as we go, and that's not always easy, even when I was back in my prime. I want to play well and do some things I used to be able to do, but obviously I'm not quite as sharp as I used to be."
The temperamental titan won the first of his two career Grand Slam titles with that win over Sampras in New York, a 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 victory that saw Safin overpower Sampras, and holds a 4-3 edge over the American in professional matches. Safin won their last meeting, which came in the fourth round of the 2002 Australian Open.
Though their on-court demeanors completely contrasted — the stoic Sampras vs. the sometime volatile Safin — Sampras said the pair were friends and often practice partners during their days on the ATP Tour.
"Marat and I have always gotten along very well when we were playing," Sampras said. "He's a really nice guy, great player, showed what he could do especially at the US Open the one year, he tuned me up pretty good. He's an expressive guy on the court, shows emotion. Off the court, he's a happy go lucky guy. I was pretty reserved when I was playing, to myself. For whatever reason, he and I seemed to get on really well. We practiced quite a bit together."
Safin will retire from the ATP Tour at the end of this year and Sampras said he is "sad" to see the former World No. 1 call it quits.
"You know, he's a champion. He got to No. 1. It's sad to see him go because I think he brought a lot to the sport," Sampras said. "(I) haven't sort of kept in contact with him. But certainly when I see him, we'll talk about some of our matches. He's always asking me, when (Sampras' former coach) Paul (Annacone) was coaching (Tim) Henman, he would ask Paul, 'How is Pete doing?' He was always just a personable guy, really nice guy, and someone that I've always gotten along really well with."
In 2002, Sampras won his final tournament, the US Open, giving him a record 14 Grand Slam titles. In his career, Sampras was 762-222, including 64 titles in 88 finals. He held the year-end No. 1 ranking for a record six consecutive years (1993-98). In seven appearances at the LA Tennis Open, Sampras was 19-5, with two titles in three finals. He was enshrined at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.
During the Monday evening session, a ceremony will be held to recognize Sampras as the 2009 LA Tennis Open tournament honoree. This award has been given annually since 1985 to a person who has greatly influenced the growth of tennis through their playing career and other contributions to the sport.
While some have questioned whether Sampras has given back his time and energy to the sport he once ruled, he suggested he is willing to work with juniors in L.A. or Carson, California — if the USTA is interested in his services. Tom Gullikson, Sampras' former Davis Cup captain and twin brother of his former coach Tim Gullikson, currently coaches for the USTA in Carson.
"I'm all for helping some of these kids. I've talked to the USTA about doing some things. Nothing seems to have come out of that," Sampras said. "But I've done what I could. Maybe as I get a little bit older, I'll do a little bit more."
And while he stays in touch with several top pros via email, Sampras said he has no desire to pursue a full-tme coaching gig — unless he could home-school a player.
"Only from home and on my BlackBerry," Sampras said with a laugh when asked about the prospect of coaching in the futurre. "I don't see myself going on the road and traveling. You know, never say never. I'm sure Connors never thought he would. As you turn 50, you never know what will come. I'm willing to be home and help out some young kids in the future, but not traveling."
In addition to this Monday night match against Sampras, Safin will play in the main draw of the LA Tennis Open. It will be the sixth appearance for the Russian in the tournament, having gone 6-5 with two quarterfinals in his previous efforts in LA. A former World No. 1, the 2000 US Open and 2005 Australian Open are among Safin's 15 career titles.
For more information, please visit www.LATennisOpen.com or call (310) 824-1010.
7/21/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Says Nadal Challenges Federer's GOAT Claim|:||:|1248181941|:|
July 14, 2009
From his prominent perch in the Royal Box behind a pair of stylish shades, Pete Sampras joined Hall of Famers Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg and Manolo Santana in watching Roger Federer break the Grand Slam record they shared.
The second-seeded Federer withstood an inspired Andy Roddick rally in the fourth set, then scored his sole service break in the last game to earn a dramatic 5-7, 7-6(6), 7-6(5), 3-6, 16-14 triumph to regain the Wimbledon championship, recapture the World No. 1 ranking and re-write tennis history in stirring style. After the match, Sampras and John McEnroe were among the former champions who dubbed Federer with the mythical Greatest of All Time title.
"I have to give it to him," Sampras said after the record-breaking 77-game final. "The critics say Laver. And (Rafael) Nadal has beaten him a few times at majors. He's won all the majors, he's won 15 now, he's going to win a few more here. So in my book he is (the GOAT)."
Yet, Sampras concedes there is one player who threatens the Federer's status as GOAT — Rafael Nadal. The World No. 2 owns a 13-7 career record vs. Federer, including three consecutive wins in major finals.
In a conference call with the media today to promote his exhibition match against Marat Safin on July 27 at UCLA on opening night of the L.A. Tennis Open, Sampras conceded the quandary Federer faces is that while many champions have named the Swiss stylist the Greatest Of All Time, you can make a clear the case he is not even the best of this time.
Skeptics point to Nadal's mastery of Federer in their head-to-head series and the fact Nadal has won six of their eight meetings in major finals — including victories on three different surfaces in the Australian Open final, Roland Garros final and Wimbledon final — as a sign the strong-willed Spaniard has the World No. 1's number.
While Sampras himself has bestowed the GOAT on Federer, he suggested today Federer must find a way to beat Nadal consistently in order to truly be called the GOAT.
"Tough question to answer. I do understand the argument as being the best ever you have to be the best of your generation and he has come up short against Nadal," Sampras said. "I can see the point and it's hard to answer it. It's not done yet. Roger's careeer isn't done yet and he has to beat (Nadal) and he's got to beat him in the final of majors. In my book he is (the greatest of all time), but he has to figure this kid out. He has to beat him. You've gotta be the man of your generation. Roger certainly is the man of his generation, but he's got to figure out how to beat Nadal."
Federer can play shots that only a tennis genius can produce. While Federer's brilliance is undeniable, his losing streak to Nadal makes me wonder: was his genius magnified by the fact he was playing people like Hewitt and Roddick in major finals who could not take advantage of his vulnerabilities the way Rafael Nadal can?
That's one of the challenges of rating players beyond their generation as I did in statistically examining the greatest players of all time: Federer is unquestionably a great champion, but was his dominance due in part to the fact that there was no one to push him except Nadal?
Sampras, for example, had Andre Agassi at his best (at least most years), Boris Becker, Jim Courier, Stefan Edberg, Gustavo Kuerten, Richard Krajicek, Michael Stich, Goran Ivanisevic, Michael Chang, Marcelo Rios, Ivan Lendl, Petr Korda and Thomas Muster.
It seems to me that the competition was a lot stronger than the competition Federer has played over the years. Now I think it's changing with Nadal pursuing his own career Grand Slam and Andy Murray, Novak Djokovic and Roddick all improving. Federer's foes in the top four are all quick and Nadal, Murray and Djokovic all have better backhands.
Sampras and Andre Agassi are two of the greatest Grand Slam champions of all time and over the years their riveting rivalry has produced some timeless tennis — and tireless debate among fans over which will own the more prominent place in history.
The archrivals began the 2002 U.S. Open as the two oldest seeded players in the draw and concluded it with a climactic clash that saw Sampras capture his 14th and final career Grand Slam crown with a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over archrival Agassi. It was the 34th and final professional meeting between the old rivals with Sampras holding a 20-14 career edge.
Recalling his rivalry with Agassi, Sampras said if Agassi had led their head-to-head series, it would have caused the 14-time Grand Slam champion to question his own status as his generation's top player.
"It would bother me if I had a losing record against Andre in majors," Sampras said. "Does it mean I was the greatest or not the greatest? The greatest of all time is (a label) we want to pin it on someone. With the numbers you have to give it to Roger; with (Federer's) record against Nadal you might not give it to him. If I was 7-13 against Andre it would be hard to say I was the best of my generation. It's hard to give a definitive answer when he's not done yet. Roger knows he has to figure out this kid, but it's a tough match up. Nadal is one of the few guys who believes he is better than him."
Sampras said he believes Federer's most formidable foe on Wimbledon's Centre Court could be himself — a big server who could bring the heat, attack net and pressure the multi-talented Swiss into hitting shots from defensive positions on court. Laver himself said he would give Sampras the edge on grass over Federer because of Sampras' searing serve and his ability to attack.
"A true serve and volleyer that's willing to come in and put the pressure on him (would be a threat)," Sampras said. "As big as Andy serves I don't think anyone really scares him. I think my game would make him a little bit more uncomfortable. I would obviously come in on both serves and put the pressure on his backhand. Would I beat him? I felt at my best on grass I was unbeatable there. It's a flattering comment (Laver made). Do I think I could have beaten Roger in my prime? Sure, I don't think anyone could beat me in my prime on grass. Roger probably feels unbeatable now. He'd be a tough guy to break, especially if he was hitting 50 aces. It would be a great match up." 7/04/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Unlikely union of Federer-Sampras|:||:|1246725759|:|
June 29, 2009
WIMBLEDON, England -- On his way to victory last month in Paris, Roger Federer regularly received best wishes from one of his biggest fans back in California.
"He was writing me, always [texting] during the French and congratulating me," Federer said. "He is a class act."
Those texts, oddly enough, were from Pete Sampras, whose Grand Slam record Federer was in the process of equaling. Yes, from Sampras, the former player whose sparkling résumé is missing only one thing -- a title at Roland Garros.
Sampras and Federer. It is an unlikely union, for they couldn't be more different in terms of style, temperament and personality.
In 1971, Sampras was born in Washington, D.C., to Greek immigrant parents. A decade later, almost to the day, Federer came into the world outside of Basel, Switzerland, the product of two pharmaceutical workers. Sampras moved to California at the age of 7 so he could play tennis all the time. Federer, who lived in a town near both the French and German borders, once aspired to be a professional soccer player.
Sampras is a gym rat, a jock, who likes nothing better than to chill out and watch his Los Angeles Lakers. Federer is a suave citizen of the world. He speaks four languages -- Swiss German, German, French and English -- fluently in his postmatch news conferences. Sampras, a man of few words, always disdained his meetings with the media. Federer is friendly with most players in the locker room; Sampras was isolated and, quite often, lonely.
But with a racket in their hand, Sampras and Federer share so much. They both stand 6-foot-1 and weigh about 185 pounds. In the context of their narrow generations, it can be argued, they possessed the best serve and forehand. The subtle difference? Sampras played more aggressively, working his way ever forward; Federer plays along the baseline with the cool detachment of a surgeon slicing skin with a scalpel.
And, at least for today, they are bound by history. Federer and Sampras have each won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, the record. On Sunday, that delicate equilibrium could shift forever.
On Friday, Federer became the first man to reach seven consecutive finals at Wimbledon. He sent 31-year-old Tommy Haas home with a typically clean 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-3 victory and will play the winner of the match between Andy Murray and Andy Roddick.
"I really felt when I was done, that [the record] was going to stand for quite a while," Sampras said Monday in an interview with ESPN at his Southern California home. "Little did I know that Roger Federer was going to come around eight years later and is probably going to break me. If not in the next few days, probably in the next few months or year or so.
6/30/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|A Tennis King Content to Stay Home|:||:|1246365251|:|
June 28, 2009
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — As soon as Pete Sampras sat down for lunch Friday, his cellphone started vibrating. Someone was answering the S O S he had placed after running after his two revved-up children all morning. The voice on the other end was confirming his boat rental at Lake Sherwood for later in the afternoon.
Sampras, desperate for his two sons, Christian, 6, and Ryan, 3 ½, to catch a few moments of repose, was taking them fishing.
He repeated the name of the boat, the better to commit it to memory: Low Profile.
How fitting. In the years when Sampras, 37, ruled tennis, he was the cloistered king, his towering legacy built on a windowless, steely structure of repetition and ritual.
Since his retirement in 2003, Sampras has been no more visible, retreating to the light- and noise-filled world of fatherhood, his focus on the development of his living legacies.
Sampras could receive an urgent phone call some time in the next few days from an All England Club official, perhaps, or maybe a network executive hoping to lure him to London for the Wimbledon men’s final if Roger Federer were to grace it.
If Federer, who is through to the fourth round, wins his sixth Wimbledon title, he will earn his 15th major singles championship, one more than Sampras’s record total.
Would Sampras go to England to smile upon his successor? "I'm not sure," he said.
It would be a long way to travel for a cameo appearance, he said. And it would require leaving his boys — or less palatable still, taking them.
"Have you ever tried traveling with a 6-year-old and a 3-year-old?" he said, laughing.
If any place has the power to pull Sampras out of his routine, it is Wimbledon. For Sampras, it became more than a tournament; it was a time share he possessed for two weeks every summer.
Wimbledon is the place that holds many of his fondest memories. It is where he won seven singles titles, losing only four service games in those seven finals. It is where, in 2000, he came from one set down to defeat Pat Rafter and supplant Roy Emerson as the most-decorated men’s tennis champion, with 13 major titles. (Sampras added the United States Open crown in 2002, long after most people had given him up for gone.)
These two weeks, when Wimbledon dominates the sports headlines, are the only time, Sampras said, that he misses tournament tennis.
"Centre Court, there's no other place like it," he said. "It just gives you a buzz."
The 2000 Wimbledon crown was Sampras's fourth in a row, but it was anything but routine. "It was a tough two weeks," he said. He was hospitalized in the first week with a shin injury that continued to bother him despite cortisone injections and acupuncture treatments. At one point, he told his girlfriend, Bridgette, who is now his wife, that he might have to withdraw from the tournament.
Then there were the elements. The weather was so foul that it renewed cries for a retractable roof to be built over Centre Court, and indeed, the project was completed this year. Sampras’s final against Rafter was delayed by rain and interrupted twice by it. The match took more than six hours to complete and came close to being suspended because of darkness.
During one rain delay, Sampras said he asked for another cortisone injection because he could feel the first one wearing off, only to be told it was not an option.
"I knew then I was going to have to tough it out," Sampras said. After he did, winning by 6-7 (10), 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-2, he grew teary.
"The record means so much to me," Sampras said then. "Time will tell if it will be broken. I think in the modern game, it could be very difficult."
The next year, Sampras was eliminated from Wimbledon in the fourth round by a teenager with more tools than a Swiss Army knife. The 19-year-old who pulled off the seismic upset was Federer, the No. 15 seed, who prevailed 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5, and pronounced it "the best win of my life."
Sampras saw that day a player with the ability to someday surpass his record.
"But I didn’t know then if he had the whole package: the game, the heart and the mind," he said.
In 2003, Federer won his first major title, at Wimbledon. By 2006, Sampras had accepted that he would not hold the record for 33 years, as Emerson had. His reign would be short-lived.
"To put up the numbers I did, I knew it was going to take someone who’s not just a great player but also willing to give up some of his life, sort of eat, breathe and live the sport," Sampras said. "Roger is willing to sacrifice and be a great champion."
Of course Sampras would have liked for his record reign to outlive him.
"Absolutely," he said. "But I can honestly say I don't have an issue with Roger passing me. He gets the job done and does it with class."
He added, "I won 14, which is 14 more than I ever thought I’d win."
One aspect of standing alone at the summit is largely overlooked: the isolation. "It was very lonely," Sampras said.
To succeed in the majors, he needed to marshal his energy and concentration. He recalled holing himself up in the house he rented in Wimbledon Village, eating meals prepared for him by his chef, watching rented movies and playing matches over and over in his head.
The solitude that was his companion during his playing days is gone, replaced by the organized chaos of life with two children. Sampras and Bridgette, an actress whose focus is raising her children, have a trampoline in their backyard, for days like Friday, when the boys were bouncing off the walls. It had been a particularly up-and-down morning, replete with timeouts and tears.
"It might be a long summer," Sampras said with a chuckle.
His children, he said, are not interested in sports camps. They are happy to hit tennis balls, but only if their dad is on the other side of the net. They will hit golf balls as long as Sampras is serving as their caddie (they especially like sand traps, which they treat as sandboxes).
Sampras described his boys as homebodies. Ryan, with his dark mop of hair and dark eyes, bears the greater physical resemblance to Sampras; Christian appears to have inherited his temperament.
"He is a creature of habit," Sampras said. "He doesn't like change." He added: "Christian's like I was as a kid. He's much more sensitive and reserved."
At the house after lunch, Sampras and his wife were trying to persuade Christian to sit still long enough for a photographer to take a few pictures. Christian wriggled out of his clutches. Running down the hall in his stocking feet, he shouted, "I don’t want my picture in the newspaper."
That, right there, seemed like the perfect snapshot.
Source: New York Times
6/13/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras and Agassi to Duel in Macao|:||:|1244863025|:|
HONG KONG June 12, 2009 - One of the great sports rivalries of the last decade will resume later this year in Macao, when Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi go head to head once again on Sunday, Oct. 25.
Yes, October. The event -– billed as the Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown 2009 -– will take place at the Venetian casino, on the Cotai Strip, and tickets have already gone on sale for the event.
Agassi and Sampras will take court at the 15,000-seater CotaiArena, with prices ranging from 280 Macanese patacas to 980 patacas (about $35 to $122).
Sampras and Agassi clashed 34 times throughout their long careers, with Sampras winning 20 of the meetings. But this is the first time they have faced off against each other since the final of the 2002 U.S. Open, which Sampras won in four sets, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, just before announcing his retirement.
The pair have had many memorable clashes and have each said that the other was his toughest opponent. The serve-volleyer Sampras won 64 professional singles titles, while the baseliner Agassi won 60. They formed an integral part of a glorious generation of American tennis that also included Michael Chang and Jim Courier.
The exhibition match in October will be just two sets, with a 10-point tie breaker to settle the contest if they split sets.
The event will start with a match between two juniors, the Indian player Yuki Bhambri, 16, the current top junior in the world, and the American teenager Ryan Harrison, 17. They will play a 45-minute match of singles, followed by the Agassi-Sampras singles match.
The juniors will then partner the former stars for a set of doubles. They will draw to see who partners whom at a “Meet the Players” press conference the day before the event. No prizes for guessing Harrison’s preferred partner – he cites Sampras as his favorite player, and says he too hopes to be ranked number one in the world.
The Venetian casino has been setting up big-name sports events and concerts in a bid to lure Hong Kongers and visitors over to Macao. This is the third year for a tennis showdown — Sampras played in Macao in 2007, beating Roger Federer 7-6, 6-4, while Federer took on Rafael Nadal last year.
The Venetian Macao is on the Cotai Strip (Estrada da Baia de Nosa Senhora da Esperança, Taipa, Macao; 853-2882-8888). Because of the size of the court, only around 11,000 seats are available for the tennis matches in the CotaiArena. Tickets for the tennis event are available, with a maximum of six per person, via the Web site. The Venetian says around half of the tickets have sold so far. 6/08/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras: It was Roger's time to win|:||:|1244448510|:|
PARIS -- It was an early morning for Pete Sampras in California.
When the French Open final between Roger Federer and Robin Soderling began half a world away, it was about 6 a.m. at Sampras' home in Los Angeles.
Less than two hours later, he was no longer the exclusive holder of the most Grand Slam singles titles by a man. After Federer beat Soderling in straight sets, Federer and Sampras each have 14 major championships.
According to Sampras' agent, Grant Chen, Sampras watched the match at home Sunday.
"I followed [Federer's] results and saw some highlights," Sampras said in quotes provided by the ATP World Tour. "People were saying that he was struggling, but as great players normally do, they find a way to win.
"I believe in destiny, and it was Roger's time to win in Paris."
Sampras is 37 years old now, and it's been nearly seven years since he won his final major at the 2002 U.S. Open. He lives a quiet life now with his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, and spends a lot of time playing golf and chasing his two sons, Christian, 6, and Ryan, 3.
When he retired, Sampras thought his record was safe for longer than seven years.
"I didn't think it would only take seven years to tie it," Sampras admitted. "It feels like I'm in good company with Roger. If there was someone I would want to be tied with and maybe one day my record to be broken, I hoped it would be someone like Roger."
How many majors will Federer wind up with?
"It's hard to put a number on it," Sampras said. "But now -- I know it's a different sport -- he might have his eyes on [Jack] Nicklaus' 18 Grand Slams record."
Federer has now reached 15 of the last 16 Grand Slam finals; Sampras reached a total of 18 finals. "It's incredible," Sampras said. "I never would have thought that some one would be as consistent as Lendl's eight consecutive U.S. Open finals. But this surpasses it, and to do it on all surfaces, it's a reflection of his game and his career."
Sampras was asked how he would have fared if he had played in Federer's era.
"I think I would have had my fair share of wins, and he would have had his fair share of wins," Sampras said. "We have similar temperaments and contrasting styles of play, which would have made for a great rivalry.
"Our rivalry potentially would have transcended the sport."
Will Sampras come back to Wimbledon -- for the first time since losing there in 2002 -- if Federer reaches the final and is on the cusp of breaking his record?
That is TBD.
Source: ESPN 6/02/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras demonstrates Wii Game|:||:|1243954881|:|
June 2, 2009
Tennis legend Pete Sampras joined EA Sports’ boss Peter Moore on stage to show off their Wii-exclusive and MotionPlus enabled tennis game "Grand Slam Tennis".
5/21/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to play Agassi for first time since retiring|:||:|1242910492|:|
MACAU - Tennis legends Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi will renew their epic rivalry later this year for the first time since the US Open final in 2002.
The two Americans, who played each other 34 times, have not faced off since Sampras won that classic match and then retired.
But they will be back on court in front of 15,000 fans at the Venetian Macau Showdown on October 25 for an exhibition.
"I really enjoy playing, keeping sharp and staying in shape. It's great to see Andre playing again as well, after the problems with his back," said Sampras.
"My motivation to play Andre in Macau will be playing my rival and the great energy that Macau has, so I am very excited to play him in October."
Asked what he remembered most about facing Agassi, Sampras, who won 20 of their encounters, said it was the intensity of their rivalry.
"Andre had a great return of serve, passing shots and first serve. We always had really tough matches and we brought out the best in each other," he said.
"Back in the mid-90s when we were No.1 and 2 in the world I think it was a great rivalry and we transcended the sport.
"When people ask me who my great rival is I always tell them Andre -- our matches were so competitive, so it will be great to play him again."
Between them they have won 22 Grand Slams.
"I have followed the Macau events featuring Roger (Federer), Pete, John (McEnroe) and Bjorn (Borg) so when the opportunity arose ... I was excited to join such an illustrious roster of top tennis names," said Agassi. - AFP/vm
Visit www.venetiantennisshowdown.com for more info 5/15/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|"Millennium Challenge" - Pete vs Safin exhibtion match|:||:|1242392392|:|
May 14, 2009
LOS ANGELES - Pete Sampras, the 14-time Grand Slam Champion who held the No. 1 ranking for a record 286 weeks, will return to the LA Tennis Center at UCLA this summer for the "Millennium Challenge" as part of the 83rd annual LA Tennis Open.
Sampras, a two-time LA Tennis Open champion, will take the court on opening night, July 27, for the "Millennium Challenge," a rematch of the 2000 US Open final against Russian Marat Safin. Safin claimed the first of his two career Grand Slam titles with that win over Sampras in New York, and holds a 4-3 edge over the American in professional matches. Safin won their last meeting, which came in the fourth round of the 2002 Australian Open.
"We're thrilled that Pete Sampras, perhaps our greatest champion, is coming back to the LA Tennis Open," Tournament Director Bob Kramer said. "This will be an outstanding way to kick off our event in 2009. Pete had a great fan following when he played here during his career, and this will be a great way for tennis fans to get to see him play again. It's hard to believe it's been nine years since he and Marat played in the US Open final. The rematch on July 27 should be some great tennis."
In 2002, Sampras won his final tournament, the US Open, giving him a record 14 Grand Slam titles. In his career, Sampras was 762-222, including 64 titles in 88 finals. He held the year-end No. 1 ranking for a record six consecutive years (1993-98). In seven appearances at the LA Tennis Open, Sampras was 19-5, with two titles in three finals. He was enshrined at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in 2007.
During the Monday evening session, a ceremony will be held to recognize Sampras as the 2009 LA Tennis Open Tournament Honoree. This distinguished award has been given annually since 1985 to a person who has greatly influenced the growth of tennis through their playing career and other contributions to the sport. 4/12/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete with Bridgette and the boys|:||:|1239526237|:|
Thanks to Samprasfanz member Patricia for sharing this picture. 3/23/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Beats Rafter To Win Del Mar Development Champions Cup|:||:|1237820661|:|
LOS CABOS, Mexico, March 22 - Pete Sampras saved two set points and defeated Patrick Rafter 7-6 (6), 6-4 Sunday to win the singles title at the $150,000 Del Mar Development Champions Cup, the third event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series champions tennis circuit. Sampras earned a first-prize paycheck of $60,000 for his fifth career title on the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over. Sampras also earned 800 ranking points to overtake John McEnroe as the No. 1 ranked player on the Outback Champions Series with 1600 total ranking points.
“It’s nice to win,” said Sampras. “I’d rather win than lose. It’s still competitive and the people here want see you play tennis.”
Playing on a hard-court surface at the Palmilla Tennis Club, Sampras fought off two set points on his serve at 4-5, 30-40 and at 5-6 in the first-set tie-breaker before pulling out the tie-breaker 8-6. Sampras needed only one service break in the second set to close out the match for his second tournament victory on the Outback Champions Series this season.
“It was definitely a tough match,” said Rafter, the 1997 and 1998 U.S. Open champion playing his debut event on the Outback Champions Series. “Your body isn’t used to playing like this. We are still playing hard, but we don’t move as fast. Pete didn’t serve as well as he could have.”
Sampras said it was an adjustment playing against Rafter and his serve-and-volley game – a style of play that is increasingly become more uncommon in the modern game.
“Pat is a tough competitor – he always has been,” said Sampras. “He plays serve and volley tennis and I haven’t seen that very much lately.”
The Sampras-Rafter final marked the first meeting between the two former U.S. Open champions since the 2001 U.S. Open. Sampras, a five-time U.S. Open champion and owner of a men’s record 14 major singles titles, won 12 of 16 matches with Rafter during their ATP careers. Quipped Rafter of his reunion with Sampras, “I haven’t seen Pete in eight years. He hasn’t changed much. We’re just a bit slower and losing a bit more hair.”
Rafter earned $40,000 for his runner-up showing. In Sunday's third-place match, Jim Courier earned $25,000 by defeating Mats Wilander 6-4, 6-4.
“Tennis above all else should be fun,” said Courier after his third-place victory. “These tournaments allow us to play hard, but we can still enjoy ourselves between sets. I played some great matches here. The level of play has been high. I think this tournament here in Cabo was a great success. The crowd is wonderful. The weather is incredible and really everyone is so happy and friendly.”
Said Wilander of his week in Cabo, “I mostly played all day and at night - most people are here for the same reason - the relaxed lifestyle, the beach and water. Everyone is relaxed. The fans here are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the game. It’s obviously a really new tennis center. With so many people coming to watch, maybe the sport will grow here in Los Cabos and in Mexico.”
The Del Mar Development Champions Cup benefits for Los Cabos Children's Foundation.
Sampras won the opening event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, defeating McEnroe in the final of the Champions Cup Boston in February. McEnroe won the second event of the year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, defeating Courier in the final. Following the Del Mar Development Champions Cup, Outback Champions Series events will be played in Grand Cayman (April 23-26), Newport, R.I. (August 20-23), Charlotte (Sept. 24-27), Surprise, Ariz. (Oct. 8-11) and Dubai, U.A.E. (Nov. 18-21).
Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features some of the biggest names in tennis over the last 25 years, including Andre Agassi, Sampras, McEnroe, Courier and others. To be eligible to compete on the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a major singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. The Outback Champions Series features eight events on its 2009 schedule with each event featuring $150,000 in prize money as well as Champions Series ranking points that will determine the year-end No. 1. The year-end champion will receive a $100,000 bonus.
Source: Champion Series 2/17/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|His game is sore spot|:||:|1234873799|:|
For Sampras, the body and mind now say 'no way'
MEMPHIS - Six hours before he played Lleyton Hewitt on Monday night, Pete Sampras sported what appeared to be a three-day-old beard and talked almost as much about his sore back and arm as he did about the current state of his game.
"I'm 37. Sometimes I feel like a senior," said Sampras, only a few days removed from an appearance on the 30-and-older Champions circuit.
"But I can still serve OK."
As if the 14-time Grand Slam winner needed to prove it, he went out and drilled 10 of his first 11 first serves in the exhibition match before a thrilled sold-out stadium court crowd at The Racquet Club.
"I pride myself on my return of serve, but some of those I couldn't touch," Hewitt said later. "He still serves big."
On this night, however, Hewitt - who is in the main draw this week at the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships - actually served better, if not bigger. Routinely hitting 125 mph on the radar gun, Hewitt also managed to break Sampras at 5-all in the first set and in the first game of the second set on his way to a 7-5, 6-4 victory in a rematch of the 2001 U.S. Open final (won by the Aussie).
Sampras, who gave no quarter during a 14-year career, simply ran into an opponent who has shown no give-up throughout his own illustrious career. Let's just say if Wile E. Coyote had been modeled after Hewitt, that Road Runner character would have been one-and-done.
"I thought it would be a little lighter atmosphere," said Sampras, "but he came out ready to play."
Asked when he knew yukking it up wouldn't be on Hewitt's agenda, Sampras smiled and said, "during warmup."
The former world No. 1 is just five months removed from hip surgery that has helped send his ATP ranking spiraling to No. 103 in the world. While stepping onto the court with Sampras certainly appealed to his sense of history, getting to play before a big crowd appealed to Hewitt's sense of the here and now.
"I haven't played enough matches lately (and) I want to win some more tournaments," said Hewitt, who will face No. 3 seed James Blake in a first-round match Wednesday night. "This was great match practice. There was a buzz in the crowd."
Sampras famously stepped away from the public eye after his epic win over longtime rival Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final. He resurfaced three-plus years later to play in his first exhibition and has since played sporadically - and sometimes spectacularly, pushing and even beating Roger Federer - in events that count a little and others that do not.
But Sampras is fast approaching 40. By his own admission, he doesn't get on the court often, playing as much Wii tennis with his two sons as he does real tennis with his practice partners.
"I think I've figured it out," Sampras said of the video game. "My kids love it, maybe a little bit too much."
To eyeball his serve, though - and during an up-close-and-on-court chance Monday afternoon practice session, that's just what we did - it's clear Sampras hasn't lost any zip. It's the zest that's the problem.
"I could be competitive (on tour) for about a set-and-a-half," Sampras said. "I can still play at a pretty good level, but to do it for two hours two days in a row? I don't have it in my body. I don't have it in my mind."
And if he needed a reminder, Hewitt's topspin lob - generally regarded as the best in the game - provided him more than one Monday night.
"There was a lob or two I was like 'Get up there, Pistol,' but I was not quite getting to them," said Sampras, whose overhead may very well be the best in the sport's history.
"The mind wants to get the ball, but the body's sort of saying 'Easy, big fella.' "
No sense in making the subject that much sorer.
Source: The Huntsville Times 2/17/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video Highlights: Pete - Lleyton Hewitt Exo|:||:|1234872304|:|
Video Highlights
Pre-match Interview
2/17/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Memphis Tennis First Round: Plenty of fire|:||:|1234861231|:|
Neither Sampras nor Hewitt backs down in exhibition match
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
There are flashbacks when the 37-year-old mind of Pete Sampras thinks he's in his 20s again, rippin' and roarin' to 14 Grand Slam championships, $43 million in prize money and six straight years as the No. 1 ranked tennis player on the planet.
"When I serve, hit a crisp volley and move well, it feels good when I sort of hold my own," said Sampras, who won the singles title here in the Memphis tour event in 1996.
"That's the way I was taught to play. Bring the gas and be aggressive."
Then, there are reality checks, like on Monday night in Sampras' 7-5, 6-4 exhibition loss at The Racquet Club to current touring pro Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, almost nine years Sampras' junior.
"There was a lob or two where it was, 'Get up there, Pistol'," Sampras said with a laugh, "but I couldn't get the hops. Your mind wants to get to the ball, but the body is saying, 'Easy big fellow, you're not 27 anymore."
You couldn't have convinced Hewitt of that. Five months removed from hip surgery, Hewitt, who turns 28 in a week, is looking at every opportunity to regain the form that saw him beat Sampras to win the 2001 U.S. Open title and win Wimbledon a year later to rank No. 1 in the world for the second consecutive year.
So while the sellout crowd of 4,755 thought they were watching an exhibition to cap a competitive first day of tennis in the The Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and The Cellular South Cup, Hewitt didn't see it that way.
"When I got asked to play this match, I didn't hesitate," said Hewitt, who plays his first round match on Wednesday againstJames Blake, the 11th ranked player in the world and the No. 3 seed in this tourney. "It was good for old times, but it was great match practice. I need to get back and win some tournaments."
Which is what Sampras got an eyeful of, considering he thought the exhibition might be a lighthearted affair.
"He was cracking the ball in the warmup, there was no smiling going on," Sampras said of Hewitt. "It's tricky for him, because he's playing a guy that is six years retired and he doesn't want to lose, and I don't want to embarrass myself.
"The first couple of games, he came out swinging, I came out swinging, so I thought, 'OK, it's on.' "
For a while, it was. Sampras' big serve kept Hewitt on his heels, like in the third game of the opening set when Sampras boomed four straight aces.
But toward the end of the opening set, Sampras began to tire a bit. Maybe it was age, maybe it was the fact that he played and won the singles title on Sunday in Boston over John McEnroe in the Champions Cup, the opening event of the 2009 Outback Champions series for tennis players 30 years and older.
"The first couple of games, he was poppin' aces to the corners and I thought, 'I don't remember this from Lleyton'," a joking Sampras said. "I want a steroid test on this guy."
Hewitt broke Sampras' serve to take a 6-5 lead at the end of the first set, and never looked back.
Sampras had a few fleeting moments of glory in the second and final set, such as ripping a gorgeous forehand winner down the line past Hewitt in the sixth game. Hewitt responded with two aces to close the game for a 4-2 lead.
"He still hits it big," said Hewitt of Sampras, knowing he had to keep the heat on his elder. "I pride myself on my return of service, but it's hard to get back what you can't touch."
To the bitter end, though, Sampras kept fighting and the crowd kept urging him on. He thoroughly appreciated the support
"It feels great," Sampras said of the love shown by him from the Memphis crowd. "Throughout my career, when you're the best player in the world, you get respect but you don't get that support.
"As I got older and started losing more, they started to cheer for me. It's kind of like what (retired pro golf legend Jack) Nicklaus felt his last few years walking up 18, getting that nice ovation.
"I hope I'm back here next year."
Source: The Commercial Appeal 2/16/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras wants to see Americans contending|:||:|1234787436|:|
Monday, February 16, 2009
There was a period, from 1992 to 2000, when Americans -- well, Pete Sampas and Andre Agassi -- had a monopoly on the sport's marquee Grand Slam.
Sampras won Wimbledon seven times during that stretch and Agassi claimed the 1992 title.
In roughly the same era, Agassi captured four Australian Open and two U.S. Open titles and Jim Courier won two French Open titles and two Australian Opens.
Since those halcyon days, Americans have been relatively absent from the finals of majors. Andy Roddick won the 2003 U.S. Open, his only Grand Slam title, and he reached the finals of Wimbleon in 2005 and the U.S. Open in 2006.
But since his U.S. Open win, Roddick is the only American who has reached the final of a Grand Slam. The current U.S. drought -- 21 consecutive Grand Slams without a title -- is the longest since the late 1950s and early 1960s when Americans went 30 straight without a title.
Sampras, the record-holder for Grand Slam titles with 14, says while U.S. tennis fans appreciate the Roger Federer-Rafael Nadal rivalry, one of the greatest in tennis's history, the presence of an American routinely breaking through to challenge Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray at majors would re-energize the sport in this country.
''I think American fans really got behind tennis; throughout (the 2008 Wimbledon tournament) the ratings were high,'' Sampras said. ''But it would help to have an American in the mix.''
Sampras, 37, will be in Memphis tonight to participate in an exhibition match at 6:30 at The Racquet Club during the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and the Cellular South Cup tournaments. Sampras, who won the Memphis title in 1996, will play former No. 1 and two-time Grand Slam champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia.
Roddick, who reached the semifinals last month at the Australian Open by defeating Djokovic, is ranked sixth in the world and the top seed at this week's RMKC. His game has gotten an early season boost from new coach Larry Stefanki.
Roddick, 26, plays his first match Wednesday as does James Blake, the world No. 11 and the second-ranked American. Blake, 29, is the tournament's No. 3 seed.
With Nadal and Federer dominating at the majors -- Federer has won five straight U.S. Opens, Nadal has won four straight French Opens and the two have combined for the past six Wimbledons -- it has made breaking through difficult for Roddick and Blake.
''Andy and James are very, very good players,'' Sampras said. ''They're not quite to that (Nadal-Federer-Djokovic-Murray) level. I think it would be a huge shot in the arm to the sport if you had an American in the Top 3 winning a major (or) getting to the final of a major.
''Federer and Nadal have done a great job with their rivalry, but I'm not sure if it's going to transcend for years to come in this country. We need Andy, James, or someone coming up, that can challenge these guys and be part of the rivalries.''
While Roddick appears, at this age, to have the best shot at making another run at Grand Slam titles and occasionally toppling the Big Four players, Sampras said both Roddick and Blake remain threats. Blake is coming off the best three-year stretch of his career with two of those years ending in the Top 10.
Blake, however, has never advanced past the quarterfinal round of a major.
''I wouldn't count out James or Andy right now,'' Sampras said. ''I still think they're in contention. They're sort of dark horses at the majors.
''Consistently, I don't know if they're quite good enough to be the Top 2 in the world for a long period of time, but I think they can threaten at a major here or there.''
Sampras said the American tennis public was spoiled in the 1990s by his success and the successes of Agassi and Courier. Beyond Roddick and Blake, America's next Top 10 player has yet to be identified, although 21-year-old Sam Querrey has moved into the Top 40 and 19-year-old Donald Young has potential. Young, who is in this week's RMKC field along with Querrey, reached the Memphis quarterfinals last year, his best showing as a pro.
''I've seen Donald Young,'' Sampras said of the Atlantan, who has been ranked as high as 73 in the world. ''He's good, he's talented, but I'm not sure if he has enough firepower to get into the Top 30 or Top 20. He's a little slim.
''I don't see a crew of guys like we had in the 1990s. Four guys in the Top 10 competing for No. 1 and winning majors. It might be many years before that happens again ... I think Roger's going to dominate for a few more years and Nadal is probably going to carry the torch even longer.''
Source: Memphis Commercial Appeal 2/16/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras still going|:||:|1234773998|:|
Monday, February 16, 2009
Pete Sampras had nearly everything he needed in retirement.
Sampras earned a fortune that will long outlive him, built a staggering legacy with 14 individual Grand Slam titles, and finished a record six consecutive years as the world’s No. 1.
The only thing Sampras lacked in retirement was tennis.
Sampras satisfied that itch by joining the Outback Champions Series and yesterday he dethroned the legendary John McEnroe to capture the Champions Cup Boston title in straight sets at Agganis Arena.
“Tennis keeps me going, it keeps me sharp and keeps me at home focused on something to prepare for,” said Sampras.
“I didn’t pick up a racquet for three years after I retired and I sort of let my body get away. I put on some weight and that didn’t sit well with me. Just playing for three or four months is good for me. I don’t want to do anything more than that because it’s still fun and enjoyable.”
Sampras, who grew up watching McEnroe during his fantastic run in the late 1970s and early ’80s, knows a match between the two in their prime years would have made for compelling theater.
“I really looked up to John, he was my first memory in tennis,” Sampras said. “John was a talented player and when you look at the history of the game, he might just be the most unique player because of his style of play and stroke production.
“It was different but effective, and that serve even to this day is hard to pick up.”
And on the eve of his 50th birthday, McEnroe gave the seven-time Wimbledon champion a serious run for his money.
McEnroe beat Sampras to win this event last year and he came within a few missed serves of repeating.
Sampras, for one, was impressed.
“He’s still in great shape, he has those hands and he’s smart and he’s experienced and he knows which way to go,” Sampras said.
The opening segment was a marathon session that saw Sampras dig out from early deficits in both the set and tiebreaker to take a 1-0 lead. McEnroe won the first three games with an effective serve-and-volley game that kept Sampras on his heels.
After falling behind 4-1, Sampras won three straight games to tie the set, 4-4.
The two players held service in the next four games to send the set into a 10-point tiebreaker. McEnroe again took a 4-1 lead before Sampras worked his way back. He eventually took the tiebreaker, 12-10.
Warmed up at last, Sampras’ legendary power game was in full swing during the second set, continually keeping McEnroe on the defensive.
Both men held service in the first two games, but Sampras began to establish his control of the match with a love service game that gave him a 2-1 lead.
McEnroe held serve to tie the set, 2-2, but he was starting to dig deep just to keep pace. Sampras then put the brilliant lefty away over the next two games, serving three aces to take a 3-2 lead and then breaking McEnroe after a lengthy battle in the sixth game.
That break gave Sampras enough breathing room to eventually take the title, 7-6, 6-4, proving that not even time away can keep him from remaining a winner.
Source: Boston Herald 2/15/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Champions Cup Boston|:||:|1234714938|:|
Pete defeats Todd Martin in their semi-finals match 6-3, 6-4. He will face John McEnroe on Sunday for the title. 2/15/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Audio Link: Pete Interview|:||:|1234713817|:|
Audio interview of Pete in time for his appearance in the Champions Cup in Boston
Link 2/13/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras can relate to Fed's sorrows|:||:|1234492390|:|
February 11, 2009
Although as a player he conducted himself with exemplary single-mindedness, on a recent Sunday afternoon in his Los Angeles living room, Pete Sampras was multitasking no differently than any American with a big screen and a remote.
It was Super Bowl Sunday, and while the game was airing live, Sampras was shuttling back to a tape of the Australian Open final, which had aired in the middle of the previous night -- the match in which Roger Federer took on Rafael Nadal in hopes of tying Sampras' mark of 14 Grand Slam singles titles. As the world knows, it didn't happen. But Sampras, 37, is certain it will soon enough. Said Sampras, "He's so close to my record, he can taste it. We all know he's going to do it."
"I was very curious to see how a hard-court match between them would go," Sampras said this Monday night. He'd just completed an exhibition at the SAP Open in San Jose versus Tommy Haas and was reflecting on what had happened to Federer that evening in Melbourne. Sampras admitted he was surprised to see Federer show so much emotion following his defeat. Said Sampras, "After a loss, you keep it together. It's hurt him more than I'd have thought. He's an emotional player. It kind of caught me off guard. It shows how much he cares."
For much of Federer's reign, there was an obvious comparison to Sampras: two liquid-smooth, classy shot-makers who lived for high-stakes moments and thoroughly dedicated themselves to greatness.
Although Sampras concedes Federer "dominated the game more than I ever did," when it comes to the matter of taking down Nadal, Sampras' approach would have been far different. "If I was Roger, I'd try to come in a little bit more. I'd get into net, particularly when guys stay so far back. If you don't win these points, at least put something in his head. It's rough to see Nadal taking charge of these rallies and hitting ball after ball to Roger's backhand."
True to his word, throughout the exhibition against Haas, Sampras frequently showed off the sharp volleys and commitment to forward movement that often left opponents feeling helpless at the critical stages of matches. While Federer has earned his titles with point-to-point excellence, Sampras was supreme at a brand of gunslinger tennis -- the ability at 4-4 to play six great points and snap up the set in the blink of an eye.
Sampras also respects Nadal. "He's an incredible athlete, one of the strongest on the mental side -- he and [Bjorn] Borg. He's got the mentality of a marathon runner. He plays every point like it's the last point. But he's improving, too. And now he's got the fear factor."
Paul Annacone, Sampras' long-standing coach, once said, "I've never known anyone less likely to push the panic button than Pete Sampras." As he addressed Federer, Sampras was equally tranquil. "He knows what he's doing," Sampras said. "It's not like he's getting killed by the kid. Nadal's gotten in his head. … Roger's got to figure it out."
Still, Sampras' empathy for Federer is vivid. Like Federer, he wracked up Grand Slam titles at a record clip. Like Federer, there came a point at which he found it hard to remain motivated amid the sheer grind of the tour. And like Federer, he knew that as important as it was to perform well in dozens of cities around the world, all those venues paled beside Melbourne, Paris, London and New York. Said Sampras,"You have to find that passion to drive yourself."
Asked whether he'd ever consider coaching, Sampras laughed. "Only from my BlackBerry," he said. Soon enough, he stepped into the streets of San Jose, heading toward the plane ride home and looking forward to another morning with his children.
Source: ESPN 2/13/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video: Pete at the SAP Open|:||:|1234491889|:|
Pete on Roger Federer
Pete Loses His Shoe
2/10/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras plays, laughs at SAP exhibition|:||:|1234268767|:|
February 9, 2009
SAN JOSE — It had more of a Harlem Globetrotters feel than a high-level match, but the crowd at HP Pavilion on Monday night didn't seem all that disappointed.
Pete Sampras gave them more than an hour of entertainment on Day 1 of the SAP Open, and that's all that mattered.
Not even news that James Blake, Sampras' scheduled opponent, couldn't play because of a bad back dampened the spirit. For the second year in a row, Tommy Haas pinch-hit for an injured player (Marat Safin withdrew last year) and this time got the better of the tennis legend.
In an exhibition that included a lot of laughs, high-fives with fans and some electrifying winners, Haas and the 14-time Grand Slam champion split two sets, with Haas winning the first 7-6 (7-4) and Sampras taking the second 6-4.
Then in a tiebreaker to decide the match, Haas won 12-10.
Sampras, 37, called Haas a "class act" for "saving the night for the guys here." Haas had played his first-round match an hour earlier, defeating fellow German Lars Poerschke in straight sets.
"A lot of people came to see Pete tonight, so I don't think it was really about who he was going to play," Haas said. "I played him here last year, so I thought maybe I could give him a better show, a better match this time." Blake, who suffered back spasms during a doubles match Monday, hasn't ruled out being ready for his first-round singles match Wednesday night against Vince Spadea. Shortly before Monday's exhibition, Blake walked onto the court with tournament director Bill Rapp and broke the news to the crowd.
"I'm sorry," Blake said. "I just can't go out there and give it my best. I'm going to go back and visit the trainer. I hope to be out there Wednesday."
One of the more memorable moments of the exhibition came near the end. With Sampras leading 10-9 in the tiebreaker, he literally ran out of his shoe chasing down a point.
"That's never happened," Sampras said.
Sampras ended up on his back, the point was replayed and Haas ended up winning that point and the next two to close out the match.
"It was odd — unfortunate," Sampras said, "because I kind of had control of the point." When it ended, Sampras was asked if he would consider coming out of retirement. Like last year, the crowd roared at the thought but Sampras said, "No chance." "The way I was breathing, I was huffing and puffing like an old man," Sampras said. "It's a lot of work being No. 1 at 25 let alone trying to do it at 37."
Asked what he likes about exhibitions, Sampras said, "It's a challenge for me to keep up with these guys; they do it every day. I do it once a month. It's tougher for me to move around and recover from some of these points. (But) it keeps me in shape. It's good for me. I'm not looking for anything more than just going out and having some fun and playing well."
As for his thoughts on Roger Federer's recent loss to Rafael Nadal in the Australian Open final — an outcome that prevented Federer from matching Sampras' Grand Slam titles record — Sampras said, "If I were Roger, I would try to come in a little bit more, especially on my serve. I'm sure he's frustrated. He's playing fine. Rafa's just an animal. The guy can play all day, play at a high level for hours.
"I felt for (Roger). He's frustrated, and he wants it so bad. To be at that breaking point, it's affecting him a lot more than I thought."
Earlier Monday, fourth-seeded Radek Stepanek of the Czech Republic, a finalist here last year, outlasted Dominik Meffert of Germany 7-5, 3-6, 6-1. In a matchup of Americans, Taylor Dent needed a little more than an hour to defeat Bobby Reynolds 6-3, 6-4.
In the day's only upset, No. 7 seed Igor Kunitsyn of Russia fell to Christophe Rochus of Belgium 6-2, 7-6 (7-5). Rochus moves on to face Haas.
For more pictures, please visit the GALLERY
Source: Inside Bay Area 2/05/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to Play in Mexico|:||:|1233799255|:|
February 4, 2009 - Pete Sampras will join the six-player field at the Del Mar Development Champions Cup to be held March 18-22 at the Palmilla Tennis Club in Los Cabos, Mexico, InsideOut Sports & Entertainment announced. The Del Mar Development Champions Cup is a first-year event on the 2009 Outback Champions Series, the global tennis circuit for champion tennis players age 30 and over.
Sampras will be playing in Mexico for the first time in his professional career and will join two of his biggest rivals in Los Cabos — Jim Courier, whom he beat to win his first Wimbledon title in 1993 — and Patrick Rafter, whom he beat to win his seventh and final Wimbledon title in 2000. The final three competitors in the field will be announced at a later date. Sampras will open his 2009 Outback Champions Series season next week at the Champions Cup Boston Feb. 13-15 at the Agganis Arena on the campus of Boston University.
Sampras, 37, established himself as arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, winning a men’s record 14 major singles titles — seven Wimbledon titles (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2000), five US Open titles (1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002) and two Australian Open titles (1994, 1999). He won 64 career ATP singles titles and was ranked No. 1 in the world for a record 286 weeks, including a record six-year stretch as year-end No. 1 from 1993 to 1998. In addition, Sampras helped the United States to Davis Cup titles in 1992 and in 1995. Since joining the Outback Champions Series in 2007, Sampras has won titles in Boston, Charlotte and Athens, Greece.
The Del Mar Development Champions Cup is the third of eight events on the 2009 Outback Champions Series and will be contested on an outdoor hard court. The tournament will feature a field of six champion players competing in a single knock-out format event, vying for $150,000 in prize money and ranking points that determine the year-end No. 1 ranked player in the Stanford Champions Rankings on the Outback Champions Series.
Source: Tennis Week 1/29/09|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Interview with Pete Sampras (Jan 15, 2009)|:||:|1233198534|:|
Interview with Pete Sampras
January 15, 2009
American tennis legend and two-time SAP Open champion Pete Sampras will play James Blake in the Charity Singles Exhibition match of the SAP Open on Monday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. Sampras spoke to the media earlier today about his tennis career, the SAP Open, and life after tennis.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, everyone, getting up this morning and joining Pete for today's call. Pete returns to the 2009 SAP Open to play an exhibition match against fellow American James Blake on Monday, February 9, at 7:00 p.m. Pete played in an exhibition at last year's SAP Open, where he defeated Tommy Haas. In his career Pete has played at the SAP five times, capturing the title in 1996 and '97. This will be the second time that Pete and Blake have met. In their first meeting this past December, Pete defeated Blake at a charity event in Baton Rouge which benefitted victims of Hurricanes Ike and Gustav.
Before we start I'd just like to have Bill Rapp say a few comments. Bill?
BILL RAPP: Good morning, Pete. Just wanted to thank you again for being on the call, and we're very excited to welcome you back to the HP Pavilion in San Jose. Two part question for you. Back in '96 I remember well the final where you played for the No. 1 ranking in the world here against Agassi. If you'd talk a little bit about that match, and then also give us your thoughts about playing on opening night against James Blake here at the SAP Open.
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I remember playing Andre. It was for the No. 1 ranking. I think he won Australia a few weeks earlier, and I just remember I played great. I was 3 and 2 and sort of got in the zone there for a little bit. Walking out on the court, I mean, whatever it seats, it was packed, and it felt great. I've always enjoyed playing in San Jose and looking forward to coming back to play James, who's been a good friend over the past number of years. I've been trying to help him do a little bit better. It's a challenge for me to go play James. You know, I played pretty well against him in Baton Rouge, but he's a great player. He moves great. He does a lot of really, really good things out there. I just remember playing Tommy last year; it was a great crowd, and I'm just looking forward to coming back. I've always enjoyed the court. It's not too fast, not too slow, and to play someone like James who's top 10, top 15, it's a challenge for me, and I'm looking forward to hopefully being competitive and playing well, and the people enjoy it.
Q. Just a couple things. Just curious about the competition in general when you enter one of these type matches where maybe there's a winning isn't the only thing type of attitude. I'm just curious how you actually approach an opponent and how much you fully follow him leading up to it, if at all? Is it mostly how you're doing?
PETE SAMPRAS: You mean someone like James?
Q. Yeah, James Blake.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I mean, these matches are fun, but at the same time it's important for me to be competitive, and now being six years retired, and James does it every day, I don't want to embarrass myself. I want to make it competitive. If I could pull a set off, that would be great. It's fun for me. It's a challenge. It keeps me sharp. It keeps me sort of motivated in the sport, you know, because I don't do this that often so I'm not quite as consistent. I don't move as well, so it takes that much more work for me to sort of be competitive. I'm looking forward to it. James is a great player. He has shown some great skills over the past number of years and came close one U.S. Open to getting to the semifinals. You know, I'm comfortable with his game. I played him in Baton Rouge about a month ago. It's a fun time, but at the same time we both have a lot of pride. He doesn't want to lose to me, I don't want to lose to him, but if I happen to, I mean, I'm obviously okay with it. Ten years ago you probably couldn't talk to me for a couple days. But it's a good time. I'm looking forward to coming back. It was a great response last year in San Jose from the crowd, so hopefully we'll have the same sort of crowd this year.
Q. Just one more. How closely are you following Federer these days?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it's hard not to. He's pretty close to tying my record and breaking it potentially this year. I think he's well on his way to doing that. I think he knows he's got some work ahead of him. You look at Nadal is going to push him, and now Murray is sort of in the mix. He's going to do it; it's just a matter of when. Wimbledon is always going to be a major that he can rely on to potentially win, even when he's past his prime. It's exciting for the sport, at my expense, I guess, but I'm okay with it. I'm just sort of waiting in the wings here just sort of for him to break that record.
Q. What are your emotions waiting in the wings? I mean, Hank Aaron said, "Records are made to be broken." Do you have the same attitude?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, they are made to be broken. Would I love for it to stand forever? Absolutely. But if there's someone deserving of it, a guy like Roger who's obviously a great player but he's a great role model, he's a good friend of mine, and there's nothing I can do about it today. We're playing in different times. But I've accepted that he's going to break it. I mean, when he was about eight or nine and he was winning them with ease, the majors, I knew it was just a matter of time. He was 24 and he had a bunch of majors already, so it was just sort of accepting that the 14 was going to be something he was going to fly by. I think he's going to break it and maybe add a couple more after that.
Q. Where do you see James and Andy's games at right now? Do they have a shot to push for a Grand Slam title? Where do you see them at right now?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I see James and Andy I think Andy probably with a little more fire power has the ability to contend for a major, if not win one, because he can just sort of get hot at a Wimbledon or a U.S. Open and serve some guys off the court. But I think we've seen that you need a little bit more than just a huge powerful serve. He needs to hopefully add a little bit to his game, try to come in a little bit more. It's easier said than done. I think they're in good shape. But you look at Nadal and Roger, they just sort of have this extra gear, and they can play great with a lot less energy than James and Andy. It's unfair for those guys to sort of be compared to the generation of the '90s, and people want those guys to be up with Roger and Nadal. Let's face facts; those guys are better players. More consistently they're better players. They can have the one off win here and there. But they're in good shape. They're not quite the upper echelon of the sport, and that's okay. They've got to face facts and accept that Roger and Nadal are the two best players in the world, and Murray and the rest are sort of in the same boat.
Q. Do you think they've accepted it, that they've come to terms with that?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, as much as they'd like to be one and two in the world and contending for majors. And I think they can contend for some majors, but I think they've accepted that consistently they can't quite play at that level for ten months of the year. It's just it's hard to do, and they're just not quite there yet.
Q. What is it about it seems like exhibition tennis, it excites fans more just looking from the outside maybe than exhibition events in other sports. They seem a little bit like a drag, but you get to tennis and people actually really kind of get a little juiced up for those matches.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, there's an element of entertainment. I think the players come out with a different sort of attitude. You know, when I was playing, and you're playing for majors in tournaments, you've got the head down and you're going straight ahead. People appreciate the tennis, but I think the exhibitions is a time where you can have a little fun with the crowd and do some different things, different shots, and people like to see different things in sports. In tennis you sort of see the same thing every day.You know, when James and I play we'll be competitive, but at the same time, we'll be lighthearted and we'll have some fun out there and do some different things that nothing planned, like James hit it there, I'll hit it there. It's more just if there's a moment here and there throughout the match that the crowd might enjoy, you sort of do it. You know, it's a little more entertaining in a different way.
Q. And also, you mentioned Federer, and it seems like maybe a little bit of a foregone conclusion he's going to get the record maybe this year. Do you plan to be there? Have you been contacted? Do you plan to kind of make that trip with him?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's hard to say. It depends where it is. Going over to London to Wimbledon is something I want to go back to at some point, but at the same time it's a long trip, and certainly New York is closer. It's a shorter flight. We'll see what happens. I'm not making any plans. In a perfect world I could be there, but at the same time, hopping on a 12 hour flight to London isn't exactly what I love doing. But out of respect to the record and him, I've given it some thought, and I'll sort of just see what happens.
Q. I'd be curious to know how much tennis you actually play these days. How much work do you do during the week?
PETE SAMPRAS: When I'm not playing any exhibitions that are coming up, I don't hit that often, maybe once a week, just sort of stay somewhat sharp. If I'm playing like James here, then Lleyton, I probably hit three days a week for about an hour, hour and a half, and just sort of hit a few, play some points, move around, sort of loosen up the arm. And then as they get closer, I'll sort of play a few sets here and there. For me it's just being competitive. It's staying healthy; it's not injuring myself out there and playing well. I'm just doing enough to do that.
Q. How many of these do you plan to do this year? Or are you going to do some senior tour things?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I'm going to do a couple of Jim's. He's got one in Boston. I'm going to do one in Mexico, which will be a nice sort of vacation. You know, there's a South America trip that might or might not happen. So we'll just sort of wait and see. I'm not doing a ton of them but just enough every three or four months. I like to keep somewhat active, and when an opportunity to comes to play in San Jose with James, it's a shoe in for me because it's close, and to play someone as competitive as James is is fun for me, so it's a win win.
Q. On another matter, you mentioned that the attendance was really good last year there. One of the things that we have looked at in the last few years is the attendance at the Grand Slams is just through the roof. One of the things that some of the players have said is they wonder if the importance of the Grand Slams has gotten so great that it diminishes the importance of the tour events. Do you guys focus so much on the Slams that they lose sight of what's happening on the Tour, which is the backbone of tennis?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I understand, and you could use the same argument in golf where everybody talks about the Slams. The Slams are the Slams, and you can't take that away. But in order to do well at the Slams, you need to treat these tournaments like they're important. You have to go out and beat these guys. You can't just turn it on and off at the Slams. I don't think it's hurt it. I just think the San Joses are going to do well and the Cincinnatis; they're all going to have their communities and their media support it. But when push comes to shove and people look back at the year, it's what did Roger do at the majors and Tiger do at the majors. I mean, that's how you make history. But it's just all the events have to just understand that the majors, that is what drives a lot of the top guys or who drove me for many years. We never wanted to disrespect all these events that were great events that were the backbone of the tour, but you get to a point of your career, what it is about the majors, you sort of focus a little bit more on it.
Q. Are you playing any golf, speaking of Tiger?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I'm playing a little bit. I play a couple days a week, just to have fun with it, get out of the house, and it's a challenging game. I haven't anywhere near perfected it. It's fun to go out and play a little bit with the boys and have a little fun.
Q. This last season, of course, there was a great Wimbledon final between two great players, goes deep into the dusk, No. 1 versus No. 2, and it's sort of become the big locker room discussion, which is better, the great Federer Nadal Wimbledon final, or of course Mac, the up and coming serve and volleyer, versus Borg going for his fifth. Can you take a minute and reflect on those two matches, and which one do you think was the best?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't remember much of the John Bjorn. I was pretty young at the time. I just know everyone talks about that tiebreaker, and you have two contrasting personalities in games, and just a great story right there. And then you have two guys playing in their prime at the same time playing at a very high level with technology and great movement and a dramatic end to the day. You know, you ask someone that's older, they might take Borg McEnroe, and you ask someone a little younger, they might take Nadal and Federer. For me to try to put one over the other, I think for pure drama that tiebreaker was pretty incredible. Maybe for a level of tennis, this one last year was you can't get much higher than that. The game has gotten quicker, so obviously it looks more powerful these days. But Borg McEnroe sort of had back then to play great, so it doesn't look quite as powerful but still very dramatic. It's apples and oranges. It's hard to pick one over the other, but they're both right up there.
Q. And you, of course, had so many great matches; Russia Davis Cup certainly comes to mind, a couple of great matches with Andre in the quarters and the finals, and then your own Wimbledon in the dusk triumph immediately jumped to mind. But if you had to pick your, like, say, top three matches, what would those be?
PETE SAMPRAS: I would probably say the Rafter match, just what I went through those couple weeks with my shin and then having my parents there was just sort of a storybook ending to my last U.S. Open where everyone sort of wrote me off. To win my last major against Andre sort of in the '90s and 2002 was great. My Russia time over there was difficult, and I was able to win on clay in a very tough atmosphere, so I think the three that you mentioned were the three that I look at. You look at some of the match with Corretja certainly from a physical standpoint showed some will. I think those three stand out, and all the majors that I've won have been special in each way.
Q. When you have a sore stomach some morning, do you ever flash back to Corretja?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, like I said in my other conference, I don't think much about my career these days. It is about my life with my kids. The Corretja match, I don't think it's my proudest moment because I was someone that wasn't in the best shape and sort of got it's not something you're proud of, but it's something that I was able to get through and show the New York people that I might have a little talent but there's a little heart in there, too.
Q. If I could ask, if you had to choose one between the three you previously mentioned, the Rafter, the last U.S. Open or Davis Cup Russia, which one would you choose?
PETE SAMPRAS: I would probably say probably the last Wimbledon just because of I just got engaged right before then, my parents were there, I broke this great record. Life is never perfect, but at that moment it was as close as I was going to get to perfection, just personally and professionally. It was just like a cumulation of hard work, getting through a tough couple weeks. I think that was probably the best moment personally and professionally.
Q. And finally, just very quickly, you've played in the exhibition series with Roger a year or so ago. You played real tough in the Garden with him. What does that say to you that you could play him that tough when you've been retired for a good stretch and really weren't sharp? What do you think that said?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, that I can still play pretty well. I can play a good match, a good one off match. I don't know if I could go back to back to back, but I can still serve and volley pretty well and be competitive, and I think my game matches up pretty well with Roger. I think someone that comes in and puts a little pressure is not something that he's used to and maybe not that comfortable with. It was fun. The conditions over in Asia were very, very fast, so it really was hard to judge our games. The one at the Garden was a little bit slower, which was a little bit better for both of us. But it was fun. I don't want people to read too much into it. But for me personally it just was nice to be competitive. I don't want to sign up for these things and lose 1 and 1 in 45 minutes. It was important for my sort of I don't know, not my image but just sort of myself to be competitive and not put myself out there and not play well. I just wanted to be competitive, and I was happy with that.
BILL RAPP: Pete, I wanted to thank you for meeting with us, and we look forward to seeing you in San Jose.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
Source: SAP Open 12/23/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Chat with a Champion|:||:|1230003043|:|
By: Steve Fink, Tennis Channel
December 22, 2008
If you don't believe that time passes much too swiftly, consider this: it has been more than six years since Pete Sampras finished his official professional career, defeating Andre Agassi for his fifth U.S. Open and 14th Grand Slam championship, making a unique departure from the game after establishing himself unequivocally as the man a good many authorities considered the best ever to step on a tennis court. For the better part of four years, he stayed away from the field of competition, returning in 2006 to play World TeamTennis and some exhibitions.
In 2007, he branched out and won three tournaments on Jim Courier's Outback Champions Series senior circuit, faced Roger Federer in three entertaining Asian showdowns (winning the last of those encounters in Macau), and played a number of other exhibitions. And this past year of 2008, he played Federer once more before a capacity audience at the fabled Madison Square Garden in New York, serving for the match before bowing in a final set tie-break against the Swiss stylist. He then played some other events on Courier's tour and the BlackRock Tour of Champions (winning the event in Sao Paulo, Brazil over Marcelo Rios), and took on a wide range of competitors in exhibitions including Sam Querrey, Todd Martin, Tommy Haas, Radek Stepanek, Dominik Hrbaty, and last, but not least, James Blake.
Sampras toppled Blake 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on December 14, after upending Stepanek and Hrbaty during a European swing late in the year. Over the last three seasons, he has recorded wins over Federer, Andy Roddick, Haas, Querrey and Mardy Fish among others in exhibitions. A few days after his victory over Blake, I spoke with Sampras over the telephone, and found him in good spirits as he reflected on the year gone by and his plans for the future. He talked about himself and the state of his game with characteristic self awareness and modesty.
"Whenever I play current guys, "he said of his battle with Blake, "I definitely push it and step it up a little bit harder and serve and play as hard as I can. I am realistic about my game today. I can still play at a pretty high level and against James I did the things I used to be able to do, but I am not in the greatest shape in the world. Playing James I was having to work hard and serving-and-volleying on every point takes its toll on my back, feet and legs."
How seriously were the players taking the match? Sampras responds, "We were having fun [between points] but once the ball was in play we were playing hard. It was serious tennis but I did not take it too seriously and I don't think James did either. At the same time I really wanted to win and he wanted to win and it was nice to be on a reasonably slow court so we could actually play a little bit."
"One thing I am still doing pretty well is serving and I have the same attitude and confidence with my second serve as I used to back in the day. I am popping my second serve pretty good and James said after the match he could understand why guys had a hard time picking up my first and second serves. Once I feel someone is having a hard time with my second serve--- and James was a little bit--- I feel like I am making an impact. In the third set of that match, I served well. It is interesting that the more I play and the more I serve, the better I serve. So I was in a good rhythm in the third set with James. When I break someone, I just countdown how many times I need to hold to win set or the match. So as I was crossing the net I was thinking to myself, 'James, two more holds and you are done.' I was able to hold those two more times and when I served it out at 5-4, I felt pretty relaxed and comfortable."
Not long before that triumph over Blake, Sampras made his first journey back to London since his astonishing loss to lucky loser George Bastl in the second round of Wimbledon in 2002. The 37-year-old American travelled to Great Britain for the BlackRock senior event. He had come off solid exhibition wins over Hrbaty in the Slovak Republic and Stepanek in Prague, and then took his first two matches at the Albert Hall over John McEnroe and Jeremy Bates. But in the semifinals against Cedric Pioline--- a player he never lost to in nine career head-to-head contests (including two major finals) during their pro careers--- Sampras came up short and fell in two tie-breaks.
What happened there? "Cedric returned great and was serving huge," Sampras replies. "He was almost more relaxed and confident today than he was back [then], at least in the match I played against him. So I lost two tough tiebreakers and that was it. The court was fast there, almost too fast, sort of like rolling the dice. Honestly, I woke up that morning a little bit flat, thinking 'I really feel I am now working for a living.' I had been in Europe for a while [because of the exhibitions against Hrbaty and Stepanek] and it sort of hit me that day in London."
Continuing his analysis of the Pioline defeat, Sampras says, "I think I sort of hit [the wall] and it was enough tennis for me. Being over in Europe for eight or nine days was a longer trip than I would want to do again in the future. It was high level tennis against Cedric and I don't want to take anything away from him because he played great, but I wasn't too disappointed to be honest with you. I was deflated a bit after that loss but I was fine. And at the same time I was looking forward to getting home and seeing my wife and kids. My body was a little beat up and it is something for me to know for the future that I don't want to overplay.
"I don't want to feel like when I wake up I am just grinding through these events. I felt that way when I woke up the morning of the Pioline match. It is what it is, so I am not crying about it, but I am to a point where I can be very selective about the things I want to do and what I don't want to do."
He has expressed those sentiments to Courier as he makes plans to play some of his fellow American's events in the coming year. As Sampras explains, "I am just going to play a few senior events here and there, and Jim is trying to cut down his fields. I know that four matches in five days--- those days are over for me. I would like to get over there Friday, play Saturday and Sunday, and call it a day. That is sort of what I am looking for. That is what I hope to do in Boston in February and probably [Los] Cabos on Jim's tour. Jim is trying to accommodate me if possible so I can just do the two matches and just condense it a bit, which is better for me."
He has a good schedule worked out for next year and will probably play two events on the Courier tour and perhaps appear in a BlackRock event or two as well. He will probably play Blake again in San Jose, California on the Monday night coinciding with the ATP Tour event in February. He will meet Lleyton Hewitt in Memphis and is expecting to play in South America in April against Luis Horna, David Nalbandian and Roddick. "That will be a tough trip," he says. "Nalbandian and Roddick back to back will not be easy." And he could conceivably take on Rafael Nadal in Asia during the fall, although that remains a long shot.
Sampras is clearly intrigued about a potential confrontation with Nadal, for whom he has the highest respect. "He is obviously the best player in the world right now," says Sampras. "But I think in the right situation, indoors on a reasonably fast but not too fast a court, I would hold my own. I am really curious to see what his ball is like, to get a taste of the pace of his ball, the spin, his movement and his serve. I wouldn't mind playing Nadal and seeing his tools. I would love to do that and get to know him a little bit and see what I could do. I would love to serve-and-volley against him and see how difficult that would be."
Will Sampras return to London in May of 2009 to be there for an exhibition at Wimbledon testing the new roof over Centre Court? He is not sure if he will be invited to do that, or if he would be inclined to participate if asked. As he explains, "I had dinner with Tim Henman when I was in London and he mentioned the event to test the roof. I told him I would think about it but no one has really officially asked me. If they did, I would have to really think about it. I mean, it is appealing to me but I would have to give it some strong thought. I can't tell you yes or no for sure. It is obviously a court I would love to play on again. Going over to London is not an easy trip but that could be a pretty cool event, so would I consider it? Absolutely."
He is well aware of the widespread excitement over the upcoming unveiling of that roof for the 2009 Wimbledon, but Sampras at his core is a deep believer in tradition who cherishes the event for how steadfastly and unapologetically it has remained true to its roots, and for its indisputable authenticity. I asked him if he was happy about the Centre Court roof in the making.
He answered, "I don't like it. I understand why for television and for the fans this is happening, but one of the most difficult things to deal with at Wimbledon as a player are the rain delays. I feel everyone has to be on the same playing field and [with the roof] the top guys are at a slight advantage to get their match in versus someone that might lose his day off. As a player and a big fan of Wimbledon and the charm of it, and as a traditionalist about the event, I would love for it to have stayed the way it was. I understand that we are sort of catching up with modern times, but I just feel they should have kept it just the same as it was. I am not a big fan of the roof but fans in the U.S. who want to watch tennis from Wimbledon are going to be able to watch tennis now."
Sampras adds another cogent point in his case for continuity at Wimbledon. "Two of the best nights in tennis that I remember at Wimbledon were my match with Rafter in the 2000 final and the match Roger Federer and Nadal had in the final this year. It was just a great atmosphere both times at night. Obviously, it would be a pity to come back on Monday to finish a final. So it's great to have the roof for that reason. But that is how it has always been at Wimbledon. I played some years where I had a match on Monday and did not play again until Friday. That is what makes it so difficult and such a challenge."
In any event, Sampras did not go out visit Wimbledon during his recent trip to London. He says, "I had a day off and was thinking about going but I heard from people over there that it is under construction with a lot of cranes around so I thought maybe I should wait to go back when it nice and clean and how I remember it, not like a construction site. So I decided not to go at that time."
Elaborating on his heartfelt feelings about the shrine of tennis, he says, "If I had my choice, I would like to take my kids over there when they are 10 and 7 so they could really appreciate Wimbledon and what this place has meant to their father's career. My older son [Christian] is 6 now and he is aware that I play tennis but I don't think he is aware of the history of my career and what I did. He sees me on TV, and knows that I play but he has not quite grasped sort of where I stood in the game. We get out on the court every now and again but he doesn't totally understand the trophies of mine that he sees every day. Maybe in two to four years is when he would start grasping it."
Interestingly, as Sampras points out, "In London they are going to have the Olympics in 2012 at Wimbledon. I will be 41." He pauses, and then asks playfully, "What do you think?"
He breaks freely into laughter as he lets those words hang in the air, amused at the frivolous thought of making a surprise appearance that year. I laughed and said, "Why not." But he does not seem to be seriously thinking about playing there at that age. "You know what," he says. "Tennis in the Olympics doesn't have quite the luster. I would like to go back to Wimbledon one day but I just don't know when. It will hit me when it is time. I will know. I think in a lot of ways it will be when I am ready to say goodbye to Wimbledon, because once I go I don't know how many times I will go back. People ask me if Roger is in the final and could break the record there, would I go? It sounds romantic to go out of respect for Roger and the record, but at the same time it is not an easy trip. We will see."
One thing the fans will not see this year, or perhaps ever, is another Sampras-Federer exhibition. As Sampras points out, "I think Roger is done with exhibitions. Hs is focusing on the majors and maybe trying to get back to No. 1. I think he did the other exhibitions out of respect to me but the days of he and I playing are probably over. I would say it is about 90% over. Maybe there is a chance later on when he is about done with his career but for the next number of years he is certainly done with exhibitions. I don't want to speak for him but that is the hunch I am getting."
What is his hunch about who will emerge victorious at the four majors in 2009? Sampras replies, "The shoo-in is probably Rafa winning the French. I would say it is kind of a shoo-in that Roger would win Wimbledon, not as much of a shoo-in as Nadal winning the French, but I like Roger's chances at Wimbledon. Australia is anyone's ballgame. And at the U.S. Open, because the court is a little bit quicker, I kind of like Roger there. Murray now believes that he belongs so I think he can win a major. He is right there on the edge and Djokovic is too."
Clearly, taking into account his prognosis for the 2009 Grand Slam events, Sampras expects Federer to break his record for major titles sooner or later. As he expresses it, "It is human nature to have a bit of a letdown. It is hard for anyone to keep up the pace he did in winning those 13 majors so fast. He knows he has some work to do to break the record, but I think he will do it. He will be hungry and he knows what he needs to do."
Without Federer as a friendly target to inspire him in the exhibition arena, Sampras is determined to sustain a lofty level of play as he moves through his late thirties and heads toward his forties. That means finding a good balance between pursuing victory as the champion he has always been, and recognizing that his competitive world is no longer the all consuming place it once was. "It is a different mentality for me now," he stresses. "It is real tennis but senior tennis is what it is. It is nothing more and nothing less than senior tennis. So I don't think we can take it too seriously, but we take it seriously enough for people and sponsors to want to watch and invest in it. And we still want to play well and we have a lot of pride. It is just not as cutthroat. We all want to win but are not holding on as tight --- at least I am not."
As that comment irrefutably demonstrates, his philosophy has changed to some degree, but not entirely. Putting it into perspective, Sampras says, "What I am getting with the benefit of playing is the lifestyle at home that makes me productive and focused. I go to play not feeling I have to win titles but working and preparing for something every three or four months--- a one-nighter or a senior event to keep me active and to keep me at home striving for something."
He fully understands that even as a part time, free lance player far removed from his heyday, he must not let too much time go by without getting the racket back in his hands. As Sampras puts it, "What I realized is that a year ago or even this year I didn't pick up a racket for two months because I didn't feel like it, so I would go out and play and get some injuries. And I realized I can't take that long off. I need to hit once a week, or at least once every two weeks, to get the arm ready and get the back in shape and move around a bit. It's like a pitcher who doesn't pitch for two months and goes out there and pitches. Something is going to break down. You have to maintain it."
He also has to maintain a certain competitive edge, even if his mindset is not precisely what it used to be. "Especially against the current guys, I have sort of an insecurity of wanting to be competitive against anyone in the world for one match. I couldn't do it for a week but playing against Hrbaty and Stepanek on reasonably fast courts I am looking to win a set while winning the match is a huge bonus for me. I don't want to embarrass myself out there. I just want to be competitive. When I start playing matches I am not sure what to expect. My biggest goal is just to play at a high level no matter who is on the other side of the net. That is all I am looking for. I am playing sporadically so it is harder for me to be sharp but I am still enjoying it. It is a challenge and I will do it for a few more years and just see how it goes."
The guess here is that it will go very well because Pete Sampras is an athlete of rare virtuosity, an individual who knows how far to drive himself toward his personal boundaries, and a man who recognizes how to maximize his opportunities anytime he walks out onto a tennis court.
Source: Tennis Channel 12/19/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras - Lleyton Hewitt Exho in February, 2009|:||:|1229655994|:|
December 18, 2008 - Pete Sampras and Lleyton Hewitt will be playing an exhibition match on February 16, 2009 at The Racquet Club in Memphis.
The exho will help kick off the Regions Morgan Keegan Championships and Cellular South Cup and will serve as a marquee event for the tournaments' new owners.
Tickets will be available at Ticketmasters in January.
Source: Commercial Appeal 12/16/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras rekindles magic against Blake|:||:|1229396452|:|
Dec. 15, 2008 - At least for one afternoon, tennis legend Pete Sampras proved he could still play with and beat just about anybody.
Sampras, who retired from competitive tennis in 2002, beat 10th-ranked James Blake, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 6-4 in an exhibition to benefit victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center on Sunday afternoon.
Sampras, who won seven Wimbledon and 14 Grand Slam titles overall during his 15-year career, showed his trademark big serve and powerful forehand and mixed in some fun to boot before about 7,000 fans at the PMAC in the Duel Under the Oaks II.
"I think one match at a time he can hang with anyone, especially on a quicker court," Blake said. "He still serves huge, hits a forehand huge and takes you out of your rhythm on your service game.
"I think you put him in a one-match situation like here today, and he can hang with the big boys. It doesn't look like too much has gone from his game."
Some questioned whether Blake, 28, was taking it easy on the 37-year-old Sampras.
"You know, obviously this is the offseason, but I was playing for real," he said.
Sampras wasn't totally buying it.
"I think James was being pretty courteous to the retired guy," said Sampras with a laugh. "I was serving pretty well and returning OK, but I'm not really sure how James was taking this match."
"I just wanted to be competitive, and if I could pull a set in the match, it was a bonus."
The match was competitive throughout with Blake winning a first-set tie-breaker 6-7 (3) before Sampras charged back to win the final two sets. In the first three games of the second set, Sampras won every service point.
"He served too good at times," Blake said.
With the second set tied at 3-3, Blake had a chance to break Sampras but couldn't do it as Sampras went on to a 6-3 win. Blake also had a chance in the third and deciding set and couldn't come through.
"I had some break points and didn't get them," Blake said. "He got that one in the last set and that was the difference. It was a close match. It could have gone either way. Pete, from what I understand, the reason he retired was not being able to do it day to day, the grind every day. But given one match at a time he can be with anyone in the world still."
There was some debate whether there would be a third set, but when both agreed, play continued. Sampras appeared to tire a bit in the third set, but was able to grind out the win.
"There was one point I was serving 2-1 and I wasn't serving that well and I was feeling it a little bit — my feet, my back," he said. "I don't play at this level very often. Usually, I play a couple of sets and that's it. But going into the third I felt OK, but I don't have the spring in my legs and I don't recover as well.
"I'll feel it tomorrow; there's no doubt. I'll be sore."
More important than the match was the ability help those in need, Sampras said of the event which was organized by the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation.
"The crowd got into it. It was really good support for the charity and a good turnout," Sampras said. "It was a lot of fun."
Blake agreed.
"It was a lot of fun," he said. "I didn't know what to expect. To get to play a legend of the game is something you don't want to pass up."
Source: 2theadvocate.com 12/14/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras back in Baton Rouge to face Blake|:||:|1229260377|:|
Dec 14, 2008
At 37, Pete Sampras isn’t quite the player he was when he dominated men’s tennis in the 1990s.
The 14-time Grand Slam winner can still strike the ball with the best of them and rocket a serve past just about anybody, but some of his speed and agility has diminished with age.
“I still hit it pretty well,†said Sampras, who retired in 2002. “I just don’t move quite as well. The reactions are not as quick.â€
What hasn’t diminished is his love of the game and willingness to help those in need.
Sampras will be back in Baton Rouge today for the Duel Under the Oaks II, a best-of-three set exhibition match against current pro James Blake set for 2 p.m. in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
The exhibition, sponsored by the Pennington Research Center, will benefit victims of hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Just two years ago, Sampras played former doubles partner Todd Martin in the PMAC to help raise money for the LSU Health Science students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
“A couple of years ago, we had about 7,500 people come out and we had a great time,†Sampras said. “I met some nice people and we helped a great cause.â€
He’ll likely have a tougher test this time in taking on Blake, the 10th-ranked player who beat Roger Federer in the Beijing Olympics.
“He’s a top-10 player and one of the best movers in tennis,†Sampras said of Blake. “I don’t know if it’s really a good matchup for me. Hopefully, I can pull off a set.â€
It will be the first matchup of Blake and Sampras.
“He’s a great guy and one of the greats in tennis,†Blake said of Sampras. “Any time you play someone like that, it’s great. I’ve learned a lot from him.â€
Sampras, who won seven Wimbledon titles during a 15-year career in which he was the top-ranked player for six straight years, now travels about 20 days out of the year for tennis-related events.
It’s in sharp contrast to the busy schedule he led during his pro career.
“The travel was a grind, going from the States to Europe for 5-to-7 weeks at a time. And the stress of being the best in the world wasn’t easy,†he said.
He’ll get another taste of pro competition today against Blake, one of the sport’s rising stars.
“It think it’s going to add a little more pizzazz to the event,†Sampras said of playing Blake. “He’s a friend of mine. I’m looking forward to it.â€
Source: 2theadvocate.com 12/07/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras loses in seniors event in London|:||:|1228625327|:|
December 6, 2008
LONDON — The memories all came flooding back to Pete Sampras, even if a title didn't come with the nostalgia.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion, playing in a seniors tournament at Royal Albert Hall, lost to Cedric Pioline 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) Saturday. But not reaching Sunday's final didn't diminish the enjoyment of his first trip to England since losing at Wimbledon in 2002.
"This place brings back memories ... just being here and seeing the British people," said the 37-year-old Sampras, who beat Pioline in the 1993 U.S. Open final and the '97 Wimbledon final. "It was good to be back.
"When you drive around the streets here, I think about my titles. I think about my wins. But unfortunately I couldn't win it here."
On Wednesday, Sampras had 19 aces and defeated John McEnroe 6-3, 6-4 in the opening match. Pioline had never beaten Sampras in nine matches on the men's tour, but he finally got the better of him as both players dropped serve once in each set.
"It was a dogfight," Sampras said. "Cedric is returning better today than he did back when."
Pioline also thought it was the return game that allowed him to win and reach the final, where he will face Greg Rusedski.
"I always had problems to return his serve," the 39-year-old Frenchman said. "Suddenly, I could read his serve. I don't know why."
Back in 1997, it was different story. Sampras was starting another winning streak at Wimbledon after falling to Richard Krajicek in the '96 quarter-finals. He would go on to win four straight and cement his status as one of the greatest ever to play on grass.
"He'd rather have the '97 Wimbledon than this one," Sampras joked.
McEnroe said Sampras would still be competitive if he played on the tour. But Sampras said "never."
"I could be competitive, and there's a big difference as far as being competitive and winning," Sampras said. "I could play Wimbledon and hold serve a few times, but that's not why I play the game. I play to win. I play to win titles."
Sampras did that in his last professional match, earning his 14th major title at the 2002 U.S. Open.
"I gave it every possibility after the U.S. Open to play again," Sampras said. "After six months ... after Wimbledon came and went, that's when I knew I was done. I didn't know what I was going to do next, but I knew was done with tennis."
But he has slowly returned to the game, playing a pair of seniors events this year and taking on Roger Federer in an exhibition match at Madison Square Garden. He said he'd like to face Rafael Nadal, who deposed Federer as the top-ranked player this year.
"I'd like to see Nadal's game, his sort of ball, his quickness out there," Sampras said. "If it's a match or practice I don't care. That'd be interesting for me."
Sampras even thinks he'd have a chance against the Spaniard, given the right circumstances.
"If I played him out here, on this court, I could be competitive. That's all I'm going to say," Sampras of the fast indoor surface at Royal Albert Hall. "He's the best player in the world and I'm not."
On this trip, Sampras entertained the idea of dropping by the All England Club but decided against it. After winning seven Wimbledon titles in eight years from 1993-2000, Sampras lost to George Bastl in five sets in the second round of the 2002 tournament.
"It just wasn't the right time," said Sampras, who would likely return if 13-time Grand Slam champion Federer can break his record of 14. "When it's all prime and pretty, I'll be back." 12/07/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pioline ends Sampras dream|:||:|1228625194|:|
December 6, 2008
Returning hero Pete Sampras was denied a place in the Blackrock Masters final by Frenchman Cedric Pioline, who won 7-6 (7), 7-6 (5) at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Pioline will face Britain's Greg Rusedski in the final on Sunday December 7.
Sampras, 37, quit tennis aged 31 and created a media frenzy on his first trip to England since Wimbledon 2002.
"This place brings back memories, just being here and seeing the British people," said Sampras. "It was good to be back. When you drive around the streets here, I think about my titles. I think about my wins. But unfortunately I couldn't win it here.
"It was a dogfight," Sampras added.
"Cedric is returning better today than he did back then."
It was a form of revenge for Pioline, who was beaten by Sampras in the 1993 US Open final and the 1997 Wimbledon final and agreed that his return helped him through.
"I always used to have problems returning his serve," the 39-year-old admitted.
"Suddenly, I could now read his serve. I don't know why."
Source: Yahoo - Eurosports 12/06/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Beats Bates to Set up Winner-Take-All Pioline Showdown|:||:|1228561129|:|
December 5, 2008
Pete Sampras set up a mouth watering winner-take-all clash with Cedric Pioline on Saturday after battling to victory over former British number one Jeremy Bates at the BlackRock Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday.
In a match that lasted just over an hour, Sampras was pushed to a second set tie break before eventually triumphing 6-3, 7-6(3) against an opponent nine years his senior. After the match, Sampras admitted he hadn’t been expecting to be pushed as hard as he was.
“The match was much tougher than I thought it would be,†he said. “I think on this court Jeremy’s pretty effective and he was serving and volleying well, particularly in the second set. I felt like I played pretty well, a little spotty at times but I’ve got to give him credit because he played really well.â€
Sampras will now play Cedric Pioline on Saturday afternoon in a match that will decide which of the two men is to progress to Sunday’s final. Pioline has lost all nine of his previous meetings with Sampras, including the two most painful losses of his career in the 1993 US Open and 1997 Wimbledon finals.
“We’ve played in two Major finals before. He’s a talented guy and he’s going to be very tough to break out there because the court’s playing really quick," said Sampras. "He’s got a good serve and he’s pretty eager to beat me so we’ll see what happens.â€
The winner will take on Greg Rusedski in the final. The British player defeated Pat Cash 4-6, 7-5, 10-3 (Champions' Tie-Break).
Source: BlackRock Press 12/04/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Beats 'Best Ever' McEnroe on London Return|:||:|1228399536|:|
December 3, 2008
Pete Sampras received a rapturous, hero’s welcome in his first appearance on English soil in six years as he defeated John McEnroe 6-3, 6-4 at the BlackRock Masters Tennis in London.
In the opinion of Sampras, McEnroe played the best tennis he has ever produced against the seven-time Wimbledon champion, but it still wasn’t enough to slay the younger of the two Americans at the Royal Albert Hall.
McEnroe forced 0-40 on Sampras’s opening service game, but he couldn’t quite convert his only real opportunity on the Sampras serve.
After that, some of the rallies and reflexes were breathtaking for men supposedly past their peak.
Both players served and volleyed throughout, and a packed crowd in the Royal Albert Hall savoured every moment. So did the players.
“Talking to a few of the guys about playing here they told me there were great crowds and that the arena was phenomenal and it really was,†said Sampras.
“To be retired for six years and still be able to play in front of good crowds like this is an honour. It was a fun night of tennis, it really was.â€
And he had some generous words for McEnroe.
“To be 49 and to be able to serve and volley and be effective and still have the hands and the movement is incredible. Forty nine is not young in tennis so more credit to him for keeping himself fit. I know he does a lot of off court training and it’s paid off. I’m really impressed.â€
So was McEnroe.
“This is the twelfth year I’ve played and I don’t know if there’s a lot of matches I’ve played better than this and I lost,†said McEnroe. “I was a little unlucky in some of the games, like the two service games and when I had 0-40 in the first game. It’s sort of like being thrown out to the wolves to play Pete in my first match but it’s just good to be part of it even though I lost.â€
Sampras said he might use his day off on Thursday to visit Wimbledon. He hasn't been back to the scene of his greatest triumphs since he lost to George Bastl in 2002.
Elsewhere, Greg Rusedski scraped past Stefan Edberg 7-6(7) 5-7,10-6 (Champions’ Tie Break), and Cedric Pioline defeated Jeremy Bates 6-3, 6-4.
Source: BlackRock Press 12/04/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras brings down the house by beating McEnroe|:||:|1228398619|:|
By Paul Newman
Thursday, 4 December 2008
During his record-breaking career he was known as Pistol Pete. Last night the Royal Albert Hall was introduced to Prankster Pete, the latest recruit to the veterans’ circuit.
Pete Sampras displayed many qualities on his way to 14 Grand Slam titles, but a sense of humour was not generally among them. However, in beating John McEnroe 6-3, 6-4 in his first match at the BlackRock Masters, the 37-year-old American achieved the remarkable feat of upstaging his opponent, who is usually the undisputed champion when it comes to playing to the crowd.
As early as the first game McEnroe was arguing with the umpire and line judges over line calls. Sampras immediately strode forward and, to the amusement of the packed crowd, called out to a line judge who had upset McEnroe with his “in†verdict on an ace: “Don’t be intimidated!â€
When another ace was called in as Sampras served for the first set, McEnroe asked the umpire whether he had seen it. “I saw it,†Sampras piped up, before bringing the house down with his impersonation of a Hawk-Eye video replay. Holding the ball aloft to retrace its flight, he clambered slowly over the net before leaving it on the centre line where he reckoned it had landed. McEnroe was speechless, though his facial expression suggested that he thought Sampras could not be serious.
This was Sampras’ first appearance in Britain since his last match at Wimbledon six years ago. He played his final match on the main tour in the same year, winning the US Open, and did not pick up his racket again until he started playing occasional exhibition matches two years ago.
McEnroe, 49, is 12 years older than his fellow American (pictured together, below), though their careers briefly overlapped. Sampras won all three of their matches. In their only meeting at a Grand Slam tournament, 19-year-old Sampras won in four sets on his way to his first major title at the 1990 US Open. This time Sampras appeared to play well within himself. McEnroe himself still plays a mean game and served and sliced to good effect, but when Sampras found a rhythm on his serve and his volleys the gap between the two men was evident.
McEnroe held on until Sampras broke serve to take a 5-3 lead in the first set, converting break point with a crashing forehand cross-court pass that almost scythed his opponent in half. Two aces helped him serve out to love to take the set.
The second set followed a similar pattern. At 4-4 McEnroe misjudged a forehand return and the ball bounced on the baseline to give Sampras his break. Victory was secured minutes later with a thumping service winner down the middle of the court.
“I really enjoyed it,†Sampras said afterwards. “To be retired for six years and still be able to play in front of a crowd like that is an honour.â€
McEnroe said last year that he would seed Sampras in the top five if he played Wimbledon again. He said nothing had changed his views since then. “That serve is just scary,†he said. “I don’t think any of the guys outside the current top four would want to play him.â€
Sampras is the clear favourite to win his round-robin group and looks likely to play Greg Rusedski in Sunday’s final. The former British No 1 won his second match in a row yesterday when he beat Stefan Edberg 7-6, 5-7, 10-6.
Rusedski served with such venom that Edberg offered his racket to a ballgirl as protection after she twice failed to get out of the way of his thunderbolts. Edberg had his chances, however, and was made to regret his patchy form in the first set.
Source: Independent, UK 12/03/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras: Return of the master|:||:|1228275685|:|
The hair is a little thinner and the belt around the waist may have gone out half a notch, but the competitive glint still burns brightly in Pete Sampras' eye. If he was still at his peak, the 37-year-old American was asked yesterday, would he still play the serve-and-volley game that brought him seven Wimbledon titles but has become as outdated as the racket he used to wield?
"You bet I would," he replied. "I wouldn't change a thing. That was the way I was taught to play. And I can tell you right now that it would be successful in today's game." Sampras is back in Britain for the first time since his last appearance at Wimbledon six years ago, when he lost to Switzerland's George Bastl, the world No 145, in the second round. It was a defeat that hastened his retirement, even if he did have one more Grand Slam title in him at the US Open later that summer.
The former world No 1 always said that he would never play on the seniors' circuit, but this week he is competing at the BlackRock Masters at the Royal Albert Hall, with John McEnroe his first opponent. "It's nice to be back in London, even if it is still raining," he said on his arrival at a venue where he last played 19 years ago, in the world doubles championship.
So why did the man with a record 14 Grand Slam titles return to the court? "Every person who retires takes two, three or four years to decompress," Sampras said. "I didn't know what retirement was going to be like – and it's tricky. Every athlete who retires at a young age will tell you that they try to find different ways to keep themselves fulfilled. When you retire at 31, as I did, it's difficult. For three years I didn't do a thing. I put on some weight and I wasn't feeling too good about myself. I was playing golf, playing poker and other fun things, but you just wake up and think, 'What am I going to do today?' To be 31 and retired is great, but at the same time I've always been a worker, since I was a teenager. After a few years I needed something more to do."
Sampras picked up his racket again for an exhibition match in April 2006 and played World Team Tennis, a relaxed format featuring sets of singles and doubles, later that summer. However, it was not until he spent some time practising with Roger Federer in California early last year – and found that he could hold his own against the then world No 1 – that his thoughts turned to more regular appearances. He played Federer in three exhibition matches in Asia in the autumn, the Swiss winning in Seoul and Kuala Lumpur and Sampras winning in Macau. Federer won again when they played in New York earlier this year.
En route to London this week Sampras played exhibitions in Bratislava, where he beat Dominik Hrbaty, and in Prague, where he beat Radek Stepanek, the current world No27. "I can still serve and volley reasonably well," he said. "My body's holding up fine, because these are hard matches for me. I don't play at this level very often. It should be a little bit easier this week."
Married to a Hollywood actress and with two young children, Sampras has no intention of globe-trotting for weeks on end, but he is enjoying the occasional chance to show his talents again, particularly against the likes of McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, Pat Cash and Greg Rusedski, who are all competing at the Royal Albert Hall.
"It's not as though I feel I have to come here and win the event," Sampras said. "I'd like to, but it's not like it used to be when I was in my mid-twenties and it was all or nothing. That being said, people want to see me and all the guys play well and we all take a great pride in our tennis. I still want to win and play great. It's not as easy as it used to be. I don't move as well, but I can still do a few things pretty well."
He added: "I enjoy my lifestyle at home. Combining it with a light schedule, staying in shape and hitting a few tennis balls makes me a better father and husband. If I'm not doing much during the day I lose patience and ask myself: 'What am I doing with my life?' I still enjoy playing tennis. I don't have to play too much. I only play every three or four months."
Federer has become a good friend and Sampras expects him to win the two titles he needs to break the American's record number of Grand Slam crowns. "I'd love the record to stand for ever, but if it is going to be broken then someone like Roger deserves it," Sampras said. "He's a credit to the game.
"We text each other quite a bit. He tells me how he's doing and asks what I'm up to. We had a week together in Asia and we clicked. Our personalities are similar. He's pretty sarcastic and pretty dry. We had a great time."
If Federer were to beat his milestone at Wimbledon next summer, Sampras said he would like to be there "out of respect to both Roger and this record". Was he tempted to make the short journey to have a look round the All England Club again this week? "I've been thinking about it. I might take a drive to check it out and walk on Centre Court one more time.
"I've missed the place, there's no doubt. I've missed Centre Court. I'd love to play there one more time. I'd maybe ask the club if they would let me play a practice set or something, though that might be tough. I miss the place and I hope to be back either this week or at some point over the next few years and take my kids there. It's an historic place and it did a lot for my career. I have a lot of great memories there. There's no place like it in the world." Sampras believes Federer can win "as many Wimbledons as he wants", despite losing his world No 1 status and his All England Club crown to Rafael Nadal. "One thing Roger has over him is that I think it takes him a lot less energy to stay on top than it does Rafa," Sampras said.
"It takes a lot of work for Rafa to win his matches. He puts so much effort into each point that eventually something is going to break. He's an absolute animal, but as strong as he is, I think the body will take its toll. There's a certain grind that he goes through, unlike Roger, who's a lot more fluid. His matches are a lot easier."
Sampras believes that Federer, Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray will dominate the game in the next few years. He says that all Murray needs to win his first Grand Slam title is self-belief.
"He belongs there, but it takes time," Sampras said. "It took me time to feel I really belonged. I could sense watching the US Open final this year that he didn't really believe that he could win that match. I think if he was in that situation next year he would have a stronger belief."
King of Wimbledon: How Sampras dominated in SW19 – and beyond
* Sampras turned professional in 1988, at the age of 16, and finished the year ranked world No 97.
* In his first appearance at Wimbledon Sampras lost in the first round to Todd Woodbridge 5-7, 6-7, 7-5, 3-6.
* In April 1993, Sampras claimed his first Wimbledon title, beating former world No 1 Jim Courier in the final.
* His seven Wimbledon singles championships is a record shared with William Renshaw.
* In 2001, Sampras lost to Roger Federer, 19, in the fourth round, ending his 31-match winning streak at Wimbledon.
* Sampras won 63 of the 70 singles matches he played at Wimbledon.
* His four-set victory over Pat Rafter at Wimbledon in 2000 broke Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam men's singles titles. He went on to claim a record 14 Grand Slam titles.
* Sampras has played only one previous tournament on this year's BlackRock Tour of Champions, winning the Brazilian Grand Masters by beating Marcelo Rios in the final 6-2, 7-6.
Source: Independent UK 12/03/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete - Radek Stepanek Exhibition Result|:||:|1228275547|:|
Dec 1, 2008 - Pete defeated Radek Stepanek in their exhibition match at Prague, Czech Republic.
Score: 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 (TB)
Visit the gallery For pictures from the match 12/03/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete - Radek Stepanek Exhibition Result|:||:|1228275534|:|
Pete defeated Radek Stepanek in their exhibition match at Prague, Czech Republic.
Score: 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 (TB)
Visit the gallery For pictures from the match 11/30/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete - Dominic Hrbaty Exhibition Match Result|:||:|1228042576|:|
Pete defeats Dominic Hrbaty in friendly match at the Slovak Republic on Nov. 29, 2008
Score was 6-3, 7-5.
For pictures, please visit our gallery 11/19/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras: Return of the king|:||:|1227106123|:|
November 16, 2008 - To reach Pete Sampras you take a flight to Los Angeles and drive north from the city towards the Santa Monica Mountains and this incredibly posh country club with huge iron gates where you submit your fingerprints and a swab of DNA before being directed to the lobby of the golf club where a secretary awaits.
"Mister Sampras hasn’t arrived yet, please take a seat." It’s a long way to travel for an interview with a tennis player but one thought sustains you through the hassle and the tedium. This guy was extraordinary. Forget the seven Wimbledon titles, the five US Opens, the two Australian Opens and his seat in the pantheon with the greatest of all time. No, I’m talking about the stuff we never read about, the internal wiring of the man behind the mask.
Take his legendary modesty. The year is 1996 and Sampras has just boarded the first-class cabin on a flight from Los Angeles to Tampa when the baseball player Barry Bonds arrives and is shown the adjoining seat. Bonds glances at Sampras but does not recognise the world No1 tennis player. He is accompanied by a friend who has been allotted the seat behind. “If this kid gets out you can move here,†Bonds announces, glaring at Sampras. The “kid†moves without saying a word.
Take his fear of communal showers.
The year is 1991 and Sampras is in Paris preparing for the French Open on the manicured clay of Roland Garros. Training has ended for the day. He discards his sweat-stained kit, takes a towel and heads for the showers where - nom de dieu! — a French player is relieving himself on the tiles! Sampras is disgusted and traumatised. He changes quickly, returns to his hotel and avoids showering in changing rooms for the rest of his career.
Take his neurotic sleeping habits.
The year is 2001; Sampras has married the drop-dead-gorgeous actress, Bridgette Wilson and is preparing for the season in Florida. It’s late. He’s tired.
It’s time to introduce his wife to the facts of life. She would like to sleep with the world’s best tennis player? These are the terms and conditions. 1: She must ratchet up the air conditioning in the bedroom every night until the temperature is almost freezing. 2: Any light coming under the door or the small red lights on cable boxes or phone chargers must be covered so that the room is totally dark. 3: The sheets must always be perfectly smooth, without a wrinkle. 4: Under absolutely no circumstances is she to touch him in bed.
Take his South African chef at Wimbledon.
The year is 1998; Sampras has rented the usual house on Clifton Road for Wimbledon and is doing everything to win the championship. He has bought an air conditioning unit for the bedroom and hired a South African chef, Kirsten, to prepare all his meals. It’s simple fare, waffles, scrambled eggs and one cup of coffee for breakfast; a packed sandwich for lunch; and chicken and fresh vegetables or pasta with homemade sauce for dinner. And she must adhere to the golden rule: “Don’t bring any magazines or newspapers into the house while I’m here,†he informs her. “I don’t want to read or see anything that will distract me.â€
Take his life-long terror of dogs. Take his obsession with the tension of his racket strings. Take his enduring fascination with sports cars, his temperamental stomach and his extremely troublesome and tender feet. Take Pete Sampras, the Howard Hughes of sport.
“Mister Sampras can see you now,†the secretary announces. She leads the way up elegant wooden stairs to a beautifully furnished dining room, where the great man is sitting at a table with a copy of the Los Angeles Times. He’s wearing jeans and a matching Nike top and looks as fit as the day he retired in September 2002.
A waiter arrives with coffee. He introduces Grant, his personal assistant, and we retire to the boardroom to chat. Has he played golf this morning, I wonder? “No, too cold,†he smiles.
“So you live here?†I surmise.
“Yes, this is where I live. There’s a house being built on top of the hill, you can see it when you drive around here.â€
“You can see it?†I ask, surprised.
“Yes.â€
“It’s just that I’ve been reading that you live like Howard Hughes in a house that nobody can see?â€
He laughs. “Yeah, well the second house my wife and I had was very private. I like my privacy. When I was single and living in LA, I told a friend who was helping me find a place, I don’t want any neighbours to see me and I don’t want to see any neighbours, it has to be quiet with lots of trees.’ He used to call me anti-social. He was always calling me to go out but I liked being home. 'You’re Howard Hughes,’ he said.
“Was he right?â€
“Well, Howard Hughes is a bit of a stretch but there’s a little of that in me. You know, when you’re travelling and playing you feel very exposed with the media, doing interviews, and you just want to get home and get back in your shell for a couple of weeks.â€
“What else are you prepared to admit?†I ask. “What about your sleep, and dark and cool rooms, and being touched?â€
“True,†he smiles, “I liked it cold and I liked it dark and I can’t have my wife touching me but I’m a lot more relaxed with that now. It used to be mental. I was neurotic about it. In Europe, they never had air conditioning and I’d arrive at the hotel and it was like [takes a deep breath], ‘How are we going to deal with this?’â€
“You have always liked fast cars?â€
“Yeah, I’ve got a couple of sports cars, a Porsche turbo and a BMW Z8. I’ll give you a good story. About two years ago I’m in Palm Desert; it’s about nine o’clock at night and I’m going about 110mph on this wide-open street when this guy police officer pulls me over, handcuffs me and puts me in the back seat of the car. It scared the s*** out of me. I said, ‘You don’t have to spend the night in jail do you?’ because that was my biggest fear. ‘No, no,’ he says. He looks at the licence, sees who it is and lets me off. God, that scared me! I’ve never done that again.â€
“You never cared much for sightseeing,†I suggest.
“No, it was a job. You get to the city, go to the hotel from the airport and go to the courts; you go back to your room, get a massage, go to dinner. When I lost, I was gone. When I won, I was gone. I didn’t hang around to sightsee.â€
“You had no time for politics, celebrity or cash?â€
“No, money was taken care of after I won a couple of majors; politics I keep quiet and I don’t see myself as a celebrity. I see myself as an athlete, a tennis player, just a reclusive champion.â€
TO FIND the reclusive champion, we need to turn back time to Los Angeles in the early Eighties, where the boy with the prodigious gift for tennis is lying on the couch of his home in Palos Verdes, lost in the pages of The Catcher In The Rye. Pete Sampras, the third of four kids born to his parents, Sam and Georgia, is no Holden Caulfield.
A shy, introverted kid, nurtured on love and stability, Sampras has been raised to say “please†and “thank youâ€, never throw his racket and always to keep his emotions in check. But the book absolutely enthrals him, especially the bottom line: “Don’t ever tell anybody anything.†At age 19, he rockets to fame at the US Open and adopts it as his mantra.
“Everything I did in my life was to be the best player in the world,†he says. “I was pretty sheltered, I kept things close to the vest, and that was kind of the secret of my success. When I played my majors, I didn’t want to say much. My goal, especially at Wimbledon was, ‘Don’t say anything that’s going to be a distraction’.â€
There was one problem. Distraction was good box office. Fans had grown up with distraction; Jimmy Connors fighting with John McEnroe; McEnroe fighting with everyone; they wanted more from the new boy wonder than “shucksâ€. The press labelled him boring — he was Pete Samprazzzz. Jimbo and Mac waded in. But Sampras wasn’t prepared to trade his reserve for understanding.
“I stayed true to how I was raised and who I am,†he explains. “I was never going to sell out for more money, or marketing or Nike. I wasn’t going to do things on the court or say things in my press conferences to make controversy. I was a sportsman. I didn’t see myself as an entertainer. I was this humble, quiet champion, reclusive in an era when it was more about image and personality and soundbites.â€
For the four years that followed his first Wimbledon triumph in 1993, Sampras was admired but unloved. It hurt. I quote him an observation from the gifted Sports Illustrated writer SL Price, from 1997: “Even now, he can’t escape the feeling that his biggest opponent is not on the other side of the net. It’s Jimbo and all those colourful, maniacal egos of the 70s and 80s — McEnroe and Ilie Nastase and the late Vitas Gerulaitis — who still own the heart of the US fan.â€
“The timing was tough for me,†he acknowledges. “They were controversial and exciting and I was this quiet guy and a lot of the media wanted me to act in a certain way. The thing that baffled me was.... I could go out and act like the biggest asshole in the world. Is that what they wanted? Is that what they were looking for? They wanted me to be more expressive — my expressive was with my racket, not my mouth.â€
“McEnroe and Connors didn’t make it easy for you,†I suggest.
“Not early on,†he agrees. “I was closer to John than I was to Jimmy; John and I got to be friendly through Davis Cup, but Jimmy and I were a bit like oil and water with some things. I had a big [breakthrough] in 1990 at the US Open and I think [pauses] How do I want to say this? I think it took time for him to respect me as a player.â€
“What about John?†I ask.
“Didn’t you have a go at him once in a locker room for something he wrote in a column?â€
“Yeah, I think it was the London Times. The problem I had with John was... He’d thrash me [in the press] and come into the locker room and it would be, ‘Hey Pete. How you doin? What you been up to?’ And that doesn’t work for me. You can’t thrash me in the press and all of a sudden be my best friend and so we had a little moment.â€
“I’d have paid money to watch that,†I smile.
“Well, you know how it is with John. He put his arm around me and brought his head real close and says, ‘Hey, you know, I was just having a little fun.’ We had this up-anddown relationship throughout the years. He has always been a competitor, even today, the way he talks and the things he says... he still feels he can go out there and win.â€
“The chemistry when you played together in the Davis Cup must have been fascinating,†I observe.
“I was fascinated by it,†he concurs. “I was still young at the time [the Davis Cup final against Switzerland in 1992] but it was interesting how different we were. I’d be thinking about what was going on ahead. He’d be thinking about what was going on behind. I remember we were sitting in the changing room and he starts on Tom Gorman [the US captain), ‘Do something! Yell at the umpire!’ He was bitching about some line call that had happened 10 minutes ago. It was exhausting. I was exhausted. I looked at him and said, ‘John, it’s over!’â€
Nothing succeeds like success. Sampras had more than anyone. During his final years the applause grew louder and the perception of him changed.
The most important thing for Sampras was that he didn’t change, no sir, right to the end he did it his way. The end, his 14th major title, was the 2002 US Open. He returned to the house in the hills with his wife and new-born son, closed the front door and announced his retirement 12 months later.
The plan was to play lots of golf and live happily ever after and for the next three years that’s mostly how it was. He played almost every day and reduced his handicap to two. He went to poker tournaments, Lakers games and played basketball with friends. He devoted himself to Bridgette and their two sons. He didn’t play tennis. He didn’t watch tennis. He didn’t need tennis. It was the perfect ending.
But life is never perfect.
“After two and a half years it starts wearing thin,†he explains. “You’re playing golf every day, you’ve put on some weight and you wake up in the morning and feel unfulfilled. I talked to my wife about it. She could see I was restless. I said to her, ‘I just feel a little bit empty. I need more than this’.â€
“Unfulfilled is a strong word,†I suggest.
“It’s a hard word,†he says, “but it’s an honest word. I thought, ‘This is what people do when they are 60. I’m 34! Can I spend the next 15 years doing this?’ It’s tricky. The life I had was so focused and scheduled and disciplined... and then, cold turkey, you’re done. At first you like it but after a while you feel restless. ‘What’s next with my life? What am I going to do next?’ That’s hard.
“I can understand why athletes come back. It was very clear to me. Some miss the limelight but for me it was the focus, I miss having a schedule, I miss being in shape. I thought, ’Okay, let’s look into playing a little bit’.â€
He started training again and in April 2006, three and half years after retiring, he returned to the court to face Robby Ginepri in an exhibition in Houston and then signed up for some Team Tennis events.
“Then I took it a step further,†he says, “and played in a couple of senior events. I thought, ‘Let’s do this. I’m not going to take it seriously or come out of retirement but if I play every three or four months it will be good for me.’ It keeps me in shape. I have a schedule.It actually makes me a better husband and a better father. I come home feeling better about everything.â€
He has played Roger Federer four times in the past 12 months (winning once), beaten Tommy Haas in Germany and, when he arrives next month for the Blackrock Masters at the Albert Hall, it will be his first return to London since Wimbledon in 2002.
“People ask, ‘Are you going to go back to Wimbledon? Are you going to go back to the US Open? Why would I go back? What would I do there? Do I want to sit with some sponsors and make some money? Not for me. Do I want to watch tennis and do some interviews? Not really. I’d like to be there when Roger [Federer] breaks the [majors] record and that could very well be at Wimbledon.â€
“You played against him earlier this year in New York?â€
“Yeah, at Madison Square Garden in front of 17,000. It was a thrill. I really appreciated him. He didn’t have much to gain but did it more out of respect for me.â€
“What did you learn?â€
“That I can still be competitive against anyone in the world. I’m not saying I can beat these guys but I can make it competitive. I’m not in as good a shape and don’t move as well but for one set I’ll go up against anybody.â€
“It didn’t tempt you to come back?â€
“No. The competition is not what I’m looking for. I’m not looking to go to London to beat someone up. It gives me a schedule, the focus to go to the gym and hit a few balls. The process is what I’m looking for.â€
“John McEnroe is playing.â€
“Yeah.â€
“Are you looking forward to that?â€
“Yeah,†he laughs.
“What about the showmanship?†I ask. “Mac throwing his racket, [Henri] Leconte playing the clown... Is that really your scene? You were never a showman?â€
“No, but I’m not going to play with my head all the way down. I’ll smile and have some fun but I’m not going to say, ‘Here’s the new Pete. You thought you knew me for the last 14 years but I’m coming out of my shell’.â€
The interview has ended. We chat for a while about the pleasures and perils of life in LA and I tell him about my daughter’s shopping list. “Where’s the nearest Nordstrom,†I ask.
He shakes his head, clearly befuddled. “I’ll have to get Grant to help you with that.â€
“You’ve no idea?†I ask.
“No, I’m Howard Hughes, remember?†he smiles.
Source: The Sunday Times (UK) 11/10/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete plays Prague|:||:|1226282748|:|
Big money draws big player for December exhibition match
By: František Bouc
The Prague Post
October 29th, 2008 - There are few things U.S legend Pete Sampras has not done in tennis. One is to make an appearance on a Czech court.
This will soon change. Six years after officially retiring from professional tennis, Sampras will take on Czech Radek Štěpánek Dec. 1 at Prague’s O2 Arena.
"We’ve got a chance to introduce a sports legend to our tennis fans," says Miroslav Černošek, owner of Česká sportovní, the promotional company staging the event.
The winner of 14 Grand Slam tournaments, who for 260 consecutive weeks ranked No. 1 in the world, will become the most expensive individual athlete that Česká sportovní has ever brought to this country. Two years ago, Česká sportovní staged Europe’s most prestigious men’s basketball tournament, the Final Four, in Prague. In October, it organized the NHL games between the New York Rangers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
"Bringing Sampras over will cost us about one-seventh of the sum we paid to have the Rangers here," Černošek said. Sampras’ appearance money will be an estimated 4 million Kč ($201,511).
"But it will be worth it," assures Štěpánek. "Pete is still in top shape, and he would give a hard time to many of the active professionals on the tour."
Sampras will cost more than star Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt — now of triple gold medal and triple world record fame in Beijing — who Česká sportovní brought to a race in Ostrava in May.
Petra Langrová, who negotiated Sampras’ Prague appearance, says the 37-year-old should be in top shape.
"From Prague, he will travel to a Tour of Champions event in London, where he wants to succeed," she said. "He had no special demands other than to have a masseur’s table in his hotel room. It proves that he’ll take the game seriously."
Indeed, Sampras alluded to his ambitions when speaking of the London event.
"It’s still fun for me to compete. It’s still a challenge, and I still want to hold that trophy up at the end," he said.
Sampras — nicknamed "Pistol Pete" for his trademark big serves — occasionally takes on active players in exhibition events. He drew the most attention playing then world No. 1 Roger Federer in a three-match tour of Asia in November 2007, beating Federer once.
"I made it competitive, and I am serving very well," Sampras said at that time.
In February, Sampras defeated German Tommy Haas — a former world No. 2 — 6-4, 6-2 in just 43 minutes.
Only four Czech players were ever able to beat Sampras on the ATP Tour: Petr Korda, Jiří Novák, Bohdan Ulihrach and Karel Nováček. Only Korda beat Sampras more than once. Štěpánek, who has never before played Sampras, pins hopes on being the fifth.
"I’d like to beat him, too," said Štěpánek.
Štěpánek, who, like Sampras, prefers the serve-and-volley style of play, expects a top-quality match.
"Hopefully, we’ll be able to squeeze in some exhibition stuff on top of that," Štěpánek said.
Sampras agrees: "I still want to play well and still want to win. But now, I’m a little more relaxed. The crowd still wants to see me serve and volley the way I used to and pull off my shots, but with a slightly lighter atmosphere."
Source: Prague Post 10/30/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Courier, Sampras face off for local fundraiser ( in Michigan)|:||:|1225332043|:|
October 29, 2008
GRAND RAPIDS -- The view from just over a courtside railing looked to be exceptional for sixth- grade classmates Josie Evert and Parker Chuba on Tuesday night at Van Andel Arena.
But when tennis pro Jim Courier stopped the Miracle Match exhibition against Pete Sampras and walked over to their kneeling position in the court's corner, the two tennis buddies knew their vantage point had come at a high price.
"He leaned over and saw our taco chips, and then he grabbed one and ate it," Evert said. "He came back and got another one. I guess we're going to have to buy some more."
The antic was one of many the two retired tennis superstars used to entertain the estimated crowd of 4,000.
While Courier, 38, a two-time French Open and Australian Open champion, provided the more light-hearted approach, Sampras, 39, who won a record 14 Grand Slam titles, showed a competitive fire, finishing two games with three consecutive ace en route to a 6-4, 6-2 win.
The event raised money for the Miracle Match Foundation, established in 1997 by local tennis pro Bill Przybysz as he began his recovery from Acute Monocytic Leukemia.
Przybysz's contacts in the tennis world has produced such national events as this year's five-city stop Sampras-Courier tour and provided financial support and community visibility for those suffering from similar stem cell-related blood diseases.
Sampras appeared to be the star of the show.
"When (Sampras') picture came out on the Wheaties box, I bought three of them for our kids, and they thought I was crazy," said Leslie Sukup, who attended the event with husband Dave and daughter Laura.
But it was Laura, 27, who had her Wheaties box with her at a private clinic with Sampras on Tuesday afternoon for his autograph.
"I was like a little kid," she said after Tuesday's exhibition. "He hit one shot to me and I hit it back. It was great."
Others got a chance to hit with seven-time Wimbledon winner. When Courier was forced to take a break because of back spasms, Sampras invited the student-ballrunners to hit with him in front of a cheering crowd.
"It was amazing," said Ellen Silver, 15, who won a point against Sampras when she hammered a hanging lob shot back across the net. "He was so nice. Every time we threw him a ball during the match, he said 'Thank you.' "
Source: Michigan Live
10/29/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras, coming to Grand Rapids, still humble|:||:|1225257822|:|
October 26, 2008
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS -- When he ruled the tennis world, Pete Sampras never cared about seeing his newspaper photo on the first day of a tournament. But he certainly wanted to see it on the tournament's last day -- and then only as an indication that he had accomplished his goal.
"I didn't play for the limelight or the money, my only goal was to be the best," said the retired winner of a record 14 Grand Slam professional titles by phone from his California home last week. "In tennis, you can't hide behind a teammate or a coach. It's only the great players who, if they're not playing well, can regroup and play out of it."
Sampras, who retired from the sport in 2002 as the only player to hold the world's No. 1 ranking for six consecutive years, hopes to show that drive Tuesday when he'll face Jim Courier on the fifth stop of the 2008 Miracle Match Charity Tennis Event at Van Andel Arena.
Proceeds from the event will benefit the Miracle Match Foundation, a fundraising effort to assist patients with stem cell related diseases founded in 1997 by local tennis pro Bill Przybysz, who is recovering from acute monocytic leukemia (AML).
Sampras has proven to be a worthy ambassador.
"I always looked up to athletes who showed respect to their opponents and to their game," said Sampras, 39, who counts past tennis legends Rod Laver and Ken Rosewell as early examples. "They were untouchables -- they let their game do their talking. I could have caused controversy but I always felt that it would take away from my drive to be the best."
"That's just the way I see it and I feel there's still room today for quiet, humble champions."
Sampras counts golfer Tiger Woods, former basketball star Michael Jordan, and Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in that group today and assumes that they, too, will handle retirement with equal grace because of the respect with which they bring to their sports.
"Some guys just get bored and miss the excitement," is how Sampras views the comeback attempts made by any number of professional stars like bicycler Lance Armstrong, NFL quarterback Brett Favre, and even Jordan himself. "For me, I just needed a nice balance between family and golf and playing in charity events like this one."
Finding a balance between family, golf and playing charity events are It's part of the message that Sampras delivers in his book "A Champion's Mind," issued in June. But he never intended the book or his life to be a formula for personal advice.
"I just put it all out there in an open and honest way to tell the story of what it took for me to be a champion, but it's not a tell-all" said Sampras of his book "A Champion's Mind." "I wanted a book that helps people in any pursuit to be their best." That's why Przybysz is so pleased to have Sampras as a part of this year's Miracle Match tour.
"Events like this give area tennis clubs and professionals a chance to grow the sport with Pete as an example," said Przybysz.
Source: Michigan Live 10/26/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to play exhibition in San Jose - 2009|:||:|1225034900|:|
Oct. 15, 2008
Pete Sampras, formerly ranked No. 1 in the world and a two-time SAP Open singles champion, will play an exhibition match against American star James Blake at 7 p.m. on Feb. 9 during the 2009 SAP Open at HP Pavilion in San Jose.
Heading the singles field are Blake, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt, Juan Martin del Potro, Mardy Fish and Sam Querrey. Bob and Mike Bryan are entered in doubles.
Ticket packages are group tickets are available by calling (408) ACE-2121. Individual session tickets will go on sale in January. 10/03/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras and James Blake face off in Baton Rouge for ‘Duel Under the Oaks II’ Fundraising Event |:||:|1223048555|:|
First-time Face-off on December 14 to Raise Funds for Hurricane Gustav Recovery
Baton Rouge, LA (September 25, 2008) – The Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation is proud to announce that this winter, tennis greats Pete Sampras and James Blake will meet across the net for the very first time at the ‘Duel Under the Oaks II’ fundraising event. Organized by Paula Pennington de la Bretonne, the exhibition match will take place at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) on LSU’s campus on Sunday, December 14.
This is the second time Sampras has participated in the 'Duel Under the Oaks' exhibition match. In October 2006, Sampras helped raise money for LSU Medical Center students that were displaced by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. This year, Sampras returns to Baton Rouge to take the court with Blake to raise funds for non-profit organizations aiding those impacted by Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike.
The December event will be funded by the Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation in hopes of raising money through sponsorships and ticket sales. The proceeds from the event will go to the 'Duel Under the Oaks Hurricane Relief and Recovery Fund,' at the Baton Rouge Area Foundation which will award grants to Gulf Coast area non-profit organizations and programs that shelter, feed and provide necessities to people impacted by the storm. The fund will also provide grants to organizations that aid residents returning to the impacted areas.
"The Pennington Foundation is deeply committed to assisting Gulf Coast area non-profit organizations that are now facing even larger challenges and are in dire need of more resources to help communities recover after Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike," said Paula Pennington de la Bretonne, Chairman of the Committee.
The event will feature:
11:00 to 1:00 9/15/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Keeps Fans Hopping |:||:|1221450725|:|
Several of 4,000 fans who attended Friday night's tennis exhibition in the Pit received nearly as much of a workout as the two stars, Pete Sampras and Sam Querrey.
With only 12 feet of space behind the baseline of the blue synthetic court placed on the Pit's famed hardwood floor, spectators at both ends of the court spent much of the night jumping out of the way of 120 mph serves blasted by Sampras and Querrey.
This was a night when you didn't count a player's aces. Instead, you kept track of the number of times fans, linespeople and ball boys ducked whizzing yellow balls, and sometimes didn't duck quickly enough.
Dennis Irvin, 50, who traveled to Albuquerque from Farmington with his wife Donna, 46, paid $48 each for seats at the south end of the Pit. At courtside.
"It was well worth it," said Dennis, 50, who regularly deflected bazooka shots from both players. "It was for a good cause (UNM Children's Hospital, the beneficiary of the exhibition)."
The Irvins have been Sampras fans, they said, since he won his first Grand Slam — at the U.S. Open — at age 19.
On Friday night they cheered him again as Sampras won, 6-7 (4), 6-3, 6-1.
At age 37, Sampras is 17 years older than Querrey. That didn't stop him from chasing down shots off both wings and, of course, pounding that signature fluid cannonball service deep and hard into the corners. And ultimately, into the seats.
"When the balls came close to me," Donna Irvin, said, "I just got behind (husband Dennis).
"He's got the best serve and the best forehand," Querrey said. This weekend Querrey leaves for Spain where he will play on the U.S. Davis Cup team next weekend against Spain.
"People are asking me all the time when I'm going to come out of retirement," Sampras said. "I'm very content. I've moved on. I don't want to put in all the work that it takes to be No. 1 in the world."
That's a spot that Sampras had to himself for six years.
Sampras won the match as well as best comedic honors. When a baby in the audience began to cry just as Sampras wound up to serve, Sampras, the father of two boys, 5 and 3, stopped and said, "I know that sound." When he cracked a forehand winner down the line, he pulled up the sleeve of his T-shirt and flexed his biceps. Following a double fault, he walked toward a fan and offered up his racket.
Prior to the match, Sampras and Querrey were given Lobos basketball jerseys by UNM coach Steve Alford. Loren Dils, former assistant coach for the UNM men, who has been diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease, was recognized for his service to tennis in New Mexico.
The place that Sampras holds in tennis history was cause for much intimidation. The ball boys, trained by David Krauss, wore wide-eyed looks throughout. "They're incredibly excited," said Krauss. "For many of them, he's their idol."
Source: Albuquerque Journal 8/08/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras on The Charlie Rose Show|:||:|1218208517|:|
Air date: August 7, 2008
For other interviews, visit here. 7/21/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|His Play Time is Over|:||:|1216643027|:|
Sampras retired on top after his record 14th Slam title and has no intention of coming back -- even though he can still play, as the writer learns firsthand.
By: Kurt Streeter, LA Times
July 20, 2008
The great champion -- young enough to play the grandest stage again, wise enough not to try -- lined up that classic forehand of his, turned his shoulders and let loose.
WHOP!
I sent back a meager forehand and glanced up. Sure enough, Pete Sampras, stealthy and smooth, had already intercepted my reply with one of his own: a frozen-rope backhand volley winner that nearly tore out a chunk of the asphalt court.
"Always loved that shot!" he said, grinning broadly.
In terms of tennis, we don't exist in the same universe. Period. But Sampras was kind enough to throw me a bone. "A writer who can play?" he said, laughing as he watched me run side-to-side like a mouse being tortured by a wily cat. "Never seen that before."
It's good to see Pete Sampras smile and laugh.
Good to see, six years removed from leaving us after a final U.S. Open win, the Palos Verdes-bred champion emerge from the protective shell he constructed during his long years atop the tennis world.
The 36-year-old Sampras -- still bushy haired and fit, living now within the gated grounds at Sherwood Country Club with his actress wife and two kids -- admits to finally being comfortable with reminiscing about his past. Comfortable, more than ever, in his own skin. Thus we have an autobiography, the recently published "A Champion's Mind: Lessons From a Life in Tennis," which won't win any literary prizes but does offer an inside view of the sacrifice and struggle it took to be one of the greats.
Moreover, after several years shying away from tennis, he has returned to the court -- albeit in a much less stressful way. You'll find him playing a few seniors events, that old, hangman's look of his replaced by a lighter one. Earlier this year, he even played Roger Federer in a series of four exhibitions. These were sometimes serious, sometimes casual affairs. But when Sampras won the third match and barely lost the last one, played in front of a sellout crowd at Madison Square Garden, it was quite clear he has still got some magic left.
I learned that for myself a few days ago at the Sherwood Club in Thousand Oaks. Sampras was kind enough to host me, a onetime wannabe tennis pro who never amounted to much, for a little practice and a chat.
Trust me, the dude can still play. I'm still working my body out of the pretzel it formed trying to draw a bead on his game. That's what happens when a 14-time Grand Slam winner plays a guy who pocketed $700 for twice winning the Seattle City Open.
"I miss the competition," he said, sitting courtside after our hit. "But even more I miss the arena."
Especially now, during summer, when the U.S. Open and Wimbledon are played.
"You know, I can still draw on the emotion of that court," speaking of Centre Court at Wimbledon. "The 2 o'clock final. The anticipation. The way it feels. . . . It'd be great to get on that court one more time."
Especially after watching this year's epic men's final. That Sunday, Sampras actually slept in, missing the first two sets. When he woke, he was shocked to find Federer far behind. He didn't pry himself from the TV until the last ball was struck.
I told him that I'd watched that match as so many other viewers had, screaming hapless exhortations to both players and checking my pulse to make sure I wasn't about to keel over.
His reaction to the match had been a bit more reserved: "Well, when you've won Wimbledon, you don't find yourself jumping up and down and you're maybe not quite so emotional."
Makes sense, particularly from a guy known for having antifreeze in the veins. But what was he thinking?
"The whole time I was thinking what I would do against Roger in this instance, or what I would do against Nadal."
And that would be?
"Getting really aggressive. . . . That court? You need to cut up that court with a nice serve and volley," he said. "You can't give those guys time to just sit back and whale all day."
As he spoke, his voice livened and his eyes tightened, signs the old juices are still there. In 2007, he'd already told me, Wimbledon had called and tried to coax the seven-time champion to return and play. I posed a question: After those Federer exhibitions, when it looked as if he was making the current No. 1 mighty uncomfortable with those darting serves and hammer volleys, was he thinking comeback, if only for the All England?
He replied: "I admit, I had a moment of curiosity. Some time when I was wondering how I might do at Wimbledon. But I'm just no longer willing to put in the work. . . . Right now life is about family, about my wife and time with our kids. I gave it all I had. That's good enough for me."
A sentiment with perfect timing. Remember, this was a week when we saw much hemming and hawing over Brett Favre and his comeback hopes, a week that brought back memories of Unitas, Mays, Ali and other greats who held on too long.
Leave it to Pete Sampras to be not only a great champion, but a levelheaded one. He's still good enough to do some damage on the pro tennis tour but mature enough not to try.
Perhaps Mr. Favre should take some notes.
Click on pictures to view larger image.
Source: LA Times
7/14/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Interview|:||:|1216054780|:|
Source: Tennis.com by Peter Bodo
I spoke with Pete Sampras yesterday, and he says "Hi' to all his fans at TennisWorld. Time out for a shameless plug: the book we wrote together, A Champion's Mind, has been on the New York Times best seller list (at no. 20, now 21) since shortly after it was published. We talked mostly about the Wimbledon final, and his pal and hitting buddy, Roger Federer
So what did you think?
I thought it was great, maybe the best match I've seen in many, many years. Two all-time greats, at their prime, playing great on the best court on earth. if you wrote a script it couldn't have been any better - Roger coming back from two sets to love, Nadal showing his heart. . . I thought it was great tennis and great drama.
I think Roger handled himself with a lot of class. What I really liked is that the match goes to show that when you come right down to it, great moments aren't about controversy, and they aren't about personality. They're about two great players who manage to reach beyond the usual audience for the game - that's especially big in this country. It was impressive that two guys who aren't American could capture the American sports fans that way. It was one of those moments in all sports that we'll never forget.
Did you talk to Roger, Pete?
It wasn't the right time, I didn't think. But I did send him a text, and told him, "Bad luck, too bad there had to be a loser in that one." I said he should take pride in the way he and Rafa are taking the sport way beyond the usual audience. He should feel great about that. He texted me back to say thanks.
I know it was disappointing for him, I'm sure hes still playing that match in his mind. But in years to come, he'll look back on this match and appreciate the moment. No question in my mind about that.
So do you think Roger needs to make any changes at this stage in his career, given Nadal and Djokovic's emergence?
I heard quite a few people saying he should come in more, serve and volley more. But Roger is just so much better than anyone except Rafa from the backcourt that you wonder if that would be a smart move. Sure he could attack a little more, but I still feel that if you put Rog and Rafa on that Centre Court 10 times, I think Roger wins 7 of them. He was right there with Rafa, neck-and-neck, and that's the opposite of how it is on clay. Rafa's already a legend on clay, but I'm sure Roger thinks he's still the better player on grass, and I believe that's true. But Rafa showed that it now comes down to form of the day, and on Sunday Roger just came up a little short.
Do you think Roger should have a full time coach, for either technical or emotional reasons?
No, I don't think he necessarily should. Everybody is different, and Roger's won plenty of Slams on his own. Maybe that's more his comfort zone. On the other hand, a coach can see things that a player can't, and he can emphasize things and come up with a plan when a player might just want to go out and play his game. I always found it valuable when Paul (Annacone, Sampras's former coach) would say something like, "I think you should serve big to his backhand at the start, just to plant a bug in his mind and open up the court, then try to do most of your damage on the forehand side."
That kind of simple advice was always welcome to me, even if at the last minute I didn't always carry it out. A coach can help, what, 2 per cent, for a player of Roger's caliber? But then again - this match came down to that small a difference between the guys. So who really knows.
What I think is important, though, is to keep a perspective on this and not over-analyze the match. Roger played well enough to win, only he didn't. On another day, he does. Contrary to what a lot of people are saying, I think Roger is having a good year, it's just that he's set such a high bar for himself. But can anybody say he's fallen off the pace, or that his game has holes in it? No way. He's right there, ready
to strike, and he will - given the opportunity.
Do you still expect Roger to break your Grand Slam singles title record (14 titles)?
Oh, absolutely. It's inevitable. He'll be in contention for all the majors, and he'll win a few more Wimbledons and U.S. Opens before he's done - no doubt in my mind.
Do you plan to practice or play any exos with him, like you did last fall?
We have nothing in the works. We talked about trying to put something together for London, an exhibition or something, but we couldn't make it work, schedules-wise. It would be nice to do it again, but right now Roger has other fish to fry.
What do you think about the Olympics; is Roger making a mistake by taking part, instead of concentrating on the U.S. Open, as Andy Roddick decided to do?
I think it's apples and oranges there. I think the Olympics is in Roger's heart; it's a really big deal for him. Maybe it's because he's the (arguably) greatest athlete ever produced in Switzerland, which is a small nation that does a lot better in the Winter Games than the Summer Games. But the Summer Games are bigger.
It means a lot for Roger to be able to carry that Swiss flag, like he did at the last Olympic Games. By contrast, Andy skipping the Olympics isn't that big a deal. The Olympics aren't quite as important in the U.S. as elsewhere, and the tennis event will be overshadowed because we have so many great athletes in the other sports. The Olympic thing - it's either in your heart or not.
What are you doing in the near future, public appearance-wise?
I'll be on the Charley Rose show this Friday, promoting our book. I'll be playing a senior event in London and a few one-night exhibitions, with Sam Querrey and a few of the other guys. I'll stay busy, play a little bit. . .
What major will you be attending next?
The one where Roger is poised to break my record. I'm kind of selfish about it, though - I told Roger that if that happens to be at the Australian Open, I may not make the trip. It's far, I've logged a lot of miles in my life going to tennis tournaments. I half-kiddingly told him he'll have to do it at Wimbledon or the U.S. Open, so now we'll just have to see what happens. Emotionally, I'd like to see him do it at either of those two places, preferably Wimbledon. And I want to be there out of respect for him, but I also would like to go back to Wimbledon someday, because I love that place.
Source: Tennis World 7/02/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Tidbit: Pete Sells His House |:||:|1214994567|:|
Pete Sampras has sold his $23-Million house To Will & Grace co-creator Max Mutchnick.
It was also mentioned that Pete was given a spray can to autograph the tennis court.
Source: Business Sheet 7/02/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to play exhibition match in New Mexico|:||:|1214994282|:|
July 1, 2008 - Pete Sampras, considered by some tennis experts to be the greatest player ever, is coming to the Pit.
Sampras, a seven-time Wimbledon winner and holder of a record 14 Grand Slam tournament singles titles, will play a two-out-of-three-set exhibition Friday night, Sept. 12.
His opponent will be rising American star Sam Querrey, ranked No. 42 in the world and winner of his first ATP event, the Tennis Channel Open in Las Vegas, Nev., in March. Querrey has been named to the U.S. Olympic team.
Sampras will also conduct a clinic earlier that day and be available for a "meet-and-greet" with the public.
"For Sampras to be here is incredible," said Tim Cass, former UNM men's coach and now senior associate AD for the school. "He's definitely one of the all-time greats."
Tim Stallard, who runs Prolink-Sports Entertainment -Media, out of Austin, Texas, started working on an Albuquerque event early in January.
"A lot of markets in the country are really underserved by tennis," said Stallard. "There's a strong and supportive tennis community in Albuquerque, but there are few chances there to see top players."
The Pit hasn't had a tennis exhibition since the mid-1980s when Martina Navratilova played an exhibition with Chris Evert.
"This event celebrates tennis in the community," said Stallard. "It creates more awareness for tennis."
Stallard, who does tennis exhibition around the country involving Sampras, Navratilova, Andy Roddick, the Bryan brothers and Justin Gimelstob, said he contacted Cass six months ago. The two have known each other for more than a decade, going back to Cass' tenure as the men's tennis coach at Texas A&M.
Originally, Stallard considered bringing Sampras to Albuquerque to play Novak Djokovic. "But that fell through when Djokovic won the Australian Open." Then Stallard looked at a foursome, Navratilova-Anna Kournikova and Querrey-Mardy Fish.
Finally, Sampras and Querrey worked out.
Retired from competitive tennis, Sampras, 36, lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two small children. Sampras agreed to come to Albuquerque for a fee that is "very manageable," according to Stallard.
The 6-foot-6 Querrey is 20. Like Sampras, Querrey lives in Los Angeles and relies heavily on a big serve. In one recent tournament Querry banged an astonishing 10 aces in a row.
The New Mexico Sports Authority is helping to promote and advertise the event locally.
One-hundred percent of the proceeds of the exhibition will benefit the UNM Children's Hospital. In addition, ticket presales will help raise money for the ColemanVision tournament and for the Loren Dils Fund, which has been set up to combat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease. Dils is the UNM men's assistant tennis coach.
Pete Sampras vs. Sam Querrey
University Arena
Sept. 12, 7 p.m.
Ticket prices range from $28.50 to $88.50
Ticket presales begin at 7 a.m. July 6 and end at midnight July 13. During this one week presale, you must visit www.unmtickets.com and enter the code of the organization you wish to contribute to through the presale. The code for Loren Dils is unmtennis. The code for ColemanVision is cvtennis.
Source: Albuquerque Journal 6/25/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras - Marcelo Rios Exhibition Match (Chile)|:||:|1214401263|:|
Pete lost to Marcelo Rios 6-3, 3-6, 6-7 (7)
Regarding the duel with Sampras, Rios only had praises for his rival. "Here [in Chile] the guy took it as an exhibition and was very relaxed. When I played him in Brazil, I did not think he would reach such good level. It is like seeing him at his best moments. He still has his powerful and very good serve. The truth, he really impressed me very much."
"Seeing him play and facing him is very different The way he plays at 36, it is clear that the guy is from another level," Rios said.
Pete also praised Rios, "Marcelo played well. I lost some key points and he started serving better. At the end I did not play well, I failed several balls of game and ended losing, I was at match point and did not take advantage of that."
Pete continued in humor, "It was the last time that (Rios) wins [against] me. I was a good [guest] to the host and I let him win as the local."
When asked if Pete will consider returning to Chile for another match, he replied, "Absolutely, just being here is a pleasure for me. I hope to be back some day for another exhibition or on the Veterans tour, it would be cool. We will see. But I repeat, it is the last time he (Rios) wins over me."
Thanks to our Samprasfanz member, Maritza for the translation
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6/23/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Hammers Rios to Claim First BlackRock Title|:||:|1214222807|:|
Pete Sampras hammered Marcelo Rios 6-2, 7-6(5) in the Sao Paulo final to win his first title on the BlackRock Tour of Champions.
The American was giving away four years to Rios, but his serve would not have looked out of place at Wimbledon next week as he rushed through the opening set with breaks in the fifth and seventh games. In the second set, neither player could convert break-point chances and the set went to a tie-break which Sampras won to finish the match.
"I'm very happy to finish the week with the title," said Sampras, who hit 16 aces in the match. "I enjoyed playing here in front of this crowd in Brazil."
Rios was disappointed, but paid tribute to Sampras.
"Pete is playing very good tennis and it was hard to beat him as his serve is so big. I hope to have other chances to play him. On this surface it is obvious that he has a big advantage but in the future I hope to have a second shot at him."
In the 3rd/4th place match, Brazilian Jaime Oncins battled past countryman Fernando Meligeni 6-2, 6-7(6), 10-7 in one hour and 30 minutes.
The circuit now moves on to Istanbul, Turkey next month. It will be the first time that the BlackRock Tour of Champions has ever visited Turkey.
Source: BlackRock Tour of Champions 6/22/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to Face Rios in Dream Final|:||:|1214155546|:|
The BlackRock Tour of Champions will stage the first ever meeting in a final between Pete Sampras and Marcelo Rios when they clash in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Sunday.
Rios battled past Peru’s Jaime Yzaga 6-0, 7-5 on Saturday, while Sampras dismissed Thomas Muster 6-3, 6-2. It means the pair completed the round-robin stages of the event unbeaten, and something will have to give in the final of the Nossa Caixa Grand Champions Brazil.
As well as the perfect conclusion to the event itself, it will also help to answer a few questions about what would have happened if they had met more often during their careers.
When Rios reached the summit of tennis in 1998, the prospect of a thrilling rivalry with Sampras had beckoned.
Rios, the most uniquely talented left-hander since John McEnroe, had reached No.1 in the rankings during the first half of that year, winning titles in Indian Wells, Miami and Rome. Sampras dug deep to win his fifth of seven Wimbledon titles and ultimately finish the year as the World No.1 for a record sixth successive year. Throughout those compelling 12 months, they did not meet once. In fact, despite their careers overlapping for eight years, they played each other only twice, with Sampras winning on both occasions - on clay at Roland Garros in 1994 (Rios’ debut year on the circuit) and indoors in Stuttgart in 2001.
At 32 and 36 respectively, Rios and Sampras are still in excellent physical shape, and both have beaten current ATP players in exhibition matches this year.
"It should be a good final," confirmed Sampras.
"Rios is young, talented and in very good shape. He is serving well too. He could probably still be playing on the (ATP) tour."
Rios was equally excited by the prospect of Sunday’s clash.
"To play Sampras in the final here will be incredible. We are happy he decided to play some events on the BlackRock Tour of Champions," he said.
Elsewhere, Jaime Oncins defeated Andrei Cherkasov 6-7(2), 6-4, 10-7 (Champions’ Tie-break) in one hour and 50 minutes to book a spot in Sunday’s 3rd/4th place match against Fernando Meligeni. Meligeni enjoyed a 7-6(10), 4-6, 10-7 (Champions’ tie-break) victory over Marc-Kevin Goellner.
Source: BlackRock Tour of Champions 6/21/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Muster Separates Sampras From Rios Final|:||:|1214035997|:|
A former World No.1 stands in the way of a former World No.1 reaching the final where another former World No.1 will be waiting - it is what the BlackRock Tour of Champions is all about.
Pete Sampras and Thomas Muster both topped the ATP rankings in the 1990’s, and they will face each other in the final round-robin match at the BlackRock Tour of Champions event in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Saturday. If Sampras wins, a mouth-watering final clash with Marcelo Rios surely awaits.
Boths Sampras and Rios have won their two group matches to-date, with Sampras serving and volleying his way past Marc-Kevin Goellner for a 6-3, 6-4 victory on Friday, and Rios crushing Jaime Oncins 6-2, 6-1.
"I was happy with my level of play today," said Sampras.
"I definitely felt a bit more comfortable out there, serving and volleying a bit more than yesterday. I also feel more adapted to the court. I have a tough match tomorrow against Muster that I will be looking to win to reach the final on Sunday."
The American won nine of his eleven meetings against Muster during their careers, and will head into their round-robin clash as the favourite. Muster has been struggling this week. He lost 6-3, 6-3 to Brazil’s Fernando Meligeni on Friday, and said:
"I was not hitting the ball well. I think it has to do with the altitude of Sao Paulo. But Fernando played a great match and deserved to win."
Rios, meanwhile, was in irresistable form, and now needs to defeat Jaime Yzaga to reach the final.
"I’m getting used to the court and I believe I played better than yesterday. I just hope I can play like this tomorrow and advance to the final," he said.
Source: BlackRock Tour of Champions 6/20/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Makes Winning Blackrock Debut|:||:|1213981222|:|
Pete Sampras needed all of his famed power, skill and experience to scrape past home favourite Fernando Meligeni and make a winning start to his BlackRock Tour of Champions career in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Thursday.
Sampras and Meligeni came into the match with a career head-to-head of 1-1, and it was immediately clear that the American would have his work cut out in front of a partisan, capacity crowd at the WTC Golden Hall.
The American broke Meligeni in the first game before holding serve to take the set 6-3, but Meligeni hit back to break the former Word No.1 at 2-2 in the second. With an ace, Meligeni closed out the second set 6-4. In the Champions’ Tie-break Sampras started strongly and quickly took a 7-3 lead, closing out the match 6-3, 4-6, 10-6 (Champions’ Tie-break).
“I was told that people are very passionate about sports here and that there are many tennis fans in Sao Paulo,†said Sampras.
“It was pleasure to play here. They had never had the chance to see me play live before, so I’m just happy to be here. The court is fast so it was hard to adjust with only one match, but I’m sure I will be better tomorrow.â€
For Meligeni, it was a special experience to play the 14-time Grand Slam champion in front of the Brazilian’s own fans.
“It is an honour to play Pete Sampras in Brazil,†he said.
“The guy is living legend, probably the best tennis player ever seen. It was a lot of fun to play in front of my home crowd once again. I could off the energy of the crowd and I think I was able to put up a good show for the fans. It is quite tough to play a guy like Pete on hard courts. His shots come fast and heavy and you don’t have much time to react. His serve is one of the best I have ever had to return and his ball placement is just incredible. I can’t say enough good things about his game.â€
Chilean Marcelo Rios also opened his campaign at the BlackRock Tour of Champions even in Sao Paulo with a win. The former World No.1 showed all of his talent to dismiss Russia's Andrei Cherkasov 6-3, 6-2 in 61 minutes. Rios, who is currently No.3 in the 2008 South African Airways Tour of Champions Rankings, could gain the lead if he wins the title in Sao Paulo.
"I think that I played well for my first match here but there is still some room for improvement. Tomorrow's match against Jaime (Oncins) will be good fun. I'm looking forward to the opportunity of playing a Brazilian in Sao Paulo," said Rios.
Earlier, local favourite Oncins defeated Peruvian Jaime Yzaga 6-4, 6-4, while Marc-Kevin Goellner overcame Thomas Muster 6-2, 6-4.
Source: BlackRock Tour of Champions 6/19/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Grand Champions Brazil|:||:|1213888743|:|
Schedule of Play
June 19: Pete Sampras vs. Fernando Meligeni (6-3, 4-6, 10-6 TB) 6/19/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras says Federer worthy of his record|:||:|1213886980|:|
Sampras says Federer worthy of his record for most Grand Slam career titles
LONDON — Pete Sampras remains confident that Roger Federer will beat his record for most career Grand Slam singles titles.
In fact, Sampras plans to be sitting among Federer's most vocal supporters when he does win a 15th career major - even if that requires a lengthy flight to Melbourne, Australia.
Federer has 12 Grand Slam titles, two behind Sampras' record.
If Federer won a sixth straight Wimbledon title next month and a fifth consecutive U.S. Open title in September, he would be aiming for No. 15 at the Australian Open in January.
"There is a burning desire in Roger to break my record, and when he does it I would like to be there," Sampras said Thursday. "I said to Roger, 'Just make sure it's in New York or London. Australia is a long way to go. (But) if it worked out like that, I would fly there.'
"I would just let him enjoy it as his moment but (I would want to be there) just to respect the record and what he was able to do and to just say, 'Congratulations."'
Despite Federer's loss to No. 2-ranked Rafael Nadal in the French Open final, Sampras is confident the Swiss star will bounce back at the All England Club.
"He's created this monster of winning so many tournaments and so many majors and doing it with ease," Sampras said in Sao Paulo, Brazil. "As great as Roger is, he's going to have his losses and his bad days. It's just human nature to go through some lulls."
That doesn't mean he has lost his edge, Sampras said.
"In the majors, he's still the guy that's most likely to win them," Sampras said. "He's lost a couple and, if anything, that'll do him some good. It'll get him going and fired up. He'll be just fine."
The 36-year-old Sampras was speaking from BlackRock Tour of Champions, where he makes his debut Thursday in Brazil against Thomas Muster.
But Sampras will find it hard not thinking of Wimbledon, which begins Monday, and where he captured half of his career majors.
"I think if I were to step back on that court at Wimbledon it would bring up a lot of emotion," Sampras said. "Just because of what the place meant to me and how big it was to the sport of tennis."
6/19/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:| Federer still the best - Sampras|:||:|1213886875|:|
Pete Sampras has dismissed suggestions that Roger Federer's four-year dominance of tennis is on the wane.
Seven-times Wimbledon winner Sampras believes Federer remains the man to beat despite the Swiss having won just two minor titles in 2008.
And Sampras has backed Federer to win his sixth consecutive Wimbledon title.
"He's still the guy most likely to win the majors. He's lost a couple but if anything that'll do him some good, it'll get him fired up," said Sampras.
"As great as Roger is he's going to have his losses and his bad days, it's just human nature to go through some lulls.
"The media need a story and something to grab on to, like he's lost his edge. He hasn't lost his edge.
"If he goes through the next few months and he's losing a lot and he doesn't contend for tournaments then maybe, but I don't see that happening."
Federer was thrashed by world number two Rafael Nadal in the French Open final earlier this month, winning just four games.
And Novak Djokovic, who beat Federer in the semi-finals of the Australian Open in January on his way to the title, says the Swiss is vulnerable.
He said: "Federer is still the number one in the world, but suddenly he feels a little bit shaken up because of a couple of losses.
"It's normal to have ups and downs after four years of absolute dominance.
"New names are coming, talented players who believe they can beat him and I am one of them. Suddenly he is a little bit worried."
Sampras, though, remains convinced that he will lose his record of 14 career Grand Slam titles to Federer.
And the American former world number one says he wants to be present when it happens - ideally at Wimbledon, a place he has not returned to since he retired.
Sampras will make his first return to London since Wimbledon 2002 when he plays in the BlackRock Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall in December.
"If I were to step back on that court at Wimbledon it would bring up a lot of emotion, just because of what the place meant to me and how big it was to the sport of tennis," said the American, who makes his debut on the BlackRock Tour of Champions in Sao Paulo on Thursday.
"As much as I'm a full-blooded American and I love the US Open, there's just a certain romance that I've always had with Wimbledon.
"I didn't always express it with words but I think internally I just felt a great connection with the place, the court and the arena.
"I felt like that was what tennis was all about for me and I look forward to going back and enjoying that experience."
Source: BBC 6/13/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video Interview from KRQE|:||:|1213362613|:|
6/13/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|10 Questions for Pete Sampras by Time.com|:||:|1213362477|:|
Whom did you enjoy playing against the most? Francis Eleazar HOFFMAN ESTATES, ILL.
Andre Agassi was my rival in the '90s, and I think as we got older we sort of transcended the game. He was probably the best player I ever played over my career. There's a list of players that were tough, but Andre, certainly, he was the most unique.
Did a time come when you felt you had had enough of competitive tennis? Nico Neethling RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA
After I went through two years of not winning an event, what kept me going was winning one more major. Once I won that last U.S. Open, I spent the next six months trying to figure out what was next. Slowly my passion for the sport just vanished. I had nothing left to prove.
How do you feel about retiring from your career at the same age that others fully engage in theirs? Vince Jordan, LOS ANGELES
It's not easy to retire at 31. In one respect I was glad I was done. But after a few years of having fun, I got a little restless. When you're 33, 34, and you don't have a focus, you can get kind of lost. As a man, you feel a little bit unfulfilled.
Do you think it unfair that others got more attention based on their off-the-court antics? Matthew Dale, AUSTIN, TEXAS
There are some players who add a bit more just to get more p.r. I wasn't about that. My major goal was to hold up that trophy at the end, and I didn't want anything to get in the way of that. I kept it pretty quiet. I kept it simple.
Over your career, what was the most difficult situation you experienced? Haydee Serona, MANILA
Probably my last couple years on tour. I wasn't playing well, and I had just gotten married, and the press was on my wife about it--that [I was losing] because I married her. You can attack me all you want, but don't bring my wife into it.
Have you given any thought to becoming a commentator? Jonathan Racasa WEST COVINA, CALIF.
I've been asked to do a little commentating. It's not something that's in my blood. John McEnroe does a great job, and I think he's got that pretty much honed. I've thought about it but not realistically.
Whom do you consider to be the next superstar of men's tennis? Jeff Mollerup, MEMPHIS, TENN.
Obviously right now we have Roger Federer. After him, you look at Rafael Nadal, who's only 22, Novak Djokovic, who's 21. Those two guys are going to carry the torch when Roger's done.
Has the new racquet and string technology helped or hurt the modern game? Faith Ginsberg, LOS ANGELES
It's obviously helped guys hit the ball harder, with a lot more spin and a lot more control, than the racquets I played with. We've maybe lost a bit of finesse in the game. No one's looking to come in and volley.
You've played on the world's best tennis courts. Which was your favorite? Jen Reinhard, SAN FRANCISCO
Centre Court of Wimbledon. Just love the atmosphere, love the intimacy of it. It had a huge effect on me as a kid seeing that court on TV. Not to disrespect the U.S. Open and the French, but that one is the most unique. It hasn't changed in a hundred years.
As the Olympic torch generates much political heat, do you think athletes should take positions on major world issues? E.D. Mathew MONROVIA, LIBERIA
I don't personally. It's not my place to tell you whom to vote for, to take any political stand, to tell you what religion to believe in. I'm an athlete. I can influence certain things, but when I see other athletes and celebrities telling you whom to vote for, I actually get a bit offended.
Source: Time.com
6/12/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete's book "A Champion's Mind"|:||:|1213265232|:|
Pete Sampras has released his autobiography called "A Champion's Mind - Lessons from a Life in Tennis".
Product Description (from Amazon)
Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player ever, a man whose hard-nosed work ethic led to an unprecedented number one world ranking for 286 weeks, and whose prodigious talent made possible a record-setting fourteen Grand Slam titles. While his more vocal rivals sometimes grabbed the headlines, Pete always preferred to let his racket do the talking.
Until now.
In A Champion’s Mind, the tennis great who so often exhibited visible discomfort with letting people “inside his head†finally opens up. An athletic prodigy, Pete resolved from his earliest playing days never to let anything get in the way of his love for the game. But while this single-minded determination led to tennis domination, success didn’t come without a price. The constant pressure of competing on the world’s biggest stage—in the unblinking eye of a media machine hungry for more than mere athletic greatness—took its toll.
Here for the first time Pete speaks freely about what it was like to possess what he calls “the Gift.†He writes about the personal trials he faced—including the death of a longtime coach and confidant—and the struggles he gutted his way through while being seemingly on top of the world. Among the book’s most riveting scenes are an early devastating loss to Stefan Edberg that led Pete to make a monastic commitment to delivering on his natural talent; a grueling, four-hour-plus match against Alex Corretja during which Pete became seriously ill; fierce on-court battles with rival and friend Andre Agassi; and the triumphant last match of Pete’s career at the finals of the 2002 U.S. Open.
In A Champion’s Mind, one of the most revered, successful, and intensely private players in the history of tennis offers an intimate look at the life of an elite athlete.
Here are some comments from tennis players and sportswriters.
"Consider this book Sampras’ 15th Grand Slam. A thoroughly compelling read that–apart from retracing a gilded sport career–really probes the ‘hard drive’ of a champion. It’s as if all the emotion and insight that Sampras sometimes seemed reluctant to express during his playing days comes spilling forth."
—Jon Wertheim, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated and SI.com
"As the title says, this is a remarkable look into a champion's mind, and maybe one of the best tennis memoirs ever. Pete captures the pressure a player feels once he's reached the top. He puts us next to him on the court, and we get a clear sense of what made him extraordinary: he was supremely determined, dedicated to learning the strengths and weaknesses of his opponents, and committed to never ever yielding a point easily. Pete wrote this book the way he plays tennis: full-out."
—Rod Laver
"Even playing at a high level, it’s hard to know what the experience of winning–and trying to stay on top–is like for another competitor. We all react so differently to pressure, to the glow of the spotlight. It is brutally hard to stay grounded, and yet this wonderfully candid book shows that it was Pete’s rare ability to compartmentalize and draw strength from his family that allowed him to reach the sport’s pinnacle. Whether championships are in your past or just live in your dreams, you’ll learn a lot from Pete’s story."
—Monica Seles
"Pete Sampras was always able to rise to the occasion, winning so many big matches at the biggest events. This book provides the reader a glimpse into Pete's remarkable career and how he was able attain his vision of being the best player in the world. We can all benefit from the insight he offers."
—Roger Federer
Related:
Pete was at "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" to promote his book.
Click to view youtube video.
6/11/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|New book allows tennis ace Sampras to open up, speak out|:||:|1213159972|:|
USA Today
Throughout his record-setting career, Pete Sampras revealed himself only in fragments as he adhered to a "disciplined quest to accumulate Grand Slam titles," he writes in his new memoir, A Champion's Mind (Crown; June 10, 2008). For instance, he allowed few culinary indulgences except for the occasional burger and fries at his local drive-thru Checkers following big wins.
Six years since he left the game - Sampras beat childhood rival Andre Agassi at the 2002 U.S. Open final to clinch a record 14th Grand Slam singles title in his final match - the 36-year-old Californian has chosen to loosen the cards he held so close to the vest during his 15-year career. "I guess it's my chance to talk," explained Sampras, a 2007 inductee into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Written with the Tennis magazine senior editor and blogger Peter Bodo, the book details Sampras' rise from a skinny, insecure talent into an instant star when he captured the 1990 U.S. Open at 19; his struggles with expectations his victory created; his battles with longtime rivals Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang; and his transformation into a champion many consider the game's greatest.
The book isn't a "tell-all" or an attempt to set the record straight, though the seven-time Wimbledon champion opens up about topics he often shielded in his playing days, such as his tussle with thalassemia, a energy-sapping disease that often affects people of Mediterranean descent. Sampras displays the intense fire than burned in his belly despite his notorious hangdog walk and "boring" label, which made him feel unappreciated at times.
Married to actress Bridgette Wilson and a father of two young boys, Sampras' book marks another small step back into the public eye. Two years ago, he joined World TeamTennis and more recently has appeared in a series of exhibitions against current No. 1 Roger Federer. He has formed a sports-management company venture with his brother, Gus, and is competing on buddy Courier's Outback Champions senior tour.
Q: Why a book, why now?
A: I gave it a lot of thought. Part of me didn't want to do a book, part of me did want to do a book. At the end of the day I decided to do a classy book, to do a book that I can be proud of, that my kids can read, and their kids can read, just sort of a timeless book, and just to have the public really get to know me a little bit better, and it gives me a chance to talk. I kept things pretty close to the vest, as you know, when I played.
Q: What do you want the tennis-interested public to take away from this book?
A: Basically, what I went through in my tennis as a kid, why I was reserved, why I was a little bit on the quiet side, some personal things, some health things I went through over my career. My family life, my marriage with Bridgette and kind of what we went through at the end of my career, how we went, like I said, this Grand Slam winner at 19 to dealing with that, and basically just kind of, you know, opening up about all that.
And I just hope they come away with it to kind of get to know me a little bit better.
So it's just kind of life lessons on sort of the single-minded focus that I had. That's the way you almost have to be to be the best.
Q: If you're the guy whose racket did the talking, why do you need to fill your legacy with a book?
A: I guess it's my chance to talk. It's my opportunity to tell the public what I went through, how I felt, different companies I was in business with, the media, just basically opened up. And when I've told people about the book, they were surprised that I'd do it. But I always was sort of one of these guys that had a lot to say, but I was very careful what I said, and what I opened up when I was playing.
I didn't want to give my hand away, I didn't want to market myself. I didn't want to, I was all about winning. I guess looking back, this is my one chance to truly talk. I don't want to say set the record straight, but in some ways just talk openly and honestly about what I went through.
Q: It's not really a "set the record straight," although you elaborate on things you went through. There's no real dirt. I'm just wondering, is this the way it was, or are there parts you've left under the rug?
A: You mean personally? Oh yeah, I kept that out of the book. Relationships, I didn't want to open up about any of that. That was my choice. That was one part I didn't want to get into.
Q: It often sounds like you felt you were misunderstood. Can you comment on that?
A: Yeah. I think I felt that early on in my career, when I got to be the best player in the world, and winning Wimbledon, I felt I was defending myself and the sport for a few years there. I don't want to say there was a bad relationship, but I think I kind of came at a time where it was sort of the post-McEnroe-Connors era, and they wanted more from me.
They wanted for me to blow up, and I always resented the fact that they wanted me to change, and I felt I wasn't going to change, and what I was doing I felt was positive.
Q: But the "boring" and "no emotion," did you feel underappreciated at times in your career?
A: At times, sure. There were times when I was dominating, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in the same year. I didn't play for that, but at the same time I think everyone, you want to feel appreciated, and I think over time, when the media didn't really give me my due, I felt a little underappreciated.
It was sort of a tricky time for me. I kind of hit big at a time where people in the media wanted a little bit more from me, and I wasn't going to change or sell out.
Q: Was there any record or streak that you were approaching that you wanted, that you didn't get?
A: Honestly, there were two things that I wanted to do: I wanted to break the (Grand Slam) record, and I wanted to finish number one six years in a row. Obviously, I would love to win the French and all that, but those are two things I had in my head for quite awhile.
Q: You criticized Davis Cup model in the book.
A: Yeah, it's awful. It has to be changed, I always thought it should be changed. It's confusing for the fans, especially in the U.S.
It's just humanly impossible to expect to be No. 1, expect to win a couple majors in the year, and expect to play all four Davis Cup ties. I did it one time in Russia, and I was exhausted for months. It took a lot out of me. So I think, I always felt like it should be changed into maybe a one-week format or two-week format where you get all the countries together.
Q: You say in the book that you think tennis is overwhelmingly clean of drugs. I'm just wondering, has that opinion changed at all in recent months, or as you've seen what's happened in other sports?
A: I think there's been some isolated incidents in tennis, but across the board, no, I don't think it's an issue.
Q: What about gambling? Did you see that in your day? Is it a big threat to the game?
A: None. I don't think it's a threat. Like I said, isolated situation. I think they're cracking down on it now. You've got some pretty corrupt people out there, trying to do some things. Never in my day did I ever even deal with it or think about it.
Q: No one ever approached you?
A: No, no.
Q: Was dealing with losing without eroding your confidence the single most important trait in your makeup as a champion?
A: Until the end, until the last couple years. The last couple years is when I did sort of lose faith in myself, when I was losing, and sort of lost. But I think throughout my prime, I handled my losses very well.
Q: You say you almost regret you didn't win your first major later, because you were so unformed. Really?
A: I'm not going to give it back. But if I had my choice, I was not ready as a young man for that pressure and that sort of Grand Slam pressure. My game wasn't quite ready. I had two great weeks, but I still felt like I had some holes in my game. And I just sort of struggled personally - I wasn't trained for the media.
I didn't go to college. I was sort of this up-and-coming guy, kind of dark horse, and all of a sudden I'm in sort of this worldwide fame. And how do you prepare for that? You don't. And at 19 you're not going to have all the answers when you walk into a press conference. You know, six, eight, 10 months after that I was sort of just finding my way, sort of feeling a little bit insecure about my game and my place in the world of tennis, and it took me a few years to sort of really figure out where I wanted to go.
Q: So, Bridgette, the way you met is almost like too schlocky. You see her in a movie, you know some guy who can arrange a date. You go on this one date, and it sounds like love at first sight.
A: I was attracted to her at first sight.
Q: You say if she can speak two words -
A: Well, because of her physical appearance. I was like, "She's beautiful," and I jokingly said that, and I've told her that. But we were both so nervous on our first date. We weren't even looking at each other.
Q: It sounded like you were so timid with her.
A: For me to do that, to say, to jokingly say to this friend of mine, "I want to meet her," is very out of character for me. Why I did it, I don't know, but I did.
Q: Richard Williams. Yuri Sharapov. Your parents were so in the background. Do you regret at all that they weren't around a little bit more at all? Pro tennis is a lonely life.
A: Yeah, it is lonely, and I think as I got older, you get more sentimental for your parents. And now that I have kids, I look back at it now, and I wish they were around more when I won my majors.
That's why the Wimbledon breaking the record was touching and emotional. I think I've always sort of had that inside of me. I've expressed that to them. They wanted me to be my own man and make my own decisions and leave the nest, which I did.
Q: It's hard to know a little bit what you really think of Andre (Agassi). You say you liked him. I think from a distance, you respected him. But can you tell a little bit more about your feelings toward him?
A: You know, career, early on, I always liked him. I just, we were so different, and he was so sort of, you know, out there, and I was more on the reserved side. I don't want to say more normal side, but (laughter). But we just didn't have a lot in common, and we got along fine.
Q: Do you think he brought out the best in you?
A: Yeah. I had to add some things to my game against him that I could get away with other guys. I had to hit my second serve a little bigger. I had to hit my backhand a little bit better up the line. Those are a couple things that I could get away with other guys, but with him, if I didn't hit my second serve well, or with not enough bite, he'd be on it.
He did force me to be a better player, which enabled me to beat these other guys a little more handily.
Q: You put Ivan Lendl among your top five ever. That will surprise some people.
A: I look at sort of the best player in your generation. To say one guy's better or the best of all time, I don't think you could really say. (Rod) Laver did it in the '60s. (Bjorn) Borg had it sort of in the '70s, late '70s. Lendl had it in the '80s, I had it in the '90s, and Roger (Federer) has it today.
I think Lendl doesn't obviously get his due because of his public image, but he sort of transcended the sport. He brought in power, he brought in fitness. He was No. 1 for 250 weeks. He's won every major except Wimbledon, and got to the finals there.
Q: After '96, still in your prime, you basically waved the white flag at Roland Garros.
A: It just was frustrating, I was trying different things, I was trying to come in a lot, I was trying to maybe stay back and being selective to come in, and it just didn't really pan out.
Q: Is there a best moment in Pete Sampras' career?
A: I think there are two great moments that I look at from a personal standpoint, from a professional standpoint - my Wimbledon win with my parents, and then my last U.S. Open, with Bridgette. That last Open felt great, I felt vindicated, as the press were on my wife about, that was the reason why I couldn't play anymore.
Q: Was that the hardest part of '01, '02, that it was blamed on her?
A: Yeah, I hated it. I hated it for her, unfair. You can blame me, tell me to throw my rackets over the cliff, but don't bring my wife into it, and I think I resented some of the media for that. And that last U.S. Open, I woke up the next couple months so vindicated.
Source: USA Today 6/09/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno|:||:|1213012112|:|
Pete Sampras guested on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promote his new book "A Champion's Mind".
5/10/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Even today, Sampras augments legendary status|:||:|1210432749|:|
May 9, 2008 -
In April, ESPN.com asked the users, to name tennis' greatest living legends. On May 5, ESPN.com began rolling out your top five in ascending order, beginning with the "Rocket" Rod Laver. But it was Pete Sampras who ran away with the voting as the most eminent and distinguished living legend.
BOSTON -- Figurative lightning has struck the court at Boston University's Agganis Arena. John McEnroe has just beaten Pete Sampras in the Outback Champions Series, his first win over Sampras on any circuit. They first played in 1990 when Sampras was a darkly intense teenager and McEnroe was an older dog running out of new tricks. McEnroe, with typical understatement, stalks around with both arms raised in a victory salute as if he's just captured a major.
Sampras doesn't waste any time going into his obligatory press conference. It's past 10 p.m. and he's tweaked his back -- "Welcome to the senior tour," McEnroe will say later -- and isn't happy about losing, but Sampras is still patient and professional.
Afterward, a starstruck and somewhat tongue-tied reporter from a local network affiliate quizzes Sampras in the corridor.
"Do you still appreciate what you can do out there -- I mean, do you appreciate yourself?" the reporter asks.
Sampras grins devilishly. "I'm not that deep," he says.
We beg to disagree. Sampras, who won our Legends poll and is the only semi-active Living Legend in our lineup this week, has shown himself to be a thoughtful athlete in transition, and an independent-minded and plucky one.
He refused to be hurried out to pasture after his emotional, made-for-Hollywood 2002 U.S. Open win over archrival Andre Agassi, and took the better part of a year to make a decision some thought should be obvious one way or the other. Sampras won't be herded into any neat categories now, either.
"Pete does things in his own methodical way," Jim Courier said last week. "He could have felt like -- 'I've given everything, I have nothing more to give, I have a family and I'm going to raise my family quietly and ride off into my own perfect sunset.'
"And that would have been well within his rights to do. But that would have been a shame for tennis. Ultimately, I think we're all richer that he's back in the sport and he's probably feeling more complete because he's reconnected with his roots."
When I got Sampras aside to ask if he thought he'd ever find something else as stimulating and rewarding as tennis, he politely cut off the last part of the question.
"It's tricky," Sampras said. "It's hard. It's a work in progress, retirement. It's very hard to find what that passion is. … When you're 31 and retired, you sort of reinvent yourself and it's not easy to do."
Meanwhile, he's playing a little tennis after not touching a racket for three years.
The last thing the world needs is yet another rehash of Sampras' considerable accomplishments -- the U.S. Open win at age 19, the 14 Grand Slam titles, the seven Wimbledons, the exhausting effort he invested to help win a Davis Cup championship in Russia.
Because Sampras was usually so controlled on the court, his demonstrative moments stand out almost as much as the trophies. He wept during a wearing Australian Open quarterfinal against Courier, stricken by thoughts of his coach, Tim Gullickson, who was fighting a losing battle against cancer.
Because Sampras was so often so dominant, people tend to fixate on the times he played through trouble, like the five-set U.S. Open quarterfinals match against Alex Corretja when a dehydrated Sampras managed to win despite twice vomiting on the court.
But you probably know all that. His résumé has been documented elsewhere. Instead, let's salute the way Sampras is navigating this interesting limbo he's in.
Sure, he gets paid handsomely for those high-profile exhibitions against Roger Federer, and there's darn good prize money in Courier's Outback tour as well. But it still takes nerve to put yourself out there when your records, your style and your presence are still a huge part of the conversation in tennis, thanks to Federer's ardent pursuit of Sampras' landmark 14 Grand Slam titles.
Every time Sampras ducks his head and ambles back to the baseline in that deceivingly casual way, or leaps to volley at the net, he grafts those familiar mannerisms onto a now nearly 37-year-old body, and invites risky and inevitably unflattering comparison with his not-that-much younger self. His willingness to do that speaks to his utter confidence that his legacy is secure.
As McEnroe pointed out, "He doesn't have a whole lot to gain playing me," and more to lose against most opponents except Federer, when even an exhibition win raises eyebrows. "I can see where he's gonna have to pick and choose," McEnroe said. "Hopefully he continues, because I think it would be good for tennis and ultimately good for him."
When Sampras bested Federer in one of their three exhibitions in Asia last fall and looked on the verge of taking him in their Madison Square Garden gala (and anyone who thinks Sampras didn't want that one is demented), he kicked off another round of speculation about whether he could or should return to the ATP tour for a cameo appearance.
Blah, blah, blah. One of the reasons Sampras left the game was to be done with the constant, tiresome scrutiny that trails any player of his stature.
"We've had some very candid talks, and he's been very frank and forthright about the fact that he quit because of all the emotional stress," said Justin Gimelstob, Sampras' outgoing contemporary, who also played in the recent Outback event. "It wasn't like he couldn't do it [physically].
"He could still be a force in certain situations on the tour, but five sets, two weeks in a row is a different ballgame."
During the two barren years that led up to Sampras' final, glorious run at the 2002 U.S. Open, people clamored for him to retire. Now some yearn for him to come back. The chatter must fall somewhere between amusing and annoying for him.
"In the public's mind, I understand that me playing again and me playing OK and playing Roger pretty tight, they say 'Why don't you come back,' but there's a lot more to it than that," Sampras said in Boston. "The day-in, day-out grind of the sport is something I don't have in me anymore.
"You're playing and you want to be competitive and enjoy it, and you're right, it might seem like one foot in, one foot out, but I know in my heart I have two feet out. It's not even a consideration. I never ever thought I would ever come back. You get older, your body doesn't feel that good. I still play OK, but I don't miss that lifestyle."
What he did miss, however, was not only the adrenaline of competition but the discipline that had become second nature to him. Sampras disputes the notion that he's playing out of boredom, but concedes he felt "restless" with his life of leisure. "It gives you something to prepare for, get in shape for, focus for," he said of his part-time playing schedule.
Sampras has been very consistent about what he wants out of this passage, ever since he dipped his sneaker in the pond two years ago by playing an exhibition in Houston and a short season of World Team Tennis.
"I just want to make this clear that me playing some exhibitions is in no way an indication that I'm coming out of retirement," he firmly informed reporters on a conference call back then while his interrogators were still dancing around the topic. And later, "I felt like I had a bull's-eye on my chest for most of my career, so just kind of fending people off is not something I miss."
But something else happened. Those of us on the call remarked afterward how loose and open Sampras sounded, how easily he bantered with us. Things had shifted since his playing days, when he installed deflector shields, funneled everything into his game and didn't leave a lot of room for us to get to know him.
Now, the player some too glibly labeled a tepid personality during his career has written a book (due out later this spring and coauthored by Tennis Magazine's Peter Bodo.) Sampras understands the curiosity about himself and how he did what he did, and he's not resisting it. It's an old, old story -- the great athlete who becomes more accessible once he can do it on his own terms.
"I was guarded and closed like him, too," Chris Evert said in a recent interview. "I opened up towards the end of my career, but you need to save a lot of emotions. You have to reserve it for your matches."
Sampras said that playing occasionally gives him balance, but he also recognizes he might not be able to keep things in equilibrium this way forever.
"There's no rush for any decision to play a ton of these or not play any of these," he said at the Outback Series. "I'll just kind of see how it goes each month and see how I feel. I still enjoy hitting the tennis ball. It's just hard to say how much more I want to play. Whether I'll be doing this for five years, I don't know."
Why do we like senior tours, old-timer's days and encores by former greats? It's about more than just seeing them strike the ball with a ghost of their past authority. We got used to watching them in person. We're accustomed to being able to judge for ourselves how they're doing. If we liked them, it's as simple as this: We want to know that they're OK.
The planet is teeming with "legends" who could pull off anything on the playing field, but can't quite figure out how to manage the rest of their lives. Sampras may have had the most perfect final match of any tennis player in history. Now comes the tricky part -- having a retirement worthy of his career. For Sampras, we'd have to say so far so good.
Source: ESPN.com 5/04/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Withdraws From 2008 Champions Cup Boston With Back Injury|:||:|1209877667|:|
Boston (May 3, 2008) - InsideOut Sports and Entertainment today announced that Pete Sampras has been forced to withdraw from the remainder of Champions Cup Boston competition due to a back injury sustained in his loss to John McEnroe on Friday night.
"Competitive injuries happen and are out of our control but there will still be two excellent matches for tonight's spectators to enjoy." said Jon Venison, Co-Founder of InsideOut Sports and Entertainment and the Outback Champions Series. "We're pleased to be able to offer fans a special doubles match between four of our tour players as a replacement for the Sampras-Courier match. We understand there may be some fans that will be disappointed that Pete and Jim will not be playing singles tonight as scheduled and therefore we are also offering a special opportunity for tonight's audience to receive an additional free ticket to the Session One matches in next year's tournament." Further information regarding this special ticket offer will be available at ChampionsSeriesTennis.com.
Sampras was scheduled to compete against Courier to determine who would advance to Sunday's third-place match from Group A. Mikael Pernfors will face Aaron Krickstein in tonight's first match. The second match will be replaced with a special doubles competition featuring Courier, Mal Washington, Wayne Ferreira and Justin Gimelstob. The day session kicked off when Ferreira defeated Washington 6-3, 3-6, 11-9 (TB) while McEnroe played former ATP star Justin Gimelstob in an exhibition match.
"I am sorry I won't be able to play in my match tonight against Jim due to a lower back injury," said Sampras. "I initially felt a twinge of pain in my opening match versus Jimmy Arias and it worsened near the end of my match against Mac last night. I will be going for an MRI today to properly diagnose the injury and will begin rehabilitating as soon as possible to ensure that I will be ready to play again in the near future. I look forward to coming back to Boston again next year to try to win the title."
Source: Outback Champion Series 5/04/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|McEnroe finally beats Sampras|:||:|1209877427|:|
May 3, 2008
The audience at Agganis Arena got what it expected in the first set of the feature match of the Champions Cup last night: Pete Sampras blew through John McEnroe quickly, his powerful serve-and-volley game putting most points out of McEnroe's reach.
But the match began to veer off track, steered by the 49-year-old McEnroe's skills. Though he was overwhelmed in the first set, McEnroe hung around. He served and swerved and hit balls that curved to hammer out a win in the second set, then reared back and pounded the ball in the tiebreaker, serving five aces for a 2-6, 7-5, 10-4 victory.
"That's what you gotta love about sports," said McEnroe, looking dazed. "Anything can happen."
It was McEnroe's first victory over Sampras (they met three times on the ATP Tour, and have played several times in senior play and exhibitions), and the first loss in the Champions Cup for Sampras, who is playing his fourth tournament on the over-30 tour.
"The first game, the pace of the ball was so phenomenal, I felt like I tweaked every muscle in my body," McEnroe said. "Not only is it a lot of pace, it's difficult to tell where it's going. So to react to that, can be dangerous, physically."
McEnroe wasn't kidding. After winning a tough match against Jim Courier Thursday, he was a bit sore, a bit tired, a bit depleted. "I had a little bit of tightness from [beating] Courier," said McEnroe, who got an on-court treatment from the Tour's trainer after the third game of the second set.
Sampras seemed to have a good grip on the match even as McEnroe tried to work the ball out to the lines and stretch Sampras. But trailing, 4-5, in the set, McEnroe served a love game: rescuing a cross-court shot to hit a forehand volley down the line, and forcing Sampras into two returns that sailed long. McEnroe broke Sampras in the next game, a double fault at game point underscoring Sampras's weakening power, and McEnroe's ability hit the lines.
Sampras received on-court treatment, too, before the tiebreaker, for a sore back that he said he tweaked a few weeks ago playing basketball. But he couldn't work out the kinks in his game.
In the tiebreaker, McEnroe fired five aces (Sampras had one), including two in a row for a 5-2 lead. Sampras rallied with a cross-court winner and a service winner to bring it to 5-4, but then McEnroe fired another ace. He looked as stunned as anyone. McEnroe closed the improbable match with a big serve, which Sampras drove long, giving McEnroe the tiebreak at 10-4, and the match.
"Who would have thought I'd have five aces in the tiebreak, and he'd have one?" said McEnroe. "Now I can tell my kids I beat Pete Sampras once."
Source: Boston Globe 5/04/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|McEnroe, Sampras take 2d-round victories (May 2, 2008)|:||:|1209877154|:|
John McEnroe dispatched Jim Courier, 6-4, 6-4, in the second round of the Champions Cup Boston tennis tournament last night at BU's Agganis Arena. In the first match, Pete Sampras, who was making his debut on the Outback Champions Series circuit, was awarded the victory when Jimmy Arias withdrew from the first set, leading, 5-4.
Eight champions will be competing for the top prize of up to $54,000 on the third tour stop on the Champions Series, the third year for the event.
In addition to 14-time Grand Slam champion Sampras, the other players are McEnroe, the seven-time Grand Slam champion; Courier, a four-time Grand Slam winner; Olympic silver medalist Wayne Ferreira; US and Australian Open semifinalist Aaron Krickstein; 1986 French Open finalist Mikael Pernfors; Arias, an Italian Open winner; and Wimbledon finalist MaliVai Washington.
Players must be over 30, and have been ranked in the top five in the world, reached a Grand Slam singles final, or played singles on a winning Davis Cup team.
The round-robin series of matches continues through Sunday.
Source: Boston Globe 5/04/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|This is working for Sampras ( April 27, 2008)|:||:|1209872004|:|
For 15 years, Pete Sampras was a driven and dedicated professional tennis player who stalked the world, claiming tournament titles. His identity was fused with winning and losing matches and with the rigors of the tour. Life was training and tournaments.
Though he was always on the move, Sampras said he eventually felt as if he had no room. The workday began the moment he woke up, preparing or finding a good breakfast, and marched methodically through a morning practice, an afternoon practice, an off-court workout, a massage, and was wrapped up by 6 or 7.
So in 2002, after winning his fifth US Open title, Sampras retired. He was 31, newly married to actress Bridgette Wilson, and the couple were expecting their first child. Sampras discarded tennis like a ball gone flat.
"In some ways, you can reinvent yourself when you retire," Sampras said in a phone conversation from his home in California. "I would wake up and play golf, or sleep in a little bit, and then play golf. My wife and I took a few trips. I started to eat whatever I wanted. I just really exhaled for the first time in 15-16 years."
Sampras played enough golf to get his handicap to a 4.
"It seems like I was playing eight days a week," he said. "I didn't read about tennis. I didn't watch tennis, I got away for a while."
It took a few years, but Sampras began to feel a little uncomfortable. At first, it was just his jeans, which seemed a little tighter in the waist. Then he struggled with restlessness. The son of Greek immigrants, whose father worked two jobs to support his family, Sampras said he was increasingly uneasy with his life of leisure. He was raising two sons (Christian is 5, Ryan 2), but he wasn't sure he was sending them the message he wanted.
"I needed to get out there and do a little work," Sampras said. "There was something about being home all day, and Dad not working - I didn't want my sons to think that's the way life is. It's the principle of it."
Sampras, who collected 64 career singles titles, including 14 in Grand Slam events, and finished as the No. 1-ranked player for six consecutive years (1993-98), returns to Boston this week for the Champions Cup at Boston University's Agganis Arena. Eight legendary (i.e. over 30) tennis champions will compete for a first prize of $54,000, beginning Wednesday and concluding with Sunday's championship. Joining Sampras are John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Jimmy Arias, Aaron Krickstein, Wayne Ferreira, and Mikael Pernfors.
Last year, Sampras made the Boston event his first competitive match since his retirement.
"It was my first event and I loved it," Sampras said. "It was fun. It was nice to be competitive and Boston is a great town. I played John one night, and toughed it out. It was a great experience."
Sampras vs. McEnroe - surely the marquee matchup in this competition - will be the second match of Friday night's session.
"I do like playing John," Sampras said. "He's still, at 49, incredible. He still has great hands. He has a certain intensity with his presence out there. I'm looking forward to it."
Sometimes it's easier to know what you don't want to do than to know what you want to do. Sampras, with the luxury of a fat bank account after so much success (his career earnings topped $43 million), didn't need to make money to support his family.
But uneasiness told him that he needed to walk out the front door and go to work now and then.
Sampras said his wife was very patient with him during his years of transition, but he was stewing.
"I was thinking 'I need to find something; I need to start a business or something,' " he said. "We would sit and talk about it. One night I told her, 'I'm going to go out and hit a few tennis balls.' "
The transition from professional touring pro to retirement to part-time pro in senior events taught Sampras that he should never say never.
When he was 25, he had insisted he would never play any senior tennis. When he got into his 30s, he changed his mind. A Houston promoter asked Sampras to play an exhibition match in 2006, and when he had some fun with that, he joined the Champions Cup series in 2007, winning each of the three tournaments he entered.
His play was sharp enough to provoke questions about a possible return to the regular tour, and Sampras said he still gets those inquiries all the time, but he has no intention of coming back. He has found a balance he can live with.
"Tennis is pretty limited, when you retire," said Sampras. "You can commentate or play."
It's no surprise that Sampras, silent and serious when he was on the court, is not attracted to commentating. Or coaching, which would put him back on the road, grinding through a schedule of 15-20 tournaments.
It's competing that gives him a charge. This year, he played three exhibitions in Asia against the world's current No. 1 male player, Roger Federer, winning one of the three-set matches, and took on Federer again in March at Madison Square Garden (losing, 6-3, 6-7 [4-7], 6-7 [6-8]).
"Part of me is wondering, how long am I going to do this?" Sampras said. "Will I be doing this at 40? I don't know. It's a work in progress."
Source: Boston Globe 4/16/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Books London Return|:||:|1208355585|:|
April 15, 2008
Seven-time Wimbledon winner Pete Sampras called Centre Court at the All England Club a "tennis cathedral" and in December Sampras will return to the city of his greatest Grand Slam triumphs to play at London's historic Royal Albert Hall.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion has committed to playing the season-ending BlackRock Tour of Champions BlackRock Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall December 2-7. It will mark Sampras' first trip to London since he was upset by Swiss George Bastl in the second round of his final Wimbledon appearance in 2002.
"I remember it being a great arena," said Sampras, who visited the Royal Albert Hall two decades ago for the World Championship doubles event. "You could hear the glasses during the points with all the people drinking champagne, and everyone in their tuxedos. They really live it up there, so I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t been back to London since my last Wimbledon, which was a bit of a nightmare. I hear a lot of good things about the event in London and the stadium and the exposure it brings. So I’m excited and pretty pumped up about it. I hear the people there really support it and so I’m excited to go back and play a little tennis for them."
Sampras pushed World No. 1 Roger Federer to three sets at last month's NetJets Showdown in New York's Madison Square Garden. He held a 5-2 lead in the decisive set against Federer before the 12-time Grand Slam champion rallied for a 6-3, 6-7, 7-6(6) victory that spanned two hours, 15 minutes and lived up to the pre-match hype.
"It's still fun for me to compete, it's still a challenge and I still want to hold that trophy up at the end," said Sampras. "I still want to play well and still want to win. But now I'm a little more relaxed. People do want to see competitive tennis. The crowd still want to see me serve and volley the way I used to and pull off my shots, but with a slightly lighter atmosphere."
Prior to playing London, Sampras will make his first South American appearance next month when he competes in the Grand Champions Brasil in Sao Paulo, May 21-24.
"I’ve heard a lot of good things about Sao Paolo but I’ve never been there, so I’m looking forward to it," Sampras said. "It’s a different culture and I was just thinking the other day that I used to go somewhere and not even care about the city or its history but now I’ll go there and maybe have a few days off to see some sights, something I wouldn’t have done back then. I’m still there to win though, and I’ll be focussed to put on a good show."
The 36-year-old Sampras is set to launch defense of his Boston title on the Outback Champions Series — the American senior circuit — on May 1.
Sampras is grouped with John McEnroe, Jim Courier and Jimmy Arias in group A. McEnroe will play Courier on Thursday, May 1 following Sampras’ opening match versus Arias. Sampras will then play McEnroe on Friday evening, May 2 and Courier on Saturday evening, May 3.Todd Martin, the 2006 Boston champion, is grouped with Wayne Ferreira, Aaron Krickstein and Mikael Pernfors in group B and will open play against Krickstein on Wednesday, April 30.
Sampras is returning to the site where last year he played his first competitive tournament since he won the 2002 U.S. Open. In 2007, Sampras went 3-0 in round robin play in Boston and staved off three match points from Martin to win the championship match 6-3, 5-7, 11-9 (Champions Tie-Break). The seven-time Wimbledon champion also played a much-anticipated sold-out Saturday night match with McEnroe, defeating his former Davis Cup doubles partner 6-3, 6-4 in an electric atmosphere at the Agganis Arena.
On May 18, Sampras is scheduled to play former World No. Marcelo Rios on in an exhibition match at the Arena Santiago in Santiago, Chile.
Source: Tennis Week 4/16/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras agrees to play two senior events in '08|:||:|1208354980|:|
April 15, 2008
LONDON (AP) -- Pete Sampras has agreed to play two tournaments on the international seniors tennis tour this year.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion, who beat Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final in his last match, will play on the BlackRock Tour of Champions in London and Sao Paulo, Brazil.
"It's still fun for me to compete. It's still a challenge and I still want to hold that trophy up at the end," Sampras said in a statement released Tuesday. "Today, or 10 years from now, if I'm on the tennis court, I'll still want to play well and win."
The first of the two tournaments will be the Grand Champions Brasil in Sao Paulo from May 24-27, the first time Sampras has played in South America. He'll also play at the Dec. 2-7 BlackRock Tennis Masters at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
"I hear a lot of good things about the event in London and the stadium and the exposure it brings," Sampras said.
Sampras has not been to London since 2002, when he made his last appearance at Wimbledon -- a tournament he won seven times -- and lost to George Bastl in the second round.
"The tour gives tennis fans a wonderful opportunity to see some of the world's greatest tennis legends in action again," said Nuala Walsh, the head of international marketing at BlackRock.
Among others who play on the BlackRock Tour are former Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe and Pat Cash.
The 36-year-old Sampras said he's been playing golf and having fun since he retired from tennis, but started to get restless after a few years.
"There's no book on retirement, especially at 31 years old," Sampras said. "Initially you love it but after a while you need something to do."
Sampras started playing World Team Tennis after barely picking up a racket for three years, and eventually took part in the Outback Champions Series, a circuit formed by former rival Jim Courier. He's also played a series of exhibitions against top-ranked Roger Federer.
"When I was 26, I never thought I would want to play Champions tennis," Sampras said. "But, as time goes on, when you're playing golf, taking some trips here and there and maybe putting on a little bit of weight, you just kind of feel a little bit unfulfilled as a man. That's how I felt."
Sampras is looking forward to his first trip to South America.
"It's a different culture and I was just thinking the other day that I used to go somewhere and not even care about the city or its history, but now I'll go there and maybe have a few days off to see some sights, something I wouldn't have done back then," he said.
The BlackRock tour also has events in Barcelona, Spain; Rome; and Hamburg, Germany, before the trip to Sao Paulo. Following that, there are tournaments is places such as Istanbul, Turkey; Paris; and Eindhoven, Netherlands.
Source: SI.com 3/18/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras will play in Chile|:||:|1205861251|:|
Pete Sampras talked about the match he will play against Marcelo Rios, another former world number one. Both players will meet on May 18, in a court at Arena, in Santiago de Chile.
"It will be very exciting to be there (in Chile). It will be a great opportunity for all of those who supported me through the TV, as they can now watch me live," the American told La Tercera.
The Chilean was the one responsible for removing Sampras from the first place in the ATP ranking, after holding world number one title for 102 weeks.
Regarding such issue, the American said that Rios "was one of the greatest players at that time," and added that "it was a great challenge to move him from the first place, as he was playing quite well."
Source: SportsYa 3/18/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras will play in Argentina|:||:|1205861119|:|
The American, former world's number one, will visit the South American country for the first time for the exhibition tour, which will include matches in Brazil and Chile.
On May 20th, Pete Sampras is to perform in Argentina for the first time. He is to play a friendly match against either local shot David Nalbandian, seventh at the ATP, or Guillermo Cañas (20th).
So far, it has been confirmed the American will play at Luna Park stadium and he will stay in Buenos Aires for merely 48 hours.
A week prior to landing on Argentina, Sampras is to face Chilean Marcelo Rios in China and he is going to be part of a legendary tournament in Sao Paulo on May 25th.
Source: SportsYa 3/13/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras unveils secret racket in Federer match|:||:|1205413544|:|
March 12, 2008
Pete Sampras and the victorious Roger Federer were nearing the end of a news conference after their historic tennis exhibition at Madison Square Garden Monday night when a reporter asked the retired American which racket he'd chosen for the match.
Both Sampras and Federer, the world's No. 1 and a 12-time Grand Slam winner, had played with Wilson rackets. But Sampras cracked his aces with a nondescript black stick that was wrapped with purple grip tape -- an apparent throwback to the Wilson ProStaff 6.0 models Sampras used to win his record 14 majors.
So, Sampras was asked, was that an old ProStaff standby in your hand, the predecessor of Federer's newfangled Wilson K Factor [K] Six.One Tour 90?
"So you think," Sampras said with a coy smile.
"It's not the racket I played with early on [in my career]," said Sampras, who stopped playing in 2002, but played several exhibitions in the past year. "I need the technology to help me play against these guys."
Sampras and Wilson are developing a new racket, amNewYork learned Tuesday. Sampras was trying it out during Monday's NetJets Showdown, which Federer won 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6).
"He's playing a prototype," said John Muir, reached yesterday by telephone in Chicago, where he is general manager of Wilson Racquet Sports. "It's something that we've made and something that we're working on." Muir said he could reveal few other details during the five-minute interview.
"We purposely have done it all black, just because it's a prototype and we're still working on it," he said. "Pete's got to play with it a little more. You need to be a serious player to play that racket. I'm not going to say anything more than that."
Steve Hilliard, the head stringer at Mason's Tennis Mart, handled an order to string three of Sampras' prototypes Monday morning, before Sampras practiced for the exhibition.
Hilliard said Tuesday that he couldn't help but compare these mysterious black rackets to their counterpart, Federer's K Factor, which came out last year.
Sampras' prototype had a few cosmetic differences, Hilliard said.
"It had a slightly different finish around the throat -- flatter, without the indentations," Hilliard said. "It was customized with lead tape. Some of the parts were different than what I see on the K Factor."
Apart from noting other visual differences, Hilliard said he couldn't say much more about the frame until he could play with it. Muir offered no release timeline.
Source: amNY.com 3/12/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras hints at Wimbledon date with Roger Federer|:||:|1205294851|:|
Pete Sampras dropped the L word. “Maybe another in London,” the seven-times Wimbledon champion said after his exhibition match with Roger Federer in New York, as the five-times champion at SW19 nodded his approval. And where better to hold such a fantasy grass-court match than the supreme fantasy venue for all tennis dreamers?
New York had its moment the night before last and 19,000 disciples - Rupert Murdoch, Donald Trump and Tiger Woods included - went all weak at the knees and mushy over this collision of players with 26 grand-slam tournament titles between them; Sampras in ghostly Wimbledon white and Federer dressed head to toe in black. “Good against evil,” Sampras laughingly described it and, when the goody served for the match at 5-3 in the third set, you would have bet your house on the evil one getting a distinctly bloody nose.
The Sampras of old rarely faltered with the balls in his hand and the finishing line in sight, but when you have spent four years without competitive thrill as a routine adrenalin rush, the killer instinct diminishes and, although the 36-year-old was three times within two points of the match, he could not prevail. The final score - 6-3, 6-7, 7-6 to Federer.
It had been a remarkable evening, this NetJets Showdown, so labelled for the sponsoring private jet company in which the players - and probably half the crowd, given the finery on display - are stakeholders. The US Open apart, a city such as New York ought not to be starved of such high-octane tennis and that Madison Square Garden was so full its pips squeaked served only to reinforce the message that one misses the other.
Arlen Kantarian, the entrepreneurial head of the United States Tennis Association, who has done so much to enhance the Open's position as this city's leading sporting money-spinner, said that the match should not be labelled an “exhibition” for fear of driving off potential custom. He was happy to accept that he could not have been more wrong. And so, after a three-match series in the Far East in November and New York - Federer leads 3-1 - where next? Sampras can still play more than a bit, the second-serve aces, the reflex volleys, the slam dunks were there in all their glory, but he is retired, as he keeps pointing out.
He will come out to play so long as Federer is the man who asks him - and the No1's commitments are massive - and the venue is appealing. That's why his eyes brightened when talk shifted to a potential date in London, where they have celebrated their most marked sporting hours.
“Roger has more important things to worry about than playing me,” Sampras said. “That he is out here at all shows how special he is. I like the fun of these occasions, I didn't do fun when I was playing for real.”
From here, it is back to the real world for the Swiss, the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, California, where Federer will be favourite and Sampras may just pop in to have a look.
Source: Times Online UK 3/12/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Federer, Sampras put on big show at Madison Square Garden|:||:|1205294573|:|
March 11, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports
3/11/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Federer beats Sampras in match at MSG|:||:|1205243107|:|
by: JOHN JEANSONNE, Newsday
March 11, 2008
Masters of the universe and tennis superheroes Pete Sampras and Roger Federer last night brought some comic-book wish fulfillment to sold-out Madison Square Garden, a mighty collision of generations for the benefit of sports archeologists.
Federer, rightful heir to the Sampras throne of the previous decade, needed all of his powers for a 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6) victory amid the true dynamics of a champions' showdown. Sampras offered glimpses of the old chain-saw serve and slam-dunk volley to make Federer earn his keep, which he did with his elegant athleticism, stylish as the faux-tuxedo black attire he favors.
Sampras, as was always his custom, played the proven serve-and-volley fundamentals of an earlier era in the appropriate "classic whites." And not raggedly, either.
Merely an exhibition, the event was a brilliant bit of egonomics for both men. Sampras, 36, and six years past retirement, assured by his presence that reports regarding the death of his Grand Slam tournament record - an unmatched 14 major titles - was premature. Federer, 12 times a major champion at 26 who only this winter gave glimpses of human frailty with two consecutive tour losses, sought to pre-empt discussion that he has any rival other than history.
Surrounded by the furniture of 21st Century entertainment - the protagonists stepped through a wall of smoke onto the Garden court to rollicking introductions, pounding music and fireworks; there was an obligatory celebrity row and some decidedly hokey scoreboard-led chants of "Let's Go Pete!" as well as in-match interviews on the public address system - the tennis was pleasantly real.
Especially when Sampras resurrected himself from an early third-set break to win four straight games and take a 5-2 lead as Federer, insisting he is "perfectly fine" after a recent bout with mononucleosis, began to bumble around. (A mano a mono development?)
Then, with the crowd of 19,690 rocking, Federer's game suddenly got healthy again, four straight aces bringing him back to 5-5 and setting up the deciding tiebreaker. Whereupon a searing Federer passing shot brought him to a second match point at 7-6 before Sampras hit a backhand wide.
"I don't know," Federer said, "if winning or losing is going to put a dent in either of our careers."
On the contrary, the event took on a surprising naturalness, not merely because of the players' histories, their passing-of-the-torch tennis dominance, but also because Sampras sees something of himself in Federer.
"He's going to get my record," Sampras said. "He's a credit to the sport. He's not brash, he doesn't show up his opponent, he doesn't lose his cool. He's my sort of player. Some people might call that boring. I love it."
The two met only once in an official pro match, like ships passing in the night, with Federer winning a five-setter at Wimbledon in 2001 that sent Sampras toward his 2002 retirement and Federer toward the top. But, as Federer steadily closed in on Sampras' major-title mark and Sampras began playing exhibitions last year, Federer proposed they cross swords in public.
A three-match tour of Asia late last year - Federer won the first two, Sampras the third - left Sampras asking that they meet in the United States and, in a chaotic 90 days, last night's match was cobbled together. Sampras said he was "shocked" to learn their show sold out in two weeks - top ticket $1,000, cheapest $50 - and sports agent Jerry Solomon said he had calls from the likes of Tiger Woods, Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, tenor Placido Domingo (and Solomon's wife, Nancy Kerrigan) for tickets.
"Roger's been the man," Sampras said, "so we're linked. He doesn't have to do these exhibitions. I know, in my day, when I was No. 1 in the world, I'm not so sure I'd have done it. I'm pleased it's been pulled off here."
"Maybe this is the last time we do this," Federer said. "But I hope not."
Source: Newsday.com 3/11/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:| Sampras chips away at Federer's aura|:||:|1205242685|:|
By Harvey Araton
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Two to tie, three to transcend. Pete Sampras has already said he doubts this will be problematic for Roger Federer, who eventually will replace him as the men's leader in Grand Slam tennis titles, by 15-14, at least.
But isn't it fascinating how Sampras, retired since 2002, restrung his rackets and recalibrated his serve just as Federer closed in? What has the restless competitor inside the Sampras subconscious been trying to say? What, if anything, has he set out to do, or undo?
Their exhibition series, arrived with great fanfare to Madison Square Garden on Monday night and delivered with a 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6) Federer victory. The series has on the surface been a fun, intergenerational fantasy, pitting a couple of all-timers whose tour careers intersected once, in 2001. In the fourth round at Wimbledon that year, Federer previewed his coming dominance by ending a four-year hold Sampras had on the very tournament Federer has now won five straight years.
And counting? Or is it possible that Federer is hitting his career plateau?
He had to summon his best when trailing Rafael Nadal in the fifth set on the scarred Center Court lawn last summer. He won his fourth straight U.S. Open title two months later but benefited from a jittery Novak Djokovic, who reversed that result convincingly in the Australian Open semifinals early this year.
Federer's recently revealed bout with mononucleosis may have been a factor, or perhaps Djokovic, a brash and talented Serb, announced himself to Federer as Federer did to Sampras in 2001.
Seven years later, after four years of virtual invincibility, Federer, 26, finds himself on a losing streak of sorts. First Djokovic out-hit him in Melbourne. Andy Murray bounced him in the first round in Dubai last week. Even Sampras, 10 years Federer's senior, finished their three-match Asian jaunt last fall on the winning side, albeit on a court so fast that the result was more suspect than the typical exhibition, or X/O, as the players call them.
"Some of the serves down the middle were curving maybe six feet," said Ivan Lendl, a pretty fair ball-striker from the baseline in his day. "Well, nobody plays on a surface like this."
That was why Monday's match, played on a moderately paced indoor court, in front of a capacity New York crowd, was the perfect chance for Sampras to broadcast a message to Federer foes worldwide, as Lendl pointed out in his role as match co-promoter and curious tennis great.
"I think Federer has so much in the bank it will take more than two or three losses to lose it," Lendl said before Sampras and Federer carted their combined 26 Grand Slam titles into the Garden. "But the other guys are always looking for little chinks."
It is often said there is a point most No. 1 players reach where the others view them differently, with near-reverence, if not fear. Federer climbed that pedestal and has remained there by seeming to control time itself.
As Lendl explained, the truly gifted have an ability to make us believe the clock moves differently. "In every sport, all the athletes like Gretzky and Jordan, they all look like they have a little more time than anybody else," he said.
How long can Federer maintain that shotmaker's edge measured in milliseconds? After hitting with him last spring, Sampras was very public and opinionated when he said that Federer's contemporaries, by abandoning serve-and-volley tennis and staying back, give him too much time to decide where to send the next stroke of genius.
They need to attack, he said, and who better than him to use a few X/Os to demonstrate the fundamentals of speeding the game up?
"Obviously I've got more time on my hands," a grateful Sampras said. "He's the one trying to win majors and stay No. 1." He called the exhibitions "a treat for me, in a way."
Even while dealing with his medical issues, Federer was happy to indulge his hero. They "hung out," as he said, in Asia last fall. They went to dinner.
Treat, or trick? Not to say that Sampras diabolically baited Federer into these matches, but anyone could see who was exposing his ego and risking his standing, in the all-time rankings and the current ones.
Sampras could lose and admit to being 36. He could do well, back up the argument he made last summer, have everyone flatter him with questions about another run on the Wimbledon grass that he has already said he has no intention of making.
The Sampras serve remains one of the best in the sport, his volley still unmatched. But loading up the cannon against Federer indoors, or slapping Tommy Haas around in a tune-up for the X/O, is one thing. The Grand Slam grind across the steamy summer is another.
Those are the conditions Federer faces week after week - trying to stay on his pedestal, trying to convince Djokovic, Nadal and the others that it's his rightful place - from now until he makes the historical claim to where Sampras stands, trying to fend Federer off in the only way left Monday night, one chink at a time
Source: International Herald Tribune 3/11/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video: Post Match Interview|:||:|1205241461|:|
3/11/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Federer outduels Sampras in tiebreaker to win|:||:|1205237519|:|
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
BY DAVID WALDSTEIN
Star-Ledger Staff
NEW YORK No one will ever know how hard Roger Federer was trying, or how much his desire for a competitive match may have outweighed his hunger for victory, but taken at face value, it was definitely an exciting night of tennis.
Federer and Pete Sampras, two of the best to ever swing a racket, transformed a sloppy exhibition match into a spirited duel of champions that went all the way to an extended third-set tiebreaker before it was finally settled in Federer's favor.
The two stars, who have a combined 26 Grand Slam titles between them, electrified a sellout crowd in a two-hour spectacle as tennis made a successful return to Madison Square Garden. Playing in front of 19,960 tennis-thirsty area fans who spurred the players to overcome their nerves and rustiness and ultimately provide a competitive final two sets, Federer held on to win 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6).
"The winner was tennis," said the ever gracious Federer. "Tennis is back at the Garden and maybe it's something we can do more of in the future. This is what matters, not the result."
While Federer clearly showed some of the effects from his recent slump and related bout with mononucleosis, falling behind 5-2 in the third set before rallying for a narrow victory, Sampras showed he can still compete at a very high level, especially when his serve is clicking and he can follow it to the net.
But he continues to dismiss any suggestions that he will make a comeback. Asked if he could go to Wimbledon and beat No. 2 Rafael Nadal, Sampras couldn't give any answer, other than to say it would just be a fantasy.
"I can't really answer that," he said. "Maybe ask Roger. All I can say is, I can be competitive.
"But we'll never know."
Federer indicated Sampras could win any single match, but questioned whether he would have the stamina to tie together the seven matches necessary to win it all.
Last night, Sampras had the match on his racket in the third-set tiebreaker, leading 6-5, but Federer won a mini break and then served it out for the victory.
The match was played in front of a riveted capacity crowd that included celebrities such as Tiger Woods, Donald Trump, Luke Wilson and Chloe Sevigny, while John McEnroe and Livingston's Justin Gimelstob handled the broadcast for the Tennis Channel.
It was the first tennis match at the Garden in almost eight years, since the women's season-ending tournament in 2000, and the first men's match here since 1996, and the building was spiffed up for the event, with a blue-carpet court and U.S. Open-style plants and tables at some of the concession areas.
It was primarily good-natured between two champions who have become friends in their recent exhibition series, which Federer now leads 3-1. It featured some spectacular passing shots by Federer, but also many awful unforced errors and brutal mishits in the first two sets, as well as some sportsmanship rarely seen in the high-stakes world of tournament competition.
In the second set Federer gave back a point after it was clear he got the benefit of a bad call. Both players showed signs of rust, and perhaps a little bit of uncertainty in the strange surroundings of a full house at the Garden, where the crowd rooted for the underdog American against his vaunted Swiss opponent.
"My heart was pounding out of my chest," Sampras said. "I was a little bit nervous at the beginning. The energy was electric. It was an incredible crowd. I thought I had it there for a split second, but he showed why he's the best player in the world."
While the result may say something about Sampras' lingering ability, it may also speak to Federer's overall fitness level and match readiness in his recovery from mono, and surprising losses in the semifinals of the Australian Open and the first round in Dubai.
But if anyone thinks we are witnessing the leading edge of a great champion's decline from his amazingly durable and lofty perch, Sampras put that to rest.
'When it comes down to the big events, I think this is the guy you're going to see standing with the trophy," Sampras said at a news conference yesterday morning in Manhattan. "Every great player in all sports go through a few tough losses here and there. I certainly did that.
"Let's keep it real here. This guy is incredible and he'll bounce back just fine. I have no question about that." 3/11/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:| Serving some nostalgia: Federer beats retired Sampras in MSG exhibition|:||:|1205212884|:|
March 11, 2008
CBSSports.com wire reports
3/11/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Something to Lose in a Just-for-Fun Match|:||:|1205212380|:|
March 11, 2008
Something to Lose in a Just-for-Fun Match
By HARVEY ARATON, NYTimes
There was a point in the second-set tie breaker when Pete Sampras timed Roger Federer’s first serve and clocked a forehand down the line. A step inside the baseline, Federer could only watch the ball land, a clean winner, and turn away in dismay.
Was it an improvised response, part of the theatrics? Only the expert eye might identify the staged from the serious, but something told me right then that Federer did not really wish to be extended Monday night, pushed into a third set, all the way to having to rally from 2-5 down to win, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6), no matter the post-match spin.
"To play against a childhood hero in Madison Square Garden was a great honor for me," Federer said.
Classy, as usual, but the question lingers: What besides a payday and a friendship with his hero did Federer have to gain by meeting Sampras on Sampras's turf, in front of a raucous sellout crowd that included Federer’s good buddy, Tiger Woods?
Their exhibition series has on the surface been a fun, inter-generational fantasy, pitting Sampras, the leader in Grand Slam tournament victories with 14, against Federer, needing two to tie, three to transcend.
Seven years after Federer beat Sampras in their only tour meeting (in the fourth round at Wimbledon) and after four years of virtual invincibility, Federer finds himself on a losing streak of sorts, the result of a recent bout with mononucleosis perhaps, or improved competition.
Novak Djokovic outhit him in the semifinals of the Australian Open early this year. Andy Murray bounced him in the first round in Dubai last week. Even Sampras, 10 years Federer’s senior, finished their three-match Asian jaunt on the winning side, albeit on a court so fast that the result was more suspect than the typical exhibition, or X/O, as the players call them.
On the slower surface Monday night, Sampras shook off his nerves, was able to unload his serves, climbed a rung or two on the ladder for his trademark smash. From 0-2 in the third set, he went on a five-game run that made Federer look a little unhinged.
"All of a sudden it was almost over," he said. "I was pretty shocked."
Does anybody really lose in an X/O? Typically, no. But against a 36-year-old, great as Sampras was, with the whole world (and probably Djokovic and Rafael Nadal) watching?
"The other guys are always looking for little chinks," Ivan Lendl, a co-promoter of the match, had said before Sampras and Federer carted their combined 26 Grand Slam tennis titles onto the blue carpet.
It is often said there is a point most No. 1 players reach where the others view them differently, with near-reverence, if not fear. Federer climbed that pedestal and has remained there by seeming to control time itself.
As Lendl explained, the truly gifted have an uncanny ability to make us believe the clock moves differently for them. "In every sport, all the athletes like Gretzky and Jordan, they all look like they have a little more time than anybody else," he said.
How long can Federer maintain that shotmaker’s edge measured in milliseconds? After hitting with him last spring, Sampras went out of his way to say that Federer’s opponents, by abandoning serve-and-volley tennis and staying back, give him too much time to decide where to send the next stroke of genius.
They need to attack, the way Sampras contemporaries like Boris Becker and Patrick Rafter did, and who better than him to use a few X/Os to demonstrate the fundamentals of speeding the game up?
"Obviously I've got more time on my hands," a grateful Sampras said. "He’s the one trying to win majors and stay No. 1." He called the exhibitions "a treat for me, in a way."
Treat, or trick? Not to say Sampras diabolically baited Federer into these matches, but which player was exposing his ego, risking his stature?
Sampras could lose, admit to being 36. He could do well, back up the argument he made last summer, have everyone flatter him with questions about another run on the Wimbledon grass that he has already said he has no intention of making. A good thing, too, given the difference between exhibition tennis and the Grand Slam grind across the steamy summer.
Those are the conditions Federer faces week after week, staying on his pedestal, trying to convince the others it is his rightful place, from now until he makes his long, anticipated historical claim.
Sampras has said he doubted the climb from 12 Grand Slam titles to 15 will be problematic for the 26-year-old Federer, but isn't it fascinating how Sampras, retired since 2002, restrung his rackets and recalibrated his serve just as Federer closed in?
What was the restless competitor inside the Sampras subconscious trying to say? What, if anything, has he set out to do, or undo?
By the finish Monday night, he had only inflicted a few nicks at the Garden, without drawing blood. That's a job for Djokovic and Nadal. Care to guess which way Federer’s new friend Sampras will be rooting at home?
Source: New York Times
3/11/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Federer Beats Sampras in MSG Exhibition|:||:|1205210044|:|
March 10, 2008
NEW YORK (AP) — Roger Federer, in his ultra-modern all-black getup, and Pete Sampras, in his old-school all-white outfit, showed off the skills that earned them a combined 26 Grand Slam titles and more than a decade of No. 1 rankings.
It was an exhibition, yes, but Federer still flicked his fancy strokes from all angles, just the way he does on tennis' grandest stages these days.
Sampras still smacked big forehands and bigger aces, just the way he did back in his day.
Federer is closing in on Sampras' record of 14 major tennis championships, a mark that truly exists only in black in white, written in a record book. For nearly 2 1/2 hours, before an appreciative and occasionally raucous gathering of 19,690 at Madison Square Garden, these two living, breathing greats of the game shared a court.
Pistol Pete vs. The Federer Express.
The Past vs. The Present.
"Good vs. Evil," as Sampras said with a snicker earlier in the day.
And, as one might expect, youth was served.
Current No. 1 Federer beat former No. 1 Sampras 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6) in an encounter that certainly doesn't settle the "Who is better?" debate, given that one participant is 26 and the other is 36, and nothing more than bragging rights was on the line. It did, however, raise tennis' profile, make both men some money — $1 million for Federer, less for Sampras — and, well, allow people to say they saw Sampras, the best of his generation, face Federer, the best of his.
No one can say they saw Ali face Tyson in a boxing ring. Or Hogan face Woods on a golf course.
Tiger Woods, who happens to be pals with Federer, sat in the front row Monday, part of a sellout crowd that included Donald Trump, Regis Philbin and Anna Wintour. They sat around a blue, hard court, set up where the NBA's Knicks and NHL's Rangers play.
"This is maybe why so many people came out: You don't often get the No. 1 in his prime playing against maybe the greatest player of all time," said Federer, who recently recovered from a bout of mononucleosis that he thinks contributed to losses in his past two tour matches.
After Monday's match, Federer referred to Sampras as "my childhood hero."
It was the fourth Federer-Sampras exhibition; Federer won two of their three encounters in Asia late last year.
"I thought I had him there for a split second," said Sampras, who led 5-2 in the third set Monday.
The two only played one real match, back at Wimbledon in 2001, when an up-and-coming Federer edged an on-the-way-out Sampras in a five-setter on Centre Court.
That ended Sampras' 31-match winning streak at the All England Club; he would never add to his seven titles there. Federer would go on to win five consecutive championships at Wimbledon, a streak that he will try to extend this summer.
Sampras retired with 14 Grand Slam singles trophies, the last at the 2002 U.S. Open, the final tournament of his career. Federer's count is already up to 12, and Sampras acknowledges he fully expects the record to change hands — and that the kid could wind up with 18 or 19 Slams.
On this night, Sampras showed off the serve-and-volley style that carried him to a record six straight years ranked No. 1. And Federer showed off the all-court game that has helped him enjoy a record streak of more than 200 consecutive weeks ranked No. 1.
Both players took things seriously at times. They also took things frivolously at times, such as when Sampras spiked his racket to the court in mock disgust at a line call. He glanced at Federer with a wink and smile and sheepishly continued play.
Moments later, Sampras hit a volley winner and pumped his fist and threw two uppercuts, proudly playing to the crowd in a way he rarely did during a professional career marked by equal doses of excellence and stoicism.
Before the match, Sampras spoke about hoping to find "some old magic" — enough just to keep things interesting. He did that and more, earning his first break point with a cross-court forehand winner that would win a real point in a real match in a real tournament right now.
"You still got it, Pete!" rang a cry from the stands.
And right on cue, as if to remind that spectator and maybe even himself that he enjoys retirement, Sampras proceeded to miss three consecutive shots and lose that game.
"It's just amazing to see how well Pete still hangs in there," Federer said afterward.
If there are tennis fans or insiders who harbor doubts or hold debates about which of these two was or is greater, Sampras sure sounded before the match like someone who's made up his mind. He lavished praise on Federer as they sat elbow-to-elbow during a packed news conference Monday morning at a restaurant across the street from Central Park.
Thinking back on their lone professional encounter, seven years ago, Sampras was quick to point out: "I knew back then that he was special."
Why?
Sampras nearly ran out of breath as he strung together a series of compliments, one right after the other.
"Roger moves great, he hits the ball great on the run, he serves very well, he can come in if he wants to, stay back. He possesses the best forehand in the game. He's got the best mind out there," Sampras said.
Not finished, Sampras continued the fawning moments later: "His movement is incredible — what he's able to do on the run. I've played quick movers before, but he moves great. That's what separates him from the rest. He has the whole package. There's nothing he can't do. It's really incredible." 3/10/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|March 8, 2008 - Pete Sampras interview|:||:|1205167694|:|
By: Troy Johnson
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer sports columnist
Here's a transcript of the telephone conversation [I had] with 14-time Grand Slam tennis champion Pete Sampras on Wednesday in anticipation of Saturday night's exhibition match against Todd Martin at the Columbus Civic Center. Often criticized for not being emotional enough on the court, Sampras seems to be exactly what you would expect: cerebral, articulate and, above all, incredibly polite.
Question: What made you want to do the exhibition matches? Do you use it as a competitive outlet or is it a way to stay connected to your fans?
Sampras: A little bit of everything. I still enjoy playing, but I don't play a ton of exhibitions. It (the Martin exhibition in Jacksonville, Fla., and Columbus) kind of happened last minute. It's a way to get a few matches under the belt and shake off the rust (before a Monday night exhibition against top-ranked Roger Federer in New York City). (Todd Martin) is a good friend, but part of it is you want to entertain the people.
Question: How seriously will you treat this exhibition, especially with Federer coming up in a couple days? Will you bother taking off your Rolex? Will it be geared more toward showmanship and shot-making?
Sampras: People want to see real tennis. We'll play hard, we'll play for real. There's a sort of lighter side, but once the ball is in the air we'll play the points.
Question: You went 1-2 against Federer in your exhibition tour of Asia last year, which sent a pretty strong message for a retired guy since he rarely loses. Does playing him again get your competitive juices going?
Sampras: Obviously, he's on autopilot the way he's going. Roger is expected to beat me. For me, I don't play any matches. It's about trying to find some rhythm and confidence as we go.
Question: But you still beat Federer the last time you played him. Does that make you re-think the whole idea of retirement?
Sampras: No, not realistically. I'm curious to see how I might do at Wimbledon. But the day in, day out grind of tennis (makes a comeback unlikely). I was listening to what Brett Favre said the other day and how he said he was tired. It's the day in, day out grind of the sport. Once I got to a point where I had nothing left to prove to myself, that's when I knew I could walk away from it.
Question: Does being the parent to two sons change your priorities?
Sampras: I went from retirement to being a father and it takes up your time and responsibility. My wife (actress Bridgette Wilson) was for me keeping on going. If I decided to come back, she'd be supportive. I don't feel that pressure that I need to be at home because I'm a dad now. You can still be a top-ranked player and be a father, but I enjoy being at home and seeing my kids.
Question: You were 19 when you one your first Grand Slam (1990 U.S. Open). How difficult was it to manage the sudden crush of celebrity and the expectations that came with that?
Sampras: Initially, the next three or four months I struggled with the expectations, the pressure, even my security as a man. I had a few holes in my game. All of a sudden I was thrown into this celebrity status and I wasn't ready for it. I was kind of thrown into a cage of lions. I wasn't ready for it, I wasn't used to it. I went through some bumps along the way. It was a matter of time and maturity, being around the media, being around people, learning how to deal with some wins and losses. It took some time. When you win that major that young, you did something great, but it definitely changes your life. It took some time for me to get comfortable in my own skin.
Question: It seemed like you received a lot of criticism early in your career for being introverted and for being the antithesis of Andre Agassi at that time. At the same time, do you think your success was a by-product of being very private and kind of having tunnel-vision when it came to competing?
Sampras: I've analyzed it and looked back at it. I lived in Florida for many of the years I was on top. ... I wasn't in the mainstream media much. I played my majors and played my events and went back to Florida. My friends called me Howard Hughes. I was training hard. In one way, it probably hurt my marketability and exposure, but it kept me together and kept me focused on what I wanted to do. It's kind of a Catch-22, but at the same time, I was all about winning majors. I didn't want to have a P.R. person having me flying around doing all these shows. I just kind of kept myself in the house and was pretty private.
Question: You kind of defined a Golden Age for American tennis. How much do you think you think the timing of your arrival factored into your success? You had guys like Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang out there at the same time.
Sampras: Having those guys, those young Americans, kind of pushed me harder. I also learned a lot from the servers and volleyers like (Boris) Becker and (Stefan) Edberg. They all pushed one another.
Question: How much have you enjoyed the exhibitions against Federer and do you feel you guys share some of the same traits?
Sampras: It's been fun and he's a great, great player. He possesses a big serve and moves great and does incredible things on the run. He can come in a little bit if he wants. There's nothing he can't do. We (both) kept it simple and weren't too brash or abrasive out there. I'm a fan of his game and him as a guy. He's very humble and understated. He lets his racquet do the talking.
Question: You mentioned that it took some time for you to become comfortable in your skin. It seems like the more bombastic an athlete is, the more attention he or she gets. When people called you 'boring', did it bother you?
Sampras: I did stay true to myself and didn't change as much as some folks in the media wanted. Some folks at Nike wanted me to act in a different way. I wasn't going to sell out. I'm an athlete in the purest form. I'm not going to create something that's insincere. I don't think Roger (Federer) is like that either. There's not a lot of horns and whistles there. I've always liked the understated.
Question: When you learned you were going to play an exhibition in Columbus were you surprised at all about the location? And did you need to look at a map?
Sampras: It's funny. My brother (Gus) manages me and we were trying to set up a couple exhibitions in the Southeast. He said there's one in Jacksonville, one in Columbus. How many Columbuses are there in the country?
Source: Troy Johnson's Blog 3/10/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Present vs. Past: Slumping Federer faces Sampras at Madison Square Garden|:||:|1205120522|:|
The Associated Press
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Pete Sampras was hardly at the height of his powers when he handed Roger Federer the keys to Centre Court at Wimbledon, losing their only head-to-head encounter that counted.
Sampras would go on to win only one more match at the All England Club after that 2001 defeat, never coming close to adding to his seven championships at the grass-court Grand Slam.
Federer, a decade younger, would go on to supplant Sampras at No. 1 in the rankings, assume Pistol Pete's status as a perennial power at Wimbledon with five consecutive titles there, and begin to chip, chip, chip away at his record for major trophies.
So perhaps fair's fair, considering that Federer has been, well, rather un-Federer-esque heading into his latest exhibition match against Sampras, which is Monday night at New York's Madison Square Garden.
Yes, Federer actually is on a rare losing streak. The Swiss star was upset in the Australian Open semifinals in January — preventing him from adding to his 12 Grand Slams, two shy of Sampras' total — and then in the first round of a tournament in Dubai this month.
That's right. Gasp! Two consecutive losses.
"I think it's a cause of concern for Federer, to be honest," U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said. "To me, it's really big that these guys go out there and don't seem to be intimidated by Federer and have sort of figured out that if you play consistently and can run a lot of balls down and make Federer hit a lot of shots, that you can beat him. Certainly, I wouldn't say it's a crisis for Federer. But I'd say that his days of utter domination may be coming to an end."
An explanation emerged Friday, though: It turns out Federer was diagnosed in February with mononucleosis, an infection caused by a virus with symptoms that include fever, sore throat, headaches and feeling tired.
"This gave him a reason for why he wasn't able to move and why he wasn't able to recover," said Federer's agent, Tony Godsick. "It was annoying for him to not have reasons for why his body wasn't responding."
Sampras, who beat Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final in his last professional match, paid quite a compliment recently by comparing tennis' current top player, Federer, to its former standard-bearer, himself.
"He's got a good perspective. Doesn't get too high or low on losses or wins. You know, just sort of has that attitude that I had: single-minded focus," Sampras said. "He just goes out there and wins."
And make no mistake: While there's no Grand Slam championship or winner-take-all cash prize on the line Monday, that drive could very well be on display.
"He's not going to want to lose; I'm not going to want to lose," Sampras said. "That's what people are coming to really see. It's not us doing cartwheels. It's about me serving 130 (mph) on the line."
After all, for the two of them, just as for the more than 19,000 people who will be in the arena and however many might be watching live coverage on the Tennis Channel, it represents a rare instance of a "Who would win?" argument coming to life.
Tiger Woods vs. Jack Nicklaus.
Mike Tyson vs. Muhammad Ali.
It just does not happen often.
"There's going to be a never-ending debate about who is the best or who would have done what against people from the previous era. We can talk about this for days and not come to a conclusion. That's part of why this match is attracting a lot of attention and a sellout crowd," said Ivan Lendl, who won eight Slam titles and is helping promote Monday's event.
"They didn't get to the top of the field in their time — and most likely top two or three or four all-time — by not being competitive," Lendl said in a telephone interview. "So, yes, there may be a little lightheartedness, but at the end of the day, I think both will want to win rather urgently."
So who will win, Ivan?
"If it goes the way I think it will go, in terms of atmosphere and a good match, the winner, in my mind, will be tennis," he said. "How's that for avoiding the question?"
The current edition of Madison Square Garden opened in 1968, and has hosted Sinatra, Ali-Frazier, and Knicks and Rangers championship teams. But it's been a dozen years since a men's tennis match was played there.
That could be why MSG told the Federer-Sampras promoter, Jerry Solomon, it would be pleased if 2,500 tickets were bought during the first three days of sales in January. Instead, more than 8,000 were gone within 72 hours, Solomon said, and the whole thing effectively was sold out in three weeks.
"There's just a tremendous interest in these two guys. Pete retired after winning the U.S. Open and then sort of wasn't around anymore. Roger has not been, until recently, all that high-profile in America," said Solomon, who worked to promote a tennis event at the Garden at the start of his career in the 1970s.
"So I think there's just a real fascination with these two guys, who are not only great champions but great people and great ambassadors for the sport. They don't get in trouble. They're not throwing rackets. They're really world-class guys, in addition to being world-class tennis players."
He hopes it's enough of a success that it sets the stage for an annual tennis evening at the site.
McEnroe, slated to be on hand Monday for a prematch tribute to his Davis Cup-winning team, agrees the sport benefits from this kind of showcase event.
"The buzz in New York is pretty big. It's a great idea. They're giving the people what they want," he said. "Quite honestly, tennis needs more of this kind of thing. We're a little behind the ball when it comes to things like this, unique kinds of things. With all the personalities that tennis has, whether it's current players or former players, it proves that there's a market for that."
Federer, 26, and Sampras, 36, faced each other three times in Asia in November, and by all accounts wound up as friends and mutual admirers. Federer took the first match 6-4, 6-3 in Seoul, and the second 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5) in Kuala Lumpur, while Sampras claimed the third 7-6 (8), 6-4 in Macau.
Federer came away impressed, saying Sampras' volleys would match up with the best on tour these days and acknowledging that Sampras' serve still stings.
"You can wake him up at 2 in the morning," Federer said, "and he'll hit a monster serve."
3/10/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Roger Federer, Pete Sampras set to meet at sold-out Madison Square Garden|:||:|1205120396|:|
Sunday, March 9, 2008
WASHINGTON (AP)- Roger Federer loves Pete Sampras' game, even if the old guy last played a real match in 2002.
"He's so fluent, you know? His whole technique is so smooth," Federer said. "And it was funny sometimes, because when I played him, it was intimidating. Because he reminded me so much of myself."
How's that for a compliment?
Similarly, Sampras loves Federer's attitude, even if the youngster is fast approaching Sampras' record for career Grand Slam titles.
"I don't think he gets too overwhelmed, too worked up," Sampras said.
Sound familiar?
Sampras, the best of his generation, and Federer, the best of his, bring two eras of excellence together Monday when they play an exhibition match at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. It's the first men's professional tennis match at the New York arena in a dozen years.
Pistol Pete vs. The Artful Roger.
The past vs. the present: Sampras is 36; Federer is 26.
A total of 26 major singles championships, 14 for Sampras vs. 12 for Federer.
A total of 10 year-end No. 1 finishes in the rankings, a record six for Sampras vs. four for Federer.
Sampras' serve-and-volley style, something rarely seen these days.
Federer's all-court brilliance, conjuring up shots rarely if ever seen.
They only played each other once on tour, in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2001, when Federer beat Sampras in five sets.
That came after Sampras had won the last of his seven titles at the All England Club, and before Federer began his current streak of five consecutive championships there.
"I knew he was extremely talented then — a lot of power, didn't have holes in his game," Sampras said. "He figured it out, kind of how I figured it out in my early 20s. Then, the way he started winning majors pretty much with ease, I just accepted that he was going to break my record."
They have started to get acquainted with each other's personality and tennis, having played three exhibitions in Asia in November.
Federer won the first two, and Sampras won the third.
Now comes their first matchup in the United States, a best-of-three-sets encounter on an indoor hard court.
"Look, Roger Federer obviously is a huge favorite, just based on the fact that he's 10 years younger and is playing full-on. He certainly is not going to go out there in front of 19,000 people in New York City and want to lose to Pete Sampras," United States Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said. "And Sampras is going to want to show that he can still play. ... Will it have the same intensity as a U.S. Open final? No. But it will be very competitive. Both guys will want to play as well as they can."
For Federer, Monday's match might represent an exhibition with no trophy at stake and a guaranteed payday, but it also represents a chance to get in some work.
He's coming off consecutive losses, in the Australian Open semifinals and the first round of an event in Dubai, so there hasn't been much activity of late for a guy accustomed to playing all the way to the end of tournament after tournament.
It wasn't until Friday that word emerged from his camp that Federer was diagnosed last month with mononucleosis, an energy-sapping infection caused by a virus.
"The good news really is to be certain of what has occurred," Federer said in a posting on his Web site. "The bad news is that I have quite some catching up to do in terms of fitness as I am not in the physical state that I would normally be in at this time of the year."
3/10/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras wins exhibition match over Martin|:||:|1205117724|:|
Rawalnda Hercules just wanted to hit the tennis ball as hard as she could, even if it meant chasing it down herself.
"I only know a little about tennis," Hercules said. "I can't hardly hit it."
She and her two sisters, Briana and Seychelle, spent a cold hour hitting foam tennis balls out in the parking lot of the Columbus Civic Center on Saturday afternoon courtesy of the Columbus Regional Tennis Association's block party.
Using the Quick Start format of teaching tennis, CORTA members and various other volunteers gave several hundred area youth a chance to warm up for the Pete Sampras-Todd Martin exhibition match by playing on small, improvised courts.
Seychelle Hercules said she played tennis at the Girls, Inc., tennis camps and at her school, Clubview Elementary.
None of the Hercules sisters knew anything about Sampras -- once the No. 1 tennis player in the world -- but they were eager to see the match, as was their mother, Marilyn.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," said Marilyn Hercules. "I've never seen a pro match."
Added Seychelle Hercules, "This is going to be exciting."
Sampras and Martin lived up to the billing, putting on an entertaining show for a crowd of about 1,500 at the civic center. The exhibition match included an amusing running commentary between the players, as well as good tennis.
At one point, after a slow start, Todd commandeered the umpire's microphone, telling the crowd, "I will make a shot before the night is over." He did, pushing Sampras to a tiebreaker in the first set before losing it 7-6 (3).
Sampras opened up the match with a feast-or-famine style, mixing a couple of double faults with aces and unreturnable serves in winning the first game. The two players hit their stride late in the first set with longer rallies. Sampras won the exhibition match 7-6 (3), 6-4 behind his famed booming serves. He closed the match with an ace, one of many on the night.
Sampras and Todd used the match as a warm-up for bigger things. Martin will play in a tournament on Wednesday.
"If I can adjust to his power, I'm in pretty good shape," Martin said.
Sampras is slated for an exhibition match in New York City with the current No. 1 tennis player in the world, Roger Federer. That match will be Monday at Madison Square Garden. Sampras cited being competitive as a goal for the match.
"I still enjoy playing," Sampras said. "I'm still competitive. Todd is one of my top rivals and a good friend. I still want to play well."
The 36-year-old Sampras, who won a record 14 Grand Slam events, has been in retirement for the last five years. He said he knows he made the right decision to walk away from the game. He said listening to the retirement press conference of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre reaffirmed it.
"That's exactly how I felt," Sampras said. "I felt I could still play. But physically, you get tired. I won everything I wanted to win and left on my terms."
Martin said he noticed all the children playing on the makeshift courts before the match, something he called, "great." Sampras expressed similar thoughts.
"Hopefully my presence will inspire kids to want to play tennis and grow the game here," Sampras said.
Tennis players from the Columbus State men and women's teams, along with Shaw High's tennis team, helped CORTA with the block party instructions.
"They were conducting some of the games, and then played with them," said Cheryl Smith, a CORTA board member. "We just wanted to give them a taste of tennis and maybe they'll say, 'I like it and want to play.' "
The Quick Start format features teaching players on 32-foot courts instead of 90-foot courts, and employing smaller rackets and foam balls, said Nita Perry of CORTA.
"Everyone in Europe grew up on mini courts," Perry said. "You progress from foam balls to low-compression balls. Then, once they are 11 or 12, they can play on regular courts."
Even though some of the younger children, many who weren't alive when Sampras won the U.S. Open in 1990 as a 19-year-old, weren't aware of his stature in the tennis world, the adults were.
"For my age group, Sampras was 'the man,' " Smith said. "He was who we watched."
Saturday night gave tennis fans a chance to see one of tennis' all-time greats in person.
Source: Ledger-Enquirer.com 3/07/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Martin beats Sampras in Jacksonville|:||:|1204910148|:|
Todd Martin gave the hometown crowd a thrill Thursday night when he defeated tennis legend Pete Sampras in the Serving Up Aces exhibition at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
The Ponte Vedra Beach resident won 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3 over the Grand Slam titles record-holder in a match played on the Premier Court indoor carpet surface.
"It's old hat," Martin joked after the match. "That's the fifth time I've beaten him. I've lost to him 25 times."
Martin said it was particularly gratifying to play well against Sampras in front of the local crowd of about 3,000. Martin took an early break in the first set, then held serve to take a 3-1 lead.
"Winning, frankly, is really nice," Martin said. "The thing I was most concerned about was coming out here and getting shellacked, but I kept that from happening early in the match, which was good. That sort of made me relax a little bit."
Sampras, who will play an exhibition match against World No. 1 Roger Federer next week at New York's Madison Square Garden, rebounded after dropping the first set Thursday. He won three games at love in the second, as the players traded service wins to force a tiebreak. Sampras hit back-to-back winners to take the set.
Sampras and Martin agreed after that to play the third set as an extended tiebreaker, the way their exhibitions usually go. But when the chair umpire announced the decision to the crowd, the fans voiced their displeasure.
"It's like a rock band," Martin said. "They were getting upset that we walked off the stage."
The fans won out in the end as the former ATP stars agreed to play a full final set.
"I was really pleased that, especially in front of my friends and neighbors ... that Pete was willing to play a third set and give them what they wanted," Martin said.
Martin won the first three games of the third set, which was interrupted at one point when a fan shouted "Pete, your wife is hot!" Sampras, who's married to actress Bridgette Wilson, paused for a moment, smirked a little and prepared to serve again.
Martin said that, despite the more relaxed atmosphere of the exhibition, it's still important to former pros to play their best.
"As much as it meant to us years ago to be the best we could be, it's still real important for us when we go out to compete at our best, especially when we are challenged to our greatest," Martin said. "For me, playing Pete on a [quick] court like this is as much of a challenge as I'm ever going to get again."
Source: Jacksonville.com 2/25/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|It's love for Sampras - Tennis, family and golf|:||:|1203911795|:|
February 24, 2008
For Pete Sampras, there was something special about his first time as a professional tennis player.
After Sampras retired after winning the 2002 U.S. Open, he and wife actress Bridgette Wilson purchased a home at Bighorn in Palm Desert. Splitting time between Bighorn and Los Angeles, Sampras and Wilson raise their two sons, Christian and Ryan.
But Sampras' biggest impact locally came in 2006. Joining Billie Jean King, Chris Evert, Tennis Magazine and the City of Indian Wells, Sampras invested in the Pacific Life Open — saving the event from moving to either the Middle East or Asia.
What is it about the desert that attracted you to buy a home here? Have you been here in July or August?
I have. I like it. No one is around. It's a little uncomfortable for the kids. When it gets to 108 to 115 degrees, it's a little brutal, but I don't mind it playing golf.
And are there other activities you enjoy out here?
Like I said earlier, I like that the kids have activities. I wake up and play some golf, come home and then I take them to the range, or take them to the pool, or we'll do a little fishing at a lake. There's so much more to do here than L.A., because L.A. is L.A.
What's your take on the state of American tennis? The men didn't fare so well in the Grand Slams in 2007, but they did win the Davis Cup.
I think they're doing quite well. The Davis Cup was great to see, how everyone was committed to it for the year and the reception they got in Portland. It was a shot in the arm for U.S. tennis. When it comes to the whole year and the slams, I look at James (Blake) and Andy (Roddick) and they were probably a notch below Roger, (Rafael) Nadal and (Novak) Djokovic. Maybe those guys are half a level or one level better at the moment.
Unfortunately for James and Andy, they compare them with the crew I came up with. What happened in the '90s was unique. You can't expect that every 10 years from any country. They have a lot of obstacles with the legends they're playing against. They're doing well. But the media and fans, they want the Americans to be the top dogs. But we're doing pretty well with the talent that's out there.
What was it about that group that made it special? And how did Michael Chang, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi help your game?
Well, luck was involved with Andre, Jim, myself and Michael. I saw when Jim became No. 1 and that made it a reality for me. When Michael won the French, it made it tangible, and it pushed us, not out of jealousy, but in a competitive way. And when we played each other, they were great battles. Their games pushed me and they definitely brought a lot to the table. It just pushed you to see Jim and how hard he worked and we pushed each other. And it was definitely different when I played Jim and Andre than it was when I played Stefan (Edberg) and Boris (Becker).
You were a serve and volleyer. Can a serve and volleyer like you succeed in the game today?
Sure. Absolutely. I always felt a great serve and volleyer could be a great baseliner. It's sad to see the way tennis has gone. There's a lot of great players, but they all play the same. They're not chipping and charging. It's sad to see there's no serve and volley players.
John McEnroe said somewhere that if you took a wildcard at Wimbledon, you would be a top-five seed. Would that tempt you?
Not at all. All I can say is, having played Roger a little and worked with (Tommy) Haas and Sam Querrey, I can be competitive. Winning is a big question. Having a bigger racket has helped me be competitive, but it's hard to answer the winning part. I will say, playing Roger, it took me a few matches to get it back. I said it was like riding a bike. It just took a little time to blow off the rust to find my rhythm and confidence.
Your sister Stella is the women's tennis coach at UCLA. Has she ever gotten you to help recruit players?
No, not really. I've talked to a few girls, but she has boundaries.
Have you thought about your sons following in your footsteps, or maybe your wife Bridgette Wilson Sampras' footsteps in acting?
If they play tennis, I would help them as much as I could, but I would keep my distance. As a dad, you can only play so many roles. But I could help them, let them know I have a little knowledge. But Christian said he wants to build homes, so I said, 'Whatever you want to do.' I think they'll be curious about tennis because it's what dad played. Bridgette could give them the acting talk.
Another tennis great, Yannick Noah, had a son who became a great athlete in his own right, basketball player Joakim Noah. Any thoughts about one of your kids being a Laker?
That would be nice, basketball, baseball or golf. They're both athletic and they like soccer and golf. I hope they will find something to focus on. I think athletics are good. It kept me out of trouble and it's a great place to focus on having a healthy body.
Would you still go to Lakers games if they would have traded Kobe Bryant?
I've gone to a few games and I've taken Christian. I'm a Lakers fan, and I would like to see them back playing for championships. But trading Kobe would have been a big mistake. He's arguably the greatest player in the world and you're not going to get any value equal to Kobe. It would not be great for the Lakers unless they got three (Kevin) Garnetts.
Have you shown your kids your Simpsons episode?
They're not into The Simpsons yet, but when they do, they will hear my voice. But they're not into The Simpsons yet.
Source: MyDesert.com 2/19/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras shows no mercy in beating Haas in exhibition|:||:|1203443019|:|
February 19, 2008
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - Pete Sampras hit back-to-back aces to close out the second game of the second set and draw a plea from Tommy Haas.
"Show some mercy, Pete" Haas yelled across the court.
Sampras began to hand his racket over to a ball boy before taking it back. Just as he did so often during his brilliant career, Sampras closed out the match with ease, beating Haas 6-4, 6-2 in an exhibition at the SAP Open on Monday night.
"When I get in that arena, I still want to play great," Sampras said.
It was Sampras' second straight exhibition win against an active tour player, following November's straight-set victory over Roger Federer. Yet it's still not enough to bring Sampras back to the tour after retiring more than five years ago at age 31 with a record 14 Grand Slam titles.
Asked after the match whether he would reconsider his decision and mount a comeback, Sampras initially teased the fans saying he would come back before bringing a dose of reality to the proceedings. In the post-match news conference, Sampras detailed why he has no plans to return to the tour.
"There's no reason for me to come back," Sampras said. "I don't miss the limelight, I don't need the money. The tricky thing for me is I didn't stop for injury but for emotional reasons. I didn't have anything left in the tank. There has to be a reason to come back. There's a whole lot to lose and not much to gain. I don't want to come back for Wimbledon and win a couple of matches. What would that mean to me? I play to win."
Sampras was erratic at the start of his first match in nearly three months, hitting a forehand more than 10 feet long on the first point of the match and double-faulting to open his first service game. But he got sharper as the match went on, even hitting a pair of his signature jump-volley slams to win points. Those type of shots drew loud applause from an opening night record crowd of 8,812.
Sampras showed great touch and precision at the net, using the serve-and-volley game that made him so successful in his career and has become rare in today's game. He even had luck on his side, as one of his shots hit the net cord, bounced in the air, hit the net cord again before bouncing over for a point.
"I didn't know what to expect. I play so sparingly," he said. "I just kind of toss it up and kind of see what happens from there. It took me a little time to find my bearings and get a rhythm out there. The ball was flying a little bit. I hit some pretty good volleys. I returned OK. I think Tommy has more important things to worry about this week besides playing me."
Sampras got the only break of the first set, approaching the net on a second serve by Haas before putting away a forehand volley winner and following it with a forehand winner off a first serve to go up 4-3. Sampras then breezed through the second set, breaking Haas in the first game and again in the seventh before holding serve to win the match.
Haas, who is battling back from shoulder surgery, enjoyed the opportunity to play against Sampras and get used to the surroundings at the tournament.
"Just go out there, feel the ball a little bit, and see what the court is like," Haas said. "Obviously I wasn't too competitive tonight, just kind of enjoying the moment playing against one of the greatest ever and getting a feel for it."
Next up for Sampras is another exhibition against Federer on March 10 at Madison Square Garden. The two greats played three times in Asia in November, with Federer winning the first two matches in straight sets and Sampras winning the final one 7-6 (8), 6-4 on the fast indoor surface at the Venetian Macao arena.
In matches that counted on Monday, fourth-seeded Radek Stepanek beat Paul Capdeville 7-6 (2), 6-1, and eighth-seeded Kristof Vliegen beat Victor Hanescu 6-4, 7-6 (4). Sixth-seeded Jurgen Melzer was upset by Guillermo Garcia-Lopez 6-2, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (6).
Also, fifth-seeded Lee Hyung-taik withdrew from the tournament with a back injury and was replaced by Wayne Odesnik, who lost in qualifying but entered the tournament as a lucky loser. Odesnik made the most of his chance, beating American Donald Young 6-1, 5-7, 6-4.
In the final match of the night, American John Isner beat Florent Serra of France 7-6 (5), 6-4. 2/19/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras has no regrets about his early retirement|:||:|1203442915|:|
Legend still dabbles in tennis, including tonight's exhibition match against Haas at HP Pavilion
February 18, 2008
SAN JOSE -- Pete Sampras won his record 14th Grand Slam title at the 2002 U.S. Open, then walked away from the sport he dominated for more than a decade.
Six years later, the man whose record is being pushed by Roger Federer has no regrets. Sampras, 36, doesn't believe he left too soon, doesn't believe he had anything else to prove.
"I was done," said Sampras, who will play Tommy Haas tonight (7 o'clock) in an exhibition at HP Pavilion on Day 1 of the SAP Open. "The last sort of fuel in the tank was that last run at the U.S. Open."
Sampras raised eyebrows in November when he won the third of a three-match exhibition series against Federer, who needs just three more titles to break Sampras' Grand Slam record.
But all that did was create a tighter bond between Sampras and the current No. 1 player in the world. It didn't make Sampras think about a comeback.
"I could still play a little, still play at a pretty high level," Sampras said. "But coming back is a whole different ballgame, a whole different lifestyle, a lot of work.
"Even in my prime, it was a lot of work staying on top. The day-in, day-out grind of tennis isn't in me anymore."
Federer called Sampras his idol after the loss and said, "This guy can play tennis, you know. I'm happy that he got me at least once."
These days, Sampras uses tennis as a vehicle to stay fit. He also plays a lot of basketball and golf, not to mention chasing around his two young sons.
"There's no book on retirement at 31," said Sampras, who is married to actress Bridgette Wilson. "It's sort of a tricky one. But I think playing tennis again on my terms has been fun.
"It's not anything I need to do every day. But when I have an exhibition coming up, like I do in San Jose, I start hitting and it gives me a little bit of focus, which is great."
Exhibitions are obviously far less stressful than the real thing. But, Sampras said, "At the same time, every time I step out on the court, I want to win. I want to be sharp. So it takes some focus."
The focus in tennis these days has been on Federer's pursuit of Sampras' record. The Swiss star won his 12th Grand Slam at last year's U.S. Open, but lost to Novak Djokovic in the semifinals of last month's Australian Open.
Federer's ascent to No. 1 was just starting when Sampras' career ended. But their paths did cross at Wimbledon in 2001, when Federer ended Sampras' 31-match winning streak at the All-England Club with a fourth-round victory.
Of course, there's a debate about which player is better. There are also questions about which one faced tougher competition on tour.
"What I had to deal with that Roger is not is different style of play," Sampras said. "Everyone plays pretty much the same (now). He's just better at it. Whereas my generation, I had to deal with not only great baseliners in Andre (Agassi), but I had to deal with serve-and-volleyers.
"I was playing these guys that were multiple Grand Slam winners. There's only a handful of guys that have won Grand Slams playing today."
Sampras, however, does not carry a chip on his shoulder. He and Federer have become good friends and stay in touch through text messaging.
"There's a side of Roger that a lot of people don't see," Sampras said. "There's sort of a kid in him. He likes to have fun, likes to joke around. We're actually quite similar -- dry, sarcastic humor."
Sampras' opponent tonight has his own opinion about the Sampras-Federer debate. Haas said Sampras is the better server -- perhaps even today -- but Federer has the superior all-around game.
"When you're playing Pete and you're not playing your best, you're still going to lose a tight (match), 6-4, 6-4," Haas said. "But if you're playing Roger and you're not playing that well, you're going to lose pretty much 6-1, 6-1 or maybe even get a bagel."
Although Federer has shown vulnerability against clay-court specialist Rafael Nadal and rising star Djokovic, he still presents major challenges for top-ranked Americans Andy Roddick and James Blake. Sampras isn't sure that's going to change.
He said Roddick has the power to compete with Federer but doesn't have enough athletic ability. Blake, he added, has the athletic ability but doesn't have the power.
"It's a tough matchup for both those guys," Sampras said.
The two Americans who probably would have consistently pushed Federer -- Sampras and Agassi -- are well into retirement.
But as Sampras will show tonight, the game is still very much part of his life.
Source: Mercury News.com 2/18/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras-Haas exhibition highlights San Jose tournament|:||:|1203311813|:|
February 17, 2008
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP)—By beating Roger Federer in an exhibition last year, Pete Sampras showed he still has some of the game that made him one of tennis’ greatest players and led some people to wonder whether he retired too soon.
Sampras isn’t one of them. He’s content with his decision to step away age 31 in 2002 with a record 14 Grand Slam titles.
“I could still play a little bit, still play at a pretty high level, but coming back is a whole different ballgame, whole different lifestyle, a lot of work,” Sampras said. “The day-in, day-out grind of tennis isn’t in me any more. I still enjoy playing a few exhibitions here and there, but to come back, I don’t really necessarily play just for the limelight or for the money. I play to win.”
Sampras’ next stop is at the SAP Open in San Jose, where he will take on the former No. 2 player in the world, Tommy Haas, in an exhibition Monday night.
That match kicks off a tournament that features most of the top American players, led by Andy Roddick and James Blake.
Sampras, though, is still the biggest U.S. star more than five years after he left the tour.
“Pete’s obviously a guy you look up to, you respect for what he’s done,” said Haas, who has practiced a few times recently with Sampras on visits to Southern California and said Sampras still has one of the best serves in the game.
“It’s nice to see him play some exhibitions with Roger and getting him back into the tennis world because he’s such an icon in the tennis world,” Haas said. “For us tennis players, he’s somebody we really look up to. Having a chance to talk to him every now and again is obviously great.”
After staying away from the game in his first years of retirement, Sampras has been more involved recently, playing on the senior tour, World Team Tennis and exhibitions. Sampras will face Federer again at Madison Square Garden on March 10.
Sampras held his own in the three matches he played against Federer in November. Federer won the first two matches before Sampras pulled out a 7-6 (8), 6-4 win in the final meeting on the fast indoor surface at the Venetian Macao arena. That generated talk about how good Sampras would be if he tried to make a comeback.
“You hear a lot, but also it’s rough, you see a lot of stuff about how he’d step in and be top five right away, all that stuff,” Roddick said. “He wasn’t top five when he left the game. And you know, and it’s tough to imagine someone kind of sitting on the pine for three years or four years and coming back and being better. If anybody could pull it off, it’s probably Pete.”
Sampras retired after winning his record 14th major title at the 2002 U.S. Open. It’s a mark that might not last long. Federer won his 12th Grand Slam title at last year’s U.S. Open and will be the favorite once again this summer at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.
Sampras figures it’s just a matter of time before the 26-year-old Federer passes him.
“He’s young enough. He’s fresh enough. He’s not 30,” Sampras said. “Having a few years left, I see him doing it. But there are going to be a few guys that are going to push him. It’s just inevitable that he’s going to do it here in the next probably year.”
Federer’s dominance has contributed to the struggles by American men in Grand Slam tournaments. Since Roddick won the U.S. Open the year after Sampras, no American man has won a major.
The 17-slam drought matches the longest in the Open era. Ten times during that stretch, Federer knocked top Americans Roddick, Blake or Andre Agassi out in a slam, including four wins in the finals.
Roddick has lost 11 straight matches against Federer since winning in Montreal in 2003. Blake has never beaten Federer, losing all eight meetings.
Sampras said Roddick and Blake don’t have the all-around games like Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to be able to beat Federer.
“Andy’s got the power but maybe doesn’t have the athletic ability, and someone like James, who has the athletic ability, but doesn’t have the power,” Sampras said. “It’s kind of a tough matchup for them, for both those guys.
“Seems like James can stay with Roger. I just think they play similar games and Roger is a little bit better than James at it. And Roddick can overpower Roger at times, but at the same time doesn’t move well enough from the back court to really get into these exchanges, that someone like Djokovic can.”
Michael Chang ended the previous drought with a win in the French Open in 1989. That was followed by other victories in Grand Slams by Sampras, Agassi and Jim Courier.
The question is whether the upcoming Americans this time around like Sam Querrey, Donald Young and John Isner—all of whom will be in San Jose—can compete on the world stage.
“It’s hard to predict,” Sampras said. “When I was 18-years old, 19, no one saw me doing anything really special in the game. Even I didn’t know what I was going to be doing. It all happened. So it’s hard to predict. It’s hard to see it. But we’re going to know shortly.”
Source: AP news 2/13/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Haas Replaces Safin in Sampras Exhibition|:||:|1202910571|:|
February 13, 2008
Another player has withdrawn from the SAP Open. Marat Safin's representative told tournament director Bill Rapp on Tuesday that he won't participate in next week's event in San Jose, meaning Pete Sampras needs another opponent for Monday's exhibition.
It'll be Germany's Tommy Haas, who also will be playing in the tournament's singles field.
Safin pulled out because of a stress fracture in his right leg, which forced him from Russia's Davis Cup competition against Serbia over the weekend. He also has stomach flu.
"Initially, (the injury) was a toe, but the real issue is a stress fracture," Rapp said. "Allon (Khakshouri, Safin's agent) said he was really depressed he couldn't play in the Davis Cup, but he really wanted to play Pete Sampras. When Safin says something, you know he means it, because he doesn't say much."
On Monday, Fernando Gonzalez and Juan Martin Del Potro withdrew from the San Jose tourney because of injuries. They were replaced by Robert Kendrick of Fresno and 6-foot-9 John Isner.
Rapp called the multiple withdrawals "uncommon" for this time of year.
The tourney has commitments from nine of the top-10 ranked Americans, including No. 6 Andy Roddick and No. 12 James Blake.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 2/13/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras keeps his hand in game - by playing No. 1|:||:|1202910447|:|
February 10, 2008
Pete Sampras said he has no plan for a comeback and doesn't regret retiring. But six years after he stepped away from competing at tennis' highest level, he sure does enjoy picking up a racket and playing exhibitions against select competition.
"It's more fun. Maybe less stressful," Sampras said recently. "But at the same time, every time I step out on the court, I want to win."
Aside from playing World Team Tennis events the past two summers and a spell on the senior circuit, Sampras played three exhibitions against Roger Federer in November and will face the No. 1-ranked player in another exhibition at New York's Madison Square Garden on March 10.
It's last decade's top player vs. this decade's, the grand slam record holder vs. the guy who's chasing him, a 36-year-old retiree vs. a 26-year-old in his prime - two world heavyweights at the world's most famous arena.
But first, Sampras will be in San Jose on Feb. 18 for another exhibition as a kickoff to this year's SAP Open. His scheduled opponent is Marat Safin, who may be replaced because of a toe injury. The tournament, on Feb. 19-24, lists eight of the top nine ranked Americans, but the choice of two-time defending champion Andy Murray not to play represents a huge void.
Sampras, who won the San Jose tourney in 1996 and 1997, also will play two exhibitions against Todd Martin (in Florida and Georgia) leading up to the Federer match.
"It's a work in progress, retirement," Sampras said on a conference call promoting the SAP Open. "I will say I have my moments. I had those moments a couple of years back when I was getting a little bit bored and restless. I was playing a lot of golf, not really doing much. After a while of doing that, I just felt a little bit, you know, what's next? There's no book on retirement at 31. It's sort of tricky.
"But playing tennis again, on my terms, has been fun. It's kept me in shape. It gives me a bit of a focus, which is great."
Sampras is a stay-at-home dad when not out playing tennis. He and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, have two young sons. They recently put their 10,000-square-foot Beverly Hills mansion on the market, asking for a mere $25 million. He said he lifts weights, does treadmill work and plays 3-on-3 basketball twice a week.
Not quite the lifestyle of a No. 1 player on the ATP tour, but Sampras seems fine with it. Winning a record 14 grand slam titles - Federer has 12 - was enough. So was finishing first in the world six straight years. Anyway, even in retirement, he gets to play the best in the world, including Federer.
In their three-match Asian swing in November, Federer beat Sampras in Seoul (6-4, 6-3) and Kuala Lumpur (7-6, 7-6), but Sampras rebounded with an eye-opening win in Macau (7-6, 6-4).
"My goal was to make it competitive," said Sampras, adding he and Federer have become friends; Federer in recent days visited him in Beverly Hills. "I thought if I could pull off a set, I'd be ecstatic. As we went on through the week, I started getting a little bit better, started gaining some confidence. Just got used to Roger's game. By the end, I felt really good."
Not good enough to consider a comeback, however.
"Not at all," Sampras said. "I could still play at a pretty high level a little bit, but coming back is a whole different ballgame, whole different lifestyle, a lot of work. Even in my prime, it was a lot of work staying on top. The day-in, day-out grind of tennis isn't in me anymore."
Source: San Francisco Chronicle 1/26/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras lists Beverly Hills home|:||:|1201359028|:|
January 27, 2008
Pete Sampras and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, have put their Beverly Hills home on the market for $25 million.
Before the 36-year-old tennis ace retired in 2003, he won a record 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles.
Sampras' 11,000-square-foot, English Tudor-style house, built in 1933, has been recently remodeled and expanded.
The walled and gated private estate has five bedrooms, including a master suite with his-and-her bathrooms. The home has a total of 12 bathrooms.
Other features are a detached guesthouse, a gym, a theater, a children's play yard, a pool, a putting green and -- of course -- a tennis court with a north-south orientation. The home is located on more than an acre of mature, landscaped grounds and has a circular driveway.
Wilson, 34, played the bride-to-be in "The Wedding Planner" (2001) and appeared in "CSI: Miami" (2003) and, more recently, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" (the 2007 pilot and one episode).
Jordan Cohen, estates director at Re/Max-Olson & Associates Inc. in Westlake Village, has the listing.
Source: LA Times 1/19/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Tennis ace Sampras to play Columbus, Georgia|:||:|1200751514|:|
March match a tune-up for facing down Federer
Tennis legend Pete Sampras wanted one more tune-up match before a March exhibition against world No. 1 Roger Federer at New York's Madison Square Garden, so sports promotor John McDonald checked into potential sites on his behalf.
A colleague recommended Columbus.
The one in Georgia, not Ohio.
"He said, 'What about Columbus?' and I said, 'What about it?' " joked McDonald, the president and owner of Prism Sports & Entertainment. "I did a little research and found out the local participation there is in tennis."
He's counting on all of those participators to translate into spectators when Sampras and Todd Martin participate in an exhibition match at the Columbus Civic Center on March 8.
The event, billed as "Serving Up Aces," will begin at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets, which will sell for $25 and up, go on sale Jan. 25 at the Civic Center box office and at local Publix supermarkets. They may also be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or by phone, 706-494-8330.
"I don't remember anything like this happening to Columbus," Civic Center director Dale Hester said. "It tickled me to death. That's a great thing to have here in Columbus."
Sampras, a newly minted member of the International Tennis Hall of Fame, owns a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles and earned more than $43 million in prize money during a 15-year career that ended in 2002. He also acquired the nickname "The King of Swing" with a resume that includes seven Wimbledon, five U.S. Open and two Australian Open titles.
Martin, the 1999 U.S. Open finalist and a member of the United States' victorious 1995 Davis Cup team, finished among the world's top 100 players 12 consecutive years before retiring in 2004.
The duo will play an exhibition in Jacksonville, Fla., on March 6. Their stop in Columbus will provide Sampras with one final warm-up before his March 10 exhibition against Federer. The two played a three-match exhibition tour of Asia last year. While Federer won two of the three exhibitions, he still needs two more Grand Slam victories to match Sampras' record.
McDonald said the selection of Columbus as a site for a Sampras-Martin exhibition had a lot to do with what he learned about Columbus Regional Tennis Association and some conversations he had with its executive director, Judy Pearce.
"I started looking at some of the stuff they've done," McDonald said.
Pearce said confirmation of the Sampras-Martin match has created considerable buzz in the local tennis community.
"It's big news," she said. "When he (McDonald) called me, I was like 'Pete Sampras? In Columbus?' We have close to 2,300 members in CORTA and he (McDonald) was excited about that. It makes us proud as an organization.
"It will be real inspiring to our junior players and our adults too."
Sampras won't be the first tennis hall of famer to pass through town, however. Back in 1973, a budding women's star named Chris Evert counted a Virginia Slims event win in Columbus among her 12 tournament victories that year.
Source: Ledger Enquirer
1/19/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Exhibition in Jacksonville, FL|:||:|1200751132|:|
The retired tennis star will play local Martin in a March 6 exhibition.
Tennis great Pete Sampras has added Jacksonville to the list of stops on what has become a worldwide exhibition tour.
Sampras is scheduled to play Ponte Vedra Beach resident Todd Martin in a Serving Up Aces exhibition match on Thursday, March 6, at Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena.
"It's exciting for me," the 37-year-old Martin said Wednesday in a telephone interview. "It's not often I get to work close to home. It'll be especially nice to be a part of a big tennis event in Jacksonville. Wherever Pete goes, it's a pretty big event."
Sampras, who holds the record for career Grand Slam titles (14), has an 18-4 ATP Tour career head-to-head advantage against Martin, who won eight singles championships before retiring in 2004. However, before Sampras' retirement in 2002, Martin won two of his last three meetings with the Hall of Famer, including a four-set victory in the 2001 Australian Open round of 16.
"Pete and Todd are both great former champions," said Mark Young, ATP Americas CEO. "We're fortunate that Todd is a resident here on the First Coast, and it will be exciting to see Todd play right here in his community against a great former champion like Pete Sampras."
Sampras, 36, played a three-match exhibition series against World No. 1 Roger Federer at the end of last year. Sampras has another exhibition against Federer scheduled for March 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Tickets for the Jacksonville event, which is being organized by Prism Sports, go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Jan. 25. They will be available at the Arena box office, Ticketmaster outlets, online at
www.ticketmaster.com or by phone at (904) 353-3309.
Source: Times Union 1/12/08|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras a big fan, friend of Federer|:||:|1200126834|:|
January 10, 2008
Source: Star Ledger / NJ.com
If Roger Federer does what he did the last two years and wins three Grand Slam tournaments this year, he will pass Pete Sampras' all-time record of 14, most likely at the U.S. Open.
And that's okay with Sampras. In fact, Sampras said he'd be on hand at Arthur Ashe Stadium in September to congratulate him, because he admires Federer and feels he's a worthy champion to replace him.
"What he's doing, and how he's doing it, I respect," Sampras said. "Every fan, every media person, has a different sort of athlete (they respect) and he's my sort of guy. He's not brash, he's not abrasive. He lets his racket do the talking. I don't think that's a negative. To hear someone say he's boring, I'm tired of hearing that (stuff). It's nauseating. Just respect what he's doing."
But before Federer gets a chance to even tie Sampras, the two will face each other in a unique exhibition match at Madison Square Garden on March 10, a continuation of the three-match series they played in Asia at the end of November.
Federer won the first two matches, and Sampras, who retired in 2002, came back on a lightning-quick surface in Macau to out-serve Federer and win 7-6 (6), 6-4. There were rumors circulating that the two had made an agreement that Pete would win at least one of the matches, but he adamantly refuted that notion.
"It's not true," he said. "We played. We didn't talk about any first set, second set, you do this I'll do that. But exhibitions are a tricky sort of deal. You want to entertain and have a lighter side, but you also want to play well."
Federer, who is the favorite to win the upcoming Australian Open beginning Monday, will be in the middle of the spring circuit when the match takes place in March. But Sampras, who is 36, said he plans to tune up against recently retired Livingston native Justin Gimelstob in California, as well as the hard-hitting young American Sam Querry.
Sampras said that even though the fast surface contributed to his victory in Macau, the surface will be slower at the Garden for what is being called the NetJets Showdown.
During their tour of Asia, Sampras and Federer got to know each other on a personal basis, traveling together and socializing at night, which is unusual for current players on the tour. Before the first match in Seoul, Federer called Sampras and asked him to come up to his room to hang out, which kind of surprised Sampras.
"I said, 'Roger I've never done that in 20 years on the road, go hang out with another player,'" Sampras said with a laugh. "I said it sarcastically. But he's like my new best friend."
Source: NJ.com 12/31/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|[Dec 3, 2007] Sampras on Sampras|:||:|1199080623|:|
Excerpts from the tennis channel interview on Dec 3, 2007
How did Pete prepared for the Asian exhibitions?
"I definitely stepped it up. I hit every other day for two weeks with Sam Querrey, and we were playing a lot of sets. Sam hits a very big ball and has a big serve and I wanted to play at that pace so I could find my range and find my game while getting my body used to serving-and-volleying and the change of directions and explosive movements you need for that. I stretched a lot more before and after I played and warmed up with jogging and stretching. It was as close as I have been to back in the day [during my career] when I used to prepare and focus so hard. I wanted to play well against Roger but also wanted my body to hold up to play three matches in five days. I was pleasantly surprised that my body held up quite well."
What were his expectations from the exos?
"I didn't know where my game was going to be. I didn't want to be embarrassed out there and I didn't think I would be. I wouldn't have signed up for these matches against Roger if I didn't feel I could be competitive. I felt if I could pull of a set [in one of the matches] that would be a big bonus for me. I didn't think I would beat Roger. Going into these exhibitions some people expected him to beat me 2 and 2. I just wanted to compete well against him."
On the Seoul match:
"I lacked confidence. Not only was I battling my game having not played, but I was a little uneasy with where I was at and then I was dealing with the great things Roger brings to the table. That combination made me uncomfortable. I also didn't feel great physically because of my jet lag. I pretty much got over there the day before. So I was a little bit out of sorts and didn't feel I got into a rhythm. I felt like I hit the ball o.k. but I felt a little overanxious and I was going for too much because I was playing Roger."
On the Kuala Lumpur match:
"I just felt a lot less nervous. I got off to a good start. It was fast conditions and he was having a hard time returning my serve. I was having a hard time getting into a rhythm from the back court but I felt a lot better out there. The anxiety went away. Seoul just broke the ice for me and in Kuala Lumpur I hardly missed a volley and served pretty well. I had a few chances here and there. I could have pulled off a set there which would have been great, but even though I didn't I felt I was right there with him, while in Seoul I was kind of a deer in the headlights. In Kuala Lumpur I lost 6 and 6 without losing my serve, so that made me feel really good going into the match in Macau."
On the Macau match:
"I remember warming up for that match with Roger and saying, 'Wow, this court is fast!' You would hit a slice on that court and it would just keep on slicing. It was one of those courts where you could hit a three quarter speed serve and still pull off an ace. I think we both wished maybe the court would have been a bit slower which would have added some creativity.
"I started off serving well [he released 7 aces in his first three service games] and so did Roger, and I was thinking, 'If we keep this up we are going into a breaker and anything could happen.' When I went for a forehand return and made it at set point in the tie-break, I felt really happy. I was thinking, 'I can leave this court having achieved my goal.' It went to 4-4 in the second set and he missed a forehand and I played a good break point, and then I served it out. It all happened pretty quickly at the end. I just popped an ace and a few service winners when I served for the match and the next thing I knew I had won it. The crowd was electric. That match was all about confidence for me. I didn't feel any anxiety out there. It was a good feeling walking off that court."
His serve-and-volley tactic against Roger:
"Serving-and-volleying at this stage of my life takes its toll. So in the other events I don't serve-and-volley quite as much on both serves in other events. I like to hit a few balls and find my timing, whereas when I played Roger I knew I needed to come in constantly and bring in the gas. The serve-and-volley is a bit of an art. It takes time to get into that timing and rhythm but I finally found it against Roger in the Kuala Lumpur match and it came pretty naturally from then through the match in Macau."
On the crowds at Kuala Lumpur and Macau:
"In Kuala Lumpur they had 11,000 people and it was loud. They gave us great ovations, some good tennis was played and they were into it. In Macau the crowd was about the same size and they said the toughest ticket to get was for our match. It was a big deal over there. In Macau it was packed with great energy and I felt like they were rooting for the old guy a little bit. That felt good. I almost felt a little sheepish at times. I didn't feel bad for Roger but I have been in those shoes where you are the heavy favorite and everyone is kind of rooting for the other guy. And Roger didn't need to do this. He really didn't. I told him that a bunch of times."
How competitive were the matches?
"I got a great kick out of it. It was fun and I enjoyed preparing for it. It was just like old times. The amount of coverage in Asia was incredible. I said to my wife a bit sarcastically when I got home, 'Where do I go from here?' It was very exciting. It was competitive and we had some light hearted moments but we were taking it seriously. We were playing hard and Roger and I were going a hundred percent. My wife put the matches on TiVo and when they did the close ups I could see Roger had the same look that he has all the time. Maybe we were not quite as intense but I felt good about the whole experience and to pull off a couple of sets was a thrill for me. It was a tricky situation for both of us in a weird way and I thought we both handled it well. I had not played in five years and Roger is the best player in the world. Roger could have done this with anybody but he was nice enough to throw an old man a bone by giving me a chance to play against him over there."
On spending time with Roger Federer:
"I was having a great time hanging out with Roger. He is a great guy who is fun to be around and we kind of connected in a way of just like two kids acting like two kids. I hope we can maybe do it again next year in Asia, but that is up to him. I took away a lot of great memories, took a lot of pictures and liked getting to know Roger better."
Plans for more tennis exhibitions?
"I still enjoy playing. Playing those matches against Roger was very satisfying. I still believe that I can be competitive with anyone in the game today. I am not saying I can beat anyone. I am saying I could at least go up against whomever on a hard court or another fast court and still hold my serve pretty handily and still pop some winners here and there. For the past year or so I have felt I could be competitive. I would love to play some more exhibitions next year against some of the younger guys, if it is a Blake or a Roddick or someone else, just to go out and test myself to see where I am at. I am not sure these guys would want to do this but it would be fun for me while I still can be competitive because that window is getting more closed as I get a little older. For the next year or two I think I can do it."
Full interview available at
Source: The Tennis Channel 12/28/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:| Pete Sampras: Federer can take my records|:||:|1198863276|:|
December 17, 2007 - Sugar-coated, empty compliments from one celebrity to another might be the way things are done in nearby Hollywood, but there was no doubting that this was Mr Sincere talking tennis from his mansion in Beverly Hills. Such were the affectionate words from Pete Sampras that you would not be that surprised if he was a fully paid-up member of the Roger Federer Appreciation Society, right down to owning a cowbell or two.
From Beverly Hills to Basle, the admiration between tennis champions was obvious. Federer is collecting grand slam titles the way Maria Sharapova collects postage stamps - with enthusiasm. And so there is every chance that, in the 2008 season, Federer will equal Sampras' record of 14 slam titles. Possibly even break it. But don't expect Sampras to be grumpy about losing his record, about losing the place in history he spent all his life working to achieve. Sampras is pleased that the man tearing strips off his record is someone such as Federer. "Roger is going to make some history in 2008. The history books will soon all be his," Sampras said.
And 'Pistol Pete' did not hold back, claiming that the world had never seen anything like his friend Federer.
"What Roger has been doing the last three years or so has been nothing short of phenomenal - I think he has been the most dominant individual sportsman in the history of mankind. I can't think of anyone in an individual sport who has even got close to what Roger has done the last few years," Sampras said of the Swiss, who goes into next month's Australian Open with 12 majors to his name.
"But I don't think that Roger is at all comfortable with how great he is. Roger and I were talking about this a few weeks ago, the debate about who is the greatest tennis player in history, and he found the whole conversation really uncomfortable.
"Roger isn't playing tennis for the limelight, for the pat on the back and for the medal at the end of the race. He plays tennis because he loves tennis, and he is competitive when he gets out there on the court, but I don't think he's doing it for the praise and to be called the greatest. All he wants to do is get out there and play tennis, and that's what I love about Roger, that you can see he loves the game."
They became buddies during the 2007 season, with Federer popping round to hit a few balls on a court in Sampras' back garden in the spring. Unfortunately, history does not record whether Sampras' wife, the Hollywood actress Bridgette Wilson, served them homemade lemonade between games. Anyway, that was when the bond began, and in the autumn Federer and Sampras played a series of exhibition matches across Asia, a mini-tour which suggested that Sampras could possibly still be ranked in the world's top 10.
Sampras said: "When Roger came to my house, it was great. We had a hit for a few hours, played a few points, did some drills, and spoke about tennis, about the different generations. But it was probably only in Asia that I got to know him that well. We hung out a ton there, and there was a connection between us.
"Roger is such a great guy, and we had a lot of laughs over dinners. He is a funny guy, he likes his jokes, and is a bit of a prankster.
"I think that's a side of him which he likes to keep private. All those things that people do say about Roger, they are all true - he is a humble guy, he's down to earth. I love the way he handles himself. Tennis couldn't have a better ambassador."
On quitting the sport, Sampras must have thought his record was as safe as a Swiss bank vault. "Did I want my record to stand forever? Absolutely. Having the record was something I really strove for, and worked so hard for, but I really don't mind that it's someone like Roger breaking my record."
It was as recently as the 2002 US Open that Sampras won the last of his 14 slams. But Federer won his first major, the Wimbledon title, the following season, and has since established a strong-arm hold on men's tennis. Sampras said: "Roger's the favourite for the Australian Open, so that's 13, and he has a good chance of winning the French Open, even though he's never done that before, and so he could equal my record in Paris. And he could break it on Centre Court at Wimbledon, which would be something.
"If he doesn't win the French Open, then he will probably break it at the US Open.
"I don't think it's a shoo-in, and there is a lot more work for him to do, but I think he has a great chance of doing it in 2008. The story for the last few years has been Roger breaking all the records - during 2007, he beat the Jimmy Connors record for most consecutive weeks at No 1, and soon the grand slam record is going to be his as well. Soon all the records are going to be his, and I'm pleased for him. He is dominating the sport more than I ever did, more than anyone ever has."
Sampras said he could not think of a way to improve Federer's tennis. "Roger has got no holes in his game, he's got the whole package, and he rarely has an off-day, and even then he usually finds a way to win.
"Our games are different as I used to take more risks, so I probably had more off-days. There are a few players who have gone toe-to-toe with him, such as [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic, but Roger always seems to have something extra when it really matters, especially at the grand slams. He's got another gear."
In the 2008 season Federer could even achieve the 'Golden Slam' - all four majors plus Olympic gold. And Sampras thinks Federer, still only 26, could even reach 20 slams. "Once he breaks the record, it will be interesting to see whether he keeps the motivation and the hunger. I think he will, that he's going to keep on winning. I think he's going to win 17, 18, 19, or maybe 20 slams.
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"When you are No 1 there are always people after you. You have to spend the whole time fending people off, and however great you are, it can be tough to maintain that. As great as Roger is, that's tough. I've been in that situation before, so I know what it's like. But I think there's definitely a chance that Roger will want to keep going until well into his 30s. He will feel it in his blood when it's time to go."
Does Sampras regard Federer as what Americans call the 'GOAT' (the Greatest Of All Time)? "It's difficult to say who is the greatest tennis player in history. The people who are usually mentioned are Roger, myself and Rod Laver, and I think it's probably one of us three.
"Roger's critics say that he can't be the greatest of all time unless he wins the French Open, but I don't think that's true.
"It's difficult to compare generations, as things have changed so much since Laver's day. Rod was my hero, and I have such great respect for what he did, but I remember him telling me once that he only had to start playing from the fourth round onwards. There's no way that's the case now, as you really have to turn it on from the first round onwards.
"I think there's a chance that people will look back on Roger as the greatest of all time." So says the sage in Beverly Hills. 12/03/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras still serves a treat|:||:|1196671079|:|
Dispatches Martin after sluggish start
By Melissa Isaacson, Chicago Tribune
December 2, 2007 - Todd Martin did not particularly care for the "exhibition" part. Playing Pete Sampras before a crowd of more than 4,000 Saturday night at the UIC Pavilion in the FedEx Shootout Chicago, the former Northwestern star knew he would get all he could handle.
Sampras, 36, arrived in Chicago fresh off an exhibition victory over Roger Federer in the third of three matches in China, a 7-6, 6-4 win that prompted the world's No. 1-ranked player to say Sampras would be in the top five if he were still playing.
Having flown into Chicago during Saturday's nasty weather, Sampras was less than sharp at the outset, but he regained form in time to beat Martin 2-6, 6-2 and 10-2 in a third-set tiebreak.
"The court was so fast," said Sampras, shaking his head. "It took me a little while [to adjust]."
Downplaying his victory over Federer, Sampras acknowledged he was hitting the ball better than ever thanks to the newest racket technology. On a night fit for staying home, an enthusiastic group of hearty tennis fans braved the weather to watch the former pros, now each the father of two.
After exhibitions between junior and wheelchair players and a six-game set between former Illinois greats Amer Delic and Kevin Anderson, Sampras and Martin took the court.
"It was a relatively shaky match," Martin said as he thanked the crowd.
Martin was noticeably fresher at the start, breaking Sampras' serve in the first and third games. He took a 5-1 lead and won the first set 6-2 as Sampras repeatedly sprayed his groundstrokes long and wide.
"I was surprised he struggled at the beginning," said Martin, who smiled and added: "He played three matches last week at conditions that I thought would prepare him."
Martin had been wary as always of Sampras' serve, which was clocked up to 130 m.p.h. against Federer and which Martin said would still rank among the best in the game. After the slow start, Sampras, while perhaps not up to that caliber, regained momentum and held for a 3-0 lead to start the second set.
At 3-1 and 40-0, Martin waved at Sampras' serve with a sarcastic shrug, and Sampras closed out the second set 6-2. Martin conceded the fast service but added: "With better players, the tennis improves as they get more comfortable. Pete dictates every point and I like to defend, which makes for an interesting match. Years ago I could impose myself a little more."
Martin said Sampras' second-set serve was up to the caliber he described as "top five."
"For sure," he said, "but it's the accuracy that kills you."
Sampras, inducted last summer into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, retired at the end of 2002 holding a record 14 Grand Slam titles, including seven at Wimbledon, and 64 singles titles.
Both players have been active on the Outback Championship Series, a top-level 30-and-older circuit. promoted by their former contemporary, Jim Courier. Talking about Sampras' victory over Federer, Martin rejected the notion that players give less than an honest effort in exhibitions.
"You have to have fun," Martin said. "It is a different animal than a tournament. But at the same time, especially when it's televised, you want everyone watching to know you're the better one."
Source: Chicago Tribune 11/30/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video Links - Kuala Lumpur|:||:|1196411610|:|
Interview with Pete and Roger
On-Court Interview Before and After the Match
11/30/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video Links - Seoul|:||:|1196410152|:|
Arrival at Incheon Airport
Media Interview
Post Match Interview
Thanks to member Shaw_Sherman
11/30/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video Link to Macau Clip (with Samprasfanz Banner)|:||:|1196406347|:|
Samprasfanz banner shown at 1:35 of the video.
11/30/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras returns ... but just for fun|:||:|1196402038|:|
Ex-champion shows he can still play but won't mount a comeback
By Melissa Isaacson, Chicago Tribune
November 29, 2007 - Astute readers of the sports section and watchers of "SportsCenter" may have caught it. And of those who did, some may even have taken it seriously.
Pete Sampras, 36, who won his 14th Grand Slam title five years ago, then retired from the pro tour, defeated No. 1 Roger Federer in the final of their three-match Asian exhibition series Saturday 7-6, 6-4. Federer won their first two matches 6-4, 6-3 and 7-6, 7-6.
But Sampras beat Federer.
Sampras plays Todd Martin on Saturday night at the UIC Pavillion in the FedEx Tennis Shootout, and if you think a little less hair and two kids has taken any of the competitive fire from the seven-time Wimbledon champ, well, as they say, think again.
"I had a moment walking off the court when I thought I can still play today," Sampras said by phone from his home in Beverly Hills, Calif., a day after returning from China.
There are those who think he should — that, ironically, tennis is in desperate need of the kind of drama that the best and last serve-and-volleyer in the game could provide. For those who may have forgotten, Sampras' greatness was often mistaken for dullness, especially when he was battling longtime rival Andre Agassi.
Federer, who at 26 already has won 12 Grand Slam titles and deserves to be called one of the all-time greats, is smarter than that.
"I think if [Sampras] was still playing today, he would be a top-five player," Federer said.
For Sampras, who held the No. 1 ranking for a record 286 weeks and finished on top a record six consecutive years, fatherhood and golf were enough to keep him going for 2 1/2 years after he retired in 2002.
"I put on some weight, I saw a picture of myself and that was the pivotal moment," he said. "I was like, 'What happened to me?' My face looked full. I said, 'I don't want to be one of these athletes who puts on 30 pounds,' so I changed my eating habits, started played basketball twice a week."
And he began playing tennis again. Seriously.
"If I have a day when I don't play tennis, I have no focus, I'm a little restless, a little bored; my day is too open," Sampras said. "That's why I started playing, just to give me a little balance."
It also gave him a little incentive to play competitively again. Martin saw Sampras' victory over Federer and knows firsthand Sampras' level of play, having lost to him in three meetings in the Outback Championship Series, a top-level 30-or-older circuit promoted by their former contemporary, Jim Courier.
"It was plainly obvious how well he was playing. ... The type of play that would still be competitive with those who play the game at the highest level," said Martin, who played at Northwestern and reached the 1999 U.S. Open and '94 Australian Open finals.
"Pete has this weapon that honestly is probably in the top five of all serves right now. His serve is unchanged from when he was the best."
Again, the Federer match was an exhibition, and Sampras generously downplayed his victory, allowing that Federer had come off a long season, which culminated in a Masters victory. But Sampras also said that, while slower on court, he was hitting "better than ever" thanks to the new technology in rackets, and his famous serve indeed was clocked at 130 m.p.h.
"It was very difficult to read," Federer said.
And this is why it would be fun to watch the two battle, even in just one more Wimbledon for Sampras. Not because he hits his serve harder. Andy Roddick can blast away at 130-plus. So can Ivan Ljubicic and Ivo Karlovic.
Never heard of them? They're the 18th- and 22nd-ranked players in the world, both from Croatia, but only a tennis junkie could pick them out of the pack. The same could possibly be said of Roddick, for all he has done to challenge Federer. "As hard as Andy Roddick serves, it's not as accurate [as Sampras']," Martin said, "and I think Federer has a read on it, so Andy has to play loads more points."
Sampras also says Roddick is "at a level below Roger" and calls the contention that Federer's domination is hurting the men's game "very honest and very fair. ... It's hard to watch something when you know the result."
Added Sampras: "Roger is already a legend, which is great for the sport, but to transcend it from a media standpoint, he needs Roddick or someone to push him. It's basically one guy breaking all my records."
But to come back to the tour at 36, even for just one more Wimbledon, Sampras draws the line.
"I could do that," he said. "But people who really know the sport and know Wimbledon [know] it's a lot of work. Sure, if you told me I would train for two weeks and play Federer in the final of Wimbledon, I'd probably do the work. But there are a lot of great players I haven't seen play before, and there's not a whole lot to gain, probably a little more to lose."
Sampras does not deny that he still has a strong desire to compete.
"I'm not going do it for the limelight; I'm going to do it for the win," he said. "But I feel I've won enough, I have nothing to prove to anyone. In a romantic sense, it might be a big shot in the arm of the sport, and it would make news, but it's not worth it for me."
Too bad for us. And for tennis. But for Sampras, it is somehow comforting and fitting that a gentleman like Federer is poised to break his records.
"I'm at peace with what I did in the '90s," Sampras said. "Would I want my [records] to stand forever? I'd be lying if said no, but there's nothing I can do about it, and if someone has to beat it, I'd like to see Roger do it, someone who is what I was about, not horns and whistles and all that other stuff that some people in this country want."
Still, beating Federer reminded him how much he loved it.
"I believe people come back for different reasons, some for the limelight, some for the money," Sampras said. "I always played to win. Playing [Federer] definitely magnified that, and I'll always have that moment here and there when I wonder, but it goes away quickly. That day-to-day grind, I don't have it in me anymore. I had my time."
Source: Chicago Tribune 11/28/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras, Martin play Saturday at UIC Pavilion|:||:|1196284286|:|
November 27, 2007 - Pete Sampras returns to the court Saturday at the UIC Pavilion to face former Northwestern University great Todd Martin in the FedEx Tennis Shootout.
This will be the retired Sampras' first action since shocking the tennis world with a straight-sets exhibition victory over world No. 1 Roger Federer on Saturday in Macau, China.
Sampras and Federer just completed a three-match tour of Asia. Federer defeated Sampras 6-4, 6-3 on Tuesday in Seoul; then Sampras closed the gap Thursday in Kuala Lumpur, falling to Federer 7-6, 7-6. On Saturday, Sampras defeated Federer 7-6, 6-4.
"There's always something special about seeing the greatest in any sport, and when you combine it with the humility and class of Pete Sampras, it makes it a special treat for fans," says Paul Torricelli, former Northwestern University head coach and FedEx Tennis Shootout chairman.
Tickets are available for Saturday's event, which starts at 7:30 p.m., at www.ticketmaster.com or by calling (312) 559-1212. Ticket prices are $28.50, $48.50 and $88.50. 11/28/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:| A nostalgic walk with an old champion|:||:|1196284136|:|
by: Rohit Brijnath
This fellow in front of me in Kuala Lumpur last week, who needs to borrow a Gillette from Roger and some hair implant advice from Warney, he looks a lot like Pete. Same hunched shoulders. Same silent step to the net. Same unmusical backhand. But no, it's a fine impersonation but it couldn't be Pete.
This guy is smiling! You ever saw Pete smile, even once, till the last point was done? Wait, he's engaging the umpire. He does a jig after a lucky volley.
Pete, dance? This would be like McEnroe singing in the Wimbledon Tea Ladies choir. He mimics Roddick, and the crowd grins, and undoubtedly this fellow is a double, a duplicate, for Pete was never a huckster trying to please the audience.
But it is Pete, and you know it the instant he tosses up the ball, for no duplicate could imitiate that serve. He uncoils lazily, all oiled, muscular havoc, and the wrist snaps and the ball bruises the backdrop and Federer's disbelieving face tells a better story than the speed gun that dryly notes 217 kmph.
It’s five years since Pete left tennis after the 2002 US Open but that particular action is tattooed into his muscle memory. How, someone asks, do you still do that, and he drawls: "I don’t know. I think some guys are just naturally gifted with a strong arm and serving is something that is not a shot that I think about. I just serve natural, I toss it up and I hit it into the line."
Duty done
I kind of like this new, loose, unmade, mellow Pete as much as I did the old, ordered, impeturbable, buttoned-up Pete. It's nice that when he played he bound himself in discipline, an athlete who understood history could be made but only if he dedicated every fibre to his mission. Now it's different, he’s unbound, his duty done, and it’s gratifying for people to see him like this, a human being emerging from the champion's cocoon. At his hall of fame induction some months ago, his speech took forever for he, having unwrapped the armour of his playing days, could not stop weeping. Being World No.1 is a position that demands circumspection, and Pete never gave too much of himself. Now, he offers more, and his words on Federer were valuable, for this was greatness evaluating genius. He confirmed Federer, like him, has that "extra gear", and added "he has this backhand flick that, honestly, I have never seen that before. It's a brilliant shot, something I never had." He admires Federer's lissome game but used one word to describe him that stood out in its unusualness: integrity. The American had it, so does the Swiss. So much of modern sport does not.
He broke down Federer for us, saying: "First of all, he has a big first serve and a good second serve. What Roger does is that he moves so well from the back court and hits the ball so clean, basically he just kind of waits for his opportunity to hit his forehand and he’s got probably the biggest forehand in this game. His movement is the best in the world. What he can do on the run, he can come in if he wants to, but there’s nothing he can’t do."
His tone turned mournful when asked about serve and volley. "(Today’s players) serve harder and they don't develop the right technique to volley, you know it takes time to serve and volley, it's sort of a long process, and guys today are picking up these big rackets, and they just hit the crap out of the ball from the baseline."
Federer said Sampras is still top-five quality on fast courts, and some tiny, inquisitive part of Pete must yearn to return, just for a few days, say at Queens, to remind players too young to remember who he was.
He’d beat some of them, too, but mostly his feet are too slow and the game too fast and his lungs too tired.
He said no to a comeback. And he should keep saying no.
He played only to win and now he'd be second best. 11/27/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|[Nov 24, 2007] Sampras shocks Federer in Macau|:||:|1196183257|:|
November 24, 2007 AFP
MACAU, China -- Pete Sampras fired off his trademark powerful serve in a shock upset of world number one Roger Federer in Macau on Saturday to post his first win in their three-game Asian exhibition series.
The former United States world champion came back strongly after defeats in Seoul and Kuala Lumpur, forcing the first break of the match in the ninth game of the second set and serving out for victory to win 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 in 70 minutes.
He won the first set on a tie-break after a tight affair that had gone with serve on a lightning-quick court.
Sampras, 36, said the level of play in the final match was high.
"It was very fast out there, very quick conditions. It was helping out my service games. I got going a little bit today and it could have gone either way in the first set."
The 26-year-old Federer praised his opponent’s serve, saying he still could compete at the top five level in the world.
"We delivered a great level of play. Unfortunately I didn't win today but the surface was really quick and Pete was playing really well and hardly making any mistakes," he said.
Sampras, who won a record 14 Grand Slams, started the match strongly with his heavy serve, hitting two aces in the first game and never letting up.
He impressed at the net with his serve-volley game as the match continued to go with serve.
Federer, currently on 12 Grand Slams, had two set points in the first set tie-break, but Sampras escaped and made his second set point count.
Serve continued to dominate at the start of the second set, with neither player looking likely to force the vital break. Federer pushed Sampras to deuce in game eight but the American produced an ace to get out of trouble and level it up at 4-4 before he broke Federer.
Both players hit 14 aces during the match. Sampras made 15 unforced errors to Federer's 13, while Sampras won 14 points at the net to Federer's six.
Their clash in the packed arena at Macau's Venetian resort was their third match in just five days, following the meetings in Seoul and Malaysia.
Federer won the first match in Seoul on Tuesday 6-4, 6-3 in 61 minutes.
The second clash, in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday, was a closer affair over 90 minutes, with Federer emerging victorious after winning both sets on tie-breaks.
The two met only once on the ATP Tour, in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001, when Federer defeated the American in five sets.
The loss ended Sampras's remarkable reign at the All England Club. Sampras retired from professional tennis in 2002. 11/27/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|[Nov 24, 2007] Sampras stuns Federer in straight sets in exhibition finale|:||:|1196181657|:|
Nov. 24, 2007
MACAU -- Pete Sampras showed Roger Federer another side of his American idol on Saturday.
Sampras never faced a break point and converted one of two against his opponent as he handed Federer a 7-6 (10-8), 6-4 defeat at the Venetian Macao arena, wrapping up a three-match Asian exhibition series between the two tennis greats.
Sampras downplayed his victory, noting Federer was coming off a long season and that he was helped by his big serve and the fast indoor carpet surface. He had only aimed to win one set during the three-match series.
"Let's not get carried away," he said at a news conference.
Sampras ruled out a comeback from retirement, telling the audience after the match, "I had my time in the '90s."
Federer tried to put a positive spin on the loss, saying he wasn't embarrassed to lose to his idol, but still showed some disappointment.
"It's been tough beating my idol the last two times. I'm happy that he got me at least once," he said, but adding, "I hope we can do it again in the future. I'd like to get him back."
The two players have won a combined 26 Grand Slam titles, but Sampras, 36, retired five years ago after winning the U.S. Open in 2002. The 26-year-old Federer is fresh from another stellar season as he won three Slams and last week's Masters Cup in Shanghai in compiling a 68-9 winning record.
"I'm sort of surprised. This guy can play tennis, you know," the Swiss player said after his loss Saturday.
Federer beat Sampras 6-4, 6-3 in Seoul on Tuesday and edged the American 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5) in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday.
In Macau on Saturday, Federer was able to outhit Sampras early but the American held his own with the powerful serving and crafty volleying that helped him win seven Wimbledon titles.
The first set went on serve. In the tiebreaker, Federer had set points at 6-5 and 8-7 but Sampras saved both. The American went up 9-8 on a missed return by Federer then took the set with a forehand return winner on the Swiss player's serve.
Federer ran into trouble early in the second set, falling behind 30-40 in the third game, but recovered to hold serve.
At 4-4, Federer fell behind on his serve again. A forehand error gave Sampras break point, which he converted with a forehand winner.
Sampras held serve again the next game and closed out the match on a Federer backhand return that sailed long.
Federer said he thought Sampras could still beat the world's top five players on a fast surface.
Sampras predicted Saturday that Federer could beat his record of most Grand Slam wins, "if not next year, pretty soon."
"He's a great, great player. He's got things in his game that I couldn't do," he said. 11/27/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|[Nov 22, 2007] Sampras is still a top five player: Federer|:||:|1196178449|:|
World No.1 Roger Federer has held out Pete Sampras for the second consecutive time on their Asian exhibition tour, but Federer insists the tennis legend would still be ranked in the world's top five had he not retired.
Sampras, 10 years Federer's senior, pushed the Swiss master to tiebreaks in both sets before finally falling 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-5).
"It was very difficult to read his serve," said Federer, who is two grand slam titles from equaling Sampras' record of 14.
"I think if he was still playing he would be a top-five player."
The 36-year-old American had a different take.
"No. It's a tough lifestyle and I'm happy with a great wife and great two kids relaxing in Los Angeles," he told reporters.
Sampras' signature serve still carried plenty of heat, and at a blistering 210kph, Federer was unable to break it.
Both men held serve to take the first set to a tiebreak with the Swiss maestro inching ahead when Sampras hit a forehand into the net.
The American hit back to bring the tiebreak back on serve but Federer showed why he is currently number one when he hit a scorching forehand winner down the line for his second break to establish set point.
Serving for the set, Federer hit a winning backhand volley to wrap up the first in 41 minutes.
It was a similar affair in the second set which also went to a tiebreak before Federer dug deep to run out eventual winner 7-5.
Sampras, retired for five years, brought back memories of his no-nonsense style of play during the match and later lamented the demise of serve-and-volley tennis that he put to such good use over the years.
"Serve and volley is extinct," he said.
"In my day we had some great serve-and-volley players. There was myself, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic and others.
"But with the size of racquets getting bigger, junior players these days are only taught to hit the ball as hard as they can. There are some players who come in but they are not natural serve-and-volleyers."
Federer and Sampras only met once on the ATP Tour, in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001 when Federer defeated the American in five sets.
The defeat ended Sampras' remarkable reign at the All England Club.
The pair will meet for the third and final time in Macau on Saturday. 11/27/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|[Nov 22, 2007] Federer beats Sampras again|:||:|1196178314|:|
November 22, 2007
Kuala Lumpur - Roger Federer continued to show the legendary Pete Sampras who is the current master as he beat the American 7-6 7-6 in Kuala Lumpur.
This was the Swiss star's second victory over Sampras in the space of three days. The pair are taking part in a three-match exhibition series with the last match in Macau on Saturday.
Although Federer is 2-0 up in the series, the 36-year-old Sampras showed he has still got a lot of the natural skill which saw him win a record 14 grand slams.
Even Federer admitted he still couldn't read the awesome Sampras serve.
"He's got the most incredible serve you know. I can't read it, he serves it to the line, he serves harder than me," said Federer, who is closing in on his opponent's haul of grand slam titles with 12 to his name so far.
"I am really, really impressed by the way he's been playing," added the world number one.
Sampras retired in 2002 after winning the US Open. He dominated the men's game for over a decade, but he admitted that Federer was probably the best player he had ever faced.
"I had a taste of what the best is and I think Roger has that extra gear," said Sampras.
"He has good volleys and he has this little backhand flick that honestly, I have never seen before... it's something that I didn't have."
Federer and Sampras only faced each other once in a competitive match with the 26-year-old Federer coming out on top in a titanic five-set battle. 11/20/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras gives Roger Federer stern test in Seoul|:||:|1195561762|:|
November 20, 2007
Roger Federer, the world No1 defeated Pete Sampras, the seven-time Wimbledon champion, in straight sets in an exhibition match in Seoul. The Swiss won 6-4, 6-3 in the first of three matches this week.
Sampras, 36, retired in 2002, a year after the only previous meeting between the pair in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001, which the Swiss won in a five-set thriller.
But if Federer, who lifted his fourth Masters Cup title in Shanghai on Sunday, expected an easy ride he was in for a shock.
Sampras came out fighting, hitting two fierce aces in his first service game and breaking his opponent's serve, before taking a 4-2 lead courtesy of a delightful drop shot.
Federer then took advantage of some unforced errors to break back and take the first set 6-4, before closing out the second set with a minimum of fuss.
"I feel pretty good," Sampras said. "I made it competitive, which was my goal. Obviously Roger is the best player in the world and I retired five years ago. I am grateful that he invited me.
"I have no plans to come back from retirement. You have to come back for a reason. I just stay home and watch Roger win on television."
Federer was equally happy with the workout. "Pete was one of my idols growing up and it's great to play him," he said. "It wasn't easy for me, it wasn't easy for him as he's been retired five years. I am No 1 and everyone expects me to win."
Federer won his 12th grand-slam title at the US Open in September and is closing in on Sampras's record of 14.
The pair meet again Thursday in Kuala Lumpur before heading to Macau two days later.
Source: Times Online UK 11/20/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:| Federer defeats Sampras in straight sets in Seoul exhibition match|:||:|1195561533|:|
The Associated Press
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
SEOUL, South Korea: In an exhibition match between the giants of tennis present and past, world No. 1 Roger Federer defeated Pete Sampras in straight sets, 6-4, 6-3.
The match in Seoul is the first of three Asian exhibitions the two legends will play. The pair meet again Thursday in Kuala Lumpur before heading to Macau two days later.
Sampras, 36, retired in 2002, a year after the only previous meeting between the pair at Wimbledon 2001.
Federer won that fourth round match in five sets. If the Swiss star — who lifted his fourth Masters Cup title Sunday in Shanghai — expected an easier ride against the aging American he was in for a shock.
Sampras brought cheers from the crowd at Seoul's Olympic Tennis Arena as he fired down two fierce aces in his first service game.
The balding Sampras proceeded to break his opponent's serve and then moved 4-2 ahead courtesy of a delightful drop shot.
"I feel pretty good," Sampras told Korean television after the game. "I made it competitive, which was my goal. Obviously Roger is the best player in the world and I retired five years ago. I am grateful that he invited me."
Federer was equally happy with the workout.
"Pete was one of my idols growing up and it's great to play him," Federer said. "It wasn't easy for me, it wasn't easy for him as he's been retired five years. I am number one and everyone expects me to win."
All the familiar trademark volleys and serves were on display but Sampras, who has won 14 Grand Slams to Federer's 12, was slower around the court than in his 1990s heyday and made a number of unforced errors.
Federer took advantage of those to break the serve Sampras and take the first set 6-4.
Apart from three successive lobs that Federer served up to his opponent in the second game of the second set, the game was a competitive, though light-hearted affair.
By that time, Federer was hitting his stride and took the second set with a minimum of fuss.
"I have no plans to come back from retirement," said Sampras. "You have to come back for a reason. I just stay home and watch Roger win on television." 11/20/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Tennis player Federer downs Sampras in just 61 minutes|:||:|1195561194|:|
November 20, 2007
SEOUL (AFP) — The world's former number one tennis player was no match for the current champion when they met on court Tuesday for only the second time.
In an exhibition match in the South Korean capital, Roger Federer beat Pete Sampras 6-4, 6-3 in a match lasting just 61 minutes.
Serving for the match leading 5-3, Federer was stretched to deuce when he badly mishit a return on 40-30. But he won the next two points for the victory.
After taking the first set 6-4, Federer took four of the first five games in the second set. Sampras showed signs of life in the sixth, winning it easily with the help of his booming serve.
But the 36-year-old American could only muster one more game against the 26-year-old Swiss, whose effortless performance demonstrated why he has been the world number one for four years running.
The Swiss ace is at the peak of his powers, lifting his fourth Masters Cup title on Sunday, whereas Sampras retired from the professional game in 2002.
But the American legend had been working hard on getting back in shape and is unbeaten in three starts on the Jim Courier Outback Champions seniors tour, his first serious tennis since hanging up his racket.
"It was a little tricky situation. I'd been playing well and Pete's been retired for five years," Federer said. "I expected myself to win tonight.
"I am very happy with my performance but I think Pete's still playing very, very well."
In a fast-paced opening set the two players traded two games apiece before Sampras broke Federer's serve in the fifth game. The American won the following game with his signature serve and volley attack to establish an early advantage.
But Federer came back to win the next four games and the set, breaking his opponent's serve twice in the process with an array of shots.
Sampras, known for his powerful serve in his playing days, hit 10 aces in the match compared to Federer's six and put up a good fight. But it was not enough.
"I feel a little disappointed," Sampras said. "But I made Roger sweat a little bit tonight.
"I can still serve quite well but the hardest thing for me is movement," the former number one said. "I was a little careless up on the net and missed a few easy balls. But I think I will play well in the next match."
Federer admitted he was "tensed up a bit" because he was facing one of his heroes. But once he found his rhythm, the Swiss was off and running.
"When I found my range, Pete missed a few too many shots," Federer said. "I was maybe lucky to win the first set. Then I got on a roll and started to relax. I enjoyed the match very much."
The two met at competitive level only once in their careers, in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001.
Next up for Sampras and Federer in their three-match exhibition series is Kuala Lumpur on Thursday. Their final Asian stop is Macau on Saturday. 11/19/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video clip: Pete Arrives Incheon Airport, Seoul|:||:|1195491244|:|
1. MMS Video Link - Pete Arrives Incheon Airport Seoul
mms://yahoomedia.hscdn.com/yahoomedia/yna/MYH20071119005700355_WMV700Kbps.wmv
Thanks to member Shaw Sherman for the video link.
2. Media Interview
Link
"I'm excited to play Roger. I've practiced with a lot more intensity, a lot more seriously the past few weeks to make sure my body stays healthy," Sampras said on his arrival Sunday at the Incheon International Airport.
"Obviously, he's in his prime, and I'm past my prime, but I can still play pretty well."
11/19/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Federer ready to take on Sampras|:||:|1195491001|:|
World number one Roger Federer will play the first of three matches against seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras in Seoul on Tuesday.
Federer, who retained his Masters Cup title on Sunday, will also take on Sampras in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday and Macau on Saturday.
Sampras, 36, retired in 2002 but has been training hard for the exhibitions.
"I am up against a very big challenge, I've been stepping up my practice," said Sampras.
"Perhaps I am not quite as sharp as I used to be, but I think I can still be competitive. But I've got my hands full for sure."
Federer said: "It's a great honour, but not easy at the same time. People will be surprised how well he's actually playing today.
"It's going to be difficult because I practised with him in LA this year.
"He seemed to play very, very well. He's still got the lethal forehand, the great slice and the great serve, you know, the fantastic movement and volleys."
Federer, 26, won his 12th Grand Slam title at the US Open in September and is closing in on Sampras's record of 14.
Federer and Sampras met only once in competition, with the Swiss winning a five-set thriller in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001.
Source: BBC 11/19/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Federer and Sampras on tennis collision course|:||:|1195490523|:|
November 19, 2007
SEOUL (AFP) — Roger Federer and Pete Sampras are without doubt two of the greatest tennis players the world has ever seen, but they only ever faced each other once.
All that will change this week when 12-time Grand Slam winner Federer plays his idol, who has 14 Grand Slams to his name, in three exhibition matches across Asia, starting in Seoul on Tuesday.
The Swiss ace should win hands-down given he is at the peak of his powers, lifting his fourth Masters Cup title on Sunday, and Sampras retired from the professional game in 2002.
But the American legend has been working hard on getting back in shape and is unbeaten in three starts on the Jim Courier Outback Champions seniors tour, his first serious tennis since hanging up his racket.
"I'm probably hitting the ball better than I did in my prime because of the (improved) technology," Sampras said last month.
But he did admit that "I haven't quite captured the explosiveness I used to play with. I'm not as limber."
How they shape up, and whether they will be taking it seriously, remains to be seen.
Following Seoul, Federer and Sampras move to Kuala Lumpur on Thursday before ending up in Macau on Saturday.
Tickets are selling fast, with fans relishing a rare chance to see two giants of the game on either side of the net.
Lincoln Venancio, managing director of the Hong Kong-based promotor, Entertainment Group Limited, touts the showdowns as "a real once-in-a-life time opportunity."
"Some fans are comparing this classic to the Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier boxing match, to Pele and Maradona playing on the same football pitch or to Van Gogh and Picasso working on the one single painting," he said.
Federer admits he is looking forward to the challenge.
"Ever since I was a child, I would watch, imitate, and emulate Sampras? backhand. And now it?s part of my own arsenal," he told Korean reporters.
"It's going to be difficult because I practiced with him in LA this year. He seemed to play very, very well. He's still got the lethal forehand, the great slice and the great serve, you know, the fantastic movement and volleys."
Sampras won five US Open titles and two more at the Australian Open, but it was Wimbledon where he was unbeatable, lifting the trophy seven times.
However, it was his failure to reach the top at the French Open that has kept the 36-year-old from being thought of as the best ever.
Along with his Grand Slam success, Sampras held the world No. 1 ranking for a record 286 weeks, including a streak of 102 weeks that has now been bettered by Federer.
In all, Sampras finished with 64 singles titles.
Federer, 26, is fast catching up, currently sitting on 53 titles and, with time on his side, should surpass the American's haul.
The two met at competitive level only once in their careers, in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001.
Federer won in five sets, effectively signalling the beginning of the end of Sampras' reign as world number one.
Sampras has said he expects Federer to beat his 14 Grand Slam titles.
"Playing Roger will be so special. He's dominating his generation as I had dominated mine but he's doing it much better than I ever did," he told reporters when the matches were first announced.
"I've been number one for a long period of time. He's probably going to break that record, he's on his way to winning more than 14, at least 17-18 majors the way he's playing," he said.
11/10/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras' star turn for Paul Annacone|:||:|1194673028|:|
From Glasgow to Beverly Hills. The unlikeliest practice session of the tennis season, or perhaps even of the decade, took place in Los Angeles a few days ago, with Britain's Jamie Baker, a 21-year-old from Glasgow ranked No 231 in the world, hitting for two hours with Pete Sampras, the winner of a record 14 grand slam titles, including seven golden trophies at Wimbledon. And it all happened on a court in the back garden of Sampras' Beverly Hills home.
The last known practice-partner to have popped around for a hit at the Sampras mansion, where the retired American lives with his wife, the Hollywood actress Bridgette Wilson, was a certain Roger Federer.
So how did Baker manage to secure a private training session with Sampras? It was all down to the excellent contacts book of Paul Annacone, who yesterday signed a new three-year contract as head coach for men at the Lawn Tennis Association. When it comes to celebrity friends in the sport, Annacone cannot be faulted.
The American coached Sampras, and then went on to work with Tim Henman until the Briton's retirement in September. So, with Baker in America for some second-tier Challenger tournaments, Annacone asked his old friend Sampras whether he would mind hitting with the British No 3. And Sampras happily agreed.
"The other day, I took Jamie Baker over to Pete's house for a hit," Annacone told The Daily Telegraph. "Pete said to me, 'Bring him over', and when I told Jamie where we were going his eyes immediately lit up, and he said. 'That would be great'.
"Pete can still hit the ball pretty well, and it was great for Jamie to see Pete up close, to see what he's like and how he does things. It was a nice couple of hours for Jamie, being on court with Pete at his house."
With Henman now playing golf rather than tennis, the men's rankings do not look so clever. Andy Murray is at No 11, but you then have to go all the way down to 161 in the list before you get to the British No 2, Alex Bogdanovic.
Baker is then third. "When you look at the rankings, it is disconcerting, as there's Andy Murray and then there's a big drop-off before you get to 'Boggo'. Of course, we want more Andy Murrays, more players capable of getting in the top 10, but that's not going to happen overnight," Annacone said.
Source: Telegraph UK 11/04/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:| Tennis greats, celebs take to court for Christus Pro/Celebrity Classic|:||:|1194153369|:|
By EMILY GUEVARA, The Beaumont Enterprise
Nov 03, 2007 -
It was as much a comedy show as a tennis match.
The Christus Pro/Celebrity Classic featuring tennis greats Pete Sampras and Anna Kournikova brought out the funny side in not only the professional players, but other celebrities.
The match up of the night was former professional player Justin Gimelstob and hall-of-famer Pete Sampras. Sampras entered the court to bows from the audience and quickly proved the match was no joke to him.
Sampras questioned several calls early in the match, once saying "fault what?" and asking the chair umpire for an explanation.
At 6-foot-5-inches tall, Gimelstob is only four inches taller than Sampras, but he appeared to struggle much more as he chased down balls.
Gimelstob took the game in stride joking with front row audience members calling them "my five fans here in Beaumont."
The first all-celebrity match at Ford Arena on Friday paired Kournikova and television journalist Stone Phillips against professional tennis player Chanda Rubin and former NBA star John Lucas.
Phillip's got the crowd laughing right off the bat when he missed the first serve.
Emcee Wayne Bryan, whose twin sons Bob and Mike are currently ranked number one in the world in doubles, offered Phillips a second chance saying "somebody's cell phone went off."
Lucas impressed the crowd with not only his animated behavior, which included grunts, squeals and cries of "help," but also his skill. The 14-year NBA player hit several backwards shots and seemed to be unstoppable barely chasing down a baseline shot and then coming back for a successful winner on the next play.
At one point after a particularly long rally, Lucas sat on the sidelines.
"Does anybody have oxygen?" Bryan asked the crowd.
Lucas' partner Rubin won the final point of that game alone signaling that she didn't need him to come back.
The crowd was far from filling Ford arena, but audience members yelled encouragement at the players and laughed with their antics. Proceeds from ticket sales and from a silent auction of player memorabilia goes to the Children's Miracle Network, which provides support to the Christus Hospitals in Beaumont and Port Arthur.
Source: The Beaumont Enterprise 11/04/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras-Courier tennis exhibition canceled|:||:|1194153022|:|
Saturday, November 03, 2007
Next week's Miracle Match Tour stop in Portland's Memorial Coliseum featuring a Friday exhibition between former tennis greats Pete Sampras and Jim Courier has been canceled.
The non-life-threatening health condition -- caused, in large part, by exhaustion -- of tour founder Bill Przybysz led to the cancellation, event organizers said. Przybysz, a former tennis professional, founded the Miracle Match Foundation in 1999 after his diagnosis and recovery from leukemia.
The five-stop Miracle Match Tour was a fundraiser for the foundation, which supports families with leukemia and other stem cell-related disorders. Portland was the fourth stop on the tour. The Nov. 11 tour stop in Spokane also was canceled.
Ticket holders to the Portland stop who purchased their tickets with a credit card at the Rose Quarter box office, online through ComcastTIX.com or by phone will automatically receive a refund. Those who bought tickets with cash or at Safeway/TicketsWest outlets can receive refunds at the place of purchase.
Source: OregonLive.com 11/01/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras To Play At 2008 SAP Open|:||:|1193913379|:|
October 30, 2007
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The SAP Open announced today that former two-time SAP Open singles champion and the world’s former top-ranked player Pete Sampras will return to the 2008 SAP Open at HP Pavilion at San Jose to compete in a singles exhibition match against an opponent to be named later. The Sampras exhibition will take place on Monday, February 18 at 7 p.m. and will be the first of several exhibitions Sampras plans to play in 2008 competing against existing ATP tour players.
Source: SAP Open 10/30/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Tennis Channel Schedule|:||:|1193754345|:|
The Tennis Channel will broadcast the exhibition matches between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.
Tuesday, November 20 (EST)
4:00 AM Sampras vs. Federer : Seoul, Korea (LIVE)
8:00 PM Sampras vs. Federer : Seoul, Korea (REPEAT)
Wednesday, November 21 (EST)
4:00 PM Sampras vs. Federer : Seoul, Korea (REPEAT)
Thursday, November 22 (EST)
7:00 AM Sampras vs. Federer : Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (LIVE)
8:00 PM Sampras vs. Federer : Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (REPEAT)
Friday, November 23 (EST)
4:00 PM Sampras vs. Federer : Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (REPEAT)
Saturday, November 24 (EST)
1:00 AM Sampras vs. Federer : Macao, China (LIVE)
8:00 PM Sampras vs. Federer : Macao, China (REPEAT)
Sunday, November 25 (EST)
4:00 PM Sampras vs. Federer : Macao, China (REPEAT)
Thanks to member Shaw Sherman for the info.
Link to Tennis Channel
10/30/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Small Crowd Gives Big Embrace to Tennis Stars|:||:|1193748599|:|
By Ken Robison / The Fresno Bee
10/25/07 23:04:45
To Jaspreet Singh of Kingsburg, Selland Arena might as well have been tennis heaven Thursday. Pete Sampras was playing a tennis match not more than 30 feet away.
"A dream come true," Singh gushed as Sampras polished off Jim Courier 3-6, 6-3, (10-8) on a makeshift court in the downtown arena. "To watch Pete Sampras, a guy I idolized when I was growing up."
Singh's comments were echoed by many among the crowd of more than 1,800 fans, who cheered the two Hall of Famers through thick (big serves and forehand returns) and thin (errors and mishits).
Thursday's exhibition match was a charity event for the Miracle Match Foundation, which helps leukemia patients receive bone marrow transplants.
It was fitting that Sampras won Thursday, as he did 16 of 20 times against Courier when they were world-beaters in the 1990s.
It was Sampras who dethroned Courier as No. 1 in the world in 1993, who beat Courier in the Wimbledon final that year to begin a streak of seven wins in eight years on the London lawn.
Courier had won his fourth career Grand Slam title at the Australian title in 1993, but lost the French and Wimbledon and would win no more majors. Sampras went on to win 14 majors, the most of any male in history.
Thursday's crowd wanted to see if these thirtysomethings still had game. The answer was yes and no.
The first set was a sloppy affair as both players sprayed too many shots short, long and wide. The quality picked up in the second set as Sampras regained his serving touch, and the tiebreaker was the high-level tennis we remembered from these two champions.
"Pete is still hitting the lines," Kingsburg tennis coach Tom Gramza. "These guys are incredible athletes, their skills are still awesome.
"Fresno needs more of this."
Of that, most would agree.
"Two of the greatest players and finest gentlemen ever to play the game," said John Norton, one of many players from Sierra Sport & Racquet Club cheering their clubmate, Children's Hospital executive Jim Meinert, in the preliminary doubles match.
"This is a wonderful event for Fresno. I'm embarrassed we didn't have more people here. There are 2,000, we should have 8,000."
That couple of thousand saw Sampras and Courier trade shots and barbs, first in the hit-and-giggle doubles, then in the more serious singles.
They were treated to each player's signature shots -- Courier's inside-out forehand, Sampras's running forehand and strong serve.
"Congratulations to Pete," Courier said to the crowd afterward. "He played just well enough to win. He always manages to come up with the right shot at the right time. That's why he's a great champion."
Courier was a favorite of some fans who remember his drive to No. 1 in the early '90s that was fueled by equal doses of fitness and feistiness. And he has a local tie, having trained for part of his career with Fresno-based coach Brad Stine.
Sampras is still Pistol Pete, the gunslinger, considered by many to be the best who ever played. But he expects that honor will eventually go to Roger Federer, the reigning No. 1.
"He's going to break all my records," Sampras said in a pregame reception with fans.
Mike Pearson, the local pro paired with Courier in the doubles match, spoke for many when he said: "Those who missed this, too bad. Next year, it'll be three times this size."
The reporter can be reached at krobison@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6279.
Source: Fresno Bee 10/25/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras shows signs of old self|:||:|1193316784|:|
By Dale Robertson, Houston Chronicle
Oct. 24, 2007 - The Pete Sampras who will be knocking tennis balls around in Beaumont a week from Friday in the Christus Pro/Celebrity Classic is a very different player from the one who launched his post-retirement "career" in Houston in the spring of 2006.
At 36, Sampras may not be the powerful and leonine record-setting Grand Slam champion of yore, but he'll be a reasonable facsimile thereof.
When Sampras took his first, halting steps back into the fray against Robby Ginepri at River Oaks Country Club, he hadn't played competitively in more than three years, and his weight had ballooned to almost 200 pounds. Now he's back down to where he was in his prime, the mid-180s, and he has his racket and strings so finely tuned that "I'm probably hitting the ball better than I did in my prime because of the (improved) technology."
The catch?
"I haven't quite captured the explosiveness I used to play with," Sampras concedes. "I'm not as limber. But I'll be a lot better (in Beaumont) than I was in Houston. It's been fun to get back in shape and to figure out my racket and my strings."
Sampras, unbeaten in three starts on the Jim Courier's Outback Champions seniors tour, is playing with the Wilson racket first made popular by Roger Federer and using the popular gut-Luxilon combo.
"I regret not trying this 10 years ago, especially on clay," Sampras said. "I'm telling you, it makes a world of difference in my control."
Sampras, preparing for a series of three exhibitions against Federer in Asia in late November, will be joined at Beaumont's Ford Arena Nov. 2 by Anna Kournikova, Justin Gimelstob and Louisiana native Chanda Rubin, along with television journalist Stone Phillips and former NBA star and coach John Lucas, subbing for an injured Dr. Phil McGraw.
The event, presented by Texas State Bank, was originally scheduled for September but postponed by Hurricane Umberto.
Tickets are priced from $29 to $79 and can be purchased at the Ford Park box office (5115 I-10 South), through all Ticketmaster outlets, or by phone in Houston by calling 713-629-3700.
The doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the tennis starts at 7:30.
Source: Houston Chronicle 10/11/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras, Courier to play in Anaheim|:||:|1192116925|:|
The Orange County Register
Anaheim -- A charity will hold court in Anaheim.
Tennis legends Pete Sampras and Jim Courier will play an exhibition match Sunday, Oct. 28 in the Anaheim Convention Center.
The 6 p.m. match is the third stop in the five-event Sampras vs. Courier Miracle Match Tour. The tour benefits the Miracle Match Foundation, which was established in January of 1997 by former tennis professional Bill Przybysz following the diagnosis of his Acute Monocytic Leukemia (AML).
Przybysz will make a special guest appearance at the event. Tickets are on sale now at the Anaheim Convention Center box office, or at www.ticketmaster.com.
For more information on the event, visit www.miraclematchfoundation.com.
Source: Orange County Register 10/02/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Once again, Sampras serves up a winner|:||:|1191345261|:|
Oct. 01, 2007 - The surface was fast for clay, but it wasn't fast enough for Todd Martin.
Thanks to the dry conditions around Charlotte, the clay surface for the Championships at The Palisades was almost as fast as a hard court. Almost. Martin needed it that much faster Sunday to hold his serve as easily as Pete Sampras did in his 6-3, 6-4 victory in the final.
Sampras' serve is so exceptional, he could probably hit aces on a court of Marshmallow Fluff. Martin is a big server, too, but not quite in Sampras' class.
"I didn't serve particularly well all day,'' said Martin, who managed to break in the second set, only to be broken in the next game on four straight points to essentially clinch the match for Sampras.
"I'm better on a faster surface" when facing Sampras, Martin said. "Then I don't have to work quite so hard on my service games. He can serve his way out on every court."
Sampras, a former world No. 1, went undefeated in this tournament (3-0 in the round-robin, plus the final) and has yet to lose in the Outback Champions Series, an over-30 men's tennis tour. Martin came closest to beating him, with match points on an indoor surface in Boston.
His peers say Sampras is playing pressure-free, hitting out as never before off his backhand, in part thanks to a bigger racket and high-tech strings. He enjoys playing these events, but isn't sure he wants a steady diet of over-30 tennis.
"I want to do something every two or three months," said Sampras, who will play a series of exhibitions against world No. 1 Roger Federer this fall in Asia. "I'd rather not play enough than play too much."
Still, he likes the format -- serious, but social, with a bunch of old friends.
"It's competitive, but fun. And it's real tennis," Sampras said. "You know prize money is involved. It's not just an exhibition."
So does that mean he'll be back in Charlotte next year?
"We'll see," Sampras said.
In the third-place match, Wayne Ferreira beat Jim Courier in a match tiebreaker (10-4) after the two split sets. Courier won the first set 6-3, and Ferreira took the second 7-6 (2).
Source: Charlotte Observer 10/01/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Beats Martin For Charlotte Title|:||:|1191211652|:|
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Pete Sampras defeated Todd Martin 6-3, 6-4 Sunday to win the Championships at The Palisades and claim his third tournament title for the year on the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events around the world featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. Sampras, in fact, is undefeated in 12 matches on the circuit since he ended his five-year hiatus from competitive tournament tennis in Boston last May in his debut event on the Outback Champions Series.
In addition to the $50,000 first prize paycheck for defeating Martin and going 3-0 in round-robin play, Sampras earned 800 Stanford Champions Ranking points that determines the year-end champion on the Outback Champions Series. Martin earned $32,000 and 600 Stanford Champions Ranking points for his runner-up showing. After five events on the 2007 Outback Champions Series, Martin remains in the No. 1 position with 2600 total points, followed by Sampras with 2400 points.
“I’d rather not play enough than play too much,” said Sampras of his return to tennis after an ATP career that included a record 14 Grand Slam men’s singles titles. “These events are competitive, fun and it’s real tennis. There is prize money on the line and pride…It’s nice to win. I’ve won the big things and it’s still nice to go out and perform well.”
Sampras, 36, defeated Martin in the finals of his two previous Outback Champions Series events in Boston and Athens, Greece, but his win over Martin in Charlotte was his only win over Martin of the three in straight sets. Despite the relatively routine match score, Sampras said he found Martin difficult to play on the slippery but fast clay court.
"Todd, on this court, was very tough to play,” said Sampras. “Todd’s got a game I still don't feel totally comfortable with. His serve bounces so high."
Said Martin, “The court was very fast and there was a thin layer (of clay), which definitely speeds things up. I actually think I match up better with Pete on a fast court.”
In addition to his runner-up finishes to Sampras in Boston and Athens, the 37-year-old Martin won the title at the Gibson Guitar Champions Cup in Newport, R.I., in August to move ahead of Sampras in the Stanford Champions Rankings. Martin was a runner-up in Charlotte for a second straight year after losing to Jim Courier in the 2006 final in a Champions Tie-Break. Martin, however, avenged his loss to Courier in Saturday night’s final round-robin match, defeating the defending champion 6-4, 6-7 (4), 10-5 (Champions Tie-Break).
Courier, the co-founder of the Outback Champions Series, finished play Sunday, losing to Wayne Ferreira of South Africa 3-6, 7-6 (2), 10-5 (Champions Tie-Break) in the third-place play-off.
“Today was a high level of tennis,” said Courier. “Wayne served really well and I didn’t serve too well today. Overall, this tournament was a big success in Charlotte. We had terrific crowds. Everyone enjoyed themselves."
Said Ferreira, “"It's been great here all week. I was here last year and really had a good time and I enjoyed myself here again this year."
The final two events on the 2007 Outback Champions Series will be held in Dallas, Texas at The Stanford Championships Oct. 18-21 and in Dubai, U.A.E. at The Legends Rock Dubai, November 20-24.
Source: InsideOut Sports & Entertainment 9/30/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras And Martin Reach Final Of The Championships At The Palisades|:||:|1191129663|:|
9/29/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|A short mention about Pete's son - Christian - enjoying tennis|:||:|1191043800|:|
From The George Street Observer - College of Charleston, SC
September 27, 2007
"My five-year-old is loving tennis and having a great time with it, but he doesn't listen to me really," Pete Sampras said. "I'm telling him a few things with his technique and he wants me to go away, and I think that is a sign of things to come."
Source: George Street Observer 9/29/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Champs Recall Their Sacrifice|:||:|1191042914|:|
September 27, 2007
CHARLOTTE, NC - Serves, Pete Sampras knew. Running forehands, Sampras knew. Dating, Sampras didn't know. So early in his pro tennis career, he turned to his buddy, Jim Courier, for a lesson in "Get a Life 101."
"I remember going to Pete's room, helping him select clothes" for a first date, Courier said. "I told him, `Make sure to pay for the meal and open doors for the lady.'
"You can't worry about going to the prom if you want to be No. 1. You have to put everything else aside at 16, 17, 18, because that's how you become that good."
They were both that good. Courier preceded Sampras as the world's top singles player, holding the distinction for about a year. Then Sampras dominated as no one ever before, holding the top ranking for six consecutive years (1993-98).
Now retired from the main tour, Sampras, 36, and Courier, 37, headline the eight-man field for this week's Outback Champions event at The Palisades development in south Charlotte.
How do you get that good at anything? How do you stay that dominant? And what are the life tradeoffs to be so virtuoso?
"You reduce everything to what's most important," Sampras said of the ordered, Spartan way he lived atop the tennis rankings. "I didn't party, I didn't go out, I didn't chase girls. I have kind of a low-key personality anyway, so that worked for me."
It was life according to tennis, not the other way around. He once joked the best thing about retirement would be expanding his diet beyond the pasta-chicken-fish regimen. There weren't a lot of colors on his palette; whatever worked for his training, he accepted without protest.
"You eat when you're not hungry, you drink when you're not thirsty and you sleep when you're not tired," Sampras said. "I always felt like if I didn't get maximum rest, I wouldn't be ready."
That speaks to the unsettling feeling both had that No. 1 was a narrow ledge. Each used the word "hunted'' to describe how it felt. Courier recalls a friend mailing him a Nerf ball, painted like a globe, with a card reading, "Enjoy this token because you're standing on top (of the planet)."
"But it wasn't all that pleasurable," Courier said, "because you were always trying to defend it."
Each one learned that dominance in an individual sport made for some strange interaction on and off the court.
Courier said being No. 1 meant he got something different from opponents. Either they'd be inspired to play their best or be so psyched out they'd lose mentally before striking a ball.
Sampras' recollection was more about the time between matches. The tennis schedule puts you on the road 11 months a year. Being No. 1 installed a sort of barrier between Sampras and his peers that interfered with normal friendships. "You couldn't really give yourself over" to people, Sampras said about letting down his guard.
Yet both transitioned comfortably when they slipped off the peak. Courier learned in the latter stages of his career to concentrate on improving his game, regardless of whether that raised his ranking. Sampras said slipping from No. 1 to the top five was almost a relief.
"Once I broke (Jimmy) Connors' record of six years (top ranked) in a row, I was tired of being the man," Sampras said.
So they moved on. Courier went into business, as a partner in the senior tour they're playing. Sampras is raising a family and playing exhibitions this fall against No. 1 Roger Federer-- the man best positioned to break his record of 14 Grand Slam titles. Sampras sees himself in Federer -- an even-tempered, humble guy with the self-discipline to excel.
"People want a little more pizzazz; we live in the MTV sound-bite era," Sampras said. "But I think we both understand how to keep things simple and be nice to people."
Source: Charlotte Observer 9/27/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Generation gap, even on senior circuit|:||:|1190902227|:|
Sampras, 36, has no problem against 44-year-old Pernfors
9/26/07 - Pete Sampras hits the ball while playing in a Seniors tennis event at The Palisades.
You know you're in a beat-down when you're reduced to lobbying the umpire to call one of your own serves out.
That's how desperate Mikael Pernfors grew Wednesday, trying to deal with Pete Sampras. Down 5-0 in the first set, he argued that a first serve he'd hit was out, after Sampras cranked back that serve for a winner.
Predictably, Pernfors lost the argument and the match, falling 6-0, 6-2 during the opening night of the senior men's tennis tournament at The Palisades.
Sampras might be a senior by age (36), but Pernfors (44) knows a kid when he sees one. Former world No. 1 Sampras plays with a level of power and spin Pernfors never envisioned when he played the main tour.
"Here I am, struggling to win a game and looking like an idiot,'' Pernfors said, laughing at the futility.
"He can take a little bit of pace off (his normal) ball and it still doesn't make any difference," Pernfors said, "because this guy puts so much spin on the ball."
Though Sampras and Pernfors are only eight years apart (Pernfors beat Sampras twice when Sampras was a teen joining the tour), this amounts to a generation gap. The younger players on this 30-and-over circuit -- Sampras, Jim Courier, Todd Martin and Wayne Ferreira -- are used to hitting the ball with a fury.
The difference wasn't quite as pronounced in Ferreira's 6-2, 6-4 victory over Swede Anders Jarryd, but the variance was there.
Sampras, who plays again Friday night and Saturday afternoon in the round-robin format, agrees with Pernfors' conclusion that the difference in their games is almost evolutionary.
"Jim and I worked very hard at our conditioning and it's bigger, stronger guys," Sampras said.
It doesn't hurt that Sampras finally gave up the outdated equipment he used on the main tour. He now uses a racquet with a bigger head and high-tech strings that keep the ball in the court. Courier said that's allowed Sampras to hit backhands more assertively than ever before.
Source: Charlotte Observer 9/27/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Victorious In Opener At The Championships At The Palisades|:||:|1190867559|:|
CHARLOTTE, N.C.
Sept 26, 2007 – Pete Sampras returned to action on the Outback Champions Series tennis circuit Wednesday, defeating Sweden’s Mikael Pernfors 6-0, 6-2 in the opening night of play at The Championships at The Palisades at the Tim Wilkison Signature Tennis and Sports Complex. The Championships at The Palisades is the fifth of seven events on the three-year-old Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events around the world for champion tennis players over the age of 30.
Sampras, 36, had little trouble with the 44-year-old Pernfors, the French Open runner-up in 1986, winning the first set in 22 minutes with a flurry of aces and forehand winners. Pernfors finally got on the scoreboard when he won the first game of the second set, but subsequently lost six of the last seven games of the match.
“It doesn’t really matter how well I play, he’s just that much better,” said Pernfors of Sampras. “He’s got so much pace on the ball. He’s just that much better of a tennis player than I am. I am just hoping to hit the ball and not look like an idiot.”
Sampras ended his five-year hiatus from competitive tournament tennis in May when he debuted on the Outback Champions Series at the Champions Cup Boston. Sampras went undefeated in Boston, winning all three of his round robin matches before defeating Todd Martin in the championship match. Sampras then won the Champions Cup Athens also in May, again winning his three round-robin matches before beating Martin in the final.
Despite being undefeated in his two Outback Champions Series events, Sampras still trails Martin by 400 points in the latest Stanford Champions Rankings. In addition to his runner-up finishes in Boston and Athens, Martin won the title at the Gibson Guitar Champions Cup in Newport, R.I., in August to move ahead of Sampras in the rankings with 2000 points. Sampras, and his 1600 points, is in second place, just ahead of John McEnroe, who is in third place with 1400 points.
Wayne Ferreira, ranked No. 4 in the Stanford Champions Rankings with 1250 points, won the opening match of Wednesday’s night session, defeating Anders Jarryd of Sweden 6-2, 6-4. Ferreira, who won the opening event on the 2007 Outback Champions Series in Naples, Fla., in March, will next face Sampras on Friday evening in one of the event’s most highly-anticipated match-ups. In their 13 career meetings on the ATP Tour, Ferreira defeated Sampras six times. The two also met earlier this year at the Champions Cup Athens, with Sampras winning a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 (1) round-robin match victory.
Against Jarryd, Ferreira played aggressive from the baseline, controlling most of the points, while Jarryd used crafty slices and drop shots in an attempt to get the South African out of his rhythm.
“Wayne was much better than I was tonight and I never had a chance to break him,” said Jarryd. “There are so many great champions out here, you really have to play well.”
Said Ferreira, “I feel good. I’m in good shape and I’m working out a lot. I really enjoyed the last year in these tournaments with these guys. We get along very well, but it’s tough tennis in these tournaments.”
The Championships at The Palisades is the fifth of seven events on the 2007 Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events around the world featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. The event features an eight-man round robin format with the winner of each four-player division meeting in the title match and the second-place finishers from each division playing in the third-place match. An undefeated winner of the event will take home $50,000 as well as Stanford Champions Ranking points that will determine the year-end champion. To be eligible to compete in the Outback Champions Series, players must have reached at least a Grand Slam singles final, been ranked in the top five in the world or played singles on a championship Davis Cup team. Each event also has the right to choose a “wild card” entrant. Founded in 2005, the Outback Champions Series features seven events where champion tennis players continue to exercise their competitive instincts in tournament formats that feature prize money and Champions Series ranking points that determine a year-end No. 1 player.
InsideOut Sports & Entertainment is a New York City-based independent producer of proprietary events and promotions founded in 2004 by former world No. 1 and Hall of Fame tennis player Jim Courier and former SFX and Clear Channel executive Jon Venison. In 2006, InsideOut launched its signature property, the Outback Champions Series, a collection of tennis events held nationally and internationally featuring the greatest names in tennis over the age of 30. In addition, InsideOut produces many other successful events including one-night "Legendary Night" exhibitions as well as charity events and tennis fantasy camps, including the annual Ultimate Fantasy Camp. For more information, please log on to www.InsideOutlive.com or www.ChampionsSeriesTennis.com. 9/26/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras returns to clay surface at senior event in Charlotte|:||:|1190771683|:|
September 26, 2007
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - When Pete Sampras retired five years ago, he wasn't sure if he would play tennis again, never mind step foot on a clay court.
This week, Sampras will play a senior tour event on a surface that haunted him throughout his record-breaking career.
"I didn't think I'd ever play on clay again," Sampras said. "But here I am."
Sampras faces Mikael Pernfors on Wednesday to open The Championships at The Palisades, the third and final event of the year for Sampras in the Outback Champions Series.
And while the surface is green clay - a bit quicker than the red dirt that always stymied Sampras at the French Open - it reminds him of the one trophy missing from a brilliant career that included a record 14 Grand Slam titles.
"It was always a tough surface for me and it definitely diminished my serve and volley game," Sampras said in a phone interview this week. "It was a tougher surface to move on, especially at the net. I didn't cover the net quite as well. You've got to be patient. You've got to play with a lot of spin and take your time."
The 36-year-old Sampras is clearly enjoying his return to tennis. He retired after winning the 2002 U.S. Open and barely picked up a racket for three years, trading his intense competitive nature for a role as a full-time dad to his two children.
But Sampras slowly started playing again, playing the past two summers in World Team Tennis events. He decided to return on a limited basis this year on the senior circuit formed by former rival Jim Courier. Sampras committed to play in Boston, Athens and Charlotte, and has enjoyed it so much he's agreed to play a handful of exhibitions, including a November match in Malaysia against top-ranked Roger Federer.
"I've got Federer in the back of my mind in November, so I've been spending a little bit more time in the gym, trying to get in shape," Sampras said. "I've been hitting the ball pretty good."
Federer, after winning the U.S. Open earlier this month, is only two Grand Slam titles shy of Sampras' record. And like Sampras, Federer has never been able to win on clay at the French Open.
Sampras has already conceded Federer will eclipse his Grand Slam title - and he believes the 26-year-old Swiss star will eventually win at Roland Garros.
"I really think Roger can do it," Sampras said. "I think things need to fall into place. And the next two or three years are going to be the key years for him to win that French. I think once he gets to 29, 30, these younger guys are going to be in their prime. But I think he can win there. He grew up playing on clay. I wouldn't be surprised if he can do it."
Sampras, meanwhile, is enjoying his limited return - and the lack of pressure. He played golf after he arrived Monday in Charlotte, something he never would've done during his career.
Sampras, who beat Todd Martin in the final of the other two senior events he's played, is using a bigger racket than his competitive days and enjoying the camaraderie with his former rivals.
He will face Wayne Ferreira on Friday and Anders Jarryd on Saturday in the round robin event. A matchup with Courier or Martin could loom in Sunday's final.
"I don't want to do six or seven events, but a couple of events a year is plenty for me," Sampras said. "I've enjoyed it and I've played pretty good tennis. It keeps you sharp. It's not quite the intensity it used to be, but we all take pride in playing well."
Source: Canadian Press 9/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Holding Court|:||:|1190659666|:|
No, it's not a comeback (unfortunately), but Pete Sampras, who hung up his racket in 2003, is back in the game. The 36-year-old tennis legend, who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, has stayed busy in his retirement by playing a few select exhibitions. And he'll be making two stops in Texas this month, at the Christus Pro/Celebrity Classic, in Beaumont, where he'll go up against Todd Martin (Anna Kournikova, meanwhile, will take on Chanda Rubin), and the FedEx All American Tennis Shootout Series, in Frisco, where he'll spar with Robby Ginepri.
Congratulations on the Hall of Fame. I think we saw more emotion from you during the twenty minutes of your acceptance speech than we did in the fifteen years of your professional career.
Thank you. It was a lot more emotional than I thought it'd be. It brought me back to my younger years and the first time I picked up a racket. Since I retired, I've been so wrapped up in family life that I hadn't really looked at my career, and that weekend it hit me all at once.
Did your wife [the actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras] give you any tips on delivering your speech or handling the emotional moments?
We worked on the speech together. I rehearsed it in front of her. But it wasn't like she was giving me any acting tips. I wanted to do something heartfelt and thank the people who helped get me there. Her advice was more about taking your time and trying to do it conversationally. I'd much rather give a speech about anything other than myself. But she was helpful throughout the whole process. It was a fun bonding experience for us.
Is it strange to be back in the spotlight after lying pretty low for a few years?
Yeah, a little bit. Ever since I picked up a racket again and started playing a few expos—and with all the comparisons between Roger Federer and me—it seems I'm getting more interview requests to- day than I did in my prime.
Really?
Well, I meant that sarcastically, but people still want to know what's going on and what I think about the sport. The Hall of Fame has brought a lot of attention to my career again. It's not like I ever craved the limelight, but it was nice for me to feel that respect. Because in my prime I didn't feel totally embraced or appreciated in some circles.
Is it true that you barely played for the first couple of years after you retired?
I didn't do anything—didn't pick up a racket, didn't watch tennis. I spent those years doing some things I never had a chance to do. But after about three years of that, I felt a little bit unfulfilled from a work standpoint. So I picked up a racket and started to get myself in the gym, and it really felt good to wake up a little bit sore.
What's it like to play in under-the- radar cities like Frisco and Beaumont?
You know, I've only played in a handful of U.S. cities, so to go to a couple of smaller markets is great for the game, and it's always exciting to see different cities.
I'm sure those two will be exciting, but they can't beat going to Asia this November to play three games against Roger Federer. How did this matchup happen?
Someone from IMG gave me a call six or eight months ago and said that Roger was playing some exhibitions after the World Championships and asked if I would consider playing with him. And I'm flattered. I would only consider making the trip if it were Roger and probably not anyone else. Originally it was just one city, but I said if they could put two or three cities together it might be worth the trip, so they put three together and we're going to do it in a week. Obviously, Roger had a choice about who he wanted to do it with, and he wanted to play against me. I think it's great for the game. People are asking about it all the time. Unfortunately, it's not in the U.S., but hopefully we can do that sometime in the near future.
That would be a huge draw, to say the least.
It would. And if there's a time to do it, it's now because I'm still somewhat competitive. I can hold my own for a little bit. Roger's obviously in the prime of his career, and I haven't played at that level since I retired, so we'll just kind of have to feel it out as we go. Roger is one of the all-time greats who will eventually break my records, so I'm just looking forward to being on the same court with him and seeing what I can do.
Are you going to ask him to take it easy on you?
I think Roger's a lot like me. We want to have fun and play well, but we didn't get to where we are today without being competitive. So there will be a competitive side to it. And I'll make him feel guilty before we go out and say "Listen, Roger, I haven't played this way in eight years. I'm old and out of shape, so just take it easy on me." Hopefully he'll feel sorry for me.
You've said it's pretty lonely at the top. Is there any advice you'd give to Roger?
He's got a pretty good grip on what he's doing, and I'm sure he feels the same way. It is a little lonely at the top, and you have everyone gunning for you. But he's been on top for a few years now, and he's dominating much more than I ever did, so he doesn't need too much advice.
You very graciously speak of when, not if, he'll surpass your records. What do you imagine that will feel like for you on the day that happens?
I'd love for my records to stand the test of time, but in sports it's just a matter of time before someone breaks records—Barry Bonds is going to break Hank Aaron's home run record and Tiger is going to break Nicklaus's and Roger is inevitably going to break mine—so I'm okay with it. But I think I'd feel differently if Roger beat me six out of eight major finals and overtook me. We're kind of playing in different generations, different eras. The way I looked at it when I broke the record was that it was a number. When I won fourteen it wasn't like, "Wow. I'm the greatest player of all-time today." It was more like this is a great accomplishment, and I made some history. And I think that's the way Roger looks at it. I don't think he thinks he's any bigger than he was a few years ago. He's humble, and if there's a person I want to see break this record, it's someone with that sort of mentality.
Do you see some similarities between the two of you?
Oh yeah. I see a lot of that just in our mentality. We don't get too up or down on wins or losses or good points or bad points. He's pretty even-keeled and that's how you need to be to stay on top of your profession. I think we've both made it look pretty easy. We're both good athletes that are pretty smooth, though our games are a little bit different. I was more of an attacking player, whereas Roger's more apt to stay back, but our approach to the game is pretty similar. We just go out there and play, and we don't rub it in. We let our rackets do most of the talking.
Speaking of attacking, are there any more attacking players left in the game?
I don't see any. Look at Wimbledon these past couple years—no one's really looking to come in to the net. It's sad for me to see that the serve-and-volley game is pretty extinct. The best tennis to watch, in my opinion, is two contrasting styles—like myself and Andre. Now guys are pretty much all playing the same, and there's not a lot of variety out there, which is unfortunate. But that's just the nature of the sport and where it's going.
So is there anyone else aside from Federer you'd like to go up against?
Rafael Nadal is right behind Roger. I love his attitude, and he's a great competitor. And he's the one guy who actually believes he can beat Roger. A lot of these guys go out there against Roger and are resigned to the fact of not beating him. But Nadal's got a great competitive drive—he works hard, he's fast, and he's a great athlete. He's a modern-day Borg—he really is that good. At Wimbledon this year he played seven days in a row—even on grass, which isn't his best surface—and didn't complain about it. And I admire that.
Do you ever see yourself becoming involved with the USTA's junior development programs?
Over the past year I've hit with some of these young kids, and I realized that I actually liked hitting with them and playing against them but also giving them some advice and seeing what they can improve. My brother, who works for me, approached the USTA about doing something more officially, but they don't seem interested, which is a reflection of how unorganized and how naive they are about what I could bring to the table. And you have to go through the board and through this and that, and I said, "Listen. I can help out some young kids here, and, if you want, let's work out a deal." They seem to not want to do it.
Have you ever entertained the notion of starting your own junior organization?
I was close to doing an academy, but it's tricky because I don't want to do some of the grinding stuff. I just want to work with some young guys that are going to college and thinking about turning pro. I think I could give them some advice. I do get it. I know the sport, and I know what it takes. I like sharing some of my thoughts, but I'm not sure the academy business is a business I want to get involved in, but we'll see what happens.
Are we going to see you in the coach's box like Jimmy Connors one day?
Never say never. I'm sure when Jimmy was 35 or 36 he didn't think he'd ever travel. But when you turn 50 and you have a young kid that has the potential to win some majors, who knows? Right now going overseas and going through that grind is not what interests me, but you never know. If I see something special in the next ten or twelve years and I could really make a big impact on someone, I could coach. It's not likely, but I'll never say never.
Speaking of Connors, his pupil, Andy Roddick, is another favorite topic. What do you think he needs to break through the wall and finally win another Grand Slam?
Andy's got a great attitude. He competes hard, he works hard, and it seems like he's doing all the right things. But I told him this a year ago after he lost to Federer at the U.S. Open: He's got this big serve and big forehand, and he's opting to stay back, but in order to beat the Federers he needs to be unpredictable. He needs to figure out that transition game from the baseline to the net. He needs to work on serve-and-volleying a little bit and he needs to work on doing a chip and charge, even though he might be a fish out of water. He just needs to try it in practice and try it against some of these guys he knows he can beat. The only way he's going to improve and get to the next level is to add to his game. Right now he's getting to a certain point, but if he wants to start winning Grand Slams and competing with Federer and Nadal, he needs to feel more comfortable getting up to the net. But time is running out. Now's his prime.
Being as competitive a person as you are, do you ever imagine what it will be like as you get older and really can't serve like you used to?
I'm competitive to a certain degree. Even today when I'm hitting, I still want to play well and serve well, but as you get older everything kind of gets a little bit slower. When I'm fifty I'll still feel like I can go out and play well. You gotta face facts: When Father Time hits you, it's not going to get any better. At sixty and seventy, I'll probably be hitting with my kids and grandkids.
Your two sons are still pretty young, but will you teach them how to play?
If they're into it and it's fun for them, I'd absolutely try to help them out in any way I can. If they're not into tennis, that's totally fine too. We'll see what intrigues them over the next five to ten years. I want to be their dad, not their tennis dad, but I do know how to hold a racket.
Coming back to your Hall of Fame speech, you said you didn't know how or why you picked up a racket at seven years old. So when did you—or more accurately, your parents—realize that you might be really good at it?
I picked up a racket and some people told my dad, "Your son has excellent eye-hand coordination," and he saw that and gave me some lessons. And I think the teaching pro said "I've never seen anything like this." Then I just kind of wowed people as a kid, being able to do what I was able to do at seven, eight, and nine years old.
But were you aware of what that meant?
Yeah, a little bit. I heard things. But when we moved to California, that was when things got more serious and I got involved in the junior leagues and I was flourishing. That's when things became a little bit more real.
About how many exhibitions do you do in a year?
In the past year I've probably done close to a dozen, not a ton, but enough to keep me sharp.
Do you foresee keeping a similar schedule over the next few years?
I'd like to play a few events and have something to look forward to every couple of months. It's been good so far.
Source: Texas Monthly 9/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Outback Champion Series Schedule|:||:|1190657824|:|
SCHEDULE FOR 2007 CHAMPIONSHIPS AT THE PALISADES
Wednesday, September 26
Beginning at 7 pm
Wayne Ferreira vs. Anders Jarryd
Followed by
Pete Sampras vs. Mikael Pernfors
Thursday, September 27
Beginning at 7 pm
Todd Martin vs. vs. Aaron Krickstein
Followed by
Jim Courier vs. Jimmy Arias
Friday, September 28
Beginning at 2 pm
Anders Jarryd vs. Mikael Pernfors
Followed by
Todd Martin vs. Jimmy Arias
Beginning at 7 pm
Jim Courier vs. Aaron Krickstein
Followed by
Pete Sampras vs. Wayne Ferreira
Saturday, September 29
Beginning at 1:30 pm
Aaron Krickstein vs. Jimmy Arias
Followed by
Pete Sampras vs. Anders Jarryd
Beginning at 6:30 pm
Wayne Ferreira vs. Mikael Pernfors
Followed by
Jim Courier vs. Todd Martin
Sunday, September 30
Beginning at 12:30 pm
Championship Match
Followed by
Third Place Match
9/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Audio Interview with Pete|:||:|1190657292|:|
Sept 17, 2007 - WFNZ Interview with Pete Sampras about the Outback Champions Series in Charlotte, SC
Source: Champions Series 9/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|One-on-One with Pete Sampras|:||:|1190657014|:|
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Now that you are playing Champions Cup and Legends of Tennis events, have you lost a match?
"I haven't lost yet. Todd Martin was a point a away from beating me in Boston. Also I had a super tiebreaker in Athens against Todd. It's very competitive (on the Champions Cup tour). We all take it seriously. We all want to play well. It might not be as cutthroat as it used to be 10 years ago (on the ATP Tour), but it's really competitive. The real tour is still a little more intense dog-eat-dog world."
Is a match against Courier a pretty good test for you?
"Jim still hits the ball really well. He has a big first serve anad cracks the forehand. He has been playing more than I have. We both have taken advantage of the new technology. He hits ball with pretty good pace. It should be a pretty good surface for both of us. I will try to get in (to the net) a little and see what I can do."
What was your most memorable match?
"It was my last U.S. Open (2002). I went through two years trying to find the confidence to win an event. To win that last Open and to win against Andre (Agassi) ... that last match felt great."
What's your feeling about possibly losing the record to Roger Federer?
"I am more respectful than disappointed. Records are made to be broken. I knew Roger was going to threaten to do it, and now he's doing it. He's not only a great player but an ambassador for the sport. I feel respectful and respect him more than disappointment. I feel good aobut the 14 (Grand Slam titles) I have. I take my hat off to him."
How would you compare the pressure when you were going for the record to the pressure on Federer?
"I was older when I went for the record. He's younger and has a number of years. I was not as dominant as Roger is now. Roger's 26, and nothing is going to stop him ... he should win the Australian."
How would Federer fare against some of the players of your time, such as a total serve-and-volleyer like Patrick Rafter?
"Today all players play the same. There are no serve-and-volleyers. He is just better at that phase (baseline rallies) of the game. I think Rafter would have worried him. His (Rafter's) high serve to the backhand. I think Roger obviously is the better player, but I think we would have seen something different from what we're seeing today. I think Rafter would have challenged Roger in a different way but I think Roger would figure it out."
Did Federer come along at a time when there were no other great players?
"I think they have narrowed the gap, gotten closer to Roger. I still feel he has the extra gear and is better than everyone. But (Novak) Djokovic and (Rafael) Nadel should get better and could threaten him in the next couple of years. He (Federer) came along when a lot of major champions were retiring, but he just got better and he pushed guys to get better. Andy (Roddick) had his best match and still can't beat him. That's tough for Andy to swallow. He (Federer) made his move at the right time, but now it looks a little more competitive."
I know you are going to play Federer in some exhibitions. How will you play him?
"I am going to try to get to the net ... try to take some of his time away. I'm going into the match cold turkey and Roger is in the prime of his career. I should be able to hold my own and be competitive. I think he feels comfortable back there (on the baseline). At Wimbledon against me (Federer's fourth-round victory in 2001 in their only meeting), he served and volleyed but I don't think he was that comfortable."
Has Federer's health and lack of injuries helped him in his pursuit of the record?
"He's fit and you look at some of his matches and you see Roger in a tough five-setter and he looks tired out. He wins matches with ease and and can have a longer career since he's not pushed. He's winning matches easier. It would take its toll later in the event if he had to play long matches. Nadal physically can push so hard for so many times. I think his body breaks down. He (Nadal) is such a grinder it's hard on his body; he's strong but it's taking a lot out of him."
How has the racket technology changed the game?
"The racket technology is incredible. It's giving guys ranked 50th a chance to hit the ball well. The strings keep the ball on the court and the racket enables players to hit so hard. They hit winners from behind the baseline with so much pace. You didn't see that in my time."
Source: Charleston.net 9/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Catching Up With 14-Time Grand Slam Winner Pete Sampras|:||:|1190656593|:|
Sept 21, 2007
PETE SAMPRAS did something that has become a rarity it seems in pro sports -- he left the game not with a whimper, but with a bang, winning the ’02 U.S. Open over, fittingly, ANDRE AGASSI. It was Sampras’ fifth U.S. Open title and record 14th grand slam win, a mark he knows will soon be surpassed by ROGER FEDERER. Sampras, now enjoying retirement and being able to spend time with his wife, BRIDGETTE, and two sons, CHRISTIAN and RYAN, has picked up a racquet again and is currently second in the Outback Champions Series points standings. Ahead of the series' stop in Charlotte next week, Sampras took a few moments to speak with Staff Writer Jeremy Caslin about his return to the game.
Favorite musician or band: Pearl Jam
Favorite movie: "Gladiator"
Favorite sport other than tennis: Golf or basketball
Golf handicap: 4
Most admired athlete: Michael Jordan
Favorite vacation spot: I have a home in Palm Desert (CA)
Ultimate foursome for a doubles match: PANCHO GONZALES, ROD LAVER and LEW HOAD
Q: Long before getting married and becoming a father of two young children, you described yourself as a "world-class sleeper." Have you been able to maintain those 11-hour shut-eye sessions with two little ones around?
Sampras: No, those days are gone. Those days are over. I don't need as much sleep, I'm not as neurotic when it comes to my sleep. And now that I'm not as active, I don’t need to sleep as much. My kids are up at 6:00, 6:30 or 7:00[am], and ready to play, so I'm up. Actually, your body just gets used it. It's nice getting up early.
Q: When you're off the court, away from tennis, what else is keeping you occupied or driven right now?
Sampras: I'm playing a little tennis again, which is fun, it keeps me driven. I spend quite a bit of time in the gym, getting in shape, and I just feel a lot better about myself when I’m in shape. Play golf, spend time with my kids, my wife, do a lot of family outings. I play in a basketball game twice a week, a poker game once a week. So I have a pretty full schedule for a retired guy at 36.
Q: You walked away from tennis when you were still obviously very competitive, retiring after your win at the '02 U.S. Open. Any regrets about leaving at that point?
Sampras: No. No regrets. I was ready. I tried to give it a shot to see if I'd want to play again. It took about 7-8 months for me to get to the point where I was done and I was moving on. I wanted to give myself every chance to play, but it wasn't in my heart anymore and that's when it was time for me to call it a career.
Q: What led you to come back and compete in the Champions Series, and what do you think of it so far?
Sampras: I didn't do anything for about three years as far as tennis. I didn't watch it, play it, read about it, and after the third year of retirement I was getting a little bit restless and kind of opened myself up to playing a few exhibitions. I enjoyed playing, getting back in shape. JIM [COURIER] called me about playing a few of his events. I played one in Athens and one in Boston and it was a lot of fun. It was good to be home and think of something to prepare for and get in shape and go out and compete against some of the old guys. It's been fun, it's not quite as stressful as it used to be but I think we all want to play well and compete and put on a good show for the fans.
Q: Jim Courier said there is definitely room for the Series to expand, including internationally. Could you see yourself playing more events and even going overseas?
Sampras: That might be a stretch for me at this stage to go overseas. I played one in Athens, that was a unique deal. It kind of depends on the situation. If it was the right situation I would consider it, but I'm not looking to go. If it happens, it happens.
Q: Do you think we could potentially see an Agassi-Sampras match at some point in the Champions Series?
Sampras: I think that would be fantastic. I know Jim would love that and I would be thrilled to go out and play against him. It would bring a lot of attention to the tour. For he and I to be on the court again would be pretty fun. I think he’s not quite ready, he just retired a year ago, so he’s decompressing, he's enjoying himself. He needs time to just get away from the sport. Maybe there will be a time in the next year or two where we could go out and play. It's still a great matchup.
Q: Roger Federer is now just two shy of your record of 14 grand slam titles. Do you think he is being pushed as much as you were, in terms of the depth of competition he faces to win those events?
Sampras: I think he’s getting pushed a little bit more recently. Overall there are a lot of really good players, but I don’t see as many great players. [RAFAEL] NADAL and [NOVAK] DJOKOVIC are great players, and that's really it. I don't see any more than that. But the guy ranked [No.] 50 today is better than the guy ranked 50 when I played. So, a little thinner at top, a little deeper across the board. He's just so much better than everyone, the timing of everything has worked out great. He's obviously going to break my record, but guys are getting a little bit closer. He still has that extra gear, that extra belief that he feels he’s just better than everyone.
Q: You're scheduled to play Federer in November in an exhibition match in Kuala Lumpur. If you play well enough, is there any chance it could whet your appetite for a return to Wimbledon or the U.S. Open in ’08?
Sampras: No. No chance.
Q: For all the huge serving that we see in men’s tennis today, there seem to be few true serve-and-volleyers, the way you and JOHN MCENROE and PATRICK RAFTER were. Do you ever watch ANDY RODDICK or another big server play and shout at the TV, "Come in! Come in!"?
Sampras: I’d say yes, but also realistically it takes a certain amount of practice at a young age to be able to serve and volley. There are certain different movements and a feel at the net you have to develop over time. It doesn’t happen overnight. Andy has tried to come in, but he's just not comfortable up there. It's unfortunate that the serve and volley game is extinct, you look at everyone, they pretty much play the same, hitting the ball really hard from the back of the court. Guys aren't looking to come in. I like the contrast, I like to see a serve and volleyer. It's sad to see that it's pretty much gone.
Q: Do you think it would help Roddick to play some doubles?
Sampras: Absolutely. Even though he's not going to be a natural at [serve and volleying], just to practice it. To work on it, and to have that confidence when you get into a big situation against Roger that you're going to get to the net and feel that you want to be there, not that you have to be there. I think playing doubles and working 20 minutes a day, just getting comfortable… I think he's so against it, or so uncomfortable up there that he doesn't want to practice it, but if he wants to get to that next level, you just need to add a little bit to your game each year; it's what everyone else is trying to do, he can add that.
Q: There has been a lot said or written about the struggle to find successors to you and Andre in U.S. men’s tennis, despite Roddick and JAMES BLAKE ranking in the top ten in the world. Do you think there needs to be changes made in junior tennis or how we prepare players coming up?
Sampras: I don't think so. I don't think there's an answer to why James and Andy aren't 1 and 2 in the world. It goes in cycles. There were times American tennis wasn't very dominant, then in the '90s it was dominant, now it's not. It goes back and forth. I just think it's cyclical. To have Andre and myself and Jim and MICHAEL [CHANG], was such a rare sort of crew, it was pretty unique. It's going to be hard to find that again over the next number of years, if not ever.
Source: Champions Series 9/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras edges Courier; exhibition raises $16,000|:||:|1190655153|:|
By James Beck
The Post and Courier
Monday, September 24, 2007 - Pete Sampras and Jim Courier didn't quite look like members of the over-the-hill gang Sunday afternoon at the North Charleston Coliseum. They appeared to be as fit as in their prime, and a crowd of about 2,500 showed its appreciation.
Courier, the television analyst, was left talking to himself by a couple of Sampras' running forehands down the line. And then when Sampras cranked up his serve, Courier couldn't talk his way out of trouble.
Grand Slam title record-holder Sampras turned up the heat after dropping a first-set tiebreaker and left town right after the Legends of Tennis match and on-court ceremonies ended with a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 10-6 victory over his longtime buddy.
The real winners of the exhibition, other than the crowd, was the MUSC Children's Hospital that will receive a $16,000 donation — $8,000 from contributions received Sunday and a matching amount from former tennis pro Bill Przybysz's Miracle Match Foundation.
"It's good to have fun ... I still love to play," Sampras told the crowd.
After leaving the ATP Tour following his 2002 U.S. Open success that saw him capture 14 Grand Slam crowns, Sampras left tennis until he came out of retirement to join Courier's Champions Tour earlier this year. "I missed tennis," Sampras said.
"We were playing a good level of tennis," Courier said. "Pete was just serving beautifully the second set."
Sampras dominated the third-set match tiebreaker by winning seven of his eight service points. "Pete has just such great rhythm on his serve," said Courier, 37, whose InsideOut Sports and Entertainment group sponsored the Miracle Match Tour event.
Courier, who won a pair of French Opens and two Australian Opens, appeared to have fun throughout the match as he repeatedly communicated with the audience.
Source: Charleston.net 9/22/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Frisco Mayor to Honor Tennis Legend Pete Sampras|:||:|1190474386|:|
Frisco Event to Benefit Area Non-profits
FRISCO, TX (September 20, 2007) - Frisco Mayor Mike Simpson will be honoring legendary tennis player Pete Sampras by proclaiming Saturday, September 22 as "Pete Sampras Day in Frisco". Sampras headlines the 3rd Annual All American Tennis Shootout in Frisco with ATP Tour star Robby Ginepri at 7 PM Saturday in the Deja Blue Arena at the Dr Pepper StarCenter, 2601 Avenue of the Stars.
"We pay tribute to this great champion whose hard work off and on center court is leading youth of all ages and backgrounds to participate in a sport that can
lead to a lifetime of physical fitness," says Mayor Simpson.
Saturday's event, produced by ProLink Sports & Entertainment, will benefit the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation (MCB) and the National Junior
Tennis League (NJTL), an Arthur Ashe Legacy Program.
Sampras has dominated men's tennis with 14 grand slam titles, including seven Wimbledon titles and ranked #1 in the world for six consecutive years from 1993-
1998. He retired from the ATP Tour in 2002 following his dramatic US OPEN victory over longtime rival Andre Agassi. Sampras, this summer, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
In addition to the Sampras and Ginepri men's singles match, the FedEx All-American Tennis Shootout Series features local players in an innovative tiebreak
shootout format. The format highlights the skills of local club pros, wheelchair athletes and local college players.
The Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco will open up a limited number of STANDING ROOM ONLY TICKETS later this week. All suites, courtside and price level two
seats are sold out. Tickets are available on-line through www.tickets.com or by calling 214-GO-STARS (214) 467-8277. Reserve ticket prices are $28.50 and
$20.00 for standing room only.
Source: Frisco Online 9/19/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pistol Pete still has some firepower left|:||:|1190213779|:|
By RUSTY HALL
Sep. 18, 2007 - Pete Sampras retired from tennis after beating Andre Agassi to win the 2002 U.S. Open for his record 14th Grand Slam title.
However, in the past year and half, Sampras has returned to the courts, competing in World TeamTennis and in Outback Champions Series events. And while he admits his game is not at what he considers ATP level, he's playing pretty well.
On Saturday, Sampras will stop in Frisco to take on ATP veteran Robby Ginepri in the FedEx Shootout at the Deja Blue Arena. A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Maureen Connolly Brinker Tennis Foundation, the National Junior Tennis League and the Arthur Ashe Legacy Program.
What motivates you to play in these exhibition matches?
I still enjoy playing and I'm on my way to playing a [Champions Series] event in Charlotte and Charleston [S.C.], so it's kind of on my way. And, to play someone like Robby, who's an active player, it's a good challenge for me to see where my game is at.
Robby had a fairly nice run at the U.S. Open, reaching the third round. It should be a pretty nice match.
It looks like he's playing pretty well. He's had his ups and downs through the years with injuries, but I think he's on the right track. He's always performed well at the Open, and this year he did quite well.
Exhibition matches are fun for the crowd, but how seriously do you take them?
People want to see real tennis, and they want to see me serve hard and do the things I used to be able to do. But at the same time, it isn't as cut-throat as it used to be. I tend to lighten up and have a little fun with the crowd, but you still want to play well. It's kind of a balancing act.
You've got three exhibition matches scheduled in Asia in November against Roger Federer. He looked pretty good at the Open. What do you expect?
He always looks pretty good. My wife asked me that yesterday, and I said I really don't know what to expect. This is unknown territory for me. I haven't played at a really high level in six years. Hopefully it's going to be competitive and it will be fun. There will be a lot of electricity. I think we'll add some attention to the sport, but I really don't know. I just hope I can play well. I know I'm playing fine. It's just a matter of getting through a little nerves that I might feel, being comfortable and just playing.
John McEnroe said he thought you could still make it into the second week of Wimbledon. Any chance you might give it a try?
No. Well, I'm curious sometimes. All these thoughts keep creeping into my mind and there is a curiosity, but realistically, no. I wouldn't play Wimbledon just to play it. I'd play it to win it, and to do that I would basically have to change my lifestyle, get in great shape and really, really make tennis my life again. I'm done with those days. But I do have moments of thinking how I might do in one match against someone.
A couple of young Americans, John Isner and Donald Young, looked pretty good at the Open. What are your thoughts on the state of American tennis?
I think we're headed in the right direction. Young is a guy who everyone touted as being the "Next One," and he's starting to show it a little bit. Isner, I look at a young kid to see if he has a weapon, and he has a weapon in that serve.
Does Isner remind you a little bit of you?
Maybe a little bit. As big as he serves, he's pretty happy staying back. I was a little more about rushing to the net. Our serves are pretty big, and him being 6-foot-10, I actually needed to see it to believe it because everybody was talking about it. It's absolutely a monster serve.
Isner turning pro after playing college tennis at Georgia is a nice story. Your sister (UCLA coach Stella Sampras Webster) has a lot to do with college tennis, so that's got to be nice to see a kid come that route. You don't see it very often.
It is nice to see. He probably needed a year or two to develop his body and his game, and now he's on his way to doing some good things.
I hear Gov. Rick Perry is going to make you an honorary Texan on Saturday night. Have you been working on your accent?
Ah, no. I don't have much of one. But I'm looking forward to that.
FedEx Shootout
Featuring Pete Sampras vs. Robby Ginepri
7 p.m. Saturday, Dr Pepper StarCenter, Deja Blue Arena, Frisco
Tickets:www.tickets.com or by calling 214-467-8277 Prices: $28.50, $47.50 and $77.50
Source: Star-Telegram 9/19/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|One-handed backhand helped make Sampras|:||:|1190213194|:|
By James Beck
Charleston Post and Courier
September 16, 2007 - Imagine Pete Sampras as just another baseliner, hitting two-handed backhands of all things.
That's a really fuzzy picture of tennis' Grand Slam record-holder. Yet, it's a picture that came very close to being taken.
If it had, Roger Federer might already be co-holder with Roy Emerson of tennis' most revered record. Sampras might never have surpassed Emerson's 12 Grand Slam titles.
"That's a good question. Why did I change (to a one-handed backhand)?" Sampras said Thursday from his Southern California home during a lengthy interview.
Sampras said he was 14 years old when he made the decision to ditch his two-handed backhand. His dream was to one day win Wimbledon, and as improbable as the possibility seemed at the time, it would have been much more remote without a drastic change in his game.
Although Bjorn Borg won the event five straight times, Wimbledon's grass was grown for one-handed backhands. Only a select number of men swinging their backhands with two hands other than Borg have won tennis' most cherished title.
"I felt my two-handed backhand wasn't improving. I changed and developed a serve-and-volley game," Sampras said.
"It was a risky decision at the time, but I was
making it for the long run. The only way (to one day win Wimbledon) was to change to a one-hander. If I had waited until 16 or 17 it wouldn't have worked as well ... 18 or 19 would have been too late. I was 14 ... the time was pretty perfect."
The change was even more significant because it came at a time when the two-handed backhand was threatening to dominate the pro tour following Borg's success and that of Jimmy Connors.
Five years later, Sampras became the youngest-ever U.S. Open champion. Three years after that, he won the first of seven Wimbledon titles on his way to 14 Grand Slam titles. Serve-and-volley tennis, featuring pinpoint one-handed backhand volleys, anchored his game.
What are the pros and cons of the one-handed backhand? "You lose a little on the return of serve on the high backhand, but you have more reach, and you can slice it and come in. You have more consistency with the two-hander, especially on the return of serve," he said.
Fans should get a look at Sampras' famed backhand volley next Sunday (Sept. 23) when he opposes four-time Grand Slam winner Jim Courier at 3 p.m. in a "Legends of Tennis" exhibition at the North Charleston Coliseum.
Sampras still plays well enough to dominate the Champions Cup tour, which is made up of former pro stars. He is unbeaten on the circuit since joining it in 2007. He is even scheduled to play Federer in two exhibitions, one Nov. 22 in Malaysia and another at New York's Madison Square Garden in March.
While Sampras points out proudly that he still hits his serve well and that because of the new technology and strings his groundstrokes are maybe even better than when he played the ATP Tour, it's his serve-and-volley game that usually takes the most fine-tuning before playing in events.
Of course, serve-and-volley tennis is built around speed, movement and timing. Those are the things that are impacted most by age.
"I hit the ball probably better today than in my prime because of the new technology," Sampras said. "But I don't move quite as well. The serve is still one of the things I do really well, but my serve-and-volley is not quite as sharp. If you don't do it often (play serve-and-volley), you can look a little silly. I have to serve-and-volley a lot if I want to play at a high level.
"If I play two or three days in a row, it helps. (Sam) Querrey and Roger (Federer) came through L.A., and we played some tiebreakers. I was holding serve and he (Federer) was holding serve."
Sampras, now 36, and his actress wife, Bridgette Wilson, live in Beverly Hills with their two young sons, "about 40 minutes" from his parents' home in Palos Verdes.
After spending next weekend in Charleston (he arrives Saturday), Sampras will head for Charlotte to compete the following week in the Championships at The Palisades.
Source: Charleston.net 9/18/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Malaysia -The "Clash of Times" Tickets on Sale Tomorrow|:||:|1190087942|:|
PETALING JAYA, Malaysia (Sept 14, 2008) - Tickets for the "Clash of Times" event featuring world number one and 12-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer against tennis legend Pete Sampras will go on sale tomorrow.
Tickets for the exhibition match are priced between RM83 to RM443.
The classic showdown will take place on Nov 22 at the Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam.
Another match to look forward to is the one featuring world number two and three-time French Open champion Rafael Nadal against France's top player and Wimbledon semi-finalist Richard Gasquet on Nov 20.
Tickets for this match are priced between RM83 to RM403.
"We are expecting a big demand for tickets. We expect a sell-out," said Lincoln Venancio, managing director of Entertainment Group Limited, the organisers for the event.
"The two greats have played once before with Federer prevailing in a close five-set match at Wimbledon which marked the beginning of the end of the Sampras era and the start of Federer's domination of the sport," said Venancio.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion and holder of 14 Grand Slam titles "Pistol" Pete will confront the Federer "Express" in a 12,000-seat arena on a medium speed indoor carpet at 8pm.
Tickets will be available through Ticketpro at +603 7880 7999, www.ticketpro.com.my and www.Entertainment-Group-Ltd.com. 9/11/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Appreciate Federer, like Sampras does|:||:|1189477778|:|
Excerpts from AP news
Sept. 10, 2007
On Roger closing in on his record
"I did all I could do in the '90s, and I really thought the 14 would be tough to beat. Little did I know Roger would come along and dominate the way he has - and that could last a while longer," Pete Sampras said Monday in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.
"If there's a player and a person that I'd like to see break this, it would be Roger. He's a great guy. Lets his racket do the talking. One of those humble champions I like."
"I won't be disappointed - it's more respect than anything. Would I like my record to last forever? Of course. But records are made to be broken," Sampras said. "He'll win a ton more. Motivation will be his biggest hurdle, but he could win 17, 18 majors the way he's going, if he's healthy."
"I knew he was extremely talented then - a lot of power, didn't have holes in his game," Sampras said. "He figured it out kind of how I figured it out in my early 20s. Then, the way he started winning majors pretty much with ease, I just accepted that he was going to break my record."
On their upcoming XO's in Asia this November and next year at Madison Square Garden.
"I still serve well. Roger's Roger. It's going to hopefully be competitive tennis," Sampras said. "We both wanted to do it because our names have been linked and will be linked for the next couple of years." 9/11/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras gets testy in Tiburon exhibition match|:||:|1189476302|:|
By: Dave Albee
09/10/2007 - There may be some premature baldness developing on the top of his head and the timing in his tennis game is off right now, but make no mistake that Pete Sampras, at age 36, still loves to win more than the next guy. Chair umpire Larry McMullen ought to know.
Although Sampras was playing a fun and relaxed exhibition match Sunday during the Alumni Legends Cup in Tiburon, the retired 14-time Grand Slam singles champion became annoyed when, in the seventh game of the first set, his opponent - talented 19-year-old Sam Querrey - hit a backhand down the line that a linesman ruled in. Sampras thought the shot was closer to Mill Valley than in and asked McMullen to overrule.
He didn't.
"Are you embarrassed? You should be embarrassed," said Sampras, turning serious. Then Pistol Pete walked to the sideline below the umpire's chair to towel off and let off some steam."I don't get pissed off much, but that pissed me off," Sampras snapped at McMullen.
So there you have it. Sampras came to Tiburon to get tested and he got testy instead.
"No respect out there," Sampras joked later.
He's not kidding.
While Sampras' next opponent, Roger Federer, took the stage at Arthur Ashe Court in the U.S. Open dressed in black Sunday in front of a packed house and national television audience, Sampras appeared in a white shirt and white Dusty Baker-sized wristbands on the stadium court at the Tiburon Peninsula Club in front of a crowd that was closer to 1,000 than the 2,000 the facility holds. That's a shame. The Oakland Raiders, arguably the worst team in professional football, manage to attract a sellout crowd on Sundays while Sampras, arguably the greatest tennis player ever, couldn't fill the place in a tennis-mad area.
Well, they missed quite an exhibition. After that controversial call, Sampras fought off nine set points to win that game. He eventually lost the first set 6-4, but he won the next set 7-6 by winning the tiebreaker 7-2. But, in the decisive 10-point match tiebreaker, the 6-foot-6 Querrey prevailed 10-6.
"That's fun for me because there's no greater challenge for me to go out and play someone who's half my age," Sampras said. "He's (ranked) 48th in the world he's just going to get better and better. To play at that level is a big challenge for me to keep up."
In all fairness, Querrey has beaten several players in the top 25 this year (James Blake, Tommy Haas, Mikhail Youzny and Juan Monaco) and Sampras hasn't been playing or practicing regularly since he retired from competitive tennis in 2005. He's been busy golfing while raising two boys with his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson. He's not in his best tennis shape.
"I'm like an old beat-up truck," Sampras quipped.
If so, the exterior may be a tad rusty and the tires may have less tread, but the motor still has some get up and go. Sampras' serve has some sting left and his forehand still has some zip. After his exhibition singles match, he teamed with TPC pro Brandon Coupe, who recently was named assistant coach at Stanford, in a doubles match against Querrey and 24-year-old Pablo Pires de Almeida of Fairfax. Sampras and Coupe won 12-10, 10-3 in a pair of tiebreakers.
OK, so Sampras wasn't exactly Wimbledon-ready. He grunted to get to some balls and he popped up one service return that landed beyond the grandstand in a clump of trees. Consider it his mulligan for the day.
"I kind of surprise myself every now and again," Sampras said. "At the same time, I see myself missing (shots) a little more, like today. It's like I'm old now."
Old enough, albeit, to take on the undisputed king of the court, the 26-year-old Federer, the man who is two Grand Slam titles from tying Sampras' record. They will play a series of three exhibition matches five days apart, beginning on Nov. 20 in Seoul, South Korea. They're talking about doing some exhibitions in the U.S, too, after they earn what Sampras said was some "Christmas money" playing each other in Asia.
"I don't know what to expect," Sampras said. "I think initially the first couple of games I'll be like a caged lion, trying to hold my own a little bit. But I practiced with him (at Sampras' house in L.A. for two days earlier this year) and I held my own - I hope to be competitive. I don't want to embarrass myself. I want to go out and play well."
Evidently, Sampras played well enough against his opponent Sunday that Querry is ready to bet his Christmas bonus that Federer will have his hands full.
"I'd be surprised if Pete didn't take him out," said Querrey, who was living in Santa Rosa when Sampras beat Boris Becker in 1995 to win Wimbledon then beat Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open finals the same year.
That, of course, assumes that Sampras is going to start training hard and playing more than two or three times a week against some college kids.
"Mentally I'm fine," Sampras said. "Physically I'm actually OK, but tennis-wise I'm just not as sharp."
That's the main reason Sampras came to play in Tiburon, where the first Alumni Legends Cup was won by Stanford, which defeated UCLA 6-1 in the finals. Competing against Querrey in a competitive environment was a test for Sampras to gauge where he stands for the "true test" when he plays Federer.
How did Sampras grade himself Sunday?
"Seven and half," he said on a scale of 1-to-10. "If you balanced it out, the linesmen were about a two."
Source: Marinji.com 9/10/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras - Roger Federer Exhibition Match at Madison Square Garden|:||:|1189435648|:|
In the post match presscon of Roger Federer, he has confirmed an exhibition match with Pete Sampras at the Madison Square Garden on March 10, 2008.
8/21/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video Link to ESPN Interview (updated link)|:||:|1187713199|:|
A two-part interview of Pete Sampras by ESPN.
PART ONE
PART TWO
7/27/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras shows his playful side|:||:|1185504185|:|
By Kathleen Nelson, St Louis Post
July 25, 2007
Tennis has crept back into the life of Pete Sampras since he retired almost five years ago.
He dipped his toe back in a year ago, playing a limited schedule of World TeamTennis. He returned for a second season with the Newport Beach (Calif.) Breakers, who lost 22-18 to the Aces before a sellout crowd of 2,000 Tuesday night at Dwight Davis Tennis Center in the final match of the season.
"I was pretty rusty last year," Sampras said. "But I've been pretty consistent this year, playing more events."
Last year's foray led to appearances this spring with the Champions Series and a return to team tennis for four matches with the Breakers.
"I want to play well, but I can be a little more lighthearted, have fun with fans," Sampras said. "I still want to serve well. When people come to see me play, they want a taste of what it used to be like."
Sampras showed his playful side, voicing mock displeasure with the musical selection. "Is this the 1980s?" he said and ripped an ace, one of three against Andy Ram.
The public address announcer responded: "Do you have any requests, Pete?"
Sampras defeated Ram in the opening set 5-3, but he and Rick Leach lost 5-4 in men's doubles to Ram and Jonathan Erlich.
"Young guys playing in team tennis are a little more eager, a little more hungry. I don't know their games as well," Sampras said. "As a result, I'm not playing all that well. I'm playing OK."
Sampras played a lot better than OK in his 15-year career, winning a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles. He finished six consecutive seasons ranked No. 1 and was in the top 10 for 12 straight years.
His body of work earned him a spot in the International Tennis Hall of Fame. Sampras, 35, spent much of the induction ceremony two weeks ago in tears.
"It gets pretty emotional reflecting on your career, your life staring you in the face," he said.
Sampras' schedule has changed from the first few years following his retirement, which were devoted to sharpening his golf and poker skills, playing husband to Bridgette Wilson and dad to his sons, Ryan, 2, and Christian, 4.
"When I first retired, I didn't want to see tennis, didn't want to read about tennis, didn't want to play tennis," he said. "But after being away from it, I've enjoyed playing. I've enjoyed watching. There's still a part of me that misses Wimbledon or the U.S. Open. But I'm very content with my life today, playing a little tennis, my wife and two kids."
Sampras will take one more break from family life this year for a three-match exhibition series with Roger Federer, scheduled for November in Asia.
"I'm looking to make it competitive. He's in his prime; I'm way past my prime," Sampras said. "I think it's good for the game that he and I can still compete. It gives the sport something to talk about, and that's good for the game. I'm still competitive enough that people want to watch."
After Sampras' win in singles, the Aces' Jasmin Woehr dispatched Lauren Albanese 5-1 in women's singles. The Aces (5-9) extended their lead to 13-9 when Ram and Woehr defeated Leach and Michaela Pastikova 5-3 in mixed doubles. The Breakers (3-10) trimmed the lead to 17-14 in women's doubles, when Albanese and Pastikova beat Woehr and Aleke Tsoubanos 5-4.
Source: St Louis Today 7/27/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Jet sets for Pete - Sampras, Courier play new venue|:||:|1185503172|:|
By: Rikki N. Massand, amNewYork
July 27, 2007
For once, Pete Sampras' serve wasn't the fastest thing at a tennis match.
With Maseratis and a private jet parked outside an airport-hangar-turned-court, Sampras beat longtime rival Jim Courier, 7-5, 7-5, in a spirited exhibition match.
A crowd of affluent onlookers cheered the players on at Farmingdale's Republic Airport on Thursday, just four weeks before the kickoff of the U.S. Open.
The American greats renewed their 1990s rivalry on a blue court that occupied the parking spot of a not-yet- released Hawker 4000 jet owned by Talon Air, the luxury charter airline that sponsored the event.
Sampras, 35, and Courier, 36, met in eight Grand Slam finals in the 1990s, and Sampras won six of their meetings. But this wasn't the dazzling Pistol Pete of old; Sampras relied on his veteran poise to contain his opponent.
Courier had little trouble keeping up with Sampras' serves, but Sampras had the upper hand during longer exchanges, when Courier's returns tended to smack into the net or launch out of bounds.
Courier founded the Outback Champions Series tour for retired tennis greats in 2005. Sampras, who retired after winning his record 14th major title at Flushing Meadows in 2002, returned to action this year on Courier's tour, winning tournaments in Boston and Athens.
"I know the fans have really embraced seeing him go out and compete again," Courier said of Sampras.
"It's one thing to go out and be out of shape and just show up, but Pete's really competing and he's focused when he plays because he's playing against guys that he respects."
Sampras is ranked No. 1 on the Outback tour with 1600 points, while Courier is fourth with 850.
Source: amNewYork 7/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Clash of the tennis titans at JPJ Arena|:||:|1185253636|:|
Even with his retirement, Pete Sampras never seemed destined for a Hertz commercial, potbelly hanging over red-and-blue plaid shorts.
With polite applause and equally reserved chuckles (mostly at, against or with Sampras’ opponent, John McEnroe), Charlottesville tennis fans got a glimpse of the really and truly athletic-yet-retired Sampras on Friday at the John Paul Jones Arena, which had traded its golden hardwood for a Smurf-blue tennis surface.
The place provided an intimate setting for the “Serving up Aces” exhibition, and the 4,000 or so fans seemed to like what they got from two of the greatest American tennis players of all time.
Both players moved well, hitting deft volleys and often finishing off long rallies with a flourish. And fans received the long match they wanted. It seemed at any point that Sampras could will the match over, but it went the distance: Sampras won 6-3, 6-7 (5), 10-8. The last set was a tiebreaker, first to 10 points.
There was McEnroe, lefty specialist known just as much for his temper as his tennis prowess, looking at lines, guffawing at umpires and turning white-haired umps even whiter. From the beginning, it was clear McEnroe would have an uphill battle: At 36, Sampras is 12 years McEnroe’s junior.
“[McEnroe] has his fans - they’re a unique group,” said Bill Farris, a Sampras fan. “If he hadn’t done something along those lines, they would have been disappointed.”
It was clear, though, that both players were there to play, not just entertain. McEnroe asked, quite firmly and with a prominent scowl, for folks to stop talking during his serve, instructions relayed by the umpire.
Likely on his mind were the two previous defeats he suffered at the hands of Sampras on the exhibition tour and maybe even the three before that when both were on the pro circuit. Sampras showed off his serve, battling back, in one game, from a 40-love deficit with classic Sampras poise and the big-gun serve.
The two famously played in the 1990 U.S. Open, with McEnroe getting a set off the still-budding Sampras but falling in the end. For those who remember that match and the two greats, they saw what they remembered – minus a few mph’s on the serve and plus a millimeter in bald spot. But there was Pistol Pete, the all-time leader in Grand Slam wins, looking pensively at his strings, the stoic face mysteriously contemplating whatever it is Sampras contemplates. There was Mac, yelling an occasional expletive and throwing the occasional racket.
“We want to see the big serve,” said Thomas Meert, 19, talking about Sampras. “And he’s not that old, if you think about it.”
Source: Daily Progress 7/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Tennis legends entertain|:||:|1185253349|:|
By Lorenzo Perez, News & Observer
July 22, 2007
RALEIGH - The fans began to whistle and clap, anticipating a vintage 1980 tantrum from John McEnroe when the line umpire sat motionless. McEnroe had allowed Pete Sampras' volley return to bounce past uncontested, anticipating it would be ruled out.
Yet none of the umpires at Saturday's exhibition match were going to be swayed merely by the glare from a fiery Hall of Fame tennis player.
The glare never ignited past a few muttered complaints and the 48-year-old McEnroe proved more eager to play for laughs and the appreciation of a modest RBC Center crowd there to witness two of the greatest American tennis players compete.
The volleys were shorter, the serves several ticks slower on the radar gun, but a graying McEnroe and a slightly balding Sampras entertained the fans with a three-set performance that offered glimpses of their masterful touch around the net.
Sampras, 35, outlasted McEnroe, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, closing his victory with a signature ace. Yet it was McEnroe, less than 12 hours after the duo had competed in an earlier exhibition match in Charlottesville, Va., who came out with the early fire.
McEnroe cruised to a 5-2 lead in the first set, lunging and grunting and celebrating winning shots with a quick fist pump or two. Sampras, who won 14 career Grand Slam titles and who was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame earlier this month, appeared happy to play straight man much of the match to McEnroe, the crowd favorite.
Yet it was Sampras clowning around late, offering his racket to a ball boy for a point and pulling the glasses off an umpire to wipe them off when an apparent McEnroe ace in the third set was ruled out.
The low-stakes match offered the feel of friendly dinner theater. Saturday's match lured about 5,500 fans, and the clink of glasses from the club level bar, the chirping of cell phones and loud smacks of gum-chewing fans all ricocheted around the arena.
At one point, McEnroe stopped his serve just before his swing, disrupted by the loud crying of a young child seated nearby. The cries did little to disrupt McEnroe, who ripped an ace past Sampras as soon as the child calmed down.
Following his formal retirement in 2003, Sampras went about three years before returning to play exhibitions and in select World TeamTennis summer events. Sampras was unavailable for comment after Saturday's match, but in a July 3 teleconference, he said he has been practicing at least three times a week the last six months.
"It's amazing what a little bit of practice will do for you, so my tennis has gotten a little bit better, he said."
Good enough to edge past the still game McEnroe, who picked his spots to chase down Sampras' volleys and nail winning volleys down the lines.
Yet there was no luck for McEnroe in either his three-set match with Sampras, nor in two, 10-point doubles matches with area ACC players. In a mixed doubles match, McEnroe and North Carolina's Sara Anundsen lost 10-8 to Sampras and incoming Duke freshman Reka Zsilinszka. Paired then with N.C. State rising senior David Rozek, McEnroe lost to Sampras and former State player Will Shaw.
Moments before that final loss, a heckler screamed, "Mac, you gotta win something!"
The crowd groaned and booed the fan's comment, but McEnroe merely turned his back to the heckler, bent over and slowly pulled his shorts down for a half-moon glimpse of his underwear. Judging from the applause and roars of laughter that followed, the crowd had been waiting all afternoon for the real McEnroe to arrive.
Source: News & Observer
7/21/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|For Sampras, it all began here|:||:|1185032287|:|
The tennis great, back for a WTT match, won his first pro title in Phila.
By Zach Berman, Philadelphia Inquirer
Jul. 20, 2007 - Pete Sampras drove by the stadium area on South Broad Street after arriving in Philadelphia on Wednesday night, saw the skyline in the distance, and was taken back in time.
Sampras won his first professional championship in Philadelphia in 1990. The win launched one of the most prolific tennis careers in history.
"This is when I went from a young guy ranked 40 to a guy ranked 12th in the world to a couple of months later winning the U.S. Open," Sampras said. "This is a city that was my first time, and I'll always remember that."
He was back in Philadelphia with the Newport Beach Breakers for a World TeamTennis match last night. The Freedoms beat the visitors, 25-16, at Cabrini College in Radnor.
A sellout crowd of 2,500 watched Frederic Niemeyer defeat Sampras in men's singles, 5-4, and team with Daniel Nestor to beat Sampras and Rick Leach, 5-2, in men's doubles.
Sampras, who will turn 36 next month, is playing in his second season of WTT. He retired in 2003 and was inducted into the tennis Hall of Fame last weekend.
During his 15-year career, Sampras won a record 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles. He was a model of consistency and remained stoic, never the showman like other tennis greats Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi. But after his retirement and remarkable career, the appreciation for Sampras is growing.
"I'm probably more appreciated the last couple of years than I was in my prime, but that's probably longevity and people finally got a hold of it and saw there was something pretty special," Sampras said.
Sampras said he has not changed - just his life has. He is married to actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and has witnessed a different professional tennis landscape in his absence. There are few American stars, and as No. 1 Roger Federer draws closer to Sampras' records, tennis fans are noticing exactly how impressive those records are.
The validation of his storied career came Saturday in Newport, R.I., when Sampras was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame. During his induction speech, he displayed emotion seldom seen in his career. Sampras was brought to tears throughout the speech and drew applause each time.
Sampras said he was brought back to his days as a child playing tennis and junior competition. He realized exactly how much he had achieved in his career, beginning with that first win in Philadelphia.
"For the first time in many years - maybe my whole career - I appreciated what I was able to do," Sampras said. "It hit me when I was there, when I saw my display, the history of the game, having my folks there. It was a pretty emotional couple of days. It hit me when I was speaking that it's a big part of my life, tennis, and it always will be."
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer 7/21/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras edges McEnroe at U.Va.|:||:|1185032092|:|
July 20, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE -- Pete Sampras outlasted John McEnroe 6-3, 6-7 (5-7), 1-0 (10-8) Friday night in a charity exhibition at the University of Virginia's John Paul Jones Arena.
7/20/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras one to savor |:||:|1184907516|:|
By Brian, Ettkin
July 19, 2007 -- This is how it always should've been: Pete Sampras as most popular guy in the room, every seat taken because everyone's come to see him. All those years he was brandishing a tennis racket as masterfully as a Jedi Knight swings his light saber, Sampras should've been a magnet for tennis fans, an irresistible attraction.
He had all the pull Wednesday night, people who'd never set foot in Schenectady's Central Park, much less attended a World TeamTennis match here, trying to score Buzz tickets that were all accounted for.
Pete Sampras should be nearly as iconic a sports figure as Tiger Woods. But he's not, in part because he was stolid Tim Duncan when people wished he had a little ill-tempered Rasheed Wallace in him.
He was known for decency and consistent excellence, not flamboyance and spiking emotions, and for that the British tabloids christened him Sourpras.
Jimmy Connors used obscenities to tell umpires to do things that seemed anatomically impossible. John McEnroe threw more tantrums than a class of preschoolers. Both were as volatile as Kilauea. They were showmen and street fighters, puckish and glib. They didn't dominate the show. They became the show.
Sampras wasn't merely his predecessors' equal; he was better than them, the best player of his time, if not all time. He dominated tennis like Woods now lords over golf. Fourteen Grand Slam singles titles. Seven Wimbledon singles championships. Six year-end No. 1 rankings. A 203-38 record in majors. Sampras should've been beloved for it. But he wasn't, because of this:
He was a gentleman.
"You have to understand I went right after Connors and McEnroe and (Ivan) Lendl," Sampras said. "Those guys hated each other. They had personality -- some great, some not so great. It depends what kind of fan you are and I was right after those guys. Part of the press wanted me to be a nice guy and part of the press wanted me to be a jerk, so I couldn't win. But I wasn't going to compromise any of that to market myself or to make more money. I was going to be true to who I was and how I was raised and I wasn't going to change for more marketing or more notoriety."
Fans admired but didn't embrace him. They respected his vaporous serves and thunderous forehands, how he focused like a laser beam to close out matches and covered a tennis court as completely as a tarp. They marveled at his supremacy, but they didn't enjoy it.
He was the foil in the Agassi-Sampras rivalry. Fans gravitated toward Andre Agassi because he was the rebel who later in life found his desire and cause. It wasn't until age, injuries and defeats made Sampras seem more human than automaton that fans warmed to him. They rooted for the 31-year-old Sampras and 32-year-old Agassi equally in the 2002 U.S. Open final, when Sampras improbably won his 14th and final Grand Slam singles title as the 17th seed.
Before fans pulled Sampras closer to their breastbone, they needed additional time and perspective. Not all sports greats are fully appreciated at the peak of their powers. Only in retirement did Muhammad Ali become a universally beloved figure. Only when he no longer played Goliath did we more fully understand and appreciate Wilt Chamberlain. We didn't much care for Jack Nicklaus when he was pulling the throne out from under Arnold Palmer; we like him just fine now.
"I think as you get older and in the last couple years when I was losing a little bit more people started to cling on to me," Sampras said. "But in my prime when I was No. 1 and winning majors pretty handily I wasn't controversial, I wasn't outspoken, so maybe I didn't get that sort of media attention that some of the guys in some other sports might get.
"I was understated, I was pretty humble when it came to breaking records."
He still is. When Buzz owner Nitty Singh spoke to the crowd between matches and called Sampras the best player of all time, Sampras corrected her.
He was only one of the greatest, Sampras said.
How could we not appreciate Sampras' humility -- or him?
"As I got older ... being retired a certain appreciation has happened that I was a great player, and the way I did it was a positive thing," Sampras said.
He would lose his singles match and win his men's doubles match Wednesday night, his backhand betraying him, his game and fitness now tailored to his retirement, but it didn't matter.
The fans were his.
Source: Times Union 7/18/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Video Link to Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony|:||:|1184778721|:|
Video link to the induction ceremony -
WCSN.com
7/16/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras makes appearance in New City|:||:|1184588287|:|
By Harold Gutmann, The Journal News
July 16, 2007
NEW CITY - He might have just been inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, but yesterday Pete Sampras could have passed for a USTA player just trying to finish a match.
The rain came down on the clay courts of Dellwood Country Club, but Sampras continued his exhibition match with Justin Gimelstob, even as spectators fled the stands to find shelter.
"A Hall of Famer playing in the rain!" shouted Gimelstob, as the remaining crowd voiced its approval.
The downpour eventually became too much, and play was stopped after Gimelstob won the first set 6-1 and Sampras was leading the second set 4-1. While the match was brief - 45 minutes, including a 10-minute stoppage for an earlier shower - more than $100,000 was raised for charity, and local tennis fans got a chance to see a legend.
"It was just nice to see him play since he retired," said Steve Kastens of Suffern, one of 980 ticketholders. "I know it's not his favorite surface (clay). He had to work out the cobwebs in the first set, and in the second set he began hitting the ball beautifully."
Sampras came to New City to play an exhibition match against Gimelstob, his hitting partner in Los Angeles, as part of the Kennedy Funding Invitational tennis tournament. Tickets were sold at $100 for the event, with the proceeds going to the Breast Care Centers at Englewood (N.J.) and Nyack hospitals. Organizers continued the fundraising efforts right to the end - while the players were warming up, tournament co-director Mitch Klein auctioned off a picture with Sampras ($2,600) and Gimelstob's racket ($900).
Combined with the money raised during the men's and women's tournaments, more than $500,000 will be given to the two hospitals.
"I'm happy to be a part of it. I'm happy to help," said Sampras, who is on the board of the Revlon/UCLA Breast Center and has lost two aunts to the disease. "Breast cancer is something that's been a part of my family. It's a tough disease, and I'm just happy to help out a little bit and play a little tennis."
His appearance capped an event that drew six players ranked in the top 100 and issued $250,000 in prize money over the past five days.
"This was way past my wildest dreams," co-director James Miller said. "From a charity contribution, the tennis tournament, everything. The amazing thing is, at all times people just keep saying what can't be done, and I've never let it stop me. I am beyond blown away right now."
After playing a set against Todd Martin for a Hall of Fame exhibition in Newport, R.I., yesterday morning, Sampras flew into Westchester County Airport and Gimelstob picked him up and drove him to Dellwood. Only in the locker room before the match did he find out he would be competing on clay.
"He beat me on every other surface. He should have a chance to do it on clay," said Gimelstob, who lived up to his billing as the most quotable person on tour with his frequent dialogue during the match.
Sampras said it was the first time in his career that he had played on two surfaces in one day, and he didn't look comfortable until the end. In the first game of the second set, Sampras started out with two double faults, then hit two aces, then double-faulted again before finally winning the game with an ace.
Sampras has played events for World TeamTennis and Jim Courier's senior tour and will face Roger Federer in an exhibition November in Hong Kong, leading to speculation he is planning a comeback.
"When I was ready to retire, it was emotional. I had nothing left in my heart to keep going," said Sampras, who didn't play for three years after his retirement. "After that decompression, I missed the sport a little bit. I feel like I was getting a bit restless just playing golf and staying home a lot. I decided to really open myself up and play more exhibitions. That's what I'm looking for - nothing stressful. I can dictate my schedule, where before tennis really dictated my life. It's a good place to be."
And for the first time, that place happened to be Rockland County.
"I'm a dreamer, always have been, and this is my dream," Miller said. "What we had today is what I've been dreaming about for the past five years." 7/16/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Charity wins, thanks to Sampras and Laver|:||:|1184588033|:|
By: Mike Szostak, Providence Journal
July 16, 2007
NEWPORT - A broken string and two Hall of Fame autographs netted the Tim and Tom Gullikson Foundation $55,000 yesterday.
Pete Sampras, inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, returned yesterday morning to play a singles exhibition against Todd Martin in the opening match of the Hall of Fame Classic.
When he broke a string on the only racket he had, someone handed him a Rod Laver wood racket, and he won a few points with it before using a more up-to-date model.
Sampras later signed his racket and Laver, who was on hand for the event, autographed his, and the bidding began. The two racquets sold for $55,000. A Hall of Fame official could not provide information on the winning bidder.
Sampras defeated Martin, 7-5.
In a mixed doubles match, Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, also inducted Saturday, and Martin defeated local favorite Jill Craybas and former touring pro Richey Renneberg, 3-1.
And in a doubles exhibition, Tom Gullikson, who won the Hall of Fame championship at 33 in 1985, his only singles title on the ATP tour, and former pro Brian Gottfried, defeated Paul Annacone, Sampras's ex-coach, and Hall of Famer Stan Smith, 3-1.
The event drew a crowd of 3,671. Proceeds benefited the Hall of Fame and the Gullikson Foundation, which supports programs for brain tumor patients and their families.
Jordan Kerr of Australia and Jim Thomas of the U.S. won their third consecutive Hall of Fame doubles title yesterday, 6-3, 7-5, over Nathan Healey of Australia and Igor Kunitsyn of Russia.
The top-seeded team of Wesley Moodie of South Africa and Fabrice Santoro of France withdrew after the first round to concentrate on singles. Santoro won the singles title, beating Moodie in the semifinals.
"We talked about it, and I think it was a good decision," Santoro said.
Despite the lack of big names, the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships continue to be a popular draw. The Saturday and Sunday sessions were sold out, and the Hall of Fame Classic yesterday morning was sold out. Total attendance for the week was 22,132. 7/15/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Induction for Sampras an honor, and relief|:||:|1184489823|:|
By Bud Collins, Boston Globe
July 15, 2007
NEWPORT, R.I. -- Pete Sampras and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario were in town, gracing the Casino, the elder among the planet's tennis parlors. No, they weren't making comebacks. Rather, they were coming into new roles among the game's immortals, tapped for hard-earned, lofty membership in the International Tennis Hall of Fame, along with Sven Davidson and Russ Adams.
This was the time, every second Saturday of July, when the past upstages the present. Semifinals of the Jimmy Van Alen Cup, the lone grass-court presentation of the ATP Tour in the US, went on as billed. But for a day, a glorious, sunny, and seabreezy afternoon, the tournament was overshadowed by the Fame Class of '07, appearing to collect their reward for bygone greatness. (Other than Adams, a 77-year-old Reading, Mass., resident continuing his photographic artistry, they are out of the tennis business.)
They'll be playing Gaul ball for the championship today, an unprecedented all-French final that pits serve-and-volleying No. 83 Nicolas Mahut against No. 68 Fabrice Santoro. A strong finish gave Mahut a 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 6-2 decision over 36-year-old Belgian lefty Dick Norman.
A clever trickster, double-handed both ways, Santoro used his wiles -- spins and angles -- to subdue South African Wesley Moodie, 7-6 (7-2), 6-3, to attain his first final since winning Dubai five years ago.
As the coolest cat ever to prowl Centre Court, seizing a record seven Wimbledon titles, humble Pete choked on the Casino lawn, overcome by the occasion. His acceptance speech, written for a five-minute distance, seemed more like five sets -- "six sets," laughed his father, Sam Sampras. Punctuated by sobs, blank intervals, gulps, and disjointed sentences, it ran 25 nervous minutes.
"By far the hardest time I've had on a tennis court," Pete was finally able to smile. Here was Pete Sampras, he of the mesmerizing running forehand, explosive serve-and-volley, and 64 singles titles, stumbling on the doorstep to Fame. "It was tough without a racket."
"You got all day, baby!" came one sympathetic voice from the full-house congregation of 3,781. Numerous calls of "We love you, Pete!" tried to help him in the emotional meltdown.
Besides his Wimbledons, Sampras has five US and two Australian titles for a record total of 14 majors. He has "no idea how or why" he got into tennis. "I was 7, and picked up an old racket that was in the house, and started to hit a ball against a wall. I had hand-eye coordination and liked it. My dad said I could have some lessons."
That was 1978. Twelve years later he was the youngest US champion, but not settled in. Losing his crown in the quarters a year later, he expressed "relief" from the pressure at the defeat by Jim Courier, and was mercilessly knocked by Jimmy Connors. "At first I resented it," Pete says, "but then I thought it was true -- I wasn't tough enough and had to work harder. Losing the 1992 US final to Stefan Edberg was a wake-up call. I gave up in the fourth set. It hurt. That loss changed my life. I went to work, determined to be No. 1."
Which he was for the following six years, also a record. "It was lonely at the top. Week in and week out I was everybody's target. Not much offseason. It was stressful, but worth it. I had a lot of great moments, but my last year [2002] had maybe the high and low."
Sanchez Vicario, the vivacious "Barcelona Bumblebee," was proud to be the first Spanish woman in the Hall, and the second Spaniard, following Manolo Santana [Class of '84]. And, she said, one of the few Famers able to make such a statement, "I won a championship on this court." In 1990, as an 18-year-old, she beat Jo Durie to win the Casino's female tourney.
Arantxa, winner of the French in 1989, 1994, and 1998, and the US in 1994, plus 11 doubles majors, was justifiably pleased by her completeness: 29 singles, 67 doubles prizes. "I'm glad that my year, this year, is the first year for equal prize money at the four majors."
Lesser known, Davidson, who turned 79 Friday, was the first Swede to win a major, the French of 1957. A longtime winner of European titles, he bore up graciously though seriously ill. Dignified in acknowledging his selection, Sven introduced a poignant note, saying, "I have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's."
This was all new to Adams, the small-town guy out of Spencer, Mass., who trotted the world to make memorable tennis pictures. Having photographed innumerable players since 1955, and all the Hall of Famers, he was now on the other side, the subject of a platoon of lensfolk.
He said, "I was ignorant of the game at first, didn't know how to keep score. Somebody wanted me to take a picture of a player volleying, and I said, 'What's a volley?' But I had to learn. I think the New England Juniors at Longwood was my first tournament. Mrs. Wightman [the grand dame of tennis then, Hazel Wightman] took me under her wing. She stood beside me beside the court, and jabbed me with an elbow when she thought I should shoot."
Nobody has to jab anymore. He's fond of a shot at the US Open of 1968: "Arthur Ashe and his father, hugging and crying after Arthur unexpectedly won his initial major."
Source: Boston Globe 7/15/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Youtube: Hall of Fame Interview|:||:|1184475611|:|
Video from jsnapple.
7/15/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras lauded with Tennis Hall of Fame honour |:||:|1184473761|:|
NEWPORT, United States (AFP) - American legend Pete Sampras, who captured a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, was inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame here on Saturday.
The 35-year-old American headlined the class of 2007 which also featured Spain's Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, a three-time winner at the French Open and Sven Davidson, the first Swedish player to win a Grand Slam title at Roland Garros in 1957. Photographer Russ Adams, who covered the sport for 50 years, was also inducted.
Considered one of the greatest players in the men's game, Sampras won a record 14 Grand Slams, including seven at Wimbledon.
The youngest winner in the history of the US Open at 19 in 1990, the Californian also won five titles at Flushing Meadows and two more at the Australian Open.
However, it was his failure to reach the top at the French Open that has kept the 35-year-old Sampras from being thought of as the best ever.
Along with his Grand Slam success, Sampras held the world No. 1 ranking for a record 286 weeks, including a streak of 102 weeks that has been bettered by only Federer.
In all, Sampras finished with 64 singles titles, including five from the season-ending ATP World Championships - a record he shares with Ivan Lendl.
Sampras also played eight years for the United States Davis Cup team.
The first Spanish woman to win the US Open title in 1994, Sanchez-Vicario finished an 18-year career with a total of 14 Grand Slam titles, including 10 in doubles.
She was just one of four women to be ranked No. 1 in the world in both singles and doubles at the same time, accomplishing the feat on February 13, 1995.
Inducted as a Masters player, Davidson was the prominent singles champion for Sweden prior to the reign of the legendary Bjorn Borg.
He reached the final of the French Open in three straight years starting in 1955. He also won a doubles crown at Wimbledon in 1958.
7/15/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|New Hall of Famer Sampras learned from 1992 defeat|:||:|1184473566|:|
NEWPORT, R.I. (AP) — Despite 14 Grand Slam titles, it's a loss in the 1992 U.S. Open final that sticks with Pete Sampras.
"That's always the first match that comes to my mind," said Sampras, who recalled the turning point in his career Saturday before his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame along with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Sven Davidson and photographer Russ Adams.
After splitting the first two sets in the 1992 U.S. Open final, Sampras led 5-4 in the third against 2004 Hall of Famer Stefan Edberg before he double faulted on the first and last points of the game, eventually losing the set in a tiebreaker.
Sampras said he gave up in the fourth set and ended up losing 6-2.
"It changed my whole mentality, when I kind of gave up in that fourth set," he recalled during a morning press conference. "I just promised myself I would never let that happen again. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted to stay No. 1. That 1992 loss to Edberg was the wake-up call that I needed to really figure this thing out."
He did that, becoming the career leader with 14 Grand Slam singles titles that included seven Wimbledons, five U.S. Opens and two Australian Opens. Sampras was No. 1 in the world for a record 286 weeks, 102 straight from April 15, 1996, to March 30, 1998.
"My goal was to finish the year No. 1," Sampras said. "When each January started, it was, 'What do I need to do to be No. 1?"'
Sampras, who turns 36 next month, was known for his powerful serve and overhead smash. He captured his first U.S. Open at 19, the youngest man to win that title. He won his last major at the U.S. Open in 2002, joining Ken Rosewall as the only players in history to win Grand Slam events in their teens, 20s and 30s.
Sanchez-Vicario, a member of Spain's five Fed Cup winning teams, won three Grand Slam singles titles, including the French Open in 1989, when as a 17-year-old she upset 2004 Hall of Famer Steffi Graf — a match she recalled Saturday as her greatest moment.
Her 18-year career included 14 Grand Slam titles: four singles, six doubles and four mixed doubles. She was the first Spanish woman to capture the U.S. Open in 1994 to go along with her three French Open titles (1989, '94 and '98).
The 79-year-old Davidson was the first Swede to win a Grand Slam event, winning at Roland Garros in 1957 after losing in the French final in 1955 and '56.
"If I prepared myself for a tournament or a match, then I went out to fight," he said.
Adams, who turns 77 on July 30, was a face behind the lens, capturing pictures of tennis for 50 years.
His favorite moment?
"My next photograph," he said.
7/14/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras defined greatness|:||:|1184382892|:|
Peter Bodo, ESPN
July 12, 2007
Pete Sampras will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame this weekend, and with Wimbledon -- the tournament he won 7 times -- just concluded, it's as good a time as any to compare him to Roger Federer. After all, they seem to be engaged in a three-way faceoff for the GOAT (Greatest Player of All Time) title along with that iconic Aussie, Rod Laver.
Federer and Sampras are players from different molds -- more different than you might think, given the friendship they began to cultivate when Federer stopped by Pete's Beverly Hills digs a few months ago to whack a few balls and compare notes. As it turned out, there was more note comparing than ball whacking over the days they practiced. "We would hit some, " Pete told me a few weeks ago, while we were laying down tape for the forthcoming autobiography I am helping him write. "Then we'd stop and talk, asking each other how we handled different challenges and aspects of our careers."
Sampras and Federer stand with Laver in that line of men who embody good sportsmanship, reserve, and utmost fidelity to the game, rather than The Game (meaning celebrity, endorsements, the fast-lane lifestyle). And all three men were masters of restraint and self-control on a tennis court (if that strikes you as a coincidence, consider that another frequently mentioned contender for the GOAT title is Bjorn Borg, who was also like that, only moreso). But there the similarity ends.
Although Pistol Pete was as smooth as Federer and played a comparably elegant game, his brand of tennis was more economical (in every sense) and purpose-driven. Sampras has a clear idea of what he wanted to do on the court: dominate an opponent with his serve and use his approach and volleying skills to put pressure on his opponents. As his late coach Tim Gullickson often said, "It's like the Green Bay Packers power sweep. You know it's coming, but you can't do anything to stop it."
Federer, by contrast, seems more content to engage opponents on their own stylistic and technical turf, and beats them at their own games with his versatility and superb shotmaking. Where Sampras preferred to bore in and force the action (although he had other ways to get the job done), Federer prefers to hang back and let the action develop, as if each point is a moving, real-time quiz to which he always has the answers.
Sampras was essentially a power player with a great reservoir of skill; Federer is a skill player with a surprisingly deep fund of power. In that regard, Federer has more in common with Laver than his pal Pete, for The Rocket mastered more powerful players with guile and skill, not brute force. But at the end of the day, I think the power game executed at a high level trumps the skill game, although if Federer surpasses Sampras's Grand Slam title count I may have to re-think my position.
Source: ESPN 7/14/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to enter tennis' Hall of Fame on Saturday|:||:|1184379465|:|
The 14-time Grand Slam title winner tops an induction class that includes Sanchez-Vicario and Davidson.
By Lisa Dillman, LA Times
July 13, 2007 - There won't be any rambling John McEnroe-like induction speech — which has gone down in tennis' Hall of Fame lore for its long-and-winding soliloquy.
No, Pete Sampras didn't copy Mac in terms of court decorum, and he's not about to start now, even from behind the microphone. He'll keep it short and sweet, as simple as a Sampras point on grass.
"It's close to 10 minutes," Sampras said in an interview before his TeamTennis match Tuesday in Newport Beach. "I'm working on it. I'm done with it; now I've just got to deliver it — that's where my wife comes into play."
He's going to the professional. His wife, actress Bridgette Wilson will help him run the lines before today's ceremony at the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. And Sampras' longtime coach and friend Paul Annacone will be his presenter.
"It's basically saying thanks to my family, saying thanks to my wife, the coaches that have helped me over the years, how I've looked at the sport, what the sport has meant to me," he said. "And that's really it. It's just a time to say thanks to the people who have helped me get to where I wanted to be, and that was the Hall of Fame."
He headlines an illustrious induction class: Also going into the Hall of Fame will be Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain, a three-time French Open singles winner; Sven Davidson, the first Swede to win a Grand Slam tournament (the French in 1957) and photographer Russ Adams, who has been covering tennis for 50 years.
For the 35-year-old Sampras, it will be family and tennis world celebrating a remarkable career, which was hatched on Southern California hardcourts. The transformation was from a shy, skinny kid — he hit with a two-handed backhand in his early junior days — to the winner of a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles.
The 14 included seven Wimbledon championships. His final one on grass in the fading light against Patrick Rafter in 2000 and his last tournament, the U.S. Open victory against Andre Agassi in 2002, were the two he spoke about as being the most memorable.
"I never thought I'd win as many majors as I did," said Sampras, who won his first Slam, the U.S. Open, at 19. "As a kid, you dream about winning Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, but you never really think it's going to happen.... And by 23, I figured it out. I really felt like I'm going to be No. 1; I'm going to enjoy being No. 1."
He is realistic, though. Just two days after Roger Federer won his fifth consecutive Wimbledon title (and 11th Slam overall), Sampras didn't use the word if but said when Federer breaks his all-time mark.
The two men are planning to play exhibitions against each other in Asia later this year — a sign of the friendship that started in the spring when Federer sent Sampras a text message and asked him to hit with him.
"He was going to be in L.A. before Indian Wells, and I said, 'Let me check my schedule; let me see if I can find some room for you,' " Sampras said, joking. "He came by, and we hit for two days, and it was a lot of fun to not only hit with Roger, but to get to know him a little bit.
"We talked for two hours after one hit. He's a great guy; he's a funny guy. He's a young kid in a lot of ways. When he breaks my record, he's the type of person I'd like to see break it. In my opinion, he's what sports is all about."
Sampras could have been talking about himself. He'll be doing just that from the podium today.
"You know you kind of live your life taking care of your kids, and this gives me time to really stop everything and look back and appreciate what I've been able to do," he said. "You kind of lose sight of your identity at times, so this will be a chance to appreciate it."
Source: LA Times 7/14/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Serving some winners|:||:|1184379298|:|
By Bud Collins, Boston Globe
July 13, 2007
NEWPORT, R.I. -- He was a shy little kid with a big smile, both hands on his racket, patrolling the baseline and hoping for the best. The bests would come. Many of them -- but not before Pete Sampras spurted to 6 feet 3 inches, discarded the fashionable two-handed backhand, and established himself as a marauder who found a fortune and a record stash of major championships at the net.
A virtuoso of serve-and-volley, perhaps the last of that daring but vanishing breed, Sampras -- seven-time Wimbledon champion -- will be back on a grass court tomorrow, once more a winner. But no running necessary. This time, at Newport's venerable Casino, the Californian will be promoted to the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
As a member of the Hall's Class of '07, Sampras is accompanied by the "Barcelona Bumblebee," Spaniard Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, Swede Sven Davidson, and Massachusetts photographer Russ Adams. Their anointing precedes the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Tennis Championships stopover on the ATP Tour.
A 19-year-old in 1990, Sampras became the youngest US Open champ. "I didn't know what I was doing then," he says. "It just happened." That was the start of a string of majors ending at 14 in 2002 as he beat Andre Agassi to secure his fifth US title. Then he walked away, uniquely. No other great had closed a career with a major triumph.
Although Sampras is Wimbledon's all-time main man with his seven titles (feeling Roger Federer's heavy breathing), he confessed a dislike of grass, a bewilderment, "until my coach, Tim Gullikson, showed me the way." Starting with his 1993 victory over Jim Courier, he was denied the championship only three times.
For me, Moscow '95 was his pinnacle. Particularly as the Davis Cup now seems such a remote prize to Americans. Not only was Olympic Stadium jammed for the final by 16,000 loud partisans, but the Russians had installed a quicksand trap especially for Sampras, a turgid clay court, his least favorable footing.
Nevertheless, he took over as a one-man gang. Cramping at the end of a five-set struggle over Andrei Chesnokov, he collapsed after the last point, and was carried to the dressing room. One more point would have been too much. "I couldn't have gone on," he says. But, a surprise starter in doubles, Sampras blended with Todd Martin over Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Andrei Olhovskiy for the go-ahead point, 2-1. Then, spraying the court with aces and forehand winners, he clinched over Kafelnikov a farewell blast to the Cold War. The United States hasn't won since.
Source: Boston Globe 7/14/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Relaxed Sampras: Cool, calm and inducted |:||:|1184378988|:|
Relaxed Sampras: Cool, calm and inducted
Former Palos Verdes prodigy set to enter Hall of Fame.
By Phil Collin, Daily Breeze
July 13, 2007 -Ah, retirement. Kicking back, watching the kids surprise each day, tripping back to the East Coast to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Pete Sampras, once a mere child tennis prodigy from The Hill, has treated his days away from the game the way he once took on the world shortly after turning pro in 1988: He's aced it.
Saturday in Newport, R.I., Sampras will join Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Sven Davidson and Russ Adams in ceremonies certain to test the famous stoic resolve that Sampras displayed while compiling a record 14 Grand Slam titles.
"It hasn't hit me quite yet," Sampras said. "I'm sure (it will) when I land there and see the Hall of Fame and see the whole display of the history there.
"It's an emotional time. You kind of live your life, taking care of your kids. This gives me a time to stop everything and look back and appreciate what I was able to do.
"You can kind of lose sight of your identity at times, but this gives me a chance to be appreciated, and I'm looking forward to being officially inducted. It's a great honor; all the all-time greats of the game are in there, and I'm looking forward to the weekend."
Sampras was chatting in Newport Beach, which has become a part of Sampras' return to the game after he left on top with his 2002 U.S. Open win over Andre Agassi. Sampras is playing World Team Tennis for the Newport Beach Breakers and will continue to play in exhibitions, including three with current No. 1 Roger Federer in Asia in November.
This weekend, he'll be joined by his mother and father, sister Stella and brother Gus. His last coach, Paul Annacone, will deliver his Hall of Fame introduction.
Perhaps it's the start of the victory tour he didn't afford himself after calling it a career following his 14th major. There was his marriage to actress Bridgette Wilson and the birth of sons Christian, now 4, and Ryan, 1.
But for sure, you can tell there's a part of Sampras that misses the game he grew up loving on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.
"I realized when I played a few exhibitions here and there, I enjoyed it," Sampras said. "I enjoyed getting in shape, I enjoyed playing tennis again.
"It's not a crazy schedule where I'm playing every week, but every couple months. I need something to look forward to, to focus on. It keeps me sharp, it keeps me in the game. It's not anything I need to kill myself over, but I still want to play well and perform well, and really when I'm home, I just want to wake up in the morning hit a few balls and get myself in shape.
"It's good for every man to get (his) hands dirty. And I needed to kind of get back to work a little bit. I didn't do anything for three years, and after the third year, I was getting a little bit restless."
It's hard to imagine Sampras considering tennis as dirty work after watching a fluid, graceful and gracious player hold the year-end No. 1 spot for six consecutive years.
The running forehand. The stylish one-handed backhand. The crisp volleys. And, of course, the rocket serves.
On the way to seven Wimbledon titles and five U.S. Open crowns, Sampras always was working behind the scenes for charities, raising millions of dollars and awareness.
He wasn't the ever-present pitchman, choosing instead to pick his endorsements carefully. And in 2000, he left England without his Wimbledon trophy, leaving All England Club officials scrambling.
Lakers public relations director John Black, a longtime Sampras friend who attended the tournament, was contacted.
"After winning the tournament and getting caught up in all the excitement and what not, he left the grounds without taking the trophy," Black said. "I'm not sure how they tracked me down, but somebody found I had a later flight. They said, `Well, the trophy's here. Can you pick it up and take it to him?' Uh, sure.
"I definitely kept it as a carry-on. I felt responsible for this thing. What if I lose it or break it?"
Black and the trophy made it home without incident. Still, there was no word from the Sampras camp.
"When I got back, I left him a message that I had it," Black said.
"A week had gone by and he was busy doing stuff and our schedules were not in sync. I had this thing at home and finally I remember calling him and saying `Hey, come get this thing. I'm getting nervous with this thing sitting in my house. I don't want to be to responsible for it.
"`I think I had it hidden in a box in the closet. It would have been a nice candy dish, though."
Little of the carefree side of Sampras made it to the court. He played behind a mask that never betrayed his emotions, save for one memorable moment.
During the 1996 Australian Open, just after Sampras' coach Tim Gullikson died, Sampras broke down weeping during a match with Jim Courier.
After a rocky couple of moments, Sampras collected his bearings and won the match - and the tournament.
"When I played, I was in control of my emotions," Sampras said. "I didn't have to act out if I wasn't playing well or there were bad calls. I just had this attitude when I hit great shots that I was going to do it again, so there wasn't time to jump around like I just won Wimbledon. There's a time and a place for that, but not every match I played.
"And you know, when I lost my composure against Jim, and people said it was `finally, to see him human,' I took a little offense to that.
"It's just that I happen to be a little more stoic than the rest, a little bit of the (Bjorn) Borg mentality. And throughout the years I think people just kind of appreciated it and embraced the type of player I was and the type of competitor I was. I let my racket do my talking in a day and age in the `90s when it was more about sound bites and being a little bit more controversial. And I really wasn't.
"But I'm happy the way I did it. I didn't compromise anything in my career. I was just happy to be who I was."
Source: Daily Breeze 7/14/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Hall of Fame opens door for tennis great Pete Sampras |:||:|1184378719|:|
NEWPORT — The man who dominated professional tennis throughout the '90s, Pete Sampras, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport on Saturday, July 14. After a stellar career that included seven Wimbledon singles titles, Sampras retired in 2002 having earned more than $43 million in prize money — more than anyone playing professional tennis to date.
When Sampras won his last Wimbledon title in 2000, he tied the record of seven Wimbledon men's singles championships, held by fellow hall of fame membe, William Renshaw. That mark had stood for 111 years. It may not take that long before that shared accomplishment is finally eclipsed. Switzerland's Roger Federer, who captured his fifth Wimbledon crown last weekend, currently has the best chance to break the Sampras-Renshaw Wimbledon men's championship record.
Sampras, a winner of a record 14 tennis grand slam single titles, will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame as part of the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships tournament being played in Newport through Sunday, July 15. Sampras will be joined by three others in the 2007 class of inductees: Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, the three-time French Open women's singles champion and the first Spaniard to capture the US Open; Sweden's first grand slam title winner, Sven Davidson, and the "Dean" of tennis photography, Russ Adams.
The 36-year old Sampras was born in Washington, D.C. His parents relocated to Los Angeles when he was seven and the move offered him the opportunity to develop his tennis passion and skills year round. At age 19, the Southern California teen was the youngest player to win the US Open. In addition to his five US Open singles titles (1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002), a record he shares with 1998 fellow hall of fame inductee Jimmy Connors, Sampras also holds two Australian Open titles.
Sampras won the first of his seven Wimbledon titles in 1993. Championships at the All England Tennis and Croquet Club were again earned by Sampras in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999 until he tied the Wimbledon championship record in 2000. He was honored as the ATP Player of the Year from 1993 to 1998, a record six consecutive years. He won the ATP World Championships five times (1991, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999), a record he shares with 2001 hall of fame inductee Ivan Lendl.
Sampras' last and final appearance as an ATP pro was at the 2002 US Open, his final grand slam champioship. In Davis Cup action, Sampras was a U.S. team member for eight years (1991-2, 1994-5, 1997, 1999-00 and 2002), leading the U.S. to Davis Cup victories in 1992 and 1995. The colorful tennis journalist Bud Collins named him as one of the top five men's tennis players of all-time. Sampras will compete on grass courts again on Sunday, when he will appear at the International Tennis Hall of Fame casino courts in an exhibition match with other professional tennis legends.
Established in 1954, and recognized in 1986 as the sport of tennis' official hall of fame by the International Tennis Federation, the governing body of tennis, the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport currently has 200 enshrined from 18 countries.
Source: East Bay News 7/12/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|[July 3, 2007] WTT Interview transcript Pete Sampras (updated 7/14/2007)|:||:|1184248741|:|
WORLD TEAMTENNIS MEDIA CONFERENCE
July 3, 2007
NOTE: Pete Sampras returns for his second season in the World TeamTennis Pro League presented by Advanta on July 10 in Newport Beach, Calif. Pete will be playing one home match for the Newport Beach Breakers and will also play three times on the road - in St. Louis, Schenectady and Philadelphia. The WTT Pro League regular season runs July 5-25 in 11 U.S. markets, with the top two teams from each conference advancing to the WTT Championship Weekend, July 27-29.
For more information, contact Rosie Crews, WTT, at 817.684.0366 (rcrews@wtt.com ) or visit www.WTT.com.
THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon and good morning, everybody. Thank you for joining us. This is Rosie Crews with World TeamTennis. I'm here with Pete Sampras for this conference call.
Pete is going to be playing four matches this summer for the Newport Beach Breakers, playing July 10th in Newport Beach, July 18th in Schenectady, July 19th in Philadelphia and July 24th returning back to St. Louis where he played (a match) last year.
I will go ahead and get started with questions. I think we will go to Houston first.
Q. Obviously, you have come a long way from this time a year ago. Can you talk a little bit about where your game is for a retired guy, of course, in context versus a year ago. Also as a second part of that, I talked to Jim Courier a week or so ago and he is of the opinion that were Wimbledon best two of three sets today, you would be a number two seed. I wonder if you agree with that assessment and where you are today versus when you came back to Houston 15 months ago.
PETE SAMPRAS: Sure, as far as the tennis, I've gotten a little bit better when I first started Houston and some World TeamTennis last year. I wasn't in the best shape. I was a little bit rusty, I wasn't really -- I wasn't practicing that much. And I think I have been consistently playing the past year, 15 months, and I have actually -- I have been playing quite well and kind of developed a little bit of my conditioning and my strength back. And for the past six months I have been playing good.
I hope to perform better this year at the TeamTennis than I did last year. Last year I wasn't very good. But I have been playing. I have been hitting three days a week for the past six months. It's amazing what a little bit of practice will do for you, so my tennis has gotten a little bit better.
As far as playing Wimbledon, I think -- I appreciate the compliment, and I think certainly grass is such a unique surface, I can probably still be competitive against anyone in a two out of three match. I can still hold serve and that's one of the things I am still doing well. I am volleying pretty well and grass is definitely a surface that is a bit of an advantage to the guys staying back like they are today, you know.
Q. It is tempting, isn't it?
PETE SAMPRAS: I am curious more than anything. I would like to play a set with one of these guys and see -- I am still serving pretty hard and volleying pretty well and moving pretty well. That's kind of half the battle. Certainly a hard court would be a little bit different. But grass -- at least when I was playing, when I saw guys stay back, that's when I start licking my chops.
I played big servers on grass. The guys that serve and volley didn't like it. I think I would be fine. I would be okay. I think if I give myself a legitimate chance to practice, to get in shape and serve and volley a ton and do the things I used to do, for one match, I can do okay.
Q. Of course, I did say best two out of three. It is not best two out of three. I still like your chances.
PETE SAMPRAS: It is such a big advantage on grass. It is sad for me to see Wimbledon today and everyone staying back. It is not one-serve and volley playing. It is sad to see that sort of game being extended. I felt grass court tennis is the attacking guy, the serve and volley guy. In my generation, that's what everyone did. You look at the French and Wimbledon, the only thing that's different is the color of the court.
Q. I wanted to talk to you a little bit about why World TeamTennis has held this appeal for you? When they called you up and asked you to do it, what was the impulse behind doing?
PETE SAMPRAS: I enjoy the night. It is actually a fun night. It is competitive tennis. It is real tennis. It is definitely an environment that I want to play well, I want to win. Give the fans a chance to see some different people, double-doubles, singles. It is a team atmosphere.
Actually, not playing well, I enjoyed the experience last year and a lot of them have been friends of mine for many, many years and I hope playing helps the tour out and helps their cause.
I'm excited about playing. Like I said, I think I will a play a little bit better this year than last year and lead our team to a few victories. And it is summer. It is a great time to be outside playing tennis and hitting the Hall of Fame here in a little bit so I will be hitting the East Coast in a couple of weeks and ready to play and have fun along the way.
Q. You are doing the Hall of Fame and also doing a Dellwood tournament in Rockham County, New York, which is also in our coverage area. I wanted to ask you, so you really have been doing quite -- I know you're playing in an exhibition with Federer later this year. What were you thinking when you were putting together -- you really have a schedule this year.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, it is something that was needed, I think, after I retired and I didn't do anything for three years. I think I was getting a little restless, a touch bored. I needed to start to do something. I played in an exhibition in River Oaks 15 months ago, and that was my first exhibition in front of people.
So I kind of opened the door to playing some exhibition, and it has been really fun playing TeamTennis. Played a few Courier events. Gets me in shape and gives me something to prepare for, focus on. It is like it used to be. But every few months, I like to have something there to look forward to and playing a little bit.
I still enjoy it and use the technology like I have been doing. When I look at my schedule, it is not too taxing. The trip against Federer is a pretty unique situation going to Asia, which is a long trip. I don't think I would have committed to it unless it was Roger because for us to be competitive with one another is probably getting to an end.
So playing some exhibition, playing some TeamTennis, it is not anything I am doing week in, week out, but keeps my hands dirty which is good for every man.
Q. In particular -- my last question then. In particular, what drew you to the Dellwood tournament since that's in our area?
PETE SAMPRAS: In New Jersey?
Q. Yeah.
PETE SAMPRAS: That basically came up through Justin Gimelstob. I practice with Justin here in L.A. He asked about how I felt about playing an exhibition with him, and I said, yeah. It was right after the Hall of Fame, really the same day. He said if I was interested, let him know. I had a few days off before I played in Schenectady. One thing led to another and Justin put it together.
It is a private affair. Hopefully will play well and people will enjoy it.
Q. Speaking of Schenectady, you played back here when you were 17 years old. Can you kind of describe what you remember from that experience and kind of where you were at that point in your career?
PETE SAMPRAS: Sure. I was just starting out and I was trying to make ends meet and trying to get a few points and make a few dollars.
I remember getting -- I think maybe getting a wild card in the main draw. I don't totally remember, but I remember getting to the semis and losing to Tim Mayotte top ten in the world. I think I played him reasonably tough. I think I walked out of there like I set off the guy in the top ten. I was playing pretty well for my first semi. That was really kind of my -- sort of my best week at 17 years old. When you are that young, you are just trying to win a few matches here and there. I remember Schenectady I won more than once so I felt good about it.
I played Tim reasonably close, gave me some confidence.
Q. When you are that young, is there any way to sort of envision that your career could take off the way it did or is that just way too early to really think about those sorts of things?
PETE SAMPRAS: It is really way too early. When you are a kid, you have a dream of being number one and winning Wimbledon. You don't think it will really happen. At 17, you are just trying to find your way on the road. You are still a pretty young man and trying to grow as a man but also you are out amongst guys that are older, that are more experienced than you, bigger, stronger.
Those days, you are trying to improve, trying to learn the ropes, trying to improve your game and it takes time. It doesn't happen overnight. Little did I know, I had no idea where I was going to go, how good I was going to be. I didn't think I would be sitting here today with the majors I've won.
Crazy things happened along the way for me to figure out what my direction was in the sport. By 22, 23, I knew where my place was.
Q. How were you received by the crowds when you played your WTT matches last year, and what do you anticipate the reception to be when you come back to Schenectady?
PETE SAMPRAS: Last year was great. They really responded well to me and they appreciated me playing in some of the markets I have never been to. That felt nice. It is just kind of my first sort of event for me back in four, five years. People look forward to seeing me play again, and it has been a while.
I think this year will be the same, I'm inducted into the Hall of Fame right before I play some of these matches. That's the icing on the cake for having a good career and will just hopefully play well.
That's kind of my goal. I people want to see me play well and hopefully I will perform this year better than last year.
Q. Just wanted to get your feelings on your impending Hall of Fame induction.
PETE SAMPRAS: I'm excited, looking forward to going. I am working on my speech over the last couple days, trying to put something together. It is a time to reflect and look back on my career. To my career, when I look back at the things I have been through, having my entire family over at the Hall of Fame, my family hasn't been together that often when it comes to my tennis. In some ways, it will be a little bit emotional.
I am just looking forward to the experience, seeing the Hall of Fame, seeing all the other great players that have been in there and it hasn't hit me quite yet. But I think when I step on the grounds, I think I'll appreciate it. I will appreciate my career and it is a time to reflect.
My daily life today is about my kids, about taking care of them. And this is a time to think about my career. It will give me a chance to appreciate it. I am looking forward to it. I think it will be a great time.
I talked to Courier about this and the Hall of Fame. He said he didn't quite enjoy the speech. Once that was done, he had some fun.
Q. Are you pulling for Federer to win his fifth straight Wimbledon?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, yeah, I'm a fan. I'm a fan of his game. I am a fan of the type of player that he is. I think he's going to win his fifth. I think he will break any foreseeable tennis record that's out there.
He is my sort of guy. He is my sort of player. He is not grouchy. He is not abrasive. He is smooth. He is fun to watch. I don't see anyone really threatening him seriously, so, you know, I am pulling for him. I always pull for the favorite,.
Q. Is there someone in particular you look forward to playing against in this league?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I'm not sure who I am playing -- who is playing this year, so I don't know who is on the other team.
Q. What racquet are you using now?
PETE SAMPRAS: I am using a little bigger one, the one that Federer is using, kind of the red and white one.
Q. How do you like it? How do you like the new technology? Is there something new now that you're using that wasn't available back in the day?
PETE SAMPRAS: I love it. I love using the bigger racquet. What really makes a big difference is the string, the half gut, half Luxilon. It gives you power and control. That's why you see the guys hit the ball so hard, with a spin. I wish I had this ten years ago. I played with what I had. I wished I would have tried something a little different and be a little open-minded with technology back then.
Today, it is fun to try some different things.
Q. You mentioned your practice plan now. What do you do different now? You said you play three times a week. Who do you play with and all that?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I hit every other day for an hour, hour and a half. I will get in the gym and do a little workout. I find some young kids here. There are some young pros that are going to college, couple kids from UCLA. Every now and again a pro might come back. I hit with Haas every now and again. Jim Courier lives up in the Woodland Hills. There is an enough guys.
Justin Gimelstob, I hit with quite a bit. There is never a shortage of players. I am not looking for anything too intense but also something challenging and kind of get me out there, get a little competitive.
Q. What are your impressions of the direction that the WTT is going in?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think the direction is a very positive one. I think they see a vision of TeamTennis being a little bit different than what you see on the tour, something a little more colorful with the color of the court, having a little bit of everything. It is entertainment. They try to put out a little singles, a little doubles, a little music, just a little bit more fun atmosphere, a place where the fans can touch the players.
There are certain markets that people just really like. St. Louis last year and other places, they sold it out. It is just a reflection of building a passion for the sport and seeing this thing really do well. It's been years since they kicked it off. I see it going to become more successful. It is a testament to the passion.
I think it is a fun night. It really is. It is a fun night to get the kids involved and to, like I said, have the fans really be up and close to some of these players.
Q. Is it something that you see catching on potentially? It probably won't be mainstreamed but into a bigger form than it is right now?
PETE SAMPRAS: It is tricky. Tennis is such a traditional sport. You look at the majors and the Wimbledon and what's going on now, it is a lot of tradition. And to get into some of the things that World TeamTennis is doing, it might be a stretch and it might be tricky to hit the mainstream but I think there is a definite market for it.
I think there is a certain part of the public that want to be able to scream and shout at tennis matches and there are others that do not. A little bit of everything out there. This is something that people can choose to watch on TV or go to if there's a TeamTennis team in their city. It is traditional, but at the same time they are pushing the envelope with some of the different things.
You know, will it transcend into ATP events? Probably not. I don't know that they want to do that. I think they like having their month season and knocking it out and having some fun and make a little money along the way.
Q. With you departing in 2002 and Andre leaving after that, what do you think the state of men's tennis is right now?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think in America, with American tennis and overall, I see that, you know, it is really dominated by basically two guys -- one guy, that's Roger. Inevitably, he is breaking all my records. I have had more interview requests in the past year than I have throughout my whole career to do the comparison of the record-breaking. I think he is on his way to breaking my 14 and winning as many as Nicklaus. That's the biggest story.
As far as being the American tennis, it is a little bit on the thin side. I think Roddick is a main guy and Blake, but I think they are getting better, they are getting closer to Roger. I still think he is really the man to beat.
Ultimately, what sells sports is some sort of rivalry. The more you have with Federer and Nadal, there's not an American in there and that hurts it. After getting done with the '90s and that generation - one of the best generations in American history, it is tough to compare what we have today to that - to those '90s. I think it is unfair to live up to what we had. Jim and Andre and I won over 20 majors. We hit number one in the world. It is a unique situation.
Today it is Federer and Nadal against everybody. And Andy is behind them. He is knocking on the door. He is going to get closer. He is working harder and has a passion for the game that's fun to see. But still look at Roger as really the head of the sport right now.
Q. Do you think Americans can do anything to kind of embrace tennis a little bit more so that way they will have more of a talent pool so once guys like Andy depart; they will have more stars coming up?
PETE SAMPRAS: It is tricky. Tennis is competing with so many sports in this country. Young kids are picking up football, basketball. Maybe tennis can hit kind of the urban areas. It is not such a traditional sport, a rich man's sports, for the kids to get racquets who are a little less fortunate. Tennis isn't that expensive to play. You just need a racquet and a public court, and you can go out and play.
Ultimately when it comes to majors, I think that's when people are watching tennis. That's when the media coverage is highest. And to get an American presence in there, I think, is almost essential to transcend the sport.
I had that a little bit in the '90s with Andre. Today it has changed. Not a whole lot of tennis in the U.S. It is going over to Europe and Asia. It is a tricky time. If we can take it to a higher level and see more majors, I think that's going to help.
Q. What about women's tennis with Serena Williams and Venus Williams dominating. You think they would get more -- obviously, they get more of a following in an urban community. What is the state, do you think, of women's tennis? Do you think that has exceeded men's tennis in a way?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think they have. I think when they were dominating and doing their thing, I think they transcended the sport.
Now, they're still doing reasonably well but not as dominating. It hurts a little bit. But I think in the U.S. they have more of an impact than the men's game. I just think with their personalities, the men's don't have quite what they have. But it is still -- you know, the men's game is still a little bit more competitive. For me as a fan, a little bit more appealing to watch.
So they certainly can carry that torch and transcend it if they choose to. It is up to them what they want to do. I think it's hard to be a great player and be involved in some of these other things they've done. It seems like they are a little bit more focused now.
Q. First off, have you been approached at all to do any broadcasting, either full-time or part-time?
PETE SAMPRAS: Not officially. NBC has asked for me to try it out, and I honestly don't have that passion to go on the road and commentate. I think I would do a fine job, but I don't quite have it in me to -- it is not in my blood at the moment. Maybe I will change my tune in five, six, seven years.
Right now I am happy doing what I'm doing. But I do know the game. I don't know a lot of the players today which probably doesn't help being able to commentate, but I know how to talk about the game.
Q. On NBC as well, they announced they are letting Bud Collins go. He has had a long career in broadcasting. Any particular memories of interacting with him? Because you certainly did many times over the years.
PETE SAMPRAS: He was always nice to me. He was at Wimbledon, and we would step off behind the park and he was a colorful personality. In some ways a little over the top with some of his commentary.
That brought a lot of fans to the sport. He would yell "net cord" and go above and beyond with the enthusiasm in the booth. I think McEnroe has taken that role.
Bud, I always liked him. He loved the sport. He is passionate about the sport. He will be missed. He was part of Wimbledon for a number of years, and for him not to be back is a bit of a blow to the sport. I think people liked him. I think he was a colorful guy. He will certainly be missed.
Q. Similar to the broadcasting question, I was just wondering, Luke Jensen, he is now the coach at Syracuse. Have you ever been interested in getting into coaching at college or any kind of professional level?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, not college. If anything, I have been hitting with some of the young kids for the past year. Some of the young pros, juniors going into college. I have been somewhat interested in trying to help a little bit.
My experience being on the road with the game itself, anything where it is a serious job, I don't think so. I like helping and kind of giving my two cents.
Q. Are there any young players that you are guying your eye on?
PETE SAMPRAS: Hit with Sam Querrey here in L.A. a few times. I felt he has got a great game, a great attitude, someone that can do really well. It is limited out there, but I think he can do well. Some of the younger ones that are going to college, nobody you would know. Other than that, there is not a ton of guys here.
So I am not that in touch with it, but I am just kind of seeing who is around the L.A. area and practicing with them and kind of just going from there.
Q. Again, kind of an unrelated two questions. We're in the middle of Wimbledon right now. Is it strange for you, even after a number of years, to be at home and not be at Wimbledon? And, of course, the follow-up to that is do you miss the rain delays?
PETE SAMPRAS: The first question, you know, at first when I retired and the first couple years, yeah, it was weird. And now that it's been five years, no, not as much. I have gotten used to it. I've watched the finals here because I am not in Europe, that's a little bit different.
I am so far removed from the sport and kind of being at any of these majors that I am used to kind of my life now at home and so forth.
Rain delays, I don't miss rain delays. One of the toughest things about Wimbledon is rain -- I remember playing one year, I played on a Monday and then I didn't play until Friday. So you were basically starting over. I always felt that was unique about Wimbledon. I felt it was a challenge, with grass court tennis; you have to be on your toes from the first point. Everyone was in the same boat, that's why I don't want to rain on the parade of the roof but I am not that much in favor of it.
I just think part of the rain is part of the charm of Wimbledon. It rains and you have to step off the court for two hours or six hours. You know, it is a mental sort of test. It is not a physical test. Just waiting to play -- what time do I eat? You know, it is really a challenge.
So I don't miss those days at all. But I will say I still miss Wimbledon. Today I miss it. I will miss it when I am 45 and 55. It is still of a big part of my life.
Q. It is one thing to play Justin Gimelstob in exhibition. It is another thing to play Roger. Can you reflect how you will approach that match and what does it all mean? If you are placing your serve and hitting 65%, Roger will never break you.
PETE SAMPRAS: When I practiced with Roger here before Indian Wells, I was serving quite well and holding serve pretty handedly. If there is anything Roger doesn't like to see it is someone coming in and serving and volleying, someone putting pressure on him. I think my game matched up reasonably well against his.
Playing Roger, before I go out, I will have to be practicing a lot and have to be serving and volleying a lot. Really make sure my body is fit enough to go the distance with him.
And just playing, playing a lot and hitting the ball well. Hopefully I can find my game as we go. I think Roger will get done playing four weeks in Europe. So he will be pretty primed and ready where I will have to find my confidence as we go. So that will be tricky.
And I am just practicing, hitting the ball well. It is nice to hit with him here and I held my own here at my house. But maybe he won't embarrass me anymore on the road. We'll see.
Q. You really do want to show well there. I don't know if you need to make a statement, but you really do want to play well against him.
PETE SAMPRAS: Sure, sure. People are going to be interested in the outcome. I don't think we want to be too much into the results, but I think for me at this stage of my life, if I could play well and push him a little bit and make it competitive, that's what I am looking forward to. I don't think I am going to win any of these matches. But if I can push him to a few breakers, I would feel ecstatic, I really would.
You never know. I have never really practiced really full-time. If I hit every day for two, three weeks and really, really focused on what I am going to do against him before I play him. It will be tricky -- it will be interesting to see how well I do. For me it is a timing issue with my serve and volley, if I really get that timing down and that movement, I think I will be able to hold my own for a little while.
THE MODERATOR: Pete, thank you very much so much for joining us.
End of FastScripts 7/12/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras savouring weekend induction into Hall of Fame|:||:|1184244642|:|
On the eve of his induction into the tennis Hall of Fame, Pete Sampras had admitted it was the boredom of retirement which drove him back to the game on his own terms.
The 35-year-old who retired in 2002 after beating Andre Agassi in the US Open final, has over recent years begun dipping his toes back into the sport that he once dominated.
His latest lark was the July World TeamTennis season with the Newport (California) Beach Breakers.
Sampras said that after three years of improving his golf, increasing family and wondering what to do with weeks of free time, something was missing.
'I realised when I played a few exhibitions here and there that I enjoyed it, I enjoyed getting in shape. I enjoyed playing tennis again,' said the man whose all-time record of 14 Grand Slam singles titles is now under serious threat from Roger Federer who has 11.
'It's not a crazy schedule, I'm not playing every week, but every couple of months, I need something to look forward to, to focus on.'
Sampras is due to play a series of exhibitions in November in Asia against Federer, whom he got to know in March during a few hitting sessions at the older man's Beverly Hills mansion.
'I'm playing Roger in Asia and I'm looking forward to that.
'(Playing) keeps me sharp; it keeps me in the game. It's not anything I need to kill myself over, but I still want to play well and perform well,' he explained.
Sampras said that he had now begun making tennis a part of his daily life.
'When I'm home, I just want to wake up in the morning, hit a few balls and get myself in shape.
'And it's good for every man to get his hands dirty, and I needed to kind of get back to work a little bit.
'I didn't do anything for three years, and after the third year, I was getting a little bit restless. Playing tennis gives me a focus; it's something that I still love to do.'
Sampras, who started his world-beating career with a US Open title at age 19, said that his Hall of Fame ceremony at the weekend 'hasn't really hit me quite yet.
'I've always enjoyed the history of the game. It's a sentimental time, to reflect on your career, look back over the years that I worked hard and had a really good career and put up some good numbers.
'I'll have my family there, it's an emotional time.
'This will give me time to really stop everything and look back and appreciate what I've been able to do.
'You can lose sight of your identity at times, so this will be a chance to appreciate it.
'I'm looking forward to being officially inducted, it's a great honour. I'm looking forward to the weekend.'
Source: India eNews 7/12/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|WTT: Sampras not enough|:||:|1184244171|:|
NEWPORT BEACH — Pete Sampras was nearly out of the point in Tuesday night's Newport Beach Breakers match against the Sacramento Capitals.
Of course, with Sampras, the 14-time Grand Slam singles winner, the point is never over.
He whipped a wicked crosscourt forehand past Sam Warburg, earning a break of serve and throwing in several small fist pumps.
"Is this what you came to see?" the announcer asked, and the sellout crowd of 2,311 roared in approval.
But Warburg broke Sampras' serve back in the next game, looking into the crowd while making a fist pump of his own.
Sacramento always seemed to have a response Tuesday, downing the Breakers, 25-18, for the home team's third straight loss.
Sampras, 35, wasn't playing around in his only home match of the season for Newport Beach. After all, during halftime, this was the same guy who accidentally whipped a serve past an unknowing contestant in a "return a Sampras serve" contest.
The contestant had bent down to stretch.
"It's a work in progress, retirement," said Sampras, in his second year with the Breakers, in a pre-match press conference. "It's good for a man to get his hands dirty. Playing tennis keeps me in focus … Every couple of months I need something to look forward to, something to focus on. I feel good waking up in the morning and hitting some balls."
But the Breakers (1-3) couldn't solve the Capitals (2-2), who won all five sets of the match.
In mixed doubles, 2007 French Open men's doubles champion Mark Knowles and Elena Likhovtseva took a 5-3 win over the Breakers' Rick Leach and Michaela Pastikova.
Newport Beach's Lauren Albanese then had the hard-luck set of the night, losing 5-4 in games and 5-4 in a tiebreaker to Likhovtseva.
Albanese nearly came back from a 4-2 games deficit, earning the tiebreaker with a cross-court passing shot.
But Albanese's shot on set point was long, and she flung her racquet across the ground in frustration.
The dream doubles combination of Sampras and Leach, who have won a combined 19 Grand Slam titles in singles and doubles, didn't fare much better.
They lost, 5-3, to Knowles and Warburg, giving Sacramento a 15-10 games lead.
Sampras' game, which he has admitted wasn't up to par with the Breakers last season, didn't appear rusty when he smashed a 132 mph service ace in singles against Warburg.
But it did when he double-faulted twice in a service game at 2-3, leaving Warburg a game away from victory.
Sampras, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Saturday, rebounded to win two straight games, setting up another tiebreaker.
But Warburg stormed to a 3-0 lead and won it, 5-1, to give Sacramento a 20-14 games lead and send many of the fans to the exits.
In the last set of the night, Albanese and Pastikova lost the Breakers' third tiebreaker to Likhovtseva and Michelle Larcher De Brito, who, at 14, is the youngest player in World Team Tennis this season. Breakers Coach Trevor Kronemann was left bemoaning the fact that Sampras in men's singles, and Sampras and Leach in men's doubles, couldn't hold their leads.
"We've just been really unlucky lately," Kronemann said. "We just couldn't convert. We've had a lot of 3-all points and a lot of break points where we just haven't been taking advantage of those opportunities. We'll go and try to put it together on the road, and come back here [with a] 3-3 [record]."
Newport Beach plays at Springfield on Thursday and at Houston on Friday.
The Breakers return home on Sunday at 7 p.m. against the St. Louis Aces.
Source: Daily Pilot 7/07/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras will serve, volley in Dallas|:||:|1183775902|:|
Friday, July 6, 2007
When Pete Sampras wasn't taking his 4-year-old son, Christian, and 2-year-old son, Ryan, out to the putting green or swimming pool in the back yard of his Los Angeles home this week, he was sneaking peeks at Wimbledon on his big-screen, high-definition television.
It became a little too clear to the all-time record holder for Grand Slam titles (14) that an important part of the game on grass - the serve and volley - was dying. He wondered what damage his unreadable serve and will-stealing volleys could do at age 35 on Centre Court, where he was dubbed king and won a record-tying seven singles titles.
"It makes me sad to see not one guy serve and volley," Sampras said. "I'm curious to see what I could do at Wimbledon with my game. I know I can still serve the way I used to."
Sampras, however, cut down the notion of a grass-court return in 2008 with the conviction of those jump overheads he hammered during a career that included 64 singles titles and nearly $44 million in prize money.
"It's just a curiosity," he said. "I'm not coming back."
Sampras will leave his perfect exit from competitive tennis - a 2002 U.S. Open final victory over Andre Agassi - intact. But he will be in the Dallas area on Sept. 22 for the FedEx Tennis Shootout presented by Lexus. Sampras will take on Robby Ginepri at the Deja Blue Arena at the Dr Pepper StarCenter in Frisco. Tickets go on sale today.
"The last time I played in Dallas, against Andy Roddick, we had a sold-out event with great tennis fans," Sampras said. "Dallas is one of America's great tennis cities."
Sampras barely touched a racket the first three years of his retirement, but he's having fun playing again. Sampras even had Roger Federer come to his house for two days in March before Federer played at Indian Wells. There were intense practice sessions and relaxed conversations on the patio.
"Roger's a great guy, really funny," said Sampras, who will play Federer in three exhibition matches in Asia in November. "I feel like he and I are cut from the same cloth. Both pretty humble and let our rackets do most of the talking. If there's a person I'd like to see break my record, it's Roger. He handles himself and the game with class."
After their time together, Federer lost in the first round at Indian Wells. Sampras sent him a text message saying he hoped it wasn't Sampras' fault.
Federer, who has 10 Grand Slam titles, is closing in on his record-tying fifth straight Wimbledon championship at the rain-ravaged All England Club. Sampras believes Federer, at the age of 25, could win as many majors as Jack Nicklaus won in golf - 18.
"The window is shorter for a tennis player than a golfer," said Sampras, a 4 handicap on the links. "But Roger is still head and shoulders above everyone else."
Sampras believes he's, without a doubt, still one of the five best players in the world on grass. But when Sampras is inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame on July 12 in Newport, R.I., he will be at peace with his career.
It took him a while to get there. He said his lowest moment came at Wimbledon in 2002, when he lost on Court 2 in the second round to 145th-ranked George Bastl, a clay-court specialist from Switzerland.
Sampras was mocked by the press for reading notes of encouragement during that match from his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras. It had been two years since he broke Roy Emerson's record of 12 Grand Slam titles.
"I was lost," Sampras said.
After reconnecting with former coach Paul Annacone, Sampras gave the sports world one last magic act two months later at the U.S. Open. He joined Michael Jordan and John Elway as Hall of Fame athletes who ended their playing careers with a championship trophy in their hands, taking down his friend and rival Agassi in a memorable, four-set final.
Because of rain, Sampras, then 31, had to win five matches in seven days, including a quarterfinal victory over Roddick.
"That was so special to go out that way," Sampras said. "Especially looking at where I came from. I was basically on death watch."
Sampras went through an eight-month funk while contemplating whether to play Wimbledon one last time. He said he struggled to bond with Christian, who was born two months after Sampras' U.S. Open victory, because he was having trouble letting tennis go.
In the weeks leading up to Wimbledon in 2003, Sampras went out to practice one day and realized, "I didn't have anything left to prove." He officially announced his retirement at the U.S. Open in 2003 and put the rackets down for the next three years, becoming a full-time dad.
"My dad worked two jobs, so he didn't get to spend the time he wanted to with his kids," Sampras said. "I'm lucky that I get to spend so much time with my boys. I take Christian to lunch every Thursday before I have the guys over for poker night."
Sampras is a regular in World Team Tennis and plays a few events on the Outback Champions Tour, featuring tennis legends over 30. Now, however, he's thinking about coaching. He doesn't see himself going on the road with established pros, but rather getting involved in the United States Tennis Association's junior development program.
"I would like to help the USTA," Sampras said. "To what level, I'm not sure. But I think you have to teach serve and volley at a young age. And I would like to contribute in that area."
Sampras, like most tennis observers, thinks it may be a while before an American is once again atop the sport.
"I think Andy Roddick and James Blake are really good. I'm not sure they're great," said Sampras, who held the No. 1 ranking a record 286 weeks and was year-end No. 1 for a record six straight years (1993-98). "We need Andy to step up and win another major and challenge Roger for the No. 1 ranking."
For tennis to thrive as a sport, Sampras said the game needs rivalries. He noted tennis' TV ratings have always been highest when there were epic, on-court histories between players like John McEnroe, Bjorn Borg and Jimmy Connors or his own matches with Agassi and Jim Courier
"People who weren't into tennis tuned in for matches between me and Andre," Sampras said. "Right now, we have Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but no Americans. The most compelling story line may be Roger and his challenge to break my records."
Over the next week, Sampras will put together a thoughtful acceptance speech for his Hall of Fame induction. He is a tennis historian who has studied the careers of former greats such as Roy Emerson, Rod Laver and Lew Hoad and is excited to take his place with them.
"It's a time of reflection and overwhelming emotion because my wife, boys and family members will all be there," Sampras said. "But I've got to be honest, I felt like the chances were pretty good that I would get in." 7/02/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Federer all class, but Sampras the king on grass|:||:|1183387209|:|
By: Nirmal Shekar, The Hindu
July 2, 2007, London - Watching a mostly baseline-hugging Roger Federer imperiously dismiss the unimpressive Marat Safin from his regal presence in a third round match on the centre court in the 121st Wimbledon championships, on Friday evening, this writer, overcome by that unavoidable disease – nostalgia – generally affecting those who have spent too many summers watching sport on manicured English lawns, reached for the rewind button.
It was July 1980 and Bjorn Borg took on John McEnore in the first of their two finals here. Everybody who watched that five-set epic will easily recall the fourth set tiebreak which McEnroe won 18-16.
But, vivid in my memory, and much easier to recall, are McEnroe’s magical volley winners played with a dazzling sleight of hand.
The great left-handed conjurer is still around, in these parts, keeping us entertained from the commentary box. But the stroke that he played with such breathtaking virtuosity — the volley — is on its way to extinction. When the odd player now chooses to serve and volley on every point, it almost seems like a vestigial trait.
Lost art
Even Roger Federer, who can masterfully play every stroke in the book — and some that are not there because the ones who wrote the game’s manual could not have even dreamed of his brand of shotmaking genius — has won at least three of his four titles (barring the first, in 2003, when he served and volleyed for the most part against Mark Philippoussis in the final) spending much of his time on the baseline.
Then again, Philippoussis is the only natural serve-and-volleyer that Federer has played in the finals, the other two being Andy Roddick (2004 and 2005) and Rafael Nadal (2006). This got me thinking about the two men whose records the Swiss maestro is going after — Borg and Pete Sampras.
These two had to take on some of the finest volleyers of their times while winning five and seven titles respectively.
While it is hardly Federer’s fault that few of his chief rivals venture up to the net — and that his own volleying skills have never been fully tested because of this — there is no doubt at all that Borg and Sampras had to deal with several gifted net-rushing opponents.
While we are at it, another intriguing aspect of this comparison has to do with the stature of the players that these three great champions have beaten in winning a cumulative total of 16 titles.
Let us look at Borg’s dream run first. In his first final, in 1976, the Swede took on Ilie Nastase, one of the most gifted shotmakers the game has known.
In the following two years, he played Jimmy Connors, a man who’d rather leave the court in a body bag than without the title.
Then came Roscoe Tanner in 1979. If you think Andy Roddick serves big, then you should have seen Tanner serve with a wooden racquet. His was a thundering serve that came down like a guillotine.
Finally, there was McEnroe, whose wicked leftie serves the great Swede dealt with in 1980, successfully, and then again in 1981, without success.
Of course, these were just the final opponents. There were serving-and-volleying dangermen elsewhere in the draw, men such as Mark Edmondson, Victor Amaya and our own Vijay Amritraj. And remember, three of those five years (1978-80), the Swedish iceman also won the French Open.
Borg’s final opponents, together, won 17 Grand Slam singles titles — Nastase (2), Connors (8), McEnroe (7).
Now, on to Sampras. In his first final in 1993, the great man played Jim Courier, a four-time Grand Slam champion. His other final opponents were Boris Becker (six Grand Slam titles), Goran Ivanisevic (one), Andre Agassi (eight) and Pat Rafter (two). Sampras’ final opponents together won 20 Grand Slam titles. In comparison, Federer’s final opponents have won four (Nadal three and Roddick one).
While on the one hand it is easy to say that you can only play the field that is available during your time, on the other, it would be unfair to Borg and Sampras if we did not weigh the opposition that they faced with a degree of fairness.
Yes, Federer is so dominant now that he could very well go on to beat every single major record of significance — Borg’s five-in-a-row at Wimbledon, Sampras’s seven Wimbledon titles and 14 overall, as well as his six years as year-end No.1.
But this should take nothing away from the greatness Borg and Sampras achieved at Wimbledon.
All this leaves us with a simple question: who is the greatest Wimbledon (grass court) champion of all time?
Here is my choice: Pete Sampras. I believe if Sampras and Federer had met at their respective peaks at Wimbledon, the former would have won seven out of 10 times.
At the U.S. Open, too, it would have been in Sampras’s favour (6-4). But on the Rebound Ace in Australia, Federer would have beaten Sampras seven out of 10 times and on clay at Roland Garros, the Swiss would have triumphed eight out of 10 times.
Job on hand
With a backlog of 90 matches and a rather bleak weather forecast for the first half of the second week, Wimbledon officials have a job on their hands when play resumes at 11 a.m. (3.30 p.m. IST) on all courts on Monday. The organisers had hoped to complete at least the women’s third round matches on Saturday. But, with the weather unrelenting, they had no option but to call off play at 7 p.m.
The second week is full of promise, weather permitting. But the more it rains, the lesser the chances of Federer being stopped short of Bjorn Borg’s record of five straight titles.
Players such as Andy Roddick and Nadal would struggle to mount a challenge to the great Swiss on a softer surface where the bounce may be unpredictable.
Source: The Hindu 6/09/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras, Worthy, Karros among Ultimate Fantasy instructors |:||:|1181360936|:|
MANHATTAN BEACH – Former professional star athletes Pete Sampras, James Worthy and Eric Karros are among the instructors involved in the first Ultimate Fantasy Camp, to be held Aug. 11-19 and headquartered in Marina del Rey.
Sampras won a record 14 grand slam tennis events; Worthy is a Hall of Famer who starred for the Los Angeles Lakers, and Karros holds the career home run record for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fifteen current and former sports stars will be involved in five different categories – tennis, basketball, baseball, boxing and sportscasting – with the individual sports camps to be held at various locations in the Los Angeles area. A maximum of 24 people will participate at each camp.
Sampras will be joined by his sister, Stella, the UCLA women's coach, and WTA Tour player Bethanie Mattek at the tennis camp. Current NBA players Luke Walton, Baron Davis and Richard Jefferson will join Worthy at the basketball camp.
Hall of Famer Frank Robinson and former big-leaguers Robin Ventura and Todd Zeile will join Karros at the baseball camp. Five-time world champion Sugar Ray Leonard and three-time world champion Sugar Shane Mosley will work at the boxing camp, and play-by-play announcers Dick Enberg and Matt Vasgersian will run the sportscasting camp.
Those interested can visit www.ultimatesportsfantasycamp.com.
Source: Sign On San Diego 6/08/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|[May 3, 2007] Volleying with Sampras|:||:|1181299484|:|
By Dave Scheiber
May 3, 2007 - Pete Sampras has been enjoying life out of the spotlight since leaving tennis in 2002 as one of the best men's players in history. The perennial No. 1-ranked star - six straight years - and winner of a record 14 Grand Slam events has been enjoying retirement and raising his young family with wife Bridgette Wilson-Sampras in Los Angeles. We caught up with Sampras, 35, last week at Jim Courier's Mercedes-Benz Classic charity event at the St. Pete Times Forum, where he talked about a range of topics - including this generation's most dominant male player, Roger Federer, as he seeks an elusive French Open triumph next month in Paris.
What ways do you stay active these days?
I have two little boys - Christian, who's 4 1/2, and Ryan, 1 1/2 - so they keep me busy. I've been playing golf, and I've been playing a little bit more tennis. I play a once-a-week home poker game - a little Texas hold 'em. I play basketball twice a week. So I've been trying to keep busy, stay in shape, have some fun, spend some time with my kids and my wife.
Have you enjoyed playing tennis again?
Actually, playing tennis has been good for me, because I didn't play for about three years. I took some time off and actually got a little restless and maybe a touch bored. I believe every man needs to work. And I went from this crazy life of working a lot to not doing anything at all and it was fun at first. But after a while, it wears pretty thin. So I'm going to play a few events - (Tampa), Boston and one more in Charlotte. It gives me something to prepare for and focus on. I'll be playing on the Outback Champions Series (seniors). Competitively, it's not anything like it used to be as far as intensity, but we all have a lot of pride. And we all want to win and play well.
What impresses you about today's men's game?
Two things. Roger Federer's dominance and how great he is. Just the way he handles himself on and off the court is a real credit to all sports. The other thing is I think there are less great players today, but there are a lot more good players. After Federer and (Rafael) Nadal, you look at kind of three through eight -- they're really, really good players but they're not major championship winners, like (Boris) Becker and (Stefan) Edberg, or (Jim) Courier and (Andre) Agassi. Still, the guy ranked No. 50 today is probably better than the guy ranked No. 50 when I was playing.
Anything else about Federer?
He's dominated the game probably more than anybody in the history of the game. It's just amazing how consistent he's been. I think Nadal on clay is kind of his biggest challenge now. Maybe one day he can meet that challenge and beat him.
Agassi recently said Federer needs to win the French Open to complete his resume.
When you've achieved so much - and I fell into that a little bit winning Wimbledons and the U.S. Open and Australia - it's okay, what's next? For the last couple of years of my career, it was, 'Why haven't you won the French?' It's happening to Roger now. And as he gets older and guys get a little better, it does become a little tougher. He grew up playing on clay and he's gotten to the (French Open final). I think he can win it - things really need to fall into place.
What about your generation of tennis?
I was part of an American generation that might have been the best generation ever to play the game, for sure the best American generation. Jim, myself, Andre, Michael (Chang), we combined to win more than 20 majors, we all hit or got close to No. 1 - Michael was a match from doing it. Not only that, but consider the generation of guys we competed against: Edberg, Becker, Ivan Lendl for a little bit. These were truly legends of the sport. Those mid '90s, when I played Andre in the finals of a few majors, it transcended the sport. People who didn't watch tennis were into it when I played in the finals of Wimbledon, or the U.S. Open, and had great matches with Jim. We developed a rivalry. We always had one another to be compared to, but also to push. All of us fed off one another.
Would Federer have held up well in it?
Oh yeah. He would have done just fine. I think he would have more challenges, with guys coming in a little bit more and attacking more. But I think great players figure it out. If he had played in my generation, he would have been right up there.
Source: Tampabay.com
5/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras Upcoming Events (updated Aug 23, 2007)|:||:|1179979754|:|
July 19, 2007
Event: World Team Tennis - Newport Beach Breakers @ Philadelphia Freedoms
5/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Press Release: Venetian Macao hosts historic tennis match|:||:|1179976664|:|
May 23, 2007
MACAO -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel, a Las Vegas Sands Corp. (NYSE: LVS) property, today announced it will play host to a historic match between two of the greatest tennis players of all time.
Current World No. 1 Roger Federer will take on former No.1 Pete Sampras, in what is set to be one of the most anticipated events in world tennis, at The Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown, to be played on Saturday November 24, at The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel's stunning new event center in the People's Republic of China Special Administrative Region of Macao.
"We are delighted to bring to Macao what has to be one of the most thrilling match-ups in international tennis," said William P. Weidner, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp. "The tennis world has always compared and contrasted these two greats of the game since Pete Sampras retired in 2002. We now have the prospect of an absolutely classic game between two phenomenal sportsmen."
"This is an exciting and unique event and we are proud to be establishing an enviable reputation for bringing world class sport and entertainment to Macao," continued Weidner. "With our Manchester United fixture in July, our NBA China Games 2007 games featuring the Orlando Magic and the Cleveland Cavaliers in October and now the Sampras v Federer Showdown, we are truly living up to our promise to make The Venetian Macao the pre-eminent destination for sports and entertainment events, to compliment our incredible combination of shopping, dining, leisure and recreation."
In the fourth round of the 2001 Wimbledon, Federer beat Sampras on the only occasion they have previously played. Sampras holds the most Grand Slams (14) and the most Wimbledon Titles (7). He also holds the record for the most number of weeks as world No 1, a staggering 286 weeks. Since Sampras' retirement from competitive tennis Roger Federer reigns supreme, and is only matched with Rafael Nadal among his peers.
Nick Freyer, senior vice president, IMG Tennis, Asia, revealed how this Tennis Showdown first became a reality. "Roger contacted Pete in Los Angeles, and Pete invited him to play at his house. They hit a few balls, played some points then some sets. The scores were close and Pete was thrilled with the way he played. From this game the idea of a Tennis Showdown was born."
Said Pete Sampras of the recent meeting, the first time both players have been together on a tennis court since Wimbledon: "I was very happy that I held my own. It was great to play Roger and it was terrific fun." For Federer it was also a memorable occasion: "The game was close and Pete was playing great tennis, but not good enough to beat me. I won't be telling you the score though!"
Federer continued, "The tennis was so good that we felt it was a pity not to share the shots, energy, and excitement with the world one more time. We are both delighted to be visiting Asia and Macao and putting on a great game for our many fans in the region."
At a press conference in Hong Kong today, Mr. Weidner joined Pete Sampras in a live call to announce details of the Macao match. The Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown will be the most sought after tennis event of 2007 and IMG is expecting to sell over 10,000 tickets, with full pricing details to be announced at a later date. The game is set to attract the biggest audience ever for a tennis match in Macao, Hong Kong and Southern China and one of the largest ever in Asia.
Sampras retired from professional tennis five years ago after beating Andre Agassi to win the 2002 US Open and capture a record fourteenth singles Grand Slam title. During his career, Sampras won sixty-four top-level singles titles (including fourteen Grand Slams and eleven ATP Masters Series titles). He was ranked the World No. 1 for a record 286 weeks and was year-end No. 1 for a record six consecutive years, from 1993 through 1998. He resumed training earlier this year and since his return, remains undefeated in official tournament play and is on an eight match winning run with back-to-back title wins at Champions tournaments in Boston and in his native Greece.
Roger Federer is currently the No. 1 ranked player in the world and many experts and his own peers believe he may prove to be the greatest player in history. He has won ten Grand Slam men's singles titles in thirty-one appearances, three Tennis Masters Cup titles and thirteen ATP Masters Series titles. In 2004, the Swiss became the first man since Mats Wilander in 1988 to win three of four Grand Slam singles tournaments in the same year. In 2006, he repeated this feat and became the first man in the open era to win at least ten singles tournaments in three consecutive years.
He is also the only player to have won both the Wimbledon and U.S. Open singles titles in three consecutive years (2004-2006). In 2007, when Federer won his third Australian Open title, he became the only male player to have won three separate Grand Slam tournaments three times. There has been considerable speculation about Federer possibly becoming in 2007 the first player since Rod Laver in 1969 to win all four Grand Slam tournaments in the same calendar year. Federer already has won the first Grand Slam tournament of this year, the Australian Open.
Federer has been ranked No. 1 in the world since February 2, 2004 and holds the all-time record for most consecutive weeks as the top-ranked male player. On April 2, 2007 he was named Laureus World Sportsman of the Year for a record third consecutive time. Just this month he was named as one of Time Magazine's top 100 most influential people of 2007 and this past Sunday, Roger Federer again made tennis history when he defeated Rafael Nadal at the Hamburg Masters to end Nadal's record 81 match winning streak on clay.
The Venetian Macao Tennis Showdown is the grand finale of a three-leg Sampras v Federer Asia exhibition match tour, which includes Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 22 and a match on November 20 at a third location yet to be announced.
The Venetian Macao Resort Hotel will be one of the largest hotels in Asia and will be Macao's first true mega-resort. It will feature 3,000 all-suite rooms, 1.2 million-square feet of meeting, convention and exhibition space, and an impressive array of dining, shopping and recreation options. 5/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras curious but rules out Wimbledon comeback|:||:|1179976239|:|
Source: AFP
May 23, 2007, KUALA LUMPUR - Tennis legend Pete Sampras on Wednesday categorically ruled out making a
Wimbledon comeback this year, but admitted he was curious about how he would perform if he did stage a return.
"I'm not doing it," the 36-year-old told reporters in Kuala Lumpur in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.
"I'm curious, but it's just out of curiosity as to how I would compete if I played. People ask me all the time but it is not going to happen and that is really the end of it."
Sampras won 14 Grand Slam titles during his career, including seven at the All England club.
He returned to competition earlier this month for the first time since retiring five years ago, defeating Todd Martin in the final of the over-30s Champions Cup of Boston.
Last week, tennis icon John McEnroe advised Sampras to make a one-off return to Wimbledon, saying that he would not hesitate to seed him in the top five.
Citing personal experience, McEnroe said Sampras still had the game to challenge the top players after losing to him in Boston.
Sampras, who has been hitting with the likes of reigning four-time Wimbledon champion Roger Federer and Germany's Tommy Haas, will meet Federer in an exhibition match here in November during the inaugural Malaysian Open. 5/24/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Tennis ace Federer to take on Sampras in Malaysia |:||:|1179975943|:|
Source: The Star, Malaysia
By: S. Sivabalan
May 24, 2007 - PETALING JAYA: World No 1 men's tennis player Roger Federer will take on his predecessor Pete Sampras in an exhibition match on Nov 22 at the Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam.
The clash between the two great players is part of the inaugural Merdeka Tennis challenge which features the exhibition match and the US$150,000 Malaysian Open.
The Malaysian Open, featuring men's singles and doubles, would be held at the same venue from Nov 18-25.
The exhibition match is the second time the two players will meet; their first was in a professional match during the fourth round of the 2001 Wimbledon Championships. Federer then upset his former idol in a stunning 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 win.
Federer picked up his 10th Grand Slam by winning the Australian Open in January would be looking to add to that number at the French Open which starts on Saturday.
Another exhibition match is being organised during the Merdeka Tennis Challenge but the players involved will be named at a later date by the organisers First Events Promotions Sdn Bhd.
Source: The Star, Malaysia 5/23/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Federer to play Sampras in three Asian exhibition matches|:||:|1179918350|:|
The Associated Press
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
HONG KONG: Former world No. 1 Pete Sampras will take on top-ranked Roger Federer for three exhibition matches throughout Asia in November.
Fourteen-time Grand Slam winner Sampras, who retired in 2002, will play Federer in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur on Nov. 22, at the Chinese gambling enclave of Macau on Nov. 24 and at a third location to be determined on Nov. 20, organizers said Wednesday. (Update: The 3rd venue is Seoul.)
Nick Freyer, senior vice president of sports management company IMG Tennis Asia, said in a statement that the tour originated from hitting sessions between the two players.
Sampras and Federer practiced together earlier this year in March at Sampras' home in Los Angeles as part of Federer's preparations for the Indian Wells tournament.
"Obviously he's a great player, but I felt like I didn't embarrass myself out there. I feel like I can hold my own," Sampras was quoted as saying in the statement.
Sampras, 35, said his strategy for beating Federer, who is 10 years his junior, was to stay aggressive.
"Roger's game doesn't have many cracks ... It's one of those sorts of matchups where either I just need to overwhelm him with some power and try to come in and hopefully serve well," he said.
The two players, considered among the best to have ever played the game, will play best of three tiebreak sets in Macau and Kuala Lumpur. The format for the third stop wasn't immediately clear.
The match in Kuala Lumpur has been billed as part of Malaysia's 50th anniversary of independence celebrations.
"I am so excited to play Pete and I am really looking forward to visiting Malaysia for the first time," said Federer. "There is no doubt that we will play some great tennis."
Federer and Sampras will play on indoor carpet in Macau at The Venetian Macau resort. The surfaces for the two other matches wasn't immediately known.
Sampras, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, didn't touch a racket for nearly three years before picking up the sport again last summer to get in better shape.
He first played in exhibition matches and in the World Team Tennis league before deciding to pick up his training following an exhibition with four-time Grand Slam champion Jim Courier. Sampras recently made his debut in the senior tennis tour.
Sampras won a record 14 major titles, including a record seven Wimbledon wins and was ranked No. 1 for a record 286 weeks.
Federer has won 10 Grand Slam titles, including three consecutive Wimbledon and U.S. Open wins.
In their only ATP matchup, Federer beat Sampras 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5 in the round of 16 at Wimbledon in 2001 . 5/21/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras headlines Hall of Fame induction ceremonies |:||:|1179731466|:|
Source: The Providence Journal
May 20, 2007 - Five years after he retired from the men's pro tennis tour, Pete Sampras remains a marquee attraction.
His July 14 induction ceremony to the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, which will precede the semifinals of the Campbell's Hall of Fame Tennis Championships, sold out in the weeks between the September announcement that he was on the ballot and the December count of the vote.
The July 15 Hall of Fame Classic, a 10 a.m. separate admission exhibition featuring Sampras and former pro Todd Martin in singles and Hall of Famers Rod Laver and Stan Smith in doubles, is sold out.
"It's pretty amazing the marketing power of Pete Sampras," said Mark Stenning, chief executive of the Hall of Fame.
Sampras drew large crowds to the Champions Cup Boston event this month, his return to competitive tennis for the first time since he left after beating Andre Agassi in the final of the 2002 U.S. Open.
He is in Greece this weekend for the Athens Champions Cup, an event that Hall of Famer Jim Courier, the tour founder, put together after Sampras agreed to join. Sampras took his family with him for his first visit to his ancestral homeland.
The Champions circuit is coming to Newport Aug. 22-26 in the form of the Gibson Guitar Champions Cup. Courier, John McEnroe, Mats Wilander, Pat Cash and Wayne Ferreira have entered, leaving Stenning three spots to fill. Michael Chang is a possibility but is nursing an injury. Sampras has given no indication that he would return to the Newpoprt Casino a month after he enters the Hall of Fame, but Stenning and others are wondering if he will reconsider after spending a weekend experiencing the intimate atmosphere of the Horseshoe Piazza and Bill Talbert Stadium and absorbing more than a century's worth of tennis history in the Hall of Fame museum.
"The answer is it remains to be seen," Stenning said.
Sampras' first visit to Newport is shaping up as the highlight of Newport Tennis Week 2007. He has asked his coach, Paul Annacone, a Newport participant when he was on the ATP tour, to present him for induction. Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain, Sven Davidson of Sweden and Massacusetts-based photographer Russ Adams will also be inducted. Hall of Famer Bud Collins will present Adams, an icon among the visual chroniclers of the game.
Mardy Fish is the only Top 30 player entered in the July 9-15 Hall of Fame tournament so far. James Blake, a regular who did not play in 2006, and Robby Ginepri, who also has played Newport several times, are skipping the tournament this summer.
"Robby is playing an exhibition, and James is in the stratosphere now," Stenning said.
Despite the absence of more familiar names from the draw, only 50 seats remain available for the finals on Sunday, July 15. Check tennisfame.com or call the tournament office at (401) 849-6053 for details. 5/21/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras comes up big in Champions Cup final|:||:|1179731274|:|
May 20, 2007
ATHENS (AP) — Pete Sampras relied on a still powerful serve to defeat Todd Martin 6-3, 1-6, 10-6 Sunday in the Athens Champions Cup final. Sampras fired two aces in the opening game, and continued to serve and volley crisply while breaking Martin in the fourth game to go 3-1 up.
After a rain delay Sampras held serve easily, and finished off the set with two aces.
But Martin, an Australian and U.S. Open finalist, came back in the second set, breaking Sampras in the fourth and sixth games while holding at love two straight games to lead 5-1 before serving out.
In the seesaw tiebreaker — used in Champions Series matches instead of a third set _Martin fell behind 3-0 before winning the next four points. Sampras then served four straight aces to lead 7-4, followed by two crosscourt winners. Martin hit long to give Sampras
the title.
"The second set I didn't think I played that poorly, he came up with some unbelievable returns," Sampras said. "He was sort of leaning and guessing in a certain way, and he was guessing right.
"I finally got a good rhythm at the right time."
Martin, who lost narrowly to Sampras two weeks ago in the final in Boston, said his opponent "plays awfully well still."
Sampras' victory was his second in two Outback Champions Series events this month — his first competitive outings in nearly five years.
"I feel really good, I played quite well. I have a few things still left in the game," said Sampras, a 14-time major winner.
"It's special being here, seeing my heritage," said Sampras, whose mother was born in Greece. "I plan on being back."
Sampras played twice Sunday because of bad weather that regularly interrupted this tournament. He earlier beat Jim Courier 6-2, 6-4 in a postponed round-robin match, racing to a 4-0 lead before holding off his former Davis Cup teammate to win Group A.
5/19/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:| Pete Sampras wins in ancestral homeland|:||:|1179544638|:|
Source: Ap
May 17, 2007 - Pete Sampras traded forehands with Jim Courier at the foot of the Athens Acropolis in a tuneup for his first match in the Athens Champions Cup. Making his first trip to his ancestral homeland of Greece, Sampras hit balls with Courier on the makeshift cement court, then edged South Africa's Wayne Ferreira 6-3, 7-6 at the Olympic Tennis Center to improve to 5-0 in senior competition.
Sampras, who retired after winning the 2002 U.S. Open, broke Ferreira twice to take the first set 6-3 despite some good passing shots by his opponent.
In a closely fought second set, Sampras displayed more of the vintage serve-and-volley game that brought him seven Wimbledon titles and 14 total majors.
After Sampras, coming off a tournament victory two weeks ago in his senior debut, hit two aces to even the set at 4, Ferreira held to go up 5-4, then had a set point on Sampras' serve that he couldn't convert, sending the score to 5-5. Serving strongly, Ferreira again held for 6-5, and had two more set points in a 12th game that he failed to convert before Sampras won it with a service winner.
In the second set tiebreaker, Sampras asserted his authority, going up 4-1 on a crosscourt return winner before taking the last three points and the match.
"I had a tough time with Wayne," Sampras said. "It could have gone either way in the second set. ... You'd like to see a few more people but ... the atmosphere was quite nice."
The Champions Cup, a brainchild of Courier, is organized by his InsideOut Sports and Entertainment group. This is its first event outside the United States in this, its second season.
Of the makeshift exhibition below the 2,500-year-old Parthenon, Sampras said: "I for one will cherish this picture in my mind for the rest of my days. You can only imagine how I am feeling."
Courier said: "I feel very lucky, I would even say blessed."
Also Thursday, American Todd Martin beat Richard Krajicek from the Netherlands 6-2, 6-3, in a battle of big right-hand servers.
In the opening matches in the four-day tournament, Swede Magnus Larsson beat compatriot Anders Jarryd, at 45 the oldest player in the field of eight, 7-6, 6-4. Courier then outdueled Pat Cash, 6-4, 5-7, 10-7.
5/16/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras visits ancestral home of Greece for first time|:||:|1179313325|:|
The Associated Press
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
ATHENS, Greece: All the travel, all the tournaments and all the titles, and not one trip for Pete Sampras to his ancestral homeland — until now.
The retired 14-time Grand Slam champion has come to Greece for the first time — both to play tennis and for personal reasons.
"This is about sharing some time with my folks in my mom's homeland," Sampras told The Associated Press on Tuesday in an interview. "I'm going to go out and enjoy it. It's a personal trip and obviously a professional trip, and I didn't want to lose sight of either one.
"I'm here to explore my heritage more," the 35-year-old Sampras added. "I'm proud to be here for the first time."
Sampras' mother, Georgia, left Greece with her six siblings when she was 25 and moved to Canada and then to the United States.
"Very much a big Greek family," said Sampras, whose father, Sam, was born in the United States to a Greek immigrant father. This trip is coinciding with Sam Sampras' 70th birthday.
Sampras, who will be playing in a senior's tournament in Athens this week, played his last professional tennis match in 2002, when he beat Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open final.
"I kind of regret stopping," said Sampras, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, Rhode Island, on July 14.
Sampras will play in three Champions Cup events this year — he won in Boston earlier this month and will head to Charlotte, North Carolina, in September.
"It is flattering knowing ... that I can still be competitive," said Sampras, who ruled out a return to the All England Club for a chance to win an eighth Wimbledon title.
"I don't want to tempt it."
Since retiring, the American has divided his time between a growing family — he and actress wife Bridgette Wilson have two young children — and non-tennis pursuits, such as working his golf game down to a four handicap.
When he was still playing, Sampras' stoicism was legendary. He once beat Alex Corretja at the U.S. Open after vomiting on court during the fifth-set tiebreaker.
"I'm a bit like my mom as a competitor," he said. "That toughness, dedication, competitiveness, to leave your homeland and not speak a word (of English). That's where I get a lot of my toughness, deep down in my belly."
But his dour demeanor kept Sampras from becoming a media darling throughout most of his career.
"They wanted me to be someone I wasn't, on and off the court. That's not who I am. I've never been abrasive or brash," Sampras said. "I just kept it pretty simple, pretty quiet ... I wasn't going to sell out how I was raised, for more media coverage or more money."
Despite lacking showbiz appeal, Sampras made up for it on the court — finishing as the top-ranked player for six straight years.
"It's one thing to reach No. 1, but another to stay there, to dominate your generation, to stand the test of time," Sampras said. "It was stressful. There were sleepless nights."
One of his most memorable moments came at Wimbledon in 2000 when Sampras, battling injury, broke Roy Emerson's record of 12 major victories.
"It was pretty painful, I almost had to withdraw from the tournament," Sampras said. "I got injected (with cortisone), but it was raining and it wore off. I remember just the pain, just getting through it, toughing it out.
"I was pretty amazed myself when I got through those two weeks." 5/12/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to play exhibition match in Rockland County|:||:|1178958741|:|
Source: The Journal News
May 12, 2007 - Tennis great Pete Sampras will be playing an exhibition match in Rockland County this July - and it will be free to the public.
Sampras will appear as part of the Kennedy Funding Invitational, a tennis tournament held July 11-15 at Dellwood Country Club in New City. The event will award over $250,000 in prize money and is expected to raise over $400,000 for the breast care centers at Nyack Hospital and Englewood Hospital and Medical Center.
Last year's tournament, the first in the Lower Hudson Valley to attract top-100 players, was won by American Paul Goldstein. He will be joined in this year's men's field by New Jersey native Justin Gimelstob and Americans Robby Ginepri, Robert Kendrick and Amer Delic.
This year, there also will be an eight-person women's tournament, featuring top Americans Meghann Shaughnessy and Ashley Harkleroad.
Sampras, who won a record 14 Grand Slams before officially retiring in August 2003, is scheduled to play Sunday, July 15 at 4 p.m. against an opponent to be determined.
The Kennedy Funding Invitational was started last summer in honor of Leslie Simon, who lost her battle with breast cancer earlier in the year. Admission is free for the entire week, and all proceeds will go to Englewood and Nyack hospitals.
Source: The Journal News 5/08/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Youtube: Pete Sampras Interview after Winning the Champions Cup|:||:|1178629656|:|
Thanks to Shaw Sherman for the video!
5/07/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Wins His First Senior Event|:||:|1178532331|:|
May 7, 2007
BOSTON (AP) - For Pete Sampras, it was a day to live dangerously.
First, the future Hall of Famer faced a triple match point against Todd Martin in the final of the Champion's Cup event at Boston University on Sunday. Then, between beating Martin and grabbing the first-prize check of $50,000, Sampras shared some bad news with the Red Sox [team stats] fans in the crowd.
"I don't know if you guys heard, but I believe the New York Yankees just signed Roger Clemens," Sampras said during the trophy ceremony as the crowd of 3,560 erupted in boos. "I'm serious."
On the day that the 35-year-old Sampras made a successful return on the seniors tour, another old-timer announced that he would be making a comeback that was much less welcome in Boston. Clemens, 44, said during the seventh-inning stretch at Yankee Stadium that he chose New York over the Red Sox for his latest comeback.
The fans at Agganis Arena probably missed the news while watching Sampras play Martin. So Sampras, a Dodgers fan, took the opportunity to tweak them.
"I'm just having fun," Sampras said after the match. "You know what, it's not that fun in this town. It's like a religion. I've never seen anything like it. They're passionate (in Los Angeles), but I've never seen anything like it is here."
Sampras hadn't played competitive tennis since winning the 2002 U.S. Open for his record 14th Grand Slam title. Retired at 31, he didn't pick up a racket or watch tennis on television for almost three years before deciding to play a limited schedule of exhibitions and Champion's Cup events.
His presence was a coup for the seniors tour and reminder for his opponents - Petr Korda, Tim Mayotte, John McEnroe and Martin - of why he dominated the regular tour when they were in their prime.
"Adding Sampras has certainly added some extra buzz," said Jim Courier, a competitor and organizer of the tour. "There's no question that when you bring in 14 major titles in one body, it's going to get tougher."
In a nod to the players knees, the matches are best-of-two sets, with a 10-point tiebreaker in case they split the sets. Sampras won the first set 6-3 and it was 5-5 in the second when Martin broke Sampras' serve, then held serve to tie it.
"I was thoroughly unprepared for a lot of what he had to offer," said Martin, the winner of last year's Boston event. "The only recourse I had was to turn it into a tennis match rather than a skills test, because his skills are better than mine."
Trailing 9-6, Sampras won five consecutive points. Martin was serving for the victory at 9-8 when he hit a backhand - a "pretty easy" one, Sampras said - into the net; Sampras took the victory at 11-9 when Martin returned a serve wide.
"Athletically, he's still closer to the speed he was when he was competing. The rest of us have depreciated more," Martin said. "I hit a few shots today, but I was reacting 9 times out of 10, if not 19 times out of 20."
Sampras had been doing his best to stay in shape playing 3-on-3 basketball twice a week in Los Angeles with friends, including former tour player Alex O'Brien. Beach volleyball and golf have also kept him busy when he wasn't chasing his two kids, 1 1/2 and 4 1/2, around the house.
But now that he's back on the court, he plans to make a few appearances - not the entire seven-event tour - including Athens in two weeks. "I'm excited about taking my folks there, being a Greek-American," Sampras said.
Sampras went 3-0 in the round-robin before beating Martin in the final. McEnroe beat Courier 6-2, 6-3 in the consolation match.
Even so, the others were glad to have Sampras around.
"I think it adds a tremendous amount of legitimacy to what we're doing out here to have somebody who still plays at that level," Martin said. "For me, it's great to know that the best player in our era still wants to compete, still wants to beat me."
5/06/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Youtube Links - Champions Cup|:||:|1178470773|:|
Courtesy of Shaw Sherman
More videos 5/06/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras plays at 'pretty high level' vs. McEnroe|:||:|1178435375|:|
May 6, 2007
BOSTON (AP) - Pete Sampras advanced to the final in his first competitive tournament start in nearly five years, beating John McEnroe 6-3, 6-4 on Saturday night in the Champions Cup.
"I hit the ball better today than I did in my prime because of the bigger racket," Sampras said. "I think I can still play at a pretty high level. I can probably compete against anyone in the world today just one match, two sets."
After double-faulting in the opening game, Sampras rebounded to win the first three games of the first set. He never trailed in the second set, and took the lead for good after breaking to go up 2-1. The 35-year-old Sampras had six aces, and kept McEnroe off guard with an array of well-placed baseline shots.
"The guy hit the outside of the line like 20 times. It was unbelievable," McEnroe said. "It's incredible how many lines he hits. It's unbelievable. I've never played a guy who can consistently do that."
Sampras will face defending Champions Cup champion Todd Martin, who advanced to the final with a 3-6, 6-3, 10-8 (tiebreaker) win over Jim Courier.
Sampras owns an 18-4 career record against Martin, including a win in the final of the 1994 Australian Open. They haven't played since 2002.
"I'll have a chance if I play like I did tonight," Martin said. "I would like to have more than a chance. In order to that, I won't be able to let my serve wane at all in the middle of the match."
Sampras, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, says he didn't touch a racket for nearly three years before picking up the sport again last summer to get in better shape. 5/06/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Rolls Past McEnroe in Champions Cup Semis|:||:|1178435146|:|
Pete Sampras advanced to the title match of the Champions Cup Boston with a 6-3 6-4 victory over 48-year-old John McEnroe at Agganis Arena.
Sampras, 35, has yet to lose a set in the event, his first since retiring following a U.S. Open title over long-time rival and friend Andre Agassi in 2002.
Three of Sampras' 762 career victories came against McEnroe, the last a straight-sets win in the semi-finals in Philadelphia in 1991. By improving to 4-0 lifetime against McEnroe, Sampras advances to face Todd Martin in Sunday's final.
McEnroe, who defeated Petr Korda and Tim Mayotte in straight sets in his earlier matches, will play Jim Courier in a third-place match on Sunday.
Showing a little less hair on top of his head but still an impressive array of shots, Sampras never trailed and won the first three games as McEnroe built up his traditional frustrations with the judges and umpire.
A seven-time Grand Slam singles winner, McEnroe showcased a prolonged argument in the eighth game of the first set and held an animated discussion with the chair umpire between games.
In the second set, while rallying from an early 3-1 deficit and spoiling a match point for Sampras, McEnroe repeatedly slammed his racket on the court, smashed a ball well into the stands in frustration and continued to berate the umpires.
Sampras, who did plenty of waiting in between points but also played along with McEnroe's antics at times, was in control throughout and secured the match with an easy backhand winner.
Martin, who is 4-18 against Sampras, defeated Courier earlier in the day to top Pool B with a 3-0 record.
Source: Sporting Life 5/05/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pistol Pete Still Firing|:||:|1178384738|:|
Pete Sampras continued his return to competitive tennis in style after a 6-2 6-1 defeat of Tim Mayotte during the second night of action in the Champions Cup Boston at Agganis Arena.
The game was equal parts tennis and entertainment as the two competitors played to the crowd and chatted back and forth with each other and the line judges. The duo even allowed a ball boy and ball girl to play a point during the match.
Sampras dominated the Massachusetts native with a powerful serve and didn't drop a service game during the match.
The 35-year-old took the first set with relative ease, breaking Mayotte in the third game and carrying that momentum to a 6-2 victory.
Mayotte, a last minute replacement for Mats Wilander, struggled to get his own serve going and allowed Sampras to break again on a double fault at 4-2.
The second set was more of the same as Sampras broke Mayotte again in the third game on another double fault before closing out the match with a fifth break.
The win improved Sampras to 2-0 while Mayotte fell to 0-2.
Earlier, Todd Martin defeated Wayne Ferreira in straight sets 6-3 6-2.
Martin now stands at 2-0 while Ferreira is yet to win a match. Jim Courier beat Pat Cash 7-6 (7/3) 6-3 to improve his record to 2-0, while the Australian dropped to 0-2.
Source: Sporting Life 5/05/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras is still dazzling in return to the court|:||:|1178384365|:|
May 4, 2007
BY MIKE SZOSTAK, Providence Journal
BOSTON - Pete Sampras is back, and the way he hit the ball last night, it's like he never left.
Crushing serves for aces, slicing backhand approaches and volleying crisp winners, the 14-time Grand Slam singles champion played his first competitive match in nearly five years, and he was good. He defeated Petr Korda, 6-1, 6-2, in the feature match of the Champions Cup Boston, the second stop on Hall of Famer Jim Courier's Outback Champions Series.
John McEnroe, the best 48-year-old tennis player in the world, many believe, beat local favorite Tim Mayotte, 6-1, 7-5, in the first match at the striking Agganis Arena. Mayotte, who grew up in Springfield, trained with Boston pro Bill Drake while on the pro tour in the 1980s and now teaches tennis in New York, was a last-minute substitute for the injured Mats Wilander.
Sampras' last appearance in a singles tournament of any consequence was at the 2002 U.S. Open. Who can forget his emotional victory over Andre Agassi in the final and his dramatic climb through the stands to hug his wife?
Mayotte, McEnroe, and Korda are convinced that Sampras could return to the tour and make a serious run on grass at Wimbledon.
"He could win Queens," said Mayotte, 48. "I practiced with him today and got half a point in 20 minutes. I predicted he would play Wimbledon one more time, and I still predict he will. He'd have to train. He's not going to win seven five-setters without training. I think it would be great for the game."
McEnroe said that Sampras is the best player he ever saw, especially on grass, but he wonders what would motivate Sampras to return for another shot at Wimbledon.
"I could see it, but I don't know. I wouldn't bet on it. The guy won seven. Why bother? He could go out and win two out of three. I don't know about five-setters."
Having said that, McEnroe added that he couldn't name five players on the ATP tour today who could beat Sampras on grass.
"The guy's the master on grass. Roger (Federer) would say he'll play him, but he'll be concerned," McEnroe said. "The reality is your body breaks down. I don't know how fit he is. I could see him get to the quarterfinals and then lose because he was tired or strained something. I told him if he went there and lost in the first few rounds, it wouldn't take away from his place in history."
Korda echoed that sentiment. "If he served the way he served tonight, not many guys on the tour (could return). They swing at the serve. They don't block the serve. On grass he could beat many guys in the draw, badly," the Czech said.
But after dispatching Korda, Sampras, 35, killed all the Wimbledon speculation.
"I'm not going to play Wimbledon again. I'm curious how I'd do, especially with all the guys staying back. I always licked my chops when I saw baseliners," he said.
But a return, even for one tournament, would mean altering the lifestyle he has come to enjoy with his wife and two children in Los Angeles.
"A lot of things come into play. It's a lot of work. It's a daily grind. I wouldn't play Wimbledon just to play. I'd play to win. There's got to be a reason to come back, and there isn't a reason. To come back for one event is crazy," he said.
Sampras played six exhibitions and World Team Tennis last year, but it was a match against Courier, his contemporary, that sparked his interest in the seniors tour.
"It got my juices going. There's a little more at stake. Coming out today felt good - it felt exciting," he said.
Sampras told McEnroe that he didn't pick up a racquet for three years after winning the Open.
"Last summer, the first couple of balls he hit were absolute screamers. He was missing, but he wanted people to know he could still hit with pace," Mac said.
"When I picked up a racquet a year ago, the serve was still there," Sampras said. "I can still serve big up the middle. I can still do some things."
Like hustle to the net for a backhand half-volley and execute a perfect drop shot for a winner, earning a huge ovation.
Sampras will return tonight against Mayotte and then face McEnroe Saturday night.
"I'm ready for him, and I want him to know that. John, I'm coming after you," he joked with the crowd.
Said McEnroe: I'm not afraid. If I feel good, I'll go out against anyone."
Source: Providence Journal 5/04/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras wins big in return|:||:|1178297213|:|
May 3, 2007
BOSTON (AP) -- Pete Sampras routed Petr Korda 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round of the Champions Cup on Thursday, the 14-time major winner's first tournament in nearly five years.
In the first match, John McEnroe beat Tim Mayotte 6-1, 7-5. But the night belonged to Sampras, who hadn't played in a competitive match since beating Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final.
"It was fun -- it was nice playing in the crowd," Sampras said. "I felt excited walking out there with a nice ovation. This is why I decided to play."
The 35-year-old Sampras, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, didn't touch a racket for nearly three years before picking up the sport again last summer to get in better shape.
He first played in sporadic exhibition matches and in the World Team Tennis league before deciding to pick up his training following an exhibition with four-time Grand Slam champ Jim Courier, who organizes the senior tour.
"Playing against a former great player got my juices going," Sampras said. "So I did some thinking and (decided) to play Jim's event. Maybe play against some of the former greats, just get my juice going with a little more at stake."
Though he was a bit older than the last time he took center court -- at the U.S. Open -- he still looked like the Sampras of old in his senior tour debut. His booming serve topped 130 mph, his forehand was precise and he was as aggressive as ever.
"I was playing well before I came over here," Korda said. "But this was just too good for me. I knew he was going to come hard. If he's going to show up for something big like this, he's going to come ready."
Using a larger racket than he did in his prime, Sampras overpowered Korda from the start. After dropping just one game in the first set, Sampras won five of the final six games of the second to sweep the match.
He ended the match with an ace Korda had no chance of catching.
"Serving is one shot that when I picked up the racket a year ago that was pretty natural," Sampras said. "It was still there."
According to Courier, McEnroe, Mayotte and Korda, Sampras has more than just his serve left and could make serious run at this year's Wimbledon.
"The guy is a master on grass," McEnroe said. "Roger (Federer) would say he'd play him, but he'd be concerned."
Still, Sampras said there's no way he'll seek an exemption for one more shot at Wimbledon, an event he won seven times.
"I wouldn't play Wimbledon just to play -- I would play to win," he said. "There needs to be a reason to come back and there really isn't a reason for me to come back."
View Gallery 5/03/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras back in the running|:||:|1178211908|:|
He'll try to enhance his legend this week
By Bud Collins, Globe Correspondent
May 2, 2007 - Pete Sampras is back in the ballgame. Not quite the same game he departed spectacularly, uniquely, five years ago by beating Andre Agassi for the US Open title, his 14th singles major. No great tennis champion had ever bade farewell on such an Everestian note. Firing the last aces, nailing the concluding volleys -- all with effortless smoothness -- Silky Sampras waved goodbye at Flushing Meadow, and that was it.
However, here he is again, in The Bean, of all places, giving us a post-retreat treat, hoping to show us how he did it amid a gang of almost-elder toughs resurrected by promoter-player Jim Courier. It's not a comeback, says Sampras, 36, over the phone from his Beverly Hills home, eager to mix it up once more as Courier's $142,000 Champions Cup Boston, an eight-man ensemble, sets up shop at Boston University's Agganis Arena tonight through Sunday. Isn't it fitting that Greek-blooded Pete should rev up again in the playpen named for the Golden Greek, Harry Agganis?
Call it a reappearance, a "next chapter," he says. Perhaps a revival meeting as he gives us that old-fashioned religion of serve-and-volley. The names are familiar, all holders of majors: Petr Korda, Mats Wilander, and John McEnroe (the 2006 runner-up to Todd Martin) are lined up to oppose Sampras in the round-robin stage. On the other side of the draw are Courier, Martin, Pat Cash, and Wayne Ferreira, victor in the tour's opener at Naples, Fla.
Courier, founding father of the limited tour backed by Outback eateries (seven tournaments), wooed Pete gently, saying, "We want you, but whenever you feel you want to play."
After all, how much golf can satisfy a 4-handicap multimillionaire who was used to running to his tennis titles?
"I was getting restless," says Sampras. "I thought this would be good for me to get fit and focused. I was up around 200, but now I'm down to my playing weight, 185. I've worked hard because I have pride in playing well. I'm curious to see how I can compete with these guys."
One of his sparring partners has been none other than a Swiss named Roger Federer.
"Roger called me when he was on the way to Indian Wells and asked if he could stop by," says Sampras. "I didn't really know him. But I found he's a great guy. Very pleasant. We played on my court, and I'd say I held my own. But Roger has an extra gear, and that makes him so great."
Federer, of course, is stalking Sampras as Pete did Aussie Roy Emerson in the major titles derby. Having eclipsed Emerson at 13 with his seventh Wimbledon prize in 2000, Sampras says, "Roger will pass me. No doubt. He's got 10 now, and I think he'll have 18, like Jack Nicklaus.
"I think I can be competitive with these guys after my layoff. Is that reality or my ego talking? I'm using a newer Wilson racket, a little bigger, the one Roger uses. The new Luxilon strings -- I mix them with gut -- are a miracle. I wish I'd had them when I was trying to win the French. I'm not as quick, but I'm hitting the ball great."
As much as he admires Federer, Sampras feels that his own road to No. 1 and staying there was bumpier. Rafael Nadal appears to be Federer's lone obstacle. Sampras was battling Agassi, Courier, Martin, Korda, Michael Chang, Stefan Edberg, Boris Becker, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Richard Krajicek, Pat Rafter, Goran Ivanisevic, and Michael Stich in their primes as well as aging Ivan Lendl and McEnroe.
"There are more good players today, but not so many guys winning majors that I faced."
Sampras says, "I'm not a look-back guy. But I am kind of reflective about my career now that I'm going into the Hall of Fame at Newport [July 14]. It's a great honor. I'll have my parents, my whole family there."
After spending most of his life as an itinerant, Pete was glad to be at home "watching my two kids growing up.
"I still have great hands," he laughs. "You should see me doing diapers."
Source: Boston Globe 5/03/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Back on Court in Seniors Tour|:||:|1178211554|:|
By JIMMY GOLEN, AP
May 2, 2007, 8:33 PM EDT
BOSTON -- Pete Sampras took some time away from changing his kids' diapers this winter to make a playdate of his own. The soon-to-be Hall of Famer, who retired from competitive tennis in 2002, hung out with Roger Federer when the current world No. 1 was in California to play at Indian Wells. On the first day, they had a friendly workout hitting balls back and forth for about three hours.
"The next day," Sampras said, "he came to my house and we stepped it up a little bit. Two great players, playing on a practice court; just two guys going toe-to-toe.
"It was competitive. I held my own. For me, at my stage, I felt pretty happy about that."
What's encouraging for Sampras should be discouraging for the rest of the field at the Champions Cup stop in Boston this weekend. Jim Courier, a four-time Grand Slam winner who organizes the senior tour, said Sampras is still a great player despite the layoff.
"I can assure you that his game is more than ready to take on the competition here. This week, we're up against it," Courier said before the tour began play at Boston University's Agganis Arena on Wednesday. "If Wimbledon was best-of-three, Pete Sampras would be the No. 2 seed right now."
The 35-year-old Sampras will play in the five-day round-robin along with fellow Grand Slam winners Courier, John McEnroe, Pat Cash, Petr Korda and Mats Wilander. Todd Martin, who won the event in Boston last year, is also in the field, along with Wayne Ferreira, who played in a record 56 Grand Slam events.
"This year's field is deeper, stronger than any field we have had so far," Courier said. "Adding Pete to the mix ... with the records he holds and the prestige he brings, is unquestioned. It will all be great, until we play."
Sampras was ranked No. 1 for a record 286 weeks while winning seven Wimbledon titles, five at the U.S. Open and two at the Australian Open. Sampras, who will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July, retired after beating Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final for a record 14th Grand Slam title.
"I shut it down for about three years," he said Wednesday. "I didn't watch any tennis, didn't pick up a racket."
Instead, Sampras played a lot of golf and helped take care of his two children, now 4 1/2 and 1 1/2. Bored and a little restless and still in contact with Courier, he decided to give the over-30 tour a try.
"I love my kids," he said. "But if you ask me if I'd rather play Jim or change some diapers, I'll play Jim."
Sampras opens Thursday night against Korda, then plays Wilander on Friday and McEnroe on Saturday night. The top players after the round-robin advance to the championship and consolation matches.
Top prize in the $142,000 purse is $50,000 for an undefeated champion. The players also earn points during the six Outback Champions Series events toward a year-end title.
5/03/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras returns to court tonight in Champions event at BU|:||:|1178211388|:|
By Mick Colageo, South Coast Today
May 03, 2007 6:00 AM
BOSTON — It's a shame for tennis that Roger Federer and Pete Sampras only played once.
In 2001, Federer's five-set, round-of-16 triumph at Wimbledon was noted more as the sign of a legend's decline than the rise of a young star. Not yet 20, but 10 years Sampras' junior almost to the day,
Federer lost his quarterfinal to Tim Henman and was still a couple of years away from becoming the game's dominant player, a household name and someone who could count Tiger Woods among his fans.
"When he beat me in that match, I knew he was going to be a great player," said Sampras, who experienced parallel success at the same age a decade earlier. "Something clicked in him and he just became a lot more consistent."
Now five years into his retirement and scheduled for induction into the Tennis Hall of Fame on July 14 in Newport, R.I., the 35-year-old Sampras has experienced a new click in his old competitive nature.
In his first official competitive match since his 2002 retirement, Sampras will face 1996 Australian Open champion Petr Korda tonight in the Champions Cup Boston, an eight-player senior event that began Wednesday night at Boston University's Agganis Arena.
"Pete's got a new racquet, a little more hitting area, and he's hitting his backhand better than I've ever seen him hit it," said Outback Champions Series spokesman and player Jim Courier, noting that Sampras recently defeated Mardy Fish, the 31st ranked player in the world, in an exhibition.
The event also includes John McEnroe, Mats Wilander, Pat Cash, Todd Martin and Wayne Ferreira. They'll continue the round-robin format through Saturday with third-place and championship matches Sunday.
Five years removed from the grind and stress of full-time tennis, Sampras needed incentive, and it came from Federer, who sent Sampras a text message when passing through Los Angeles for the Indian Wells stop on the ATP tour.
"We hit one day for about three hours, just did a bunch of drills, and after that we talked for about an hour," said Sampras, who only recently established a friendship with his successor as the world's best player.
The next day they hit again on Sampras' court at his house and actually played. Sampras didn't divulge the scores but came away from the experience recharged.
"I was happy I can still hold my own, and holding serve is still something I can do pretty well, even against the best guy in the world," said Sampras. "It was funny — just two great players playing on a private court, just no B.S., no extracurricular fans or media, just two guys going toe to toe a little bit."
The two pulled the scene right out of Rocky III, where Balboa and Apollo Creed square off in the gym for rivalry's sake and without a single witness.
"It was fun. I actually prepared a little bit for a few days before, I stretched a bit and warmed up," said Sampras. "I knew we were going to go pretty hard so I was preparing myself for the practice."
That Sampras could stay with Federer didn't surprise Courier, a four-time major winner and contemporary of Sampras and Andre Agassi.
"The difference between us and the guys on the tour is the grind of playing 50 weeks a year," said Courier. "The human body isn't meant to take that kind of punishment."
Now that Sampras' candle is flickering again, speculation has already begun about a potential comeback, if not onto the main tour, to Wimbledon. But Sampras isn't even thinking on those levels, at least yet.
"We're not strung as tight as we used to be. When we lose a match, we'll be disappointed, but you lose a match back in my prime, you couldn't talk to me for three days," he said. "It's a different sort of gear. You want to be competitive. I still feel I can be competitive and put on a good show for the people."
Married to actress Bridget Wilson, Sampras has two children, ages 4½ and 1½.
"Tennis is a tricky sport to retire," he said. "You can't be a general manager when you're done playing or do golf-course design. We owe a lot to Jim for getting this (tour) together.
"It's nowhere near the tension it was in the 90s. We're all here to play serious. I love my kids, but I'd rather play Jim (Courier) than spend my time changing diapers."
Champions Cup Boston
When: Today-Sunday
Where: Agganis Arena, Boston University.
At stake: $142,000 in prize money ($50,000 to the winner) and points in the Outback Champions Series.
Schedule:
Today at 7 p.m. - John McEnroe vs. Mats Wilander followed by Pete Sampras vs. Petr Korda;
Friday at 2:30 - Todd Martin vs. Wayne Ferreira followed by Jim Courier vs. Pat Cash;
Friday at 7 - Sampras vs. Wilander
followed by McEnroe vs. Korda;
Saturday at 2:30 — Wilander vs. Korda
followed by Courier vs. Martin;
Saturday at 7 - Cash vs. Ferreira
followed by Sampras vs. McEnroe;
Sunday at 2:30 - Third-place match
followed by Championship.
5/03/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras Has Fun In Return To Tampa|:||:|1178210810|:|
By JOEY JOHNSTON The Tampa Tribune
Published: Apr 29, 2007
TAMPA - Pete Sampras was in mid-ball toss, about to unleash his serve.
"Please, Pete, be gentle," said doubles opponent Rennae Stubbs, into her microphone, as the crowd of 9,002 chuckled in unison during Saturday night's lighthearted Mercedes-Benz Classic tennis exhibition at the St. Pete Times Forum.
Even Sampras doubled over in laughter. Then, regaining his composure, he smacked an ace. Just like old times. "This was fun," Sampras said.
Sure, he was older (35) and certainly less focused than during his last major competitive effort (winning the 2002 U.S. Open), but in many ways, it was like seeing a ghost.
"Pete kind of pulled a Greta Garbo on us," said Jim Courier, the Dade City native and former No. 1-ranked player who hosted the fourth annual charity event, which primarily benefited kids from the St. Petersburg Tennis Center. "He needed to get away [in retirement]. He had gone at it as hard as anybody has ever gone at it.
"As a fan of tennis, I love seeing him back in the game."
Even on a limited basis.
Sampras, who holds the all-time men's record with 14 Grand Slam singles titles, is playing exhibitions, along with two events on Courier's Outback Champions Series 30-and-over tour. Returning to Tampa, his residence for six years, was a natural for Sampras, given his affiliation to the area and his friendship with Courier.
And local fans treated Sampras like a long-lost native son.
"When any of the great past champions comes back, people want them to know how much they love them," said Stubbs, an Australian touring pro who lives at Harbour Island. "You saw how it was. They introduce the rest of us. Then they introduce Pete, and the reaction is thunderous.
"I know what the guys [on the ATP Tour] are talking about, how you can't read Pete's serve. The same ball toss, the same motion, but it's hard to see what's coming. And he wasn't serving nearly [as hard] as he can. I know the people enjoyed it, because they got a glimpse of one of the best tennis players ever."
Courier and Stubbs defeated Sampras and Nicole Vaidisova 6-3 in the mixed doubles match. In the men's singles finale, Sampras beat Tampa's Mardy Fish 7-6, 6-4, ending on an ace (Fish was a late replacement for Courier, who didn't want to take any chances while still recuperating from a back injury).
The evening began with a celebrity doubles match as Chris Evert and actor Jon Lovitz beat actor Donal Logue and Vaidisova 6-4.
But clearly, the highlight was Sampras' appearance.
"With Pete, you're seeing a legend," said Evert, a tennis legend in her own right. "I love playing these events because they benefit a great cause and I can be relaxed. I was, um, let's say, pretty intense when I played during my career.
"Pete was the same way. Now his guard is down. He can hear the applause, feel the love. He deserves it. It's great."
The night also served as a reunion for Sampras, who lives in California, and Courier, who lives in New York. They were boyhood buddies, one-time doubles partners, head-to-head competitors for the No. 1 ranking and singles finalists at Wimbledon, 1993.
Courier and Sampras agreed that any tennis match they share still means something.
"It's a testament to two guys who have respected one another and didn't carry their matches off the court," Sampras said. "I think Jim always wants to show me he has something left in his game, and I'm probably the same way.
"Jim is the most competitive guy I've ever been around. We like this type of fun environment. But do we both want to win? Heck, yeah. And afterward, we walk off, still great friends. We've been through the wars together."
Source: Tampa Tribune 4/19/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Mar 29, 2007 - Pete Sampras forms management firm with his brother|:||:|1176988230|:|
Thursday, March 29, 2007
(03-29) 15:03 PDT Los Angeles (AP) --
Pete Sampras, winner of a record 14 Grand Slam tennis tournaments, has formed a California-based management company to be run by his brother, a longtime sports marketing executive.
Pure Sports Management, LLC, will oversee Sampras' business opportunities and venture into managing other athletes.
"After I retired, I had many different companies approach me with various opportunities and I wanted to streamline all of these deals through one entity," Sampras said in a statement issued Thursday. "Starting my own company and having my brother Gus run it was a natural, as he has been involved throughout my career."
Sampras won seven Wimbledon championships, five U.S. Open championships and two Australian Open championships during his career. He will be inducted into the International Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. this summer.
Gus Sampras has worked in sports marketing for over 18 years. He spent 12 years at International Management Group (IMG), where he served as vice president of IMG Tennis. 4/17/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Pete Sampras to play in Greece|:||:|1176825231|:|
NEW YORK, N.Y., April 17, 2007 - InsideOut Sports & Entertainment today announced that the Olympic Tennis Centre in Athens, Greece will host a new International Champions Series tennis tournament, May 17-20 in the first-ever international event on the champions' tennis circuit co-founded by Hall of Famer Jim Courier.
The marquee player of the star-studded round-robin field will be 14-time Grand Slam champion and Greek-American Pete Sampras, who will make his first ever trip to Greece for the event. Also headlining the field will be former US Open and Wimbledon finalist Mark Philippoussis, another standout player of Greek heritage who will be the first-ever current ATP singles player to play in an International Champions Series event. Other players in the field include Courier, former US Open and Australian Open finalist Todd Martin, 1996 Wimbledon champion Richard Krajicek, three-time French Open champion Mats Wilander and 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash. The eighth and final player in the field will be announced at a later date.
Athens will be the second Champions Series event for Sampras, who will make his series debut at the Champions Cup - Boston to be held at the Agganis Arena in Boston, May 2-6.
"Playing in this event in Greece is going to be very exciting for me and something that I am really looking forward to," said Sampras. "I've never had the opportunity to travel to Greece, but this event will give me the chance to see the country, meet the people and allow me to play in a tournament with a different kind of pride as a Greek-American playing in the land of my heritage."
2/16/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Q&A with Pete Sampras - The Pistol raps on his comeback and Roger Federer|:||:|1171589596|:|
Last week Sports Illustrated writer Richard Deitsch interviewed Pete Sampras for the magazine's Q&A. The 35-year-old Hall of Fame tennis player will compete in the Outback Champions Series, an over-30 tour, in Boston from May 2-6. In July he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Here are additional excerpts from their conversation.
SI: What has retirement been like for you?
Sampras: Retirement is a work in progress. It's not like you can read a book and figure it out. But I realized in 2005 that I needed to start doing something. I wasn't structured at all. I was kind of waking up, playing golf, not really doing much. When I committed to playing a little tennis in some exhibitions, it was the best thing for me. It got me in shape. It got me out of the house. It got me doing something I love to do.
SI: You've committed to playing two events on this tour. Why return to competitive tennis?
Sampras: I talked to Jim Courier a lot over the past year. He was picking my brain on where I was mentally and whether I wanted to play. I just wanted to give it a shot. There's something about playing an event. It was a process getting to a point where I could commit to it and be excited about it. I'm playing Jim and John McEnroe and guys I played during my years. I'm looking forward to it but I had to get to a pretty good place to commit to it and see how it feels. John and Jim said it was a fun week, a competitive week, but's it not the competition I'm looking for. It's having something to prepare for. I have something to look forward to. I can hit a little more. I can get in a little better shape. It's a combination of all those things that give you a little focus. I's not anything like it used to be but something like it used to be.
SI: What happens if you play at higher level in Boston than you expect? Would you be tempted to keep playing?
Sampras: That's a good question. I'm curious myself as to what it will feel like. I will tell you that in the last months I have been hitting the ball better today then I did when I was playing. A lot of it has to do with technology. I'm using a bigger racket. Technology is taking the game to a new level and the last year or so I have taken advantage of that. I am serving just as hard. I'm hitting the ball with more control. I think my racket head has a lot to do with that.
SI: Say you were offered a wild card at an ATP tournament in the next 18 months, would you consider it?
Sampras: The offer is not the problem. It's the desire for me to do it and the grind of it all. People have mentioned to me: You should come back. There's not many great players today and it would be exciting, and give the sport a real shot in the arm. But they haven't walked a mile in my shoes. Realistically, I only play one way. That's to win. I won't jeopardize that feeling to come back just to come back. It has to be for a reason. My competitive side and curious side, I have thought about it. Realistically, it's not going to happen.
SI: You played against Roger Federer once at Wimbledon 2001.
Sampras: And lost 7-5 in the fifth.
SI: Federer will top out at how many majors?
Sampras: I see him getting to 17, 18 or 19 majors. I really do. Who knows how far he can go? He's winning these majors with pretty much ease. He's not challenged much. He's obviously playing great. If there were three or four guys who were pushing him to five sets or beating him a few times over the past year, then anything could happen on the day. But I just find him with that extra gear that no one can hang with him for a long period of time. He can win 17, 18 or 19 majors. He's in the middle of his career and I don't see him slowing down or anyone slowing him down.
SI: What would be your game plan to beat him?
Sampras: I would try to take his timing away and come in and use my serve and aggressive style. He does great things when guys stay back and he can kind of dictate from the back court. I would not want to get into many exchanges like that. I'd try to come in, attack his second serve, really just try to take his rhythm away. That's what I tried to do against all the great baseliners like Courier and Andre Agassi. I would try to overwhelm them with my power and shot-making ability. So I would serve and volley on both serves. I would attack his backhand, which is his weaker side, and go from there. Unfortunately, we don't have anyone who can do that today so he can out-athletic these guys from the back court because of what he can do on the run. Nobody is looking to come in and I think that's the way to beat him.
SI: Would you be okay with Federer passing your Grand Slam majors record?
Sampras: Sure, you would love to have that record but it's true: Records are made to be broken. Players are better today and I believe Roger is going to break my record, Tiger Woods is going top break Jack Nicklaus' record and Barry Bonds is going to break Hank Aaron's record. Unfortunately for me, Roger would only have given me the record for about eight years. But I don't believe in not rooting for him. I've never believed in that. I believe the record will be broken and the person who will break it is a phenomenal player. He is someone who I would want to see do it because I think he is a credit to the game. I think he's a nice guy. He handles himself well on and off the court. He has good temperament there. Those are the things I like in an athlete. He doesn't transcend the sport because of where we are today and all the controversy people want.
SI: When is the last time you spoke with Federer?
Sampras: I talked to him a few days after the Open. I sent him a text to congratulate him. Then we spoke a little bit after that. We had some people who were curious about putting together an exhibition. It ended up not working out but we talked a little about the exhibition and in general. I told him, "Look, I don't know you well but want to tell you I respect your game, the way you handle yourself and that you are credit to the game." I think he gets respect from the media and the fans and I wanted him to know that I was a part of that.
SI: Who do you think is the more dominant athlete: Tiger Woods or Federer?
Sampras: Good question. As far as pure domination, it's hard to say because I find golf harder to dominate than tennis. For Tiger to do what he has done, he has to worry about a field of players but he's not as much in control of how it goes compared to Roger. For Roger, it's just one on one. He has to worry about seven guys and seven guys only. Tiger has to worry about some floater guy shooting 62. Tiger is not as much in control so it tells you what Tiger has done might be more impressive. But at the same time Roger has lost like five matches in the last 18 months. Something ridiculous like that. It's hard to say whether tennis is harder to dominate than golf. I think a lot more crazier things can happen in golf than tennis so I'd lean a little toward Tiger but at the same time Roger has won more than Tiger.
SI: How often do you talk to Andre Agassi?
Sampras: I talked to him a little after the U.S. Open. He invited my wife and me to his foundation dinner so we went and talked and hung out. We promised each other we would stay in touch. I think we have been through too much together and do get along quite well. We both have a wife and two kids. We have a lot in common at this stage in our lives.
SI: Would you describe you and Agassi as friends today?
Sampras: I would. Not anything where we stay in touch week to week, but if he were ever in L.A. or I were in Las Vegas, I think we would reach out to one another just to get together or have our kids play. The great thing that happened with us is that everything we went through, completing for major titles, I think we came out better friends than when we went into it. It's a credit to who we are and what we represent.
SI: How much tennis memorabilia do you own?
Sampras: I have some trophies and eight of my old St. Vincent Wilson racquets. That's about it. I have the net at Wimbledon when I broke the record. But it's in storage [laughs].
SI: Have you ever looked up your wife's (actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras) page on the IMDb Web site?
Sampras: Absolutely. And I've Googled her.
SI: Before or after you were married?
Sampras: After [laughs].
SI: The one stroke from any player in history you would like to borrow for one match?
Sampras: How about Goran Ivanisevic's serve? On grass. That was pretty rough.
SI: You can be one other athlete for one day, whom do you choose and why?
Sampras: If I could pick anyone I would say Michael Jordan, hitting his last-second shot against Utah in Game Six of the 1998 NBA Finals. That was a great moment and he did in Utah, which was even sweeter.
SI: What's a typical day like for you these days?
Sampras: I'll get up either 7 or 8 and spend some time with my kids before they go to pre-school. Then at 10 to 11 I'll go to the gym and lift some weights or do a run. I might play golf from noon to 4 or 5. Then I'll get back and spend a few hours with my kids before they go to bed. That's kind of a typical day. But I do hit the tennis ball three days a week, maybe from 1:30 to 3. Twice a week I play basketball. I have a little hoop at my house so I'll bring eight guys over to play a little four-on-four. That's a great workout. And I play poker in a home game once a week. I spend a lot of time with my kids. I like taking my older son out to lunch. We go to Beverly Hills to have lunch and we have that time together.
SI: You'll be enshrined in the Hall of Fame in July. Have you started on your speech?
Sampras: I have not started on the speech, but I am thinking about ideas and things I want to say. For me, it's kind of thanking everyone that got me to this point. I'll talk about how I looked at my tennis, different coaches, my family and wife. I have not officially put something down on paper but I want to talk about what the sport meant to me and how I looked at the sport.
SI: Can you go as long as you want?
Sampras: You can as long as you want. I see something like five to 10 minutes.
SI: That seems short.
Sampras: They told me Jimmy Connors did something for 5 to 10 minutes and McEnroe did 40, which is a little long. I want something short and sweet so I can nail some important points.
SI: Would you and your wife ever consider posing for the SI Swimsuit Issue?
Sampras: I don't know. Maybe it's not for us [laughs].
SI: I know you believe Roger will win the French Open. What would that win mean for his career?
Sampras: It would complete it, and not that it's not already complete today. But he was born and raised on clay. The closest I came to clay as a kid was Play-Doh. It was foreign to me. I think his game suits clay pretty well. So I think it is just a matter of time. It's tough because there are really a lot more good clay-court players today then there were 10 years ago. It will be as challenging as it was for me but I think he's more comfortable on clay because he grew up on it.
SI: If we were to ask your friends to describe you in a sentence, what would they say?
Sampras: Kind of a dry sense of humor, sarcastic, a little guarded at first, but once you break that barrier, he's friendly.
SI: Justin Gimelstob wrote a column for SI.com saying he thought you were playing today at a level as high as anyone except Federer.
Sampras: We were talking about the game and the sport. James Blake is No. 6 in the world and I wonder what it would be like to play him at this stage of my life if he gave me a few months to prepare. The serve is something that I still possess and I felt pretty hard to break.
SI: You are 35 -- not that old.
Sampras: It is true. Look at what guys are playing with today. It is crazy the amount of power a guy like Fernando Gonzalez can get from that racket. It has made mediocre players better and it has made the great players that much better. It's something I'll always think about.
SI: Have you ever played golf with Tiger?
Sampras: No, just a few hands of black jack. We were in Las Vegas doing an interview for ESPN and we played black jack and had dinner together.
SI: Anyone our readers would know who plays in your home poker game?
Sampras: Dan Harrington.
SI: The Dan Harrington?
Sampras: Action Dan himself. He's a really nice guy, very smart. We talk a little tennis, and his poker days.
SI: Is it intimidating to play him?
Sampras: I kind of stay away from him when we get into pots. I try to stay clear of him but sometimes you run into him.
SI: Who was the most fun person to make fun of on tour?
Sampras: I was always friendly with Tim Henman. I'd say we'd ribbed each other. I was close to him. I think someone like Gimelstob, I was just mean to in a fun way [laughs].
SI: You and your wife have each now had a Q&A in this space. That probably ranks up there with seven Wimbledons, right?
Sampras: Thanks [laughs]. That is cool.
SI: Is there anyone you have always wanted to meet that you have yet to meet?
Sampras: There's not anyone I am dying to meet. I finally got to meet someone I was in awe of and that was Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam. I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan. I got a chance to to talk to him before a concert. I've met a lot of different people in all walks of life, from sportsman to actors, but he was someone throughout my years, he was a person I wanted to meet.
SI: Could you name every film your wife has appeared in?
Sampras: I can now. When we were first going out, there were some I did not know of. And I know she was in Saved by the Bell. Give me some time and I can think of all of them.
Source: SI.com 2/15/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras returning, years after invite|:||:|1171559377|:|
Tennis legend, 35, to play on July 18 in Central Park
First published: Tuesday, February 6, 2007
SCHENECTADY -- Nearly 20 years ago, a little-known tennis player named Pete Sampras came to Central Park for the OTB Open. He was 16 and ranked No. 247 in the world.
As Sampras played on Court 6, tournament director Nitty Singh snapped photos of the skinny teen smacking the ball over the net with power and precision. Sampras later asked Singh why she wasn't taking pictures of anyone else.
"Because you're going to be No. 1 someday," Singh said.
Sampras reached the semifinals of the tournament before losing to No. 1 seed Tim Mayotte 6-2, 7-6 (5). Singh invited Sampras to dinner, but he declined because Indian food wasn't part of his diet. He did, however, say he would accept the offer if he reached the U.S. Open that summer.
One month later, Sampras made it to the U.S. Open and, as promised, took up Singh's offer. Over Indian cuisine, Singh asked Sampras if he would play in Schenectady the next summer. In reply, he rubbed his thumb against his middle and index fingers, indicating his appearance would cost Singh.
"You're an ungrateful wretch," Singh joked, and that talk ended.
Nearly 20 years later, Singh is getting her wish.
Sampras, now 35, the winner of a record 14 Grand Slam titles and arguably the greatest tennis player ever, will return to Schenectady on Wednesday, July 18 for a World TeamTennis match as a member of the Newport Beach Breakers.
Singh, owner of WTT's New York Buzz, made the announcement Monday during a news conference at City Hall. She also released the Buzz's schedule, which includes seven home matches in July at CDPHP Stadium in Central Park.
Singh said Sampras is the biggest name to come to Central Park in the 13 years WTT has been played there. Stars who have played in Schenectady include Venus and Serena Williams, Martina Hingis, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe, Boris Becker, Anna Kournikova and Lindsay Davenport.
"Sampras is the greatest tennis player of all time," Singh said. "He was No. 1 in the world six years in a row. Roger Federer is not even close. Sampras has 14 Grand Slam titles, and Federer only has 10."
Singh also announced Sportime at Schenectady is sponsoring the Buzz in 2007. Sportime purchased the former Schenectady Racquet Club, which will be the Buzz's practice facility and will host matches when the weather is poor.
Source: Times Union 2/15/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to play in Charlotte event|:||:|1171558961|:|
He's not the first retiree to ask: "Golf, is that all there is?"
The difference is age. Most men in that position are in their 70s. Pete Sampras is in his 30s. So he could do something about it. He got back in the game.
His game is tennis, of course. He holds the most men's Grand Slam singles titles. And he'll be in Charlotte Sept. 26-30 as part of the senior tour.
"I'd say 2005 was kind of a pivotal year," Sampras, 35, told the Observer in a phone interview. "After I played enough golf and had some fun, I felt the need to be more fulfilled in the work area ...
"I like to work. I like to get my hands dirty."
In other words, he misses the competition, but not enough to go back to the rigors of the main tour.
He believes he could still beat a top-10 player on occasion, because his serve still hums over the net at more than 130 mph. But it's the Spartan lifestyle and all the travel that makes the main tour unappealing.
Instead, he'll play selected events in the Outback Champions Series, against the likes of Jim Courier, John McEnroe and Todd Martin.
Sampras' presence gives a surge to a tour that sold out most seats in its inaugural visit to the Palisades development near Lake Wylie.
"Pete adds a level of electricity," said Courier, another former world No. 1 who founded and plays on this circuit. "His presence is a 1-plus-1-equals-3.
"People who don't know me, I can say `Pete Sampras' and they'll say, `Wimbledon!' The familiarity Pete brings -- the seriousness -- my sense is that's a huge boost."
Is it too much of a boost? Is Sampras so good that he'll dominate every senior event and create a King-and-his-court effect?
Courier lost decisively the last time he played Sampras in an exhibition, but he doesn't buy that Sampras can mow over the regulars on this tour.
"He won 7-6 in the third last time he played Todd," Courier said. "He'll step in as a clear favorite, but it won't be a walkover for him."
Sampras is excited about this because it's just enough to get him motivated, without wearing him down.
"I don't want the day-in, day-out grind all over again, but I still want to train, I still want to have a healthy lifestyle," said Sampras, who regularly plays practice sets against main-tour players.
After years of playing with a familiar but outdated racquet, he's updated his equipment.
"I'm hitting the ball better than ever," he said. "And that's all about the technology."
TICKETS: Start at $15 per session. For information, call: 877-332-8499 or go to championsseriestennis.com 2/14/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Drawing a different comparison: Tiger and Pete |:||:|1171435722|:|
by: Kamakshi Tandon, TENNIS.com
Wednesday, February 7, 2007
It's almost too easy. Tiger Woods shows up in Roger Federer's box at the U.S. Open. Roger shows up to watch Tiger in Shanghai. Roger and Tiger become friends. Tiger wins his seventh tournament in a row just as Roger wins the Australian Open. Tiger = Roger.
Trouble is, it is too easy. If you want to draw parallels between contemporaries who dominated golf and tennis, the best comparison isn't Woods and Federer -- it's Woods and Pete Sampras.
Think about it. Woods and Sampras are closer in age (31 and 35, respectively) than Woods and Federer (31 and 25).
They project similar personalities -- detached, literal and focused. In fact, the first time I saw Tiger speak, he immediately reminded me of Sampras. Even for someone who didn't know golf, it was an inkling that he was going to be good.
They both took their sports' power to a new level, enough to prompt calls for serving restrictions in tennis and longer fairways in golf.
They won their first major almost right out of the gates, but took a couple of years to find their dominating mode. Then, with destiny-like conviction, they geared their careers toward a long-standing record that many had thought would never again be broken: total majors won. Blips in form after getting married led to speculation about loss of motivation, but both eventually contended for majors
again.
Heck, even their wives look a little alike.
Federer, meanwhile, is a neoclassical player, blending old artistry with modern power. His personality is textured; his opinions nuanced and clearly expressed. It's a different vibe.
And if you want to look at social and pop culture impact, the Williams sisters might be the better equivalent.
Sampras vs. Federer at 25½ Years Old
Sampras Federer
Grand Slams 9 10
Weeks, No. 1 159 160
Titles 45 46
Win pct. 79.0 80.0
Still, chronological convenience means it's Woods and Federer who've been the hot item in the last couple of weeks. In career terms, it doesn't make much difference -- the eerie symmetry between Sampras' and Federer's careers is well-known. They were born almost exactly 10 years apart, and their respective numbers at 25½ years old (Federer's current age) are remarkably similar (see chart).
But the two do diverge in one aspect of their careers. Sampras didn't want to be remembered as the nice guy, the funny guy or the colorful guy, he wanted to be the guy "with all the titles." What about Federer? "I hope I'm remembered as one of the good guys -- fair, kind of an idol to kids -- because that's what I needed to get started," he said at the Australian Open.
At this point, it looks like they'll both get their wishes. Sampras ended his career with 14 Slams, four more than Federer. Good luck figuring out how that compares to Woods' pursuit of six more majors to break golf's all-time mark of 18, set by Jack Nicklaus. It's like comparing archery and fencing.
But if it's going to be done, it might as well be done right. When it comes to what they've meant within their sport, it's Sampras that Woods should be compared with, not Federer. Don't let the recent Nike matchmaking tell you otherwise.
Source: Tennis.com 2/01/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras: I would have held my own against Federer|:||:|1170296379|:|
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Pete Sampras thinks he could have held his own against Roger Federer but conceded on Tuesday that the Swiss master is poised to smash his record of 14 grand slam titles.
Sampras, who retired after winning the 2002
U.S. Open, considered what the result might have been had the two giants of men's tennis met in their prime.
"I don't think one guy would have dominated the other," said the American during a teleconference to announce his return to tournament tennis, playing a limited number of events on a tour for over-30 players.
"I think our games are pretty similar. It would have been a great clash to see us in our prime. Roger is doing what I never did; dominate the way he is. He's lost five matches in two years, that's unheard of.
"But I feel like my game is too big to be dominated by someone. When my game was on, my serve was on, I felt I was tough to beat. I felt unbeatable."
Sampras could soon see how his career stacks up alongside Federer, after the Swiss took another stride toward the record with his third Australian Open crown on Sunday.
The 25-year-old Swiss has won 10 grand slams since his maiden title at Wimbledon in 2003 and will break Jimmy Connors's record of 160 consecutive weeks as world number one next month.
After beating Andre Agassi to lift his 14th grand slam title, Sampras believed his record would stand the test of time.
But almost immediately an unrelenting Federer launched his assault on the mark.
"I thought it would take longer than seven or eight years," said the 35-year-old Sampras. "I don't seen anyone pushing him so I could see him winning 17, 18, 19 majors. He has 10 already and he's in the middle of his career.
"He just came along at the right time and is playing tremendous tennis and I don't see him stopping now."
NO COMEBACK
Sampras also believes Federer is capable of achieving a success that eluded him by winning on the red clay of Roland Garros.
The Swiss world number one needs the
French Open to complete his set and become only the third player to hold all four majors at once.
"I think he can because he grew up playing on clay and he's come close the last two years," said Sampras. "I really believe he can win there.
"I'm a fan, of his game, his temperament, how he handles himself on and off the court. I marvel at things he's able to do," he added.
The two players clashed just once in their careers, with the Swiss prevailing. There will be no re-match.
"When we retire we all have thoughts of playing again but my playing days are over on the ATP Tour," admitted the seven-time Wimbledon champion. "It's a lot of work, a whole different lifestyle I'm done with.
"I have been hitting the ball pretty well for the past six months and still feel that I can maybe compete against some of the guys. But to think about coming out of retirement is something far-fetched."
(Writing by Steve Keating in Toronto) 1/30/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras to play on over-30 tour|:||:|1170122815|:|
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Sports Writer
January 29, 2007
Pete Sampras will play tournament tennis for the first time since 2002, competing on a tour for players over 30, The Associated Press has learned.
Sampras' Outback Champions Series debut, which will come May 2-6 at Boston University's Agganis Arena, is to be announced formally Tuesday. The 35-year-old Sampras will appear in at least one other event on the tour in 2007.
"This is kind of my first dive into the waters, so to speak, to see how I feel and play a match I really want to win," Sampras, owner of a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, said in a telephone interview with the AP.
"I still love the sport -- I practice two, three times a week -- but I don't miss the grind. This is a time to catch up with old competitors, old friends, and see if I still have a few things left in the bag," he said.
It's the latest step in a gradual return to a sport Sampras dominated for the better part of a decade, then pretty much disappeared from after winning his last match, against Andre Agassi in the U.S. Open final in September 2002.
He didn't announce his retirement until a year later, then never really re-emerged until playing exhibitions and World Team Tennis in 2006. But those didn't get his competitive juices flowing the way he expects the senior events will.
"The stakes are a little bit higher playing in a tournament and against some former greats," Sampras said. "There's a sense of satisfaction in that. Not like it used to be, but you want to win and play well."
John McEnroe and series co-founder Jim Courier also will be in the eight-man field in Boston, where there will be $142,000 in prize money. Michael Chang, Goran Ivanisevic and Mats Wilander are other major champions who have participated in the Outback Champions Series, which is entering its second full season. To qualify, a player must have reached a Grand Slam singles final, been ranked in the top five, or played singles on a Davis Cup championship team.
Landing Sampras is a coup for Courier, who began discussing the series with his former Davis Cup teammate more than a year ago.
"Pete's got a great connection with tennis fans in this country. People will enjoy seeing Pete really lace it up and go for it with his 'A' game," Courier said. "Exhibitions are all fine and well and they definitely have their place. Tournament tennis is different. The competitive aspect will make it exciting for everybody, including Pete."
Sampras fleetingly considered making a comeback to elite tennis, perhaps for a final appearance at Wimbledon (his last match there, a second-round loss to 145th-ranked George Bastl in 2002, was "as low as I've been on a tennis court," Sampras said).
He made it clear, though, that won't happen.
"It's crossed my mind when I watch Wimbledon. I miss it. I kind of wonder what I would do today there, especially with the game changing and everyone staying back on the grass there. I kind of lick my chops," Sampras said. "But I won't play for one tournament, and I won't play, period. It was something that just crossed my mind -- that's the competitive guy in me. But it's not realistic for me to do it again."
He also sees no reason to add to a legacy that includes seven titles at Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Open and two at the Australian Open, plus a record 286 weeks ranked No. 1. He'll be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in July.
"I just played to win. I didn't play for the limelight. It always was about the titles. Some (come out of retirement) because they want the limelight or they want the attention or they're bored or they have something left to prove to themselves," Sampras said. "I don't have anything left to prove to myself." 1/22/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|ESPN2 Phone Interview with Pete Sampras |:||:|1169472040|:|
ESPN2 Phone Interview with Pete Sampras about his induction to the Hall of Fame. Here are highlights of the interview -
PS: With your everyday life, you're kind of busy with the family and other things. This will give me a time to reflect and appreciate my career, what I was able to do for a long period of time. I'm looking forward to the weekend, somewhat kind of an emotional time, because you kind of look back at your career and you kind of miss it. At the same time, you're happy you're retired. So it gives you time to, you know, look at life and be appreciated from the people there and being inducted is a good honor for me. And I feel like I worked hard to get in there. I’m looking forward to checking it out.
Chris Fowler: You expect that it will be an emotional time? As you walk through the gates of Newport and walk through the grass courts. You weren't known for showing your emotions on the court when you played. Do you think you'll get choked up there?
PS: Well, you know, I tend to at certain moments, watching other athletes get into the Hall of Fame, it's a time of reflection, time of appreciation, having my wife and two kids there and my family there and all my in-laws there, so it's definitely just a celebration and an appreciation that I don't think I really took a lot during my career. I was so focused and expected to win majors that you kind of take it for -- you really take it for granted. Now, you kind of can appreciate it more. I have two kids myself. And having my folks there. I think it will be emotional.
It's a time of celebration and kind of see what I did for all of those years, and the appreciation which is something that always feels good. So it could be. It might not be. But we'll see what happens.
CF: Federer's chasing his tenth grand slam title here that would put him within four of you. Some might root hard against him wanting you to hold on to the record. What do you say when you watch Roger play on TV and chase your record down?
PS: Well, I'm impressed with his game. I'm impressed with the way he handles himself on and off the court. He really is what a sportsman is to me. I'm a fan of his. I don't believe in rooting against people. I really believe in my heart that he's going to win way more than 14. I think the way he's going, and the fact that he doesn't really have players really pushing him. I think he can win close to 17, 18 majors. He's going to slide by me and hit Nicklaus soon. He's such a great player. And the fact that there's not two or three guys pushing him. But they're getting better and closer. But I still see him with that extra gear against these guys that he'll just continue to get better. As everyone else is getting better, he's getting better. So he's the best athlete out there.
He can do a lot of different things. His temperament is great [to stay] on top of the game. He doesn't get too high or too low. He really has a pretty good grasp on what he's doing out there. He handles himself well. And I'm just very impressed on his domination such as any sport, but the way he's dominating, it's unbelievable. So I, you know, see him making it important.
Patrick McEnroe: I'm not asking you to say who would win or lose. Let me set it up for you. Pete Sampras in his prime, Roger Federer in his prime, Wimbledon Centre Court, Championship match. Give me a little insight into how that might play out.
PS: Well, you know, there are times, you know, Roger feels unbeatable right now. And my prime at the Wimbledon, I felt unbeatable. Like the way I played against Andre in '99 was probably the best tennis I could put together. If I played like that against Roger, I'd have to like my chances. But he proposes different things than Andre has. He serves a little bigger. He might move a little better. His backhand might be more vulnerable than Andre's. I'd bring in the heat and try to come in on his serve. Really attack him and take his time away.
It's unfortunate that we see Wimbledon today where everyone is staying back. You know, I miss the serve and volley tennis. And I would try to put as much tennis on Roger if I could, and if he could pass and return great for a few straight sets, it's too good. But I felt that I was very, very tough to break on grass when I was serving well and moving well. And the fact that Roger stays back on grass, it gives me a few chances to kind of crack at it. And just kind of move into the net and try to put some pressure on him. But he, you know, I can't talk too much on how I'd do. He beat me the one time we had played there. But it is hard to say. You know, there are some guys
that feel unbeatable on that surface.
1/22/07|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras elected to International Tennis Hall of Fame|:||:|1169470576|:|
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP
January 17, 2007
As a tennis history buff, Pete Sampras can't wait to walk around the sport's Hall of Fame when he goes there for the first time this summer.
He's especially looking forward to seeing his own plaque.
Sampras was elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame on Wednesday, joined in the 2007 class by Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Sven Davidson and Russ Adams.
"It's kind of icing on the cake for having a good career," Sampras said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press. "It's an honor to be included with (Rod) Laver and the older generation, (John) McEnroe and (Jimmy) Connors. All those guys."
Sampras has never visited the Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I., but he'll get a chance when he's there for the July 14 induction ceremony. He'll also participate in an exhibition the next day.
"I'm looking forward to being able to walk through the halls and check out the displays they have," the 35-year-old American said. "It's a time to reflect on what I did and appreciate what I did. I'm looking forward to the whole weekend, and sharing it with family and friends. In your everyday life, you don't think about your career, but at that time, I'll stop and I'll do it."
Thanks to a superb serve, dangerous forehand and big-match brilliance, Sampras owns a record 14 men's singles Grand Slam championships and was ranked No. 1 for a record 286 weeks, including 102 in a row from April 1996 to March 1998.
The man known as Pistol Pete won a total of 64 singles titles, including his haul of majors: seven at Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Open and two at the Australian Open. Sampras won the last match of his career, beating Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final.
His singles record was 762-222, and he earned more than $43 million in prize money, a mark that still stands.
What's he most proud of?
"The longevity that I had. Year in, year out. Years at No. 1 -- being able to stay at No. 1, fend off guys trying to knock me off," Sampras said. "And the bigger the match, the better I played. I felt like I rose to the occasion more often than not."
Current No. 1 Roger Federer is closing in on Sampras' record for major singles titles. Federer is seeking his 10th at the Australian Open.
"I did all I could do. I'm happy with 14 majors," Sampras said. "If he breaks it, which I'm sure he will, I just don't believe in rooting against someone. ... I sent him a text (message) after he won his last Open. I respect his game and the way he handles himself on and off the court."
Sanchez-Vicario won three French Opens and was the first Spanish woman to win the U.S. Open singles title in 1994. In addition to those four major singles titles, she won six doubles and four mixed doubles Grand Slam championships.
She finished with 29 titles in singles, 67 in doubles. In 1995, she was ranked No. 1 in both singles and doubles.
Sampras and Sanchez-Vicario were elected in the "recent player" category. Davidson was elected in the "master player" category, and Adams, a photographer, was elected in the "contributor" category.
Davidson was the first Swedish man to win a Grand Slam title, at the 1957 French Championships, and also won the 1958 Wimbledon doubles title.
12/12/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:28|:|Sampras shows he still has game|:||:|1165944571|:|
Idaho Statesman
Edition Date: 12/09/06
Pete Sampras has lost some of his hair since his days as the world's best tennis player. He doesn't appear, however, to have lost much of his game.
The 35-year-old Sampras headlined the St. Luke's-Idaho Elks Rehabilitation Services (SLIERS) Tennis Shootout on Friday night at Qwest Arena and defeated American pro Robby Ginepri 7-5, 6-3.
He looked like the Sampras of old — or at least the Sampras of four years ago when he retired from competitive tennis.
"When he does some of those overhead shots, I remember those shots," said Boise's Donna Bari, one of the estimated 2,500 fans in attendance.
Sampras, who began playing more this year after going three years without picking up a racket, also displayed his picturesque serve and pinpoint forehand.
"I still want to play good tennis and be competitive for the crowd," said Sampras, the all-time leader in Grand Slam titles with 14. "I'm hitting three, four days a week as opposed to once a week. I'm starting to hone it in a little bit and starting to hit the ball real good."
Sampras lost to Ginepri in Houston earlier this year. They play again tonight near Atlanta.
"He looks more fluid and smoother with his stroke," said Ginepri, a 24-year-old who has two wins on the ATP Tour. "The serve is always going to be there. With the motion that he has, it's never going to break down."
Ginepri said that with a few more months of practice Sampras could crack the top 30 on tour. But Sampras said he is content to play friendly matches.
"I'm just glad I'm starting to play tennis again," he said. "I still have a lot of passion for the sport, still working hard at the sport, but not like I used to. I'm having fun with it. This is what it's all about, giving back to the sport that's been so good to me."
Sampras and Ginepri staged a clinic for several hundred local kids Friday afternoon and stayed for almost a half-hour to sign autographs after the exhibition.
"It was a good match," said Elaine Wolfe of Boise. "It's good for Boise to have that kind oftalent come here." 12/12/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:27|:|Sampras-Ginepri draws 4,000 at Kennesaw State|:||:|1165944530|:|
By STEVE HUMMER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/10/06
Professional tennis — a diluted, non-threatening form of it, anyway — returned to the Atlanta area Saturday night. Pete Sampras and Robbie Ginepri shadowboxed for three sets on a jigsaw SportCourt inside Kennesaw State University's convocation center, more a inter-generational scrimmage than high tournament drama.
This was Walkman vs. iPod. Pager vs. Blackberry. Madonna vs. Aguilera. Mostly for fun.
The old ways, for once, prevailed, 35-year-old Sampras beating 24-year-old Ginepri 6-3, 2-6, 6-3. He now has beaten the kid in two out of three exhibitions.
It was not exactly the Sampras of old, some of that for the better. Carrying on a running conversation with the crowd, he showed a lighter side of himself that he kept well buried while winning 14 Grand Slam titles — half of them at Wimbledon.
"I still have a few tools in the shed," he told the crowd afterwards.
"Growing up and watching a lot of matches on TV, and now playing him, it's a completely different story," said Kennesaw's Ginepri, currently the world's No. 51-ranked player. "It's fun to see how he carries himself on and off the court. Just being around someone with the achievements he has is phenomenal."
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 12/12/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:26|:|Sampras misses 'rush of standing on Centre Court'|:||:|1165941191|:|
By STEVE HUMMER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 12/09/06
In 2002, Pete Sampras, one of tennis' greatest champions, slipped quietly into retirement. He and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, concentrated on raising two sons in California, out of the glare of celebrity.
Now 35, he is returning part time to the court. Sampras just finished one short season of World Team Tennis and has embarked on a series of exhibitions.
He is scheduled to play Kennesaw's Robby Ginepri tonight at the Kennesaw State University Convocation Center in a best-of-three-set exhibition. The FedEx Tennis Shootout also features local players competing in a tiebreak shootout format.
Sampras says he has dropped the 10 pounds he gained in retirement, and that his serve has remained in the 130-mph range. His modern-era records — 14 Grand Slam titles, seven Wimbledon championships, a six-year span of being ranked No. 1 in the world — are all being challenged by Roger Federer. Sampras talked briefly with the AJC's Steve Hummer about his life and his legacy:
Q: What is the best and the worst part of retiring at 31?
A: Throughout my life, I always had the job and sport in the back of my mind. When you'd go out and have a few beers or go out for a nice dinner, there was always the thought of how it would affect my tennis. [After retiring] I could have some fun and not worry about people trying to knock me out of No. 1.
I do miss the work and the structure and the focus. I miss the high of playing Wimbledon and the other majors. I miss the rush of standing on Centre Court of Wimbledon.
Q: Now that you've begun hitting a tennis ball again, how active do you plan to be?
A: I'm looking to get myself busy again. I'm looking to get a little more structure and focus in my life. I love being with my kids, but a man has to go to work.
I'm playing a little bit now, but nothing like it used to be. I hit some balls three or four times a week. I get to the gym almost every day. We'll just see how it goes next year and take it from there.
Q: Then comes the question: Ever think of making a full-blown comeback?
A: The only time I really think about it – and it's not going to happen, believe me – is around Wimbledon. Especially when I see everybody staying back on the grass. That was something I loved to see.
Q: When you see a guy like Jimmy Connors succeeding as a coach [with Andy Roddick], do you have any interest in that?
A: It has crossed my mind, and people do ask about that. To be a coach takes quite a bit of traveling, and I don't know if I'd like that part. Realistically, I don't see that happening. But I don't know, if someone asks me to do it. ... I do know what to do out there.
Q: Do you get asked more about Roger Federer than yourself anymore?
A: Yeah. How do you think he'll do? How good is he? It will be a comparison for the next number of years.
I really think Roger is going to go on and break most of my records. That's OK. I've reached out and offered him congratulations. I've told him how much I admire and respect what he's been doing.
Q: What are your thoughts on the general state of American tennis?
A: It's good. There used to be myself, Andre [Agassi], Jim [Courier] and Michael [Chang]. That was a pretty dominating era. It's unfair to compare us to Andy [Roddick], James [Blake] and Robby [Ginepri].
Andy has been making some strides with Connors as his coach. James has had a real strong year. It's just that Federer and [Rafael] Nadal are in a class above the rest.
Q: Do you allow yourself in your mind to imagine what it would be like to play [Federer] in both of your primes?
A: I think it would be an interesting matchup. Roger is more of a baseliner; he doesn't like to come in [to the net] as much. I'm all about pace. I think we both would have our fair share of wins. Neither would dominate the other.
Q: Do you watch a lot of tennis anymore?
A: Not a lot. Just the majors.
If something is on television, I may watch it here or there. To watch a match, you might have to sit there for three hours, and that's a long time.
Source: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
10/30/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:25|:|Sampras Beats Martin in 'Duel Under the Oaks'|:||:|1162261183|:|
BATON ROUGE -- Pete Sampras defeated fellow tennis pro Todd Martin in the main event of the "Duel Under the Oaks" event held at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.
Sampras' win capped off a successful day of charitable events sponsored by Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation that helped raise more than $400,000 for LSU Health Sciences Center students impacted by the hurricanes that ripped through Louisiana in 2005.
"This day wasn’t about winning or losing, we just wanted to give the fans an entertaining match for a good cause," Sampras said. "Seeing the images and footage of the damage done by hurricanes Katrina and Rita were unbelievable. I am glad Todd and I could give the fans a nice show."
Activities began at 9 a.m. with a tennis clinic for boys and girls, ages 7-17, at W.T. Robinson Tennis Stadium. Sampras and Martin joined both LSU men’s and women’s tennis teams in showing the youngsters the basic fundamentals of playing tennis. Prizes were given throughout the clinic and both Martin and Sampras signed autographs for the kids.
"The clinic went really well and was a nice start to a great day of tennis," LSU men’s head coach Jeff Brown said. "The kids got to play tennis with not only our teams but Todd Martin and Pete Sampras really went above and beyond what they had to do by hitting with each kid. Thos kids have something they will always remember."
Following the clinic festivities moved over to the Maravich Center for the tennis exhibitions. The first match was the white and purple challenge with members of the men’s and women’s teams. Danny Bryan and Megan Falcon represented the purple team and Ken Skupski and Hannah Robinson represented the white team. The match ended with a 6-all tie.
After the LSU exhibition, a celebrity doubles match took place featuring the teams of Martin and actor Scott Foley of the TV hit "The Unit" against Sampras and Baton Rouge native Wes Brown, currently staring in the movie "We are Marshall." Martin’s team was coached by LSU coaches Brown and women’s coach Tony Minnis. Sampras’ team was coached by his sister, Stella Sampras-Webster.
Martin’s team took an early 1-0 advantage but Foley’s play did not satisfy Coach Minnis as he went to look for a new partner for Martin. A lucky young fan named Haley was chosen out of the crowd to pair with the tennis pro. Haley held her own forcing Sampras-Webster to also look for a new partner for her brother. A young boy named Dylan was chosen to replace Brown as the 14-time grand slam champion’s partner.
After a heated battle with the youngsters and tennis pros, the celebrities retook the floor to try and redeem themselves.
Brown overcame his early struggles as he helped Sampras to tie the match by a 2-all decision.
Following the celebrity match the main event took place as Sampras went heads up against Martin.
After Martin took a 2-1 lead, Sampras rallied back to tie the score at 3-all. The two tennis pros spilt the next four games to take the score to 5-all. Sampras gained the momentum from there as he took the first set by a 7-6 decision.
Martin returned the favor in the second set as he outlasted Sampras by a 7-6 decision.
The tennis pros continued their heated battle in the tiebreaker but Sampras took control in the end as he won the tiebreaker, 11-9, to take the match.
"Everybody was affected in some way by what happened with the hurricanes and like many others we felt compelled to help out," Martin said. "It was a long day but I had a lot of fun and just glad we could put on a nice show."
Source: LSU Sports Interactive
9/19/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:21|:|Dreaming of SW19|:||:|1158681232|:|
Pete Sampras admits that in retirement he finds the green grass of Wimbledon calling him
By: ANDREW LONGMORE, The Sunday Times
September 10, 2006
The last great match of Pete Sampras's career is being played out inside his head. Each summer, he watches Wimbledon, hears a voice and then goes in search of his racket. The other 50 weeks of the year, he is merely another former champion, playing some golf, enjoying his weekly game of poker and taking his eldest son out to lunch. The problem is that the soothing voice, the voice that he wants to hear, the voice that says he could still play one last Wimbledon, is getting louder. The bigger problem is that the other, quieter voice knows the truth.
An interview with Sampras now is more conversation than question and answer. The period of isolation, the re-entry into real life, is over and the 14-time Grand Slam and seven-time Wimbledon champion - world No 1 for 286 weeks - is rediscovering exactly what it is about the game he once dominated that he now misses so much. Most of the time he can cope with the gnawing feeling of loss, but during Wimbledon the ache becomes persistent.
He sees player after player staying at the back of the court, he sees Jonas Bjorkman reach a semi-final and Rafael Nadal, a clay-courter, in the final and wonders aloud what damage he, Sampras, could still do.
The danger of embarrassment if he came back seems irrelevant. What could be more embarrassing than his last match, losing to George Bastl, a qualifier, in 2002 on Court Two, the so-called Graveyard of Champions. He would still be younger than Andre Agassi, who played his final Wimbledon this summer at the age of 36.
So the phrase just slips out. "I mean, great a player as Nadal is," Sampras says, "you put a really good serve-and-volleyer against him and you have got to feel pretty good about it." So you would fancy your chances against him on grass? "Oh yeah, even today. If I worked at it and I . . . I've had those moments, they come and go, like playing Wimbledon again - I haven't ruled it out. I'm not saying I'm going to come back, but I've had moments of wanting to play there more now than I ever have."
Haven't ruled it out? "Well, I have. But seeing how everyone's playing, staying back on grass like it's Paris, and just the fact that I miss Wimbledon and the fact that I ended it on such a poor note on Court Two against someone I shouldn't have lost to. That still left a bad taste in my mouth. So you think, ‘Wow, one more time', and if I wanted to do it, I could do it. But there would be so much more work to do. In reality, it's not going to happen.'"
That seems to be the end of the rally, the backhand down the line, the forehand volley. But there will be more points. Last summer, Sampras began playing competitive tennis again. He ordered his new Federer rackets, bigger and more powerful than the Wilson Pro-Staff he used in his prime, and, three years after he last struck a tennis ball, went to hit with some kids from the University of Southern California. He had forgotten how sweet it was to hear the gentle thud of ball on racket, to feel the satisfaction of returning to the office.
"Frankly, I was pretty bored, pretty restless," he says. "I was playing a lot of golf, a lot of poker, recreational things, and I had a talk with my wife about it at Christmas. I was a little bit down and she could see it and I promised myself that if I had some tennis opportunities I would consider playing again.
"So I opened myself up this year and some people called from Houston asking me to play an exhibition. I had about a month and a half to hit some balls and when I got off the phone I was excited.
"I played that exhibition and then a friend of Billie-Jean King's, who'd been wanting me to play Team Tennis since I was about 20, asked me again and I decided to play. The preparation was just what I was looking for, I wanted the structure in my life. I felt an element of life in me."
Sampras gave a press conference in a furniture store in Sacramento, made his debut for the Newport Beach Breakers in a 2,500-seater arena on a golf course in northern Connecticut and sold out the Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center in Forest Park, St Louis. He played in Boise, Idaho, and Atlanta.
He also lost 5-0 - four-point games, first to five - to a guy called John Paul Fruttero in Carson, California. But in the Home Depot Centre in Orange County, Sampras beat Jim Courier, a good friend and an old foe, 6-1 6-4 in 64 minutes and felt like a proper player again. His first point was an ace timed at 125mph. "He was serving right, he was returning right and when you put those two together, he's, well, he's Pete," said Courier.
"The first step was the toughest, not swallowing your pride so much as being prepared to lose," says Sampras. "When I played Jim here in Los Angeles, because he's a rival, I played really good. I'm not going to be as good as I once was, I don't move as well, I'm not as sharp, I'm not holding on as tight as I used to; when I lose to some of those guys, I shrug it off.
"But I'm still a competitive person inside. I'll play a few more matches at the end of the year (including a charity match to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina) and that's where I'm at."
AFTER Agassi retired in New York, Sampras called and left a message. A few days later, Agassi returned the call. It was a significant moment for both men. Agassi's tearful farewell at Flushing Meadows had marked the end of a golden era of American tennis, begun by 17-year-old Michael Chang's astonishing victory in the French Open in 1989 and continued by Courier, Sampras and Agassi through 17 years and 26 more Grand Slam victories. Sampras found the scenes as moving as the rest of America and rang to say so.
But there was more to the call than congratulation and support. "I wanted to say how much I had enjoyed the matches we'd had (34 in total, 20-14 to Sampras). When we were one and two in the world it was difficult to be close, but we always liked and respected each other. We're very different, but we still have a lot in common. He's got two kids, I've got two kids, I go to Las Vegas, he comes to LA. It would be good to catch up in a way, to remove ourselves from what we used to be, so we agreed to stay in touch. It was just like two guys talking."
What will Agassi be feeling this week? "Relief. It's over. He was banged up pretty bad. His back was hurting, his thigh muscle had gone, everything was breaking down. He doesn't have to deal with all that any more, he doesn't have to worry about tennis, about eating, sleeping, working out - all that stress. He'll get excited about doing some things with his foundation and with his kids and he'll go through the whole emotional cycle when you don't miss it and then you slowly miss it."
While Agassi's body finally gave out, it was Sampras's mind that folded first. "My heart," he corrects. After winning his 14th Grand Slam at the US Open in 2002, two months after his ignominious exit from Wimbledon, Sampras put down his racket and never quite picked it up again. The rewards no longer justified the sacrifices. He had nothing left to prove. For three days that spring, he practised in anticipation of his return to Wimbledon, the one tournament sure to stir his emotions. Midway through the third day, he told Paul Annacone, his old coach: "This is for real, I'm done."
His retirement was neither expected nor scheduled.
Agassi always compared his career in tennis to a journey through life. Sampras was never as philosophically minded or as chameleon-like in his temperament or image. Sampras appeared as a fully fledged champion to win the US Open at the age of 19 and didn't change his approach much thereafter. He was, he admits, a creature of habit, keeping to the same routine, staying at the same hotel, eating at the same restaurant at the same tournaments year after year. "Same shit, different city" was the unofficial motto of the Tour. But no less than Agassi, Sampras developed as a character through his tennis.
Initially shy, sometimes dour, he was criticised for being dull, just as Courier was accused of being an untalented blue-collar grinder and Agassi a flamboyant fake. "What do you want?" Ivan Lendl once asked the press in New York. "In Pete, you have a kid who behaves well, plays great tennis and wears white."
Lendl was right, but it took several Wimbledon championships for people to acknowledge that a proper heart beat beneath the unchanging half-smile. Having said in the aftermath of his retirement that he didn't want to talk, watch or read tennis, that he just wanted to "decompress", Sampras's passion for the game has remained undimmed.
Over an hour and a half's conversation, he talks of how much he could help today's players with their mental approach, of how much Goran Ivanisevic scared him as a player - "I knew he could serve me off the court" - and how his real reward for winning Wimbledon came not with the trophy but on the plane home when he read all the descriptions of his victory in the British newspapers.
"Some of you guys said things that got me, got the sport; it wasn't a bunch of quotes, it was like you were writing about theatre," he says. "Then when I got home to Florida I'd go to a place called Checkers, a greasy hamburger joint, and have a celebration meal."
Equally apparent is his concern for the future of tennis in an age of big Babolat rackets and punishing groundstrokes. The serve-and-volleyer, he believes, is now officially extinct or will be with the passing of Tim Henman. After the last Wimbledon, he rang Annacone to ask what was going on. "He said the balls were a little bit slower, but I don't buy it," says Sampras. "It's still grass. I'm amazed at everyone staying back. Serve and volley is an art, it's something that you learn as a kid, not when you're 20. But that's hard because you're going to get passed a lot, it's much easier to stay back.
"Roger (Federer) is a legend in the making, he's such a great mover and can go from defence to attack in an instant. Regardless of whether he stopped tomorrow, he's dominated his generation more than anyone has. Nadal is a great player, but the rest I look at are really good players.
"But even Roger's staying back at Wimbledon. When I played him, he came in on every ball. I have always felt the best tennis was a contrast, Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe, me and Andre, someone stays back, someone comes in. Now it's just guys banging from the back courts.
"When I watch Roger freewheeling, so confident, it's such a great feeling, but if I was playing him now, I would still try and take his time away, come to the net first and second serve, attack his second serve, same as with Andre. Nobody takes his time away. I'd just come at him and keep coming."
For all the praise for his Wimbledon heir, Sampras was genuinely appreciative when, during one of the many breaks for rain at this year's US Open, they replayed his last final against Agassi four years before. "McEnroe said some nice things - ‘It was just four years ago and we forget just how great Sampras was'. You hear so much talk of Roger, it felt pretty good to hear," he says.
Federer and Wimbledon, though, will have to wait on his return. Sampras says that he wants his sons, Christian, four, and one-year-old Ryan to be old enough to appreciate the significance of the surroundings before they make the pilgrimage.
"I miss it badly and I want to come back," Sampras says. "I just want to wait a little bit longer." But, deep down, he knows that there's another reason for the delay. Sampras cannot come back until the conversation in his head has been silenced for ever.
9/05/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:22|:|Sampras Heads Hall of Fame Nominees|:||:|1157513639|:|
By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP
September 5, 2006
NEW YORK - Pete Sampras heads the list of nominees for the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
Sampras, who won a record 14 Grand Slam men's singles titles, is joined by Arantxa Sanchez Vicario in the "recent player" category, the Hall announced Tuesday from its home in Newport, R.I.
Sampras was ranked No. 1 for a record 286 weeks, including 102 in a row from April 1996 to March 1998. He won a total of 64 singles titles, including his haul of majors: seven at Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Open and two at the Australian Open. Sampras won the last match of his career, beating Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final.
Sanchez Vicario won three French Opens and was the first Spanish woman to win the U.S. Open singles title in 1994. In addition to those four major singles titles, she won six doubles and four mixed doubles Grand Slam championships.
Other nominees for the Hall: Sven Davidson (the first Swedish man to win a Grand Slam title), and Christine Truman Janes (won the French Championships in 1959 at age 18) in the "master player" category; Russ Addams (photographer) and the late Robert Johnson (credited with launching the careers of Arthur Ashe and Althea Gibson) in the "contributor" category.
8/16/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:20|:|Pete Sampras exhibition tennis match on October 29|:||:|1155747005|:|
Baton Rouge - The Irene W. and C.B. Pennington Foundation has announced plans to sponsor an exhibition tennis match between Pete Sampras and Todd Martin, October 29, 2006 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center to help alleviate the financial challenges facing LSU Health Sciences Center students.
Billed as "Duel Under the Oaks", the exhibition match and other complementing events, are being presented in cooperation with the LSU Foundation, the Tiger Athletic Foundation and the LSU Department of Athletics. Paula Pennington de la Bretonne, of the Pennington Family Foundation, is organizing the match to assist the thousands of students who were victims of either Hurricane Katrina or Rita. 100% of proceeds derived from the event will go the LSU Health Sciences Center - Student Relief Fund.
The "Duel Under the Oaks" activities begin at 9 am, Sunday, October 29th at a tennis clinic for youth, ages 7 - 17 on the LSU tennis courts on the Baton Rouge campus. At noon in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center (PMAC) there will be an LSU Tennis Team Exhibition, followed by a Celebrity Match (featuring Randy Jackson of American Idol fame). The Sampras/Martin exhibition follows at 2 pm.
Tickets are $25 & $20, with special $10 tickets available for students and children. Tickets may be purchased online at www.lsusports.net or by calling 800-960-8587 or 225-578-2184 or by visiting the LSU Athletic Ticket Office.
For more information visit www.dueloaks.com
8/08/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|22:59|:|Change of pace, Sampras back into tennis three years after retiring|:||:|1155099540|:|By: Arash Markazi, Sports Illustrated.
August 8, 2006
Pete Sampras had grown restless. While changing diapers and helping his wife, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, around the Beverly Hills home they share with their two sons, Christian and Ryan, Sampras was getting tired of his routine of waking up in the morning and watching cartoons with the kids, then playing golf.
"I wanted to get myself busier," said Sampras, who turns 35 this week. "I wanted to have a little more structured day. It was a general feeling I had within the past year. I was looking around, trying to see what was next."
When he retired from tennis three years ago, Sampras shut the sport out completely. He didn't pick up a racket, watch a match or read a single sentence about the sport that had been his life for the past 25 years.
"When I retired, I just wanted to decompress and get away from the game," he said. "I didn't want to talk about it, read about it; I just wanted to get away from it. It had been my life for so long. I didn't pick up a racket for almost three years after I left. It's like Joe Montana -- I doubt he throws the football around much these days. It's something you just do to move on."
Slowly, though, as the mundane schedule of SpongeBob SquarePants and tee times grew tiresome, Sampras began to think twice about that Wilson ProStaff Original racket sitting in his closet.
"Enough time goes by and then you miss it a little bit," he said. "You don't miss the lifestyle, but you miss the competitive juice when the majors come and go. So a few months ago I said, 'OK, let's hit a few balls and see how it feels.' It came back pretty quickly. It's kind of like riding a bike, and I used to own every bike."
Sampras returned to the court four months ago for the first time since his 2003 retirement to play Robby Ginepri in an exhibition match in Houston. Since then he has played for the Newport Beach Breakers of World Team Tennis and played exhibitions around the country. Monday night he helped kick off the JP Morgan Chase Open at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., with a match against his former rival Jim Courier, whom he defeated 6-1, 6-4 in a match that was vintage Sampras, with blazing serves and killer volleys.
"It's a mystery every time I step out there. I don't know what I'm going to do," Sampras said. "I felt good out there tonight. I know Jim's game and I knew what he was going to do, and then I just got into a rhythm and served big and I played very good. I'm not killing myself, I'm practicing three to four days a week and getting back in shape, but it was pretty encouraging, the way I was hitting the ball tonight. It was a little bit of my old self."
During the match, Courier could only nod his head in acceptance and touch the brim of his cap after every Sampras point as the crowd cheered on the seven-time Wimbledon champion and arguably the greatest male tennis player of all time. Sampras laughed during the match and turned to the crowd at one point and said, "How come no one was rooting for me when I was kicking everyone's ass?"
While tennis fans might not have appreciated Sampras' greatness while he was playing -- the 14-time Grand Slam champion was often criticized for being too businesslike on the court and too reclusive off it -- he is beginning to win them over as he rediscovers his appreciation for the game.
"Its good for me to get back, just for my kids to see me," said Sampras, who says he has no intention of returning to the ATP. "My oldest is almost four now and he's beginning to grasp the concept of Daddy playing tennis and people watching him. It's fun for me and it's one thing I do regret that he never did get the chance to see me play at Wimbledon or any other place. But now that I'm playing a few here and there, it gives him a taste of what I used to do."
Source: CNNSI - Sports Illustrated
8/08/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|06:13|:|Older Sampras still owns Courier|:||:|1155039229|:|Tuesday, August 8, 2006
CARSON – The meeting Monday night between Pete Sampras and Jim Courier was more of revival than an exhibition.
The legends returned to the hardcourt. One looked balder. Both looked older. Both played slooooower, but nobody who waited past 8:30 p.m. for the last match to begin at The Home Depot Center came to measure the greats against their past greatness.
This was about seeing flashes of the familiar, remembering what tennis used to be. The Americans winning the titles, the Grand Slams. The American men kissing silver trophies after hard-fought matches and starring in the world's best rivalries.
Like Sampras-Courier, this rivalry that hobbled onto the court smelling of mothballs as a kickoff event for week's WTA Tour JPMorgan Chase Open.
It was strange that the biggest draw for this women's event might just turn out to be two men who have left the game. But that's another subject.
On Monday night, the big names delivered a show with Sampras winning, 6-1, 6-4, in 64 minutes.
Sampras, who just picked up the racket in May for the first time since his 2003 retirement, still had his powerful serve and his powerful second serve, his spinning forehand, his slice, his drop shot, his return, and every other weapon that Courier remembered used to hurt him.
The last time the two played in front of a crowd was in 1999 in Key Biscayne, Fla. To them, Monday night felt like getting a classic-rock band back together for reunion concert.
And there was a Rolling Stones farewell-tour quality to the exhibition between the retired pair who combined for 87 career tennis titles, including 18 Grand Slams.
"I enjoyed it (the match) a lot too, except for the losing part," said Courier, who has let his red hair down.
He probably didn't like Sampras' first serve, an ace that tore across the court at 125 mph. Or Sampras' slicing volley that juked him out of his white Nikes. Or Sampras' five-love first-set lead "that happened before I could even blink," Courier said.
"When Pete plays like that he's hard to beat. He was serving right and returning right, and when you put those two together, he's, well, Pete."
This "Ultimate Tennis Celebration" kickoff event for the pro women's tennis event presented an opportunity for the wily Courier, loser to Sampras in 16 of their 20 pro meetings, to exact a mild form of revenge to carry into the sunset - or at least, the poolside happy hour at Leisure World.
Stories had surfaced in the past few months that Courier, who hung up the racket in 2000 with 23 titles, two French Open and two Australian Open championships, had committed himself to training for this trumpeted grudge match.
Meanwhile, the same Internet sources reported Sampras' lackadaisical approach to the publicity-stunt of a tennis match.
While some were typing that Courier was fastidious in his preparation for this match, birddogs apparently nesting in camouflage outside Sampras' Los Angeles compound filled the World Wide Web with reports alleging that the greatest tennis player of his generation - the holder of a 762-222 career record, the top-ranked player for an ATP record 286 weeks from 1993 to 1997, the winner of 64 singles titles (14 Grand Slams) - was going to wing it.
After all, Sampras is only playing three or four days a week now, spending time changing diapers on a second child a little bigger that a can of Wilsons and didn't play many of his greatest hits this summer as part of World TeamTennis' Newport Beach Breakers.
Sampras, who turns 35 Saturday, didn't come out with a walker, but he did some interesting pre-match stretches that begged for Geritol.
Courier, who turns 36 on Thursday, looked more spry, but Sampras kept him rolling from corner to corner, before a breathless blast wide or into the net or at the side panel of the Land Rover parked in the corner of stadium court.
In the second set, Courier put the racket in the hands of a ballboy after he buried a textbook overhead smash in the center of the net. Losing - it was happening again.
Of their 20 meetings, Sampras has met Courier in only one Grand Slam final, defeating him, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3, on the grass at Wimbledon in 1993.
Monday night didn't even count for anything. Except to prove these players' legendary status is timeless.
Source: OC Register 7/25/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|11:09|:|Sampras scratches his itch; Tennis legend takes up racket again|:||:|1153847396|:|By Lourdes Castillo, Houston Chronicle
July 25, 2006
More than 4,500 fans were at Westside Tennis Club on Monday night to witness the play of one of the game's legends.
Pete Sampras, a member of the Newport Beach Breakers, is taking some time off his retirement for World Team Tennis.
"In the last year, I was getting a little bit restless, and I just basically promised myself that if I had a tennis opportunity this year I would maybe play," Sampras said. "I'm not really looking for the competition; it's more of just having a bit of a focus, a structure in my day."
The Wranglers (3-10) played their last home match of the season against the Breakers (5-8). Sampras teamed with Rick Leach in doubles to defeat Jan-Michael Gambill and Graydon Oliver 5-4. In singles, Gambill defeated Sampras 5-3, but the Breakers edged the Wranglers 20-19 overall.
"I've never played with him on the tour, and so it is such an honor to play with him in Team Tennis," coach Dick Leach said before the match. "He definitely brings the potential to beat anybody, and even if he hasn't played in three or four years, he still has one of the best serves in the game."
Now it's about team
Sampras has 14 Grand Slam singles titles, but WTT is a new experience for him. "It's been fun. It's kind of a different format, something I'm not really used to," Sampras, 34, said. "My body is a little bit nicked up at the current time just playing one set and then sitting around.
"I'm not anywhere near as good as I used to be but I can still show a little bit of what I used to have."
Sampras often is considered by some the greatest tennis player of all time. Although he appreciates the sentiment, he doesn't agree.
"It's flattering, but I don't think of myself as the greatest player," he said. "I don't think there is one greatest player of all time. I just look at each generation and I feel like in the '90s I was the player to beat."
Sampras played in Houston several times during his impressive career, and is always glad to be back.
"Houston is a great tennis town," Sampras said. "I must have played here a dozen times over my years. I've always enjoyed coming here."
With an extensive résumé, including seven Wimbledon, five U.S. Open and two Australian Open titles, Sampras never imagined he would accomplish so much and have a lasting impression on the sport.
When he won his first major at 19, he was unsure of what he wanted from the sport, how far he wanted to go or if he was willing to deal with the pressure and expectations of being No. 1.
"I wasn't like Tiger (Woods) who said he wanted to win 19 more titles than Jack (Nicklaus); I was just trying to win the next tennis match," Sampras said. "I didn't have those big aspirations, but when I got into it and won nine, 10 and 11 (titles) I felt like it was realistic and that I could do it. I wasn't very good at the junior (level) so it was all kind of a surprise to me."
Next year uncertain
Whether fans will get another chance to see Sampras on the WTT courts next year is unknown.
"It's kind of a wait-and-see approach and kind of getting my feet wet a little bit," Sampras said. "I've always been kind of a slow starter so I'm not really helping my team right now."
Source: Houston Chronicle 7/24/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:40|:|Sampras still enjoys game|:||:|1153752025|:|By Lori Shontz, St Louis Today
July 23, 2006
When Pete Sampras dominated tennis, winning a record 14 major titles, he practiced every day, of course. For hours.
These days, Sampras changes a lot of diapers and hangs out with his wife and two sons, ages 3 and 11 months. But he still loves to play tennis, even just hitting across the net, and he decided that if he could find a way to return to the game without returning to his former practice habits, he would do so.
Enter World TeamTennis. The season lasts three weeks. Each match lasts one set. Sampras knew he could practice a couple of times a week. Perfect.
Sampras said the combination of his practice schedule with the WTT format - one service break, when the first player to five games wins, can be a disaster - has made his game "kind of a crapshoot." But he said he is enjoying himself anyway.
"I can still serve well," Sampras said Sunday night, before the St. Louis Aces defeated his Newport Beach Breakers 23-15. "I can still volley pretty hard. I don't feel as confident. But the only way you gain confidence is by playing.
"I can still entertain people, show them some of the things I did in my prime. But I still have a lot of pride. I want to play well."
He struggled Sunday night, however. He and partner Rick Leach lost the men's doubles match 5-2 to the Aces' John Paul Fruttero and Brian Wilson. The Aces broke Sampras' serve in the sixth game when he double-faulted on game point. He spent the seconds between points in the next game practicing his serve motion, but it was too late to salvage the match.
In a post-match interview over the public address system, Sampras said, "I'm 34, but in tennis years I feel about 50."
Fruttero then put on an outstanding performance in men's singles, shutting out Sampras 5-0.
"I'm not sure I'm awake right now," Fruttero said afterward. "But I sure hope I am."
Fruttero, like Sampras, grew up in Southern California. Fruttero's older brother, who is 35, often played against Sampras. Fruttero, 25, tagged along to watch his brother play, and that's how he got started playing himself, at age 4 1/2.
"I've spent my whole life idolizing Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi," Fruttero said. "It's a privilege just to be on the court with him before his playing career is over."
The fans in the sold-out Dwight Davis Memorial Tennis Center in Forest Park felt the same way about the opportunity to watch Sampras in person. This was the only one of the Aces' matches that sold out in advance, and the tickets were $75, three times the usual price.
Sampras knew Fruttero would be tough; Fruttero won their earlier match in a tiebreaker. Sampras said he didn't return well - a common problem, he said, playing on the fast World TeamTennis surface.
"Everyone thinks I like fast courts," he said, laughing. "I really don't. I like a little slower court, so you have a little more time to try to return. And Fruttero, he has a fast, hard serve."
All that aside, Sampras said he still enjoys playing tennis. After a couple of years at home, he also enjoys being on the road again, even though he travels for only a week at a time, rather than several.
In the other matches, Newport Beach's Anastassia Rodionova beat Maria Emila Salerni 5-4, and Salerni and Parkway Central graduate Aleke Tsoubanos beat Rodionova and Tina Krizan 5-3. Newport Beach's mixed doubles team of Leach and Tina Krizan beat Wilson and Tsoubanos 5-3. Wilson and Tsoubanos won one overtime game.
Source: St Louis Today
7/22/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|23:15|:|Sampras Has Look Of A Champion|:||:|1153631735|:|By: Jeff Jacobs, Hartford Courant
July 22 2006
AVON - He took a seat at Blue Fox Run Golf Course and, as a way of greeting, Pete Sampras asked, "What's on your mind?" The impulse was not to answer him. The impulse was to sit there and look at him.
Just sit and look.
The last time we had laid eyes on him in person he had beaten Andre Agassi in four sets for the 2002 U.S. Open title. He could have gotten a little ugly that day. He could have lashed out at the hard-hearted who had called him washed up and insisted his actress-wife was responsible for his game falling apart.
Sampras had done none of that. He remained the portrait of a champion.
The last time we had laid eyes on him at all was through the television lens of the 2003 U.S. Open, when he finally had decided to retire and had come to say goodbye to tennis, farewell to New York. He carried his son Christian around Arthur Ashe Stadium, holding him up like the hardware he had carried after each of his record 14 Grand Slam singles titles. Three minutes, the standing ovation lasted. For three minutes, the man who had shown such little emotion when he came to play, couldn't stop crying when it came time to play no more.
As crazy as it sounds, we thought we might have seen the last of him.
He has the carriage of DiMaggio.
He even once compared himself to Howard Hughes.
Like DiMaggio and Hughes, Sampras has a bent toward the reclusive. If he and Bridgette had holed up forever in their Hollywood Hills home or taken off to Tibet to play tennis with the Dalai Lama, well, the thought wasn't entirely fantastic.
But here he was Friday at 6 p.m. Pete Sampras, in the flesh, before his World TeamTennis match against the FoxForce. That little bald spot on the back of his head hadn't grown much in three years. He looked the same, although his 5-2 loss to Glenn Weiner demonstrated he didn't play the same.
Heck, if the man who never stopped screaming - John McEnroe - can play in the WTT ...
And if the woman who always made them scream - Anna Kournikova - can, too ...
Why can't the man who never screamed play for the Newport Beach Breakers?
"When I retired, I took that first year to sleep in, have some fun, let loose a little bit," Sampras said. "I didn't miss anything. I took that first year to decompress. I didn't talk tennis. I didn't watch tennis. I didn't read tennis. You're kind of burnt out on it, because it's been your life since 8 [years old].
"After three years of doing that, I was getting restless. The last year, I was getting a touch bored. Billie Jean King [WTT co-founder] has been a friend of mine. They have asked me for the past 10 years to play a few World TeamTennis matches. I decided to give it a go. So far it's been pretty fun."
Sampras had been playing golf five or six times a week. He got his handicap down to 4. He loved his time with Christian, now 3 and starting to hit a tennis ball, and Ryan, 11 months. But more and more he'd wake up mornings and tell his wife, "I need to start doing something."
Don't take this as Martina Hingis using the WTT to launch her comeback.
Don't take this as Michael Jordan or Sugar Ray Leonard.
As his great rival Andre Agassi is stepping into retirement Sampras is not coming back to the men's tour.
"I'm just having fun, working out, getting some focus, getting some structure in my everyday life," Sampras said. "I still want to play well. I have a lot of pride out there. But it's not any sign for me to come back and play again. My time is over."
You tend to forget about the early life cycle of tennis players. Gabriela Sabatini and Pat Rafter were inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame the other day in Newport and the first reaction to a photograph of them was, "Wow, they're so young."
Sampras played forever, has been out of the game for three years and he's 34. He is two years younger than Phil Mickelson. He's younger than Jason Giambi. Heck, he's younger than Agassi.
Sampras calls Roger Federer two or three levels above anybody else today. A few weeks ago, he ranked Federer and himself among the top five players of all time along with Bjorn Borg, Ivan Lendl and Rod Laver. He has called Agassi the greatest player he ever faced but he put Agassi in the 6-10 range with McEnroe and Jimmy Connors.
"Andre retiring is the end of an era," Sampras said. "He is the last of our crew, the four [including Michael Chang and Jim Courier]. He is a tremendous player, a great personality. He put tennis on the front page of the sports [section].
"You might not ever see a group of four guys like that again in the U.S. We all hit No. 1. We combined to win more than 20 majors. Andy Roddick and James Blake, who are kind of carrying the torch, I think they're really, really good players. But the fact of the matter is we have two great players, Rafael Nadal and Federer, who are kind of lapping the field. ... It's unfair to put the pressure on [Roddick and Blake] thinking they're going to do what we did. We have to be realistic about it. But knowing the American media and the fans, we expect Wimbledon and U.S. Open winners and an American ranked No.1."
Sampras continues to watch the majors, but says he doesn't watch other tennis much. It is during the Wimbledon fortnight when he misses the game. He says he'll miss Wimbledon when he's 34, 44, 54. He'll miss it forever.
"It was my most favorite event," Sampras said. "For those two weeks I think about playing again, just in kind of a fantasy world."
Sampras told The New York Times recently that he saw how fans flocked to Arnold Palmer at the 1999 pro-am at the Bob Hope Classic and wished he could have such a personal connection. So he's using this WTT season and a few ensuing exhibitions to interact more with fans and sponsors, to have a little fun.
Instead of disappearing, Sampras even wants to appear in an exhibition against Federer.
"I heard some rumbling, some people might be trying to put something together," Sampras said. "I would welcome it. Just for the sport. I'm still hitting the ball well enough where I can at least compete against him a little bit. He'd probably tune me up pretty good. He's busy with his priorities and I don't blame him. But it could happen if we want it to happen."
Then again, Pete, maybe you'd want to challenge him to 18 holes of golf.
Copyright 2006,
Source: www.courant.com
7/22/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|10:09|:|Sampras takes on the FoxForce|:||:|1153584572|:|Associated Press
07/22/2006
AVON -- Pete Sampras is back. Well, sort of.
After a nearly four-year retirement, Sampras is playing for the Newport Beach Breakers in the World Team Tennis Pro League. He was in Avon Friday for a match against the Hartford FoxForce at the Apple Arena at the Blue Fox Run Golf Course.
Sampras ended his career in 2002 after beating rival Andre Agassi for the U.S. Open championship, his record 14th Grand Slam.
During his first year away from the sport, he spent a lot of time decompressing because he was burned out, he said. Then he began getting a little bored.
"I kind of took that first year to have some fun and let loose a little bit and after three years of doing that I got a little bit restless," Sampras said in a news conference before the match. "I decided to maybe play some this year."
Friday's match was delayed more than 45 minutes because of rain. When play finally started, Sampras took on the FoxForce’s Glenn Weiner in a men’s single set.
Amid shouts of "Pete, Pete" and "I love you Pete!" Sampras struggled against the little known Weiner, but showed occasional flashes of brilliance with a couple of winning running forehands and crisp volleys.
Overall, however, Sampras was less than sharp and lost the set 5-2. Afterward, Sampras appeared to be in pain, rubbing his right hamstring, flexing his leg and stretching. He was later treated for a pulled hamstring.
But Sampras came out for the second set and played doubles with Rick Leach against Weiner and Goran Dragicevic.
At one point before he served, the quiet Sampras drew laughter from the crowd when a Pearl Jam song was briefly played on the PA system. He stopped his toss and said to the soundman, "That’s the best thing you played all night."
Sampras and Leach ended up losing the set 5-4. That was all for Sampras, but tennis fans still left knowing they had seen a legend.
The FoxForce won the match 24-16.
"I wish I could have played a little better. I did the best I could," Samoras said.
7/22/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|10:04|:|Sampras loses to Weiner of FoxForce|:||:|1153584271|:|Sampras Arrives In Style But Without Stylish Game
By Tommy Hine, Hartford Courant
July 22 2006
AVON -- One arrived and returned to Manhattan on a private helicopter; the other drove his car from an Avon motel.
One has 64 ATP singles titles, 14 of them Grand Slams, and more than $43 million in career earnings. The other is 256th in the singles rankings and is still looking for his first ATP win.
But Glenn Weiner can add something to his resume that not every tennis player can. He beat Pete Sampras in singles Friday as the FoxForce defeated the Newport Beach Breakers 24-16 in a World TeamTennis match before 2,500 at Blue Fox Run.
"I was very nervous and very excited, both at the same time," said Weiner, who once hit balls with Sampras seven years ago when they were both training in Tampa, Fla. "This was almost surreal. Boris Becker and Pete Sampras were the two players I loved to watch while growing up."
There maybe should also be an asterisk added next to Weiner's 5-2 victory because Sampras, arguably the greatest player of all time, strained his right hamstring in the fourth game.
"I tweaked it a little bit," said Sampras, who ended a three-year retirement to play seven matches with the Breakers this summer. "It will be OK.
"I wish I could have played a little better, but I did the best I could."
Sampras, 34, managed to play in the men's doubles match, as well, with Rick Leach, but they lost to Weiner and Goran Dragicevic, 5-4.
Accompanied by two plain-clothes policemen who were at his side except when he played, Sampras left the court to be treated by a doctor during the third match. He returned to the Breakers' bench to watch the final two matches, and then signed 100 autographs - all part of his appearance contract.
Sampras, 34, was the only player without a name on his jersey - stipulated in his contract with Nike - but he obviously didn't need his name on his back. The capacity crowd gave him a standing ovation when he appeared on court, and Weiner promptly greeted him with an ace. It was a questionable call by a linesman, and Sampras simply rolled his eyes. Both players held serve until Weiner broke Sampras to take a 3-1 lead when Sampras injured his hamstring.
"I didn't even know he was hurt," Weiner said. "The way we were playing, there wasn't much running back and forth."
There were some glimpses of the serve-and-volley game that Sampras made famous in his long run as the No. 1 player in the world. There were also a couple of nifty drop shots and some nicely aimed passing shots that left Weiner flat-footed and almost defenseless.
But there were also some unforced errors that a well-tuned Sampras wouldn't have made.
"I could tell he hadn't been playing a lot," Weiner said. "But it was good to see him back on the court."
Source: Hartford Courant 7/21/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:21|:|Tennis legend Sampras to hold court in Avon|:||:|1153538464|:|By: Jim Fuller , The New Haven Register
07/21/2006
The vision, if not caught by an Outdoor Life Network camera crew, could have merely been chalked up as something of an urban legend.
The tennis ball left Sam Warburg’s racket, slowly made its way across the net and headed straight for the wheelhouse of 14-time Grand Slam singles champion Pete Sampras.
Of all the images during Sampras’ glorious tennis career, none are more vivid or more frequent than Sampras soaring off the tennis court and blasting an overhead winner past an overmatched opponent.
So as Sampras waited for his chance, the crowd held its breath in anticipation of some impending magic. With a whack of his racket, the ball found its mark — smack dab in the middle of the net.
Perhaps the most automatic shot in the modern era of tennis suddenly was not as routine as it once was. Yes, three and a half years away from the game can even cause one of the sport’s all-time greats to appear human.
Tonight, Sampras will continue his whirlwind tour around the World Team Tennis circuit when he leads the Newport Beach (Calif.) Breakers against the Hartford FoxForce in a 6:45 match at the Blue Fox Run Golf Course in Avon.
Without saying it in as many words, Sampras made it clear at a Wednesday press conference in Rye, N.Y., that this was not a comeback tour. Unlike Martina Hingis who used an outstanding 2005 season with the New York Sportimes to springboard her back into prominence on the WTA tour, Sampras does not have visions of hoisting another Wimbledon or U.S. Open championship trophy.
Sampras is back playing tennis in front of the adoring fans because his restlessness pushed him back into the public eye and on the tennis court. His first year playing World Team Tennis has seen moments of brilliance but also stretches of un-Sampras like play.
"I’m playing OK," Sampras said Wednesday. "I am not expecting any miracles. I am serving pretty well and doing OK but I miss a little more than I used to. In fact I miss a lot more than I used to when I played. I hope not to get injured, play good tennis and hopefully the fans enjoy the tennis. I am not looking to beat anybody 5-0, I just want to hit the ball well.
"It’s business as usual. I am a little anxious because I don’t know how I am going to play. I just want to see how it goes but it feels good to get the perspective of the crowd who like the fact that I am playing again."
Sampras’ World Team Tennis career with Newport Beach began with losses to John Paul Fruttero and Warburg, who are a combined 1-3 in their careers in ATP-level matches. His third match against Philadelphia was rained out. Sampras, a winner of seven Wimbledon and five U.S. Open singles titles, picked up his first WTT singles victory with a 5-1 win over Alex Bogomolov Jr. of the New York Sportimes Wednesday night.
Tonight, his opponent in singles figures to be Glenn Weiner of the FoxForce.
"I am trying it," Sampras said. "I am in the middle of it and it has been fun. Making the commitment to play here was more of an attempt to get some structure in my life. Three or four days a week, I am hitting balls, going to the gym, nothing to go nuts about just something that I can focus on and see how it goes. So far, it has been OK.
"I didn’t know what to expect. There is not a book on retirement at 32, you take kind of a wait and see approach. You take the first year after retirement and you decompress, you enjoy it and do some things that you didn’t get to do — whatever that may be. After three and a half years of being retired, I don’t think bored was the right word but I think it was more of a (need) of a focus and structure in my life and my day. I promised myself that if I had a tennis opportunity, I would potentially play."
Sampras wrapped up his glorious career by topping long-time rival Andre Agassi to win the 2002 U.S. Open. With a record 14 men’s singles Grand Slam titles, Sampras walked away from the game at the age of 32. He was back in New York a year later for an emotional farewell ceremony at Flushing Meadows.
He had not returned to the East coast until this week. Tonight’s match will be the first for Sampras in Connecticut since a loss to Leander Paes in the third round of the 1998 Pilot Pen.
He is expecting a warm reception from the FoxForce crowd, one similar to the lovefest he enjoyed from fans in Newport Beach, Sacramento, Philadelphia (before the match was suspended early in the first set) and Mamaroneck, N.Y.
"It’s more interaction (than on the ATP tour)," Sampras said. "It’s a fun event, they can watch a little bit of everything. It is not the most serious (event) but it is competitive and I still want to play well and win. I have a lot of pride out there but it is more of a relaxed atmosphere out there."
Sampras is mixing in an occasional exhibition to keep his tennis game fresh. Next up is a match with former rival Jim Courier in August. A potential doubles exhibition could be coming later in the year.
"I am not looking to play a ton," Sampras said. "I just want to see how it goes. I just have a few things every couple of months to keep me busy, keep me sharp and keep me in shape. That is basically what I am doing this for.
"I think some players when they retire are still involved in their sport. Tennis players historically have kind of gotten away from it and then come back. You are not going to see me be like (John) McEnroe who is so involved in the commentary and still plays a lot. I am just testing the waters right now."
The latest test comes tonight in Avon.
Source: New Haven Register 7/21/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:11|:|Sampras still impresses|:||:|1153537908|:|By JANE MCMANUS, The Journal NEWS
(Original publication: July 20, 2006)
MAMARONECK — Pete Sampras might not have looked very interested last night before his match. In his first year playing World TeamTennis, he didn't even have a matching Newport Breakers uniform T-shirt. He even yawned just before the deciding point of the women's singles event that preceded him.
But on the court, Sampras showed the near-capacity Sportimes crowd at Harbor Island Stadium in Mamaroneck glimpses of his old self. The loopy backhand, the skill at the net — and that patented Sampras serve.
The Sportimes beat the Breakers 21-10, but most in the crowd rooted for Sampras. The 34-year-old beat young Alex Bogomolov Jr. 5-1 in men's singles in 13 minutes. Sampras still has the ability to intimidate as Bogomolov uncharacteristically double-faulted on his first serve.
Sampras loosened up during mixed doubles, and played to the crowd after leaping to smash the ball ... into the net. The crowd grinned along with him.
The match almost didn't happen. Sportimes owner Claude Okin said people worked all day to clear the court of tree limbs and debris after Tuesday night's storm. But by match time it was business as usual, and Martina Hingis was in the stands to watch her team even though she wasn't scheduled to play.
Hingis will be the featured player in the last match of the season tomorrow night at 7:30.
Sampras said it felt strange to be back in New York. The last time he walked into his traditional room at the Trump International in Manhattan, he had just taken part in a moving retirement ceremony to commemorate his 14th and final Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open a year earlier.
It was 2003, and Sampras took a well-earned standing ovation on the Arthur Ashe Stadium court with his young son, Christian, facing New York as a champion for the last time. Although this year he is traveling to the East Coast alone, he couldn't help but be reminded of all the times he had been there to play.
"You just walk into the room, it brings back that nervous feeling you had before the matches," Sampras said. "It's eerie no question."
Life is very different for him now. Unlike his own father, who worked two jobs to support the family, Sampras can spend a wealth of time with his two young sons and wife Bridgette Wilson.
But after having spent his career in search of titles and rankings, Sampras found that leisure didn't fit him well. It's something Sportimes coach Chuck Adams could see from their Tuesday night basketball game in Beverly Hills, where they both live.
"For a couple of years you're glad to be in one place," said Adams, who was as high as No. 33. "And then after a few years of being in one place you want to get out again."
Early this year Sampras played an exhibition against Robby Ginepri before signing on for World TeamTennis. He was 6-10 through the first two matches, and a planned Philadelphia match was rained out Tuesday night.
"In the last year I promised myself if I had some tennis opportunities I would try to play," Sampras said. "Making the commitment to play here, it was making the commitment to get some structure in my life."
Yesterday, Sampras greeted dozens of fans in the Sportimes' VIP tent. He smiled, shook hands and listened as people tried to sum up what his years on the court meant to them.
"(WTT) is more interactive," Sampras said. "Doing photos and autographs before I play is something I would never do."
Although it was a little bit of a melee, it was appreciated by the fans. A.J. Jadhav and his wife, Pranita, had circled the date of the Sampras visit on their calendar, and, along with their 10-year-old daughter, Kris, posed for a photograph with Sampras last night.
"It was great," said Kris, who is also a ball girl for the team and lives in Mamaroneck. "A dream come true."
As for the future, Sampras said he is mulling a more complete return to tennis in some capacity, but not on the ATP Tour. He pointed to John McEnroe's involvement with television and exhibition matches, but said that he enjoys being home too much at this point and has an — ahem — quieter demeanor.
For many, he could be a powerful motivator for young Americans. Okin hopes to motivate young, local tennis players by bringing Sampras to Mamaroneck.
"I was at the Open the year he gave his retirement speech," Okin said, "and I teared up."
7/19/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|06:32|:|Sampras happy to be back in the swing|:||:|1153312341|:|By Bernard Fernandez, Philadelphia Daily News
July 19, 2006
There is a scene in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" where the charismatic outlaws attempt to reform. The lifestyle change doesn't take.
"Well, we've gone straight," Butch tells Sundance. "What'll we do now?"
Throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, Pete Sampras played the role of tennis' Butch Cassidy to Andre Agassi's Sundance Kid. Pete was the smart, steady one; Agassi the flamboyant gunslinger. Their rivalry, as was the case with Jimmy Connors and Bjorn Borg in the 1970s, was a contrast of fire and ice.
Sampras retired from competitive tennis after winning his men's record 14th Grand Slam championship at the 2002 U.S. Open. Agassi has announced that he, too, will put away his racket after this year's U.S. Open.
The two old rivals haven't conversed in years, but if Sampras could speak to Agassi now, to pass along some of the wisdom he has accrued during his time away from the tour, he might tell him that the end doesn't come in a climactic shootout in Bolivia. It comes in places like Cabrini College in Radnor, where antsy competitors emerge to get their fix of what once was.
"Andre will play more golf than he's used to playing," Sampras, in his first season as a member of World Team Tennis' Newport Beach Breakers, said before last night's rain-delayed match against the Freedoms. "He'll try to find something, like we all try to find something when we retire.
"When you're 34 or 35, you still need to get up in the morning and have something to shoot for."
WTT commissioner Ilana Kloss said the match will resume tomorrow night at 7, and that Sampras would play. All tickets from last night's rainout will be honored.
Life on the worldwide tennis circuit - particularly for the top players - is like being on a luxurious chain gang. Guys like Sampras and Agassi travel from city to city, from continent to continent, enjoying the perks of their success but sometimes buckling under the stress of their gypsy existence and the need to constantly excel.
When Sampras defeated Agassi in four sets of that 2002 U.S. Open, the son of Greek immigrants was widely hailed as the greatest player of all time. He was only 31, a relative kid in most professions, but a creaky anachronism in his. More than anything, he was anxious to be granted his freedom from suitcases and computer ratings and the crushing weight of everyone else's expectations.
"The first year [of retirement], you enjoy it," he said. "You get to do the things you never got a chance to do. You have some fun, you play some golf.
"The second year, you wonder what's next. The third year, you get a little bored, a little restless.
"In this last year, I told myself that if I had some tennis opportunities, that I would play again. Ilana and Billie [Jean King, WTT co-founder] are friends of mine. I have a lot of respect for Billie and what she's done for the game."
Besides, one of the greatest players in tennis history - the always modest Sampras won't proclaim himself the best of all time - learned that his domination on the court didn't transfer so easily into domination on the golf course. Tiger Woods will probably get the same rude awakening if he takes up tennis upon his retirement.
"Retirement is fun, but you need something in your life that's fulfilling and challenging," Sampras said. "You need some focus and some structure in your life. Getting up and playing golf every day gets a little bit old after a while.
"You want to hit some [tennis] balls and get sore. I just decided to do something I was good at."
Not that Sampras, who turns 35 on Aug. 12, ever is likely to be quite as good as he was when he was ranked No. 1 for 6 consecutive years. He has won just six of 16 games in WTT play as he tries to scrape some of the rust off from his years away from tennis.
"I want to win. I want to win for my teammates," Sampras said. "I've gotten off to a bit of a rusty start, but I'm starting to get the hang of it again."
And with each cleanly hit winner that flies off his racket, Sampras - a classic American serve-and-volleyer who developed an imposing all-court game - is rediscovering how much fun tennis can be.
"My son, Christian, who's 3 ½, saw me play in Newport [Calif.]," Sampras said. "He lost interest after about 20 minutes.
"When I walked off he said, 'Daddy, you wouldn't talk to me.' I said, 'Well, son, I kind of had my hands full.'
"He's starting to get an idea of what's going on. But I do regret that he never got a chance to see me play Wimbledon or the U.S. Open."
Source: Philadelphia Daily News 7/19/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|06:28|:|Sampras sees the end of an era for U.S. men's tennis|:||:|1153312124|:|By Ray Parrillo, The Philadelphia Inquirer
July 18, 2006
RADNOR, Pa. - As his flight descended on Philadelphia International Airport the other night, Pete Sampras looked down on the city and his mind flashed back nearly two decades.
Philly, he thought to himself, is where his life changed.
"It's definitely a lot of good memories here," Sampras said Tuesday night. "You never forget your first win."
Sampras was at Cabrini College with the Newport Beach Breakers, whose World Team Tennis match against the Freedoms was postponed by a thunderstorm during the third game of the first match, which was men's doubles.
For the 2,500 spectators who had squeezed into the stands surrounding the multicolored court, the chance to get an up-close look at perhaps the greatest player in the history of the game was brief. Sampras rocketed a 123-m.p.h. serve for an ace, then sought cover like everyone else.
The match was rescheduled for Thursday night. Tuesday night's ticket stubs will be honored, and Sampras, who was making his third WTT appearance, will return.
For Sampras, who retired after defeating his old rival, Andre Agassi, to win the 2002 U.S. Open, the WTT offers a chance to end the boredom that he said began to grip him. First, though, there was the memory of his first victory on the tour, at the Spectrum 16 years ago.
"When I flew in here and looked at downtown, there's no question I thought about my first win here," said Sampras, who will turn 35 next month. "It's where my life changed." Ranked 32nd in the world, he won $137,250.
Smiling, he added: "I was nervous to fly after that. It's a lot of money."
Sampras recalled defeating Agassi in the round of 16 and a veteran Ecuadoran, Andres Gomez, for the championship "in front of a packed crowd at the Spectrum. Tennis was really hopping here. It's nice to be back and playing again in Philly."
Sampras went on to win a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, including seven at Wimbledon. When he set down his racket after the `02 U.S. Open, he didn't pick it up again until a couple of months ago, when he answered Billie Jean King's call to add some star power to the league she co-founded 30 years ago.
Although Sampras has no designs on returning to the ATP Tour, he said he missed the structure and focus it brought to his life.
"Your first year, you enjoy it (retirement)," he said. "You get to do some things you weren't able to do. You have some fun. You play some golf. The second year, it's, what's next? And the third year, you get a little bored and restless. So I told myself if I had some tennis opportunities, I would maybe play again. And I've always had a lot of respect for Billie for what she's done for the game. So I thought I'd give it a try.
"It's certainly a shock to the system when you retire, from being so structured and so focused. After a while, you miss hitting balls and getting sore. This is more for fun. It's not that I'm trying to hold on. But I want to win. I want to help my team win."
For the United States, tennis hasn't been quite the same since Sampras retired. No American has remotely come close to taking his place. The rivalry between Roger Federer of Switzerland, who has won four consecutive Wimbledon titles, and Rafael Nadal of Spain promises to have a run as long as Sampras-Agassi.
But, as Sampras said, American tennis needs a resurgence to rekindle interest in the sport.
"It (Federer-Nadal) is good for the game," Sampras said. "The unfortunate part is that overOver the history of the game, there's been an American in the rivalry for the fans to cling on to. Borg-McEnroe. Chris (Evert) and Martina (Navratilova). Me and Andre.
"I don't really see anyone really challenging Federer. I just think he's going to go on and really dominate even more so."
With Agassi planning to retire after the U.S. Open, Sampras sees the end of an era for American tennis.
"You might not see a group of four guys - Andre, myself, Jim (Courier) and Michael (Chang) - maybe ever in the U.S.," he said.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer 7/15/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|00:08|:|Sampras, Courier to meet in best-of-3-sets exhibition|:||:|1152943706|:|July 13, 2006
CARSON, Calif. (AP)-- Just like old times: Pete Sampras vs. Jim Courier.
The two retired Grand Slam champions and former No. 1-ranked players will square off in a best-of-3-sets exhibition match Aug. 7 during the WTA Tour stop in Carson.
Sampras and Courier played 20 times as pros, with Sampras winning 16, including their only major final: at Wimbledon in 1993.
Sampras won a record 14 Grand Slam titles, while Courier finished with four.
"Jim and I have played some great tennis matches over our careers so it's exciting to have the chance to rekindle our friendly rivalry in my backyard," said Sampras, who grew up in southern California.
Said Courier: "I look forward to renewing our rivalry."
Source: CBS Sportsline
7/13/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|11:18|:|Sampras is no longer sweating it|:||:|1152811110|:|By Tim Casey, Sacramento Bee
July 13, 2006
Surrounded by two security guards and a few World TeamTennis officials, Pete Sampras walked into the second floor of Macy's at Sunrise Mall on Wednesday night.
Looking around, he seemed confused.
"I've never done something like this in a furniture store before," he said.
Sampras then sat in an off-white leather chair for a news conference before the Capitals' 20-17 victory over the Newport Beach Breakers, Sampras' new team.
No, it wasn't a typical setting. It also was strange seeing Sampras in such a relaxed atmosphere and playing at a lower level.
Sampras lost 5-2 to Jesuit High School alum Sam Warburg, who idolized Sampras growing up. In doubles, he and Rick Leach lost 5-2 to Warburg and Mark Knowles.
Sampras still had his booming serve, hitting a few above 120 mph. But he didn't move as well or hit his groundstrokes and volleys as consistently and crisply as he did before.
"It's kind of a mystery," Sampras said after his singles match. "I'm a little rusty, just getting my game back and getting rhythm out there.
"I want to play better. But it's not like it used to be, when I couldn't sleep after losing."
Indeed, this is a fairly different Sampras. Despite his subpar performance, Sampras joked with teammates and interacted with fans, even signing autographs after the loss. He appeared jovial, a contrast from his ATP Tour days when he gained a reputation as a serious player who rarely displayed emotion.
He wasn't John McEnroe, cursing and throwing rackets. He wasn't a young Andre Agassi, wearing loud outfits and long hair and declaring image is everything.
Sampras focused on winning, not wooing crowds or getting endorsements. Within tennis circles, he was held in high esteem, particularly compared with McEnroe and other stars in the 1970s and 1980s known for their temper tantrums.
"I didn't like that (behavior)," Capitals coach Wayne Bryan said. "Here comes a guy (Sampras) that shows you can be passionate, dedicated and be a great athlete. And win with class, win with dignity and be a great sport. He left tennis better than when he (came into) it."
And yet, Sampras never attained the popularity accorded to Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods, contemporaries of Sampras who could also make a legitimate claim as the best their sport has ever seen.
He behaved like a gentleman and won a men's record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, though some naysayers wanted more. The same public that criticized prima donna athletes also chided Sampras as too boring.
He couldn't win. And that reputation still somewhat bothers Sampras.
Sampras said he didn't feel respected until late in his career when he wasn't as dominant.
His highlight came at the 2003 U.S. Open, when Sampras was honored in a ceremony. As players such as Agassi, McEnroe and Boris Becker spoke about Sampras' career, Sampras shed tears.
"As hard as I worked, you kind of want that," Sampras said. "I felt appreciated that night."
The sell-out crowd Wednesday also showered Sampras with affection. It could be his last time here for a while, perhaps ever.
Before agreeing in February to play seven WTT matches, Sampras had only played one competitive match since his career ended at the 2002 U.S. Open. Although he's not playing as he'd like and won't commit beyond this summer, Sampras is enjoying the WTT's laid back nature.
His 3-year-old son, Christian, watched Sampras compete for the first time Monday night. Christian lasted three or four games. Then he played with his construction toys.
"I guess I wasn't that exciting," Sampras said, smirking.
Source: Sacramento Bee
7/12/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|00:06|:|Sampras shows ability, rust|:||:|1152684365|:|By CARLOS ARIAS, The Orange County Register
July 11, 2006
NEWPORT BEACH – There was a buzz going through the sellout crowd of 2,000 on Monday night at Palisades Tennis Club.
"I came to see Pete," one fan said on his way to center court.
The Pete he was talking about was tennis legend Pete Sampras, who came out of his 31/2-year retirement to play for the Newport Beach Breakers this summer in World TeamTennis.
Sampras, a winner of a record 14 Grand Slam titles, had been feeling the itch to play competitive tennis, especially, around this time of year when Wimbledon has center stage in the sports world.
This wasn't Wimbledon where Sampas was a seven-time winner, but it was a chance to challenge himself. And Sampras is all about challenges.
"We're thrilled to have him," said Hall of Famer Billie Jean King, who is one of the co-founders of World TeamTennis. "We've been wanting him to play. He said he would and now we have him for seven matches. It's going to be great."
Sampras received a standing ovation during the pre-match introductions. The crowd was eager for Sampras to get on the court and kept chanting "We want Pete!" throughout the preliminary matches. Sampras played to the crowd firing balls into the stands between matches.
Sampras looked to be in good shape when he finally took to the court for warmups.
He showed flashes of his former form in the men's doubles match when he and his partner Ramon Delgado defeated the St. Louis Aces' Brian Wilson and John Paul Fruttero, a pair of former NCAA All-Americans.
The crowd roared when Sampras connected on a backhand service return winner in the first game of the doubles match.
The first serve Sampras hit on the night went whizzing past Fruttero for an ace. The usually poker-faced Sampras even had to crack a smile after that first ace.
Sampras showed off his reflexes and maneuvering at the net. He had plenty of pop on his legendary serve. He went up the ladder for a leaping overhead smash. He even tracked down a drop shot. Each shot Sampras made was greeted by cheers.
He and Delgado ended up winning the doubles match, 5-3, to keep the Breakers in contention for the victory.
Sampras went toe-to-toe with Fruttero in the final match of the night. That's when some of the rust surfaced.
Sampras took Fruttero the distance, but ended up falling to Fruttero, 5-4 (5-3), in the tiebreaker. The Aces ended up winning the match.
"I felt OK all things considered," Sampras said. "My body held up fine. Give him credit. He had a good serve. I couldn't get my return down."
Martina Hingis' run with the New York Sportimes in the WTT last summer was the catalyst for her return to the pro tour. Sampras maintained he has no intentions of returning to the tour, but he said his competitive juices are still flowing.
"It's a little taste of what I'll have to deal with in the next couple of weeks," Sampras said. "I'll get better with each match. That's how I am."
King liked what she saw from Sampras in his first competitive match in three years.
"He's a little rusty," King said, "but I saw a lot of nice things."
Sampras said he enjoyed being back in the spotlight.
"You want to put on a good show for the people," Sampras said. "The atmosphere was great. The people really got behind the team. I really have some fun teammates. It's great to entertain the people. But I'm still competitive and want to win."
Source: Orange County Register 7/11/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|07:02|:|Sampras happy to have fun on court in WTT debut|:||:|1152622932|:|By Mark Lamport-Stokes, Reuters
NEWPORT BEACH, California, July 10 - Driven by victory during his glittering ATP career, Pete Sampras settled on having some fun in his World TeamTennis (WTT) debut on Monday.
The 34-year-old won his doubles match but lost his singles encounter to world number 211 John Paul Fruttero as his Newport Beach Breakers team were beaten 22-20 by the visiting St Louis Aces at the Palisades Tennis Club.
Sampras, who produced a mix of vintage serve-and-volley form with some rusty backhands, took great delight in entertaining a capacity crowd of 2,000.
"The atmosphere was great," the former world number one told reporters after making his Pro league debut.
"The crowd really got behind the team. I didn't know how it was going to be tonight but I actually enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to playing some more.
"When you practise you can get away with things, here you feel a little more pressure playing in front of people.
"You want to put on a good show and I thought I did pretty good. I missed a few here and there and I had a hard time getting my backhand going. That was really the key.
"But I'm going to have some fun the next couple of weeks, hopefully play some good tennis and entertain some people."
LOW-KEY RETURN
Sampras, who retired after winning the 2002 U.S. Open final against American compatriot Andre Agassi in his last professional match, decided to make a low-key return to the game after admitting he wanted something to focus on.
He does not plan to return to the ATP circuit and has set his sights on playing as well as he can in the relaxed atmosphere of WTT without doing his body any harm.
"All things considered, I played okay," he said after losing his singles match to Californian Fruttero on a tie-break.
"My body held up fine and I was serving pretty hard.
"It's not easy when you haven't played a match under the lights in years and I had a hard time picking it (the ball) up. But I think I'll play a little better as we go along."
Sampras, who won 14 grand slam titles and more than $43 million in prize money during his 15-year career, will play six more matches for the Beach Breakers over the next two weeks.
The WTT Pro League consists of 12 teams and past players include Agassi, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, Chris Evert, Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, Martina Navratilova, Andy Roddick and Venus Williams.
The league, created by Billie Jean and then husband Larry King, ran for five years from 1974. After a two-year break it returned in 1981 and has since been a feature of the U.S. calendar.
The top two teams from the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference play in the finals from July 28-30.
7/11/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|06:59|:|Sampras Has Some Team Fun|:||:|1152622761|:|By Lisa Dillman, LA Times
July 11, 2006
The same old mannerisms hadn't disappeared.
He still had that way of getting ready to serve, choosing one ball and then casually flicking back the other with the slightest touch of arrogance, not even looking back to the ball kid.
Nor, more important, had the serve itself vanished.
Pete Sampras reappearing on the tennis court on Monday night would almost be like Michael Jordan showing up and hitting jumpers in a summer league game. Or finding Wayne Gretzky scoring goals in a recreation league or Joe Montana throwing spirals in a public park.
Only Sampras was playing in front of a couple thousand people at Palisades Tennis Club in Newport Beach in a World TeamTennis match, putting himself on the line, or at least the service line. It was his first significant performance in Southern California since the tennis legend retired from the tour in 2003.
And the verdict?
On paper, a split.
Sampras and his doubles partner Ramon Delgado won their match against Brian Wilson and John Paul Fruttero of the St. Louis Aces, 5-3. In the finale, Fruttero defeated Sampras, 5-4, in singles, needing a tiebreaker to do so. That gave St. Louis a 22-20 victory against the Newport Beach Breakers.
As for Sampras' verdict …
"It felt OK," he said. "Didn't return all that well. All things considered, my body pulled up fine. I served and volleyed OK. It's been a while, so I didn't expect miracles out here. Give him credit, he had a good serve and I had a hard time getting ahold of it there. I haven't played competitive points like that in a while, so I really couldn't get my return down.
"But it was fun. I had a good time."
For Sampras, the seven-time Wimbledon champion and winner of 14 Grand Slam titles, the competitive juices took about a nanosecond to return.
"And they had Pearl Jam playing tonight, which inspired me," he said. "I think I'll just get a little better and better. Every time I step on the court, I want to play well. I don't care whether it's World TeamTennis or having a hit, I always wanted to improve."
Earlier, Sampras spoke about his motivation to return to some form of competitive tennis.
"You know, a man works," he said. "And I've always worked my whole life. I told my wife, I'm not Mr. Mom. I'm not going to stay home and change diapers."
Source: LA Times 7/08/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|22:05|:|In His Return to Tennis, Sampras Puts the Focus on Grinning|:||:|1152417909|:|By KAREN CROUSE, New York Times
LOS ANGELES, July 7 — The tennis player who once likened himself to the reclusive Howard Hughes, who accumulated major titles the way Hughes did phobias, was practicing in plain view, wearing a smile as his disguise.
"Let's see if I can still do this," Pete Sampras said, laughing. After walking to the baseline of the Bel-Air Country Club court Wednesday morning, Sampras uncorked a serve that blew past his hitting partner, Kris Kwinta, like a Porsche in high gear. Earlier, Sampras hit a textbook running forehand that froze Kwinta, then exclaimed, "That's how I built my house!"
Sampras's playful side was the doubles alley of his personality during his 15-year professional career. He tried not to go there, willfully working around it when he was accumulating a record 14 major singles crowns and maintaining a white-knuckle grip on the world No. 1 ranking.
Four years after his last match on Tour, a four-set victory against Andre Agassi in the 2002 United States Open final, Sampras is returning to the competitive arena this month for a limited engagement with the Newport Beach Breakers of World Team Tennis. He is coming back for a handful of reasons, not the least of which is that he wants his alter ego, Smiley, to take a bow.
"It's maybe my way of giving back a little to the sport, doing a lot more interaction with the fans, with the media, with sponsors," Sampras said.
There is a tennis court in the backyard of the Beverly Hills home where he lives with his wife, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and sons Christian, 3, and Ryan, 11 months. But Sampras wanted to get out of the house, mingle with the public after a self-exile that, in truth, began long before he announced his retirement in June 2003.
"I always felt uncomfortable on the pedestal," Sampras said. That was why he spent a lot of energy over the years trying to avoid those who might exalt him, why he was forever running around praise the way he might a ball to his backhand side.
His monastic approach won him 64 singles titles but not many casual sports fans. It became a vicious cycle: Sampras bottling his feelings in order to win and the public holding back its affection because he was not effervescent enough.
"As I got older, as I started to dominate, I think I maybe could have lightened up a little bit," Sampras said. In his defense, he added, "People talked about me being robotic and mechanical, but the majors is when most people would see me and that's when I was at my most focused."
World Team Tennis, with its team format and its panoramic focus on entertainment and excellence, is the perfect stage for the 34-year-old Sampras to let down his wall. The seed to play in the summer league was planted in Sampras's mind years ago by Billie Jean King, a W.T.T. founder and somebody close enough to Sampras to be aware of Smiley's existence.
When Sampras was a child, everybody at the Jack Kramer Club courts in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., knew Smiley. That was the nickname bestowed upon Sampras by the older kids because he wandered around the courts in a constant state of good cheer. As his game matured, he seemed to grow out of the nickname. In his late teens, after deciding that being in the top 10 in the world was not good enough, that only No. 1 would do, Sampras embraced a new stage presence. He became tennis's Buster Keaton, the Great Stone Face.
"When I was competing and out there on the court, it wasn't a time for fun and games," said Sampras, who won his first major title, at the United States Open, in 1990 at the age of 19. "I was very businesslike. That was my deal."
Between 1993 and 1998, when Sampras was stringing together his record six-year season-ending run at No. 1, King tried to recruit him every summer to join her band of merry players. She did not let his polite rejections deter her. She recognized years before Sampras did that he needed World Team Tennis perhaps even more than World Team Tennis needed him.
"He's funny as heck," King said in a recent telephone interview, "and I always thought it was a shame that the public didn't see that side of him. He's just a great guy, but you have to take time with him. You can't know him right away."
Sampras would never break character to show it — he was far too disciplined in his craft — but it did bother him that his recipe for excellence was so unappetizing to the general public. "I never understood it," he said.
He remembered John Newcombe once saying that Sampras needed to "lighten up" and thinking, "If I did, I'd lose my edge."
In 1999, Sampras was paired with the golf legend Arnold Palmer in a pro-am at the Bob Hope Classic in Palm Springs, Calif. As he watched the charismatic Palmer turn the gallery ropes into a receiving line that ran from the first hole to the last, Sampras grew wistful. "I wish I could do that," he remembered thinking as Palmer shook one fan's hand after another. "I wish I could smile and look people in the eye."
The warmth Palmer invested in his fans was returned with interest, which did not go unnoticed by Sampras. After years in the public eye, Sampras saw the light while in Palmer's shadow. "All fans want to do is have a connection with the athlete," he said.
All Sampras wanted in retirement was a structure to his days. He was playing golf five or six times a week and he had his weekly poker night, but Sampras, bless his blue-collar soul, believed those things should be a reward for a day fruitfully spent, not a reason to get out of bed.
King's annual invitation gave him a reason to resurrect his practice routine. He could have his structure and reach out to the fans, too.
During Wednesday's 80-minute practice, Sampras's strokes were sharp, but his face was soft.
His hitting partner, Kwinta, a former U.C.L.A. player from Poland, clearly wanted to impress Sampras, who was his idol growing up. Every time he pushed a backhand into the net, Kwinta upbraided himself. "This game," Sampras said at one point, his words landing as gently as drop shots, "say nothing negative."
Kwinta nodded earnestly. His next few strokes were winners. Later, Kwinta said it was a privilege to hit with Sampras. "I always wanted to be calm like Pete on the court," he added.
Toward the end of their hitting session, a BMW sedan pulled up to the parking lot and a gangly teenage boy emerged from the driver's seat. He had a noon lesson on the far court, and rather than walk alongside the fence on the outside to get to the waiting pro, he waited until Sampras and Kwinta were finished with a point, then loped across their court.
He seemed oblivious that he was showing poor etiquette, never mind putting himself squarely in the potential path of one of Sampras's 120-mile-an-hour serves. Perhaps he simply did not recognize the player waiting to serve, the one with the big forehand and the broad smile.
Source: New York Times 7/07/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|23:39|:|Sampras Says His Return Is Brief|:||:|1152337152|:|Recent American slide doesn't inspire the seven-time Wimbledon winner to try comeback. He'll play a TeamTennis match Monday.
By Lisa Dillman, LA Times
July 7, 2006
The poker hand folded and golf clubs in the bag, it's time to go back to the tools of the old day job.
On Monday, Pete Sampras will play tennis in front of a significant Southern California crowd for the first time since he retired in 2003. But don't get any ideas that, coming on the heels of the worst U.S. performance at Wimbledon since 1911, the 34-year-old legend might be on a comeback trail.
Sampras said he will not be returning to the ATP Tour, nor is he seriously contemplating a turn on the seniors' tour.
After Monday's World TeamTennis match for the Newport Beach Breakers, there will be six road appearances in July. Beyond that, perhaps some one-night exhibitions. That and answering questions about the dominance of Roger Federer, or the rapidly improving grass court game of Rafael Nadal, or the fortunes of U.S. tennis in the era after Sampras, Michael Chang and Jim Courier and soon-to-be after Andre Agassi.
"It's hard to duplicate what we had with Jim, myself, Michael and Andre," Sampras said during a conference call with reporters on Thursday. "I think it's unfair to Andy [Roddick] and James [Blake] and the rest to compare what happened the last 10 years to where they're at, where they're going…. Unfortunately for American tennis, we do have Federer-Nadal, who are really good, really kind of dominating the game at the moment. I think James and Andy really can kind of get it together and do some things at the Open.
"But knowing American fans and American media, we expect Wimbledon winners, we expect U.S. Open winners, we expect an American No. 1 in the world. Hard to do that. I think James and Andy have potential, but it takes a great player and someone that can handle it all."
Sampras won the first of his seven Wimbledon titles in his fifth attempt. He was asked about Nadal, who in his third Wimbledon is two matches from winning the title. Should Nadal face three-time defending champion Federer in the final, Sampras picked Federer to win.
"I must admit, I'm a little surprised, just after winning Paris, his game not suited for grass," Sampras said of Nadal. "On the other hand, he's a great player. I think he's mentally really positive on grass. Where I think a lot of the clay-courters kind of come into Wimbledon with a negative attitude, I think his attitude is great.
"I was going to say, since there aren't really any true grass court players, guys that can really serve and volley, pick a baseliner apart, it's almost like you watch Wimbledon and you're watching the French but it's green because everyone is staying back."
Source: LA Times
7/07/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|23:31|:|WTT: Teleconference with Pete Sampras|:||:|1152336683|:|2006 TELECONFERENCES: World Team Tennis Teleconference with Pete Sampras
JOSH WEISSMAN: This is Josh Weissman with the World Team Tennis. I appreciate everyone coming on the call today. We have Pete Sampras on the line. He will be debuting on Monday night in Newport Beach with the Newport Beach Breakers. He'll be playing one home match this year in Newport Beach, and he'll be on the road throughout July for six more matches.
I want to say thank you to Pete for joining us on the call today.
We'll take some questions for Pete.
Q. A question about Andre Agassi, who two weeks ago retired. I was wondering your comments on the retirement of Andre.
PETE SAMPRAS: Like I said, when he announced it, it was the end of an era. He was a great player that brought a lot to the sport, brought a lot to my legacy, just in our matches. He's going to be missed, but at the same time I think he knew it was time to move on and make a decision. I think physically it's taken its toll over the last few years. When that happens, mentally, I think it wears you down to a point where you pretty much make it known that it's time to move on. He'll be missed, and life goes on.
Q. Speaking of Andre, how did he affect your legacy?
PETE SAMPRAS: I didn't get the beginning. What was that?
Q. In what way did he affect your legacy?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think through the years that I was dominating, there wasn't maybe a lot to write about. I think when he had his moments of really playing well, when he and I played in the final of Wimbledon and the US Open, I played some of my best tennis. I think we as a rivalry hit mainstream sportsfans that might not be tennis fans, but maybe tuned into the match.
I think our games were really different, our personalities were different. Whenever I walked out there against Andre, I felt different than playing Becker, Stich or Edberg. There was a little more on it, both being an American, 1, 2 in the world. It was as close to a great rivalry as I think we've had in the sport the past 10, 15 years.
I think the tennis we played was some of the best tennis ever. We both respected one another. There wasn't any ill will towards one another. As competitive as it was, I think we handled it really well.
I've always said he's made me a better player, made me add some things to my game that against other guys I could get away with.
You know, he's always going to be the one guy, when people ask me who my rival was, he's the one.
Q. A question of your fitness right now, where would you put it as far as playing days?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's okay. I'm not killing myself out there, but at the same time I probably hit three, four days a week for about an hour and a half, getting to the gym for a little bit, just to get my body used to hitting some serves, moving around. Pretty good. Nothing like I used to be, but enough to get through some matches.
Q. How would you describe your reasoning for wanting to come back and play in World Team Tennis?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think end of last year, you know, I was getting a little bit restless, maybe a little bored trying to figure out what was next for me. I kind of opened myself up to playing this year, just to give me a little bit of a structure in my day, a little bit of a focus.
Alain and Billie have been asking me to play Team Tennis for quite a few years. She approached me about playing a few days. I was at a place in my life where I was ready to play a little bit, and have some fun out there. I decided to play a few more dates than I originally thought. That was kind of how it all happened.
I'm actually going to play some more after World Team Tennis, a few exhibitions here and there just to give me a little bit of a focus. After my third year of retirement, I felt myself getting a little bit unfulfilled with what I was doing. I think playing tennis is something that I'm good at. I love to still play. This is something I can control with how much I can play and how much I need to practice and train, nothing to kill myself, but something just to keep my week structured and do something I used to be pretty good at.
Q. Do you expect the competitive juices to be flowing at any level like it used to be for you?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know. I have no idea. I mean, I'm just going to see how it goes. What I want to do is play well and not hurt myself. I think that's my main concern.
You know, you get in the right situation, I'm a competitive person, especially on the tennis court. I'll want to do well and win. But it's not the cut-throat tennis that I used to be a part of.
We'll see what happens.
JOSH WEISSMAN: Pete is also going to be playing in Sacramento on July 12th.
Q. You said before you have no intention of playing another ATP Tour event, do you?
PETE SAMPRAS: No.
Q. You said you were getting a little bit bored. What had you been doing before you started playing tennis again? Was it golf that filled your time?
PETE SAMPRAS: I was playing a ton of golf. I mean, I must have played five, six days a week. Got to be pretty good at it. There was moments where I got a little burnt out and didn't really find myself really filling my day with what I wanted to do. I was kind of at home with my kids. I love being a part of that, seeing them grow up, but at the same time I've always worked, I've always had a structured day. When I first retired, I really enjoyed the non-structure, really enjoyed the relaxation, no work, just kind of more play. After three years of that, I found myself waking up in the morning a little bit restless. I tell my wife a lot, I need to find something, I need to start doing something.
Then I just kind of opened myself to seeing what was out there from the tennis standpoint playing-wise. I think it's been one of the best things for me. Like I said, three, four days a week, I can practice, hit a few balls, go into the gym, do some stretching. It gives me a little bit of what I used to have. Once you take that away, when I had that life of structure, initially it's fun, then you kind of miss it in some weird way.
Q. Who have you been playing with down there? Do you have a practice partner?
PETE SAMPRAS: Two, three guys from UCLA that I've been hitting with. There's plenty of practice around here.
Q. I assume your family is going to be able to come out and watch Monday night.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. I know my wife and older son will come up. The younger one is probably going to stay home.
Q. Were they able to see you play Ginepri?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, it didn't come across I guess on the computer. It was a little fuzzy. They didn't see much. But obviously they'll see it live.
Q. How aware is your little guy that dad was...
PETE SAMPRAS: He's somewhat aware. I tell him, we talk about it, but I don't think he really grasps it. I think once he sees me out there playing in front of people, I think he'll better understand.
Right now, he's more concerned about his construction toys, watching Dora the Explorer, Thomas the Train, any of those things.
Q. Changing subjects a little bit, how do you sort of view Nadal's progress at Wimbledon, considering he only won a couple matches on grass the year before this?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I must admit, I'm a little surprised. Just after winning Paris, his game not suited for grass. On the other hand, you know, he's a great player. I mean, I think he's mentally really positive on grass. Where I think a lot of the clay-courters kind of come into Wimbledon with a negative attitude, I think his attitude is great. He seems like he respects Wimbledon and he wants to do well there.
I was going to say, since there aren't really any true grass court players, guys that can really serve and volley, pick a baseliner apart, it's almost like you watch Wimbledon and you're watching the French but it's green because everyone is staying back. He's able to kind -- no one is going to come in, he's just as good as anyone staying back.
So I'm not that surprised. 10 years ago, with a lot more serve-and-volleyers, I think he'd have a harder time really doing what he's doing today.
Q. Can you talk a little bit about Roger. Obviously this tremendous run that he's having on grass, is he likely -- they are really on a crash-course right now with a couple of guys standing in their way. What do you think about the likelihood of a Roger/Nadal final? Is Roger going to roll through this?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yes and yes.
Q. Can you tell us a little more?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think Roger is pretty much unbeatable on grass, pretty much unbeatable anywhere but maybe a little bit on clay against Nadal. I think Nadal has a good chance to get to the final. I think Federer will have his way with him on grass if they both make the final. I just think, you know, too much power, the fast surface will help him. I think Nadal will compete hard against him, but I don't see him winning.
Q. Lastly, you were talking about your kids. Anybody playing tennis in your house other than you these days?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, Christian, not every day, but I got a court here. We go down there, he hits the ball. I toss him a few here and there. He loves it. He loves hitting that ball. He's got a little hand-eye coordination on his side.
Q. Who knows what is going to happen at the Open, whether Andre can reach another final. Regardless of what happens there, where do you put him with the great players of all time once he walks away from the game? Where does he rank?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's hard to put a number on it, where I see him. I see him somewhere in the top 10 of the greats of all time, being able to win on all surfaces, being No. 1 in the world. He got to the finals of like five or six majors.
You know, he's up there. It's hard to -- was he better than Connors, McEnroe? Just the generations. I just think it's hard to mention who was the best ever or the list. I think you just have -- each generation has their best players. I think in the '90s, he was one of the best players, with me included. It's hard to compare the eras and all that stuff. Just, you know, one of the best.
Q. You put him in there with the mix, maybe the top 10?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, the way I look at the top five, Laver, Federer, myself, Borg and Lendl. I think those five guys dominated their generations better than anyone. Maybe Roger will dominate better than any one of the other four. Maybe I put Andre as kind of 6 through 10 with, you know, McEnroe and Connors, kind of those guys. That's kind of how I see it.
JOSH WEISSMAN: Back to a little Team Tennis, do you know much about your teammates on the Breakers? How about the coach, Dick Leach?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I don't think anyone on the call really cares (laughter).
JOSH WEISSMAN: Can you talk about Dick Leach, the coach?
PETE SAMPRAS: I'm just kidding. I know Rick Leach pretty well. I don't know the girls. Delgado, I know him a little bit, I played him one time in Paris. Rick is a good guy. His dad. I think it will just be a fun time. I think when you have good teammates, fun teammates, I think, you know, it will be fun.
Q. When you watch Wimbledon, you see Federer getting close to winning four titles there, your own records, what kind of goes through your head when you see someone making a legacy for himself in some of the same ways you did?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think when I look at Roger, I mean, I'm a fan. I mean, I'm a fan of how he plays, what he's about, just the fact that I think he's a class -- I don't know him personally, but seems like he's a class guy on and off the court. He's fun to watch. Just his athletic ability, what he's able to do on the run. I think he can and will break every tennis record out there.
I just think he's the only really great player I see playing. I think Nadal is really good, shows -- and he's a great player, but I just think there's less of him. Today I think Roger is two, three levels above the rest. The fact that he seems like he's even getting better. You combine all that, I don't really see anyone threatening the No. 1 ranking. I think he's just too consistent and too good and has a fear factor in everyone else that I had at times, but I think he has it even more.
Q. Do you have any mixed feelings when you see him getting close to the record books?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't believe in that. I don't believe in rooting against someone. You know, records are made to be broken. I'm pretty confident that he's well on his way to not only breaking the No. 1 ranking, but this Grand Slam record. I mean, I just think he's got all the tools, he's got the demeanor. He really has the whole package to do it.
Q. Do you worry at all about American tennis right now?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think it's pretty good. I mean, I think it's hard to duplicate what we had with Jim, myself, Michael and Andre. I think it's unfair to Andy and James and the rest to compare what happened the last 10 years to where they're at, where they're going.
I think it's in pretty good shape. Unfortunately for American tennis, we do have Federer/Nadal who are really good, really kind of dominating the game at the moment.
I think James and Andy really can kind of get it together and do some things at the Open. But knowing American fans and American media, we expect Wimbledon winners, we expect US Open winners, we expect an American No. 1 in the world. Hard to do that. I think James and Andy have potential, but it takes a great player and someone that can handle it all.
I think they have it, but it takes a lot of commitment, a lot of sacrifice. Hopefully they can figure something out.
Q. Seems like you're trying out World Team Tennis to ease back into the competitive scene here, but also have some fun. I have to imagine Jim Courier has hit you up for the Champions Tour.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, he has. I've talked to Jim. I'm not quite ready for that sort of deal. Playing a few one-nighters here and there is something that's competitive but it's not cut-throat like Jim's deal with those guys. It's a little more serious. I'm just not quite ready. I don't know if I ever will be ready to play those things. I'm just easing my way back into it.
World Team Tennis is a great, fun arena that I've been a part of a few times playing the Elton John AIDS Foundation night. It's a little fun to see some doubles, singles, mixed doubles. See a little bit of everything. It's maybe my way of giving back a little bit to the sport, doing a lot more interaction with the fans, with the media, with sponsors. I'm just easing my way back into it, not looking to come back at any point. Just have a little fun, give my life a little structure and focus.
Q. You talked about structure. With World Team Tennis, it looks like you're looking for new ways to (indiscernible) tennis. Have you considered coaching at all?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. No interest.
Q. Even at Wimbledon, serve-and-volley tennis seems more or less extinct. Do you intend to serve and volley when you're playing out there?
PETE SAMPRAS: I will die serving and volleying. Yeah, I mean, even yesterday I was serving pretty hard and coming in. It's my natural instinct, something I'm pretty natural at. I don't know if I'll be able to get to the net as quickly as I used to, but I'll be coming in.
Q. Do you think players today still could make that an effective strategy?
PETE SAMPRAS: Serve and volley?
Q. Yes.
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't think it's anything you learn overnight. I think it's something you do as a kid. As you get older, you get better at it. I don't think it's something you wake up at 23 and say, I'm going to serve and volley. As a former tennis player, I miss the serve and volley tennis, watching it, especially on grass. Now everyone is staying back. I miss that contrast of someone being able to come in and someone staying back.
Q. Earlier there was a question about American tennis. One thing I've been wondering about, other greats from your time, a lot of them were in Bollettieri Academy or something like it. Do you think that's necessary for a player today? As far as I know, you weren't in that.
PETE SAMPRAS: I think it depends where you're from. With someone like Andre and Jim, growing up in an area where there was not a lot of competition, I think Bollettieri was a great thing just to be able to play other players, whereas I had Michael Chang, players of that type in southern Cal. I didn't feel like I needed to go anywhere. If you're from Mississippi, you have nobody to practice with, it's cold in the winter, I think going down to a Florida academy is something I recommend.
Q. This time of year, is this when you miss it the most, during Wimbledon? Have you gotten past that?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think I always will miss it. I miss it. I'm just so familiar with that feeling of playing there, the court, just the daily life at Wimbledon. I'll miss it at 34, 44, 54. So familiar with the place, so many good memories, that I think these are the two weeks that I really do miss the sport.
And I miss the Open and the rest, but I think these two are just -- I was so successful, so many good memories there, I definitely miss it.
Q. When you played Federer back at Wimbledon, when you lost to him, was it clear to you this might be the heir apparent?
PETE SAMPRAS: At the time, I wasn't sure. I knew he was talented. I mean, I knew he was really, really good. I actually didn't play a bad match. I just lost a tight one at the end.
I didn't know how far he was going to take it and where he was going to go. I think I've seen him the last couple years just get a little better, a little better, just kind of figure it out. I mean, that's what I think guys -- I figured it out. You just kind of figure it out on your own. He has his formula for being the best player in the world, like I had.
I didn't know if he was going to dominate like he is today, but just who I see, him playing the way he's playing, I just think he's really, really good. Kind of sit back and watch him, put myself on the other side of the net, see how I would play him. You know, I think we both would have our hands full.
Q. With all the talk about Andre retiring, obviously Andre is not on the top of his game now. You retired, you still won a Grand Slam. Was it harder for you to retire knowing you could still win and still play at the top of your game?
PETE SAMPRAS: It was a tough decision. It took me probably six months to get to the grips with moving on, not playing any more. It was the next year after the Open. I thought I was going to get ready for Wimbledon. After three days of practice, that's when I knew in my heart that it was time to move on. It wasn't in my blood any more. I didn't want to practice. At the end of the day, I had nothing left to prove to myself. It was time to call it a day.
Everyone's path to retirement is different, especially in tennis. It's not like a team sports guy where they have the last year of their contract and they're done.
Andre physically has gone through some tough times the last year. I think mentally it's taken its toll. When you do all that work at 35, 36, you want the instant reward. When he didn't get it, I think that took a little bit out of him.
I think physically, just dealing with a bad back, coming back, not playing for six months, can't expect to be at the level that he once was. To announce it, to be able to pay homage to him over the next couple months is something that he obviously planned.
It was time. I think he felt in his heart it was time to move on, give it one last kind of go at it and see how it goes.
Q. What is your handicap in golf? Are you going to be playing in the celebrity event in Tahoe?
PETE SAMPRAS: I actually can't play in the Tahoe event because my tennis is getting in the way. I'm about four. I've gotten a little bit better. Still just an athlete playing golf, I'm not a golfer. I don't know all those little nuances of the game that you just know as a kid, as a pro. I just have fun with it, just grip it and rip it.
JOSH WEISSMAN: We're going to wrap this up here. I want to thank Pete again for coming on. We will see him through the month in July, Newport Beach, Sacramento, Philadelphia, Hartford and New York.
PETE SAMPRAS: All right, guys.
End of FastScripts... 7/07/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|20:30|:|Bored and restless, Sampras returns to the court |:||:|1152325803|:|By Steve Ginsburg, Reuters
WASHINGTON - Bored, restless and looking to add a little structure to his life, Pete Sampras returns to the tennis court next week but the 14-times Grand Slam champion has no thoughts of coming back to the ATP circuit.
The 34-year-old will dust off the mothballs to his game on Monday when he plays a World TeamTennis match for the Newport Beach Breakers who host the St. Louis Aces.
TeamTennis features teams playing sets of singles, doubles and mixed, a relaxed atmosphere compared to the high-pressure of the big-money ATP circuit.
"I think end of last year, I was getting a little bit restless, maybe a little bored trying to figure out what was next for me," Sampras told a conference call on Thursday.
"I kind of opened myself up to playing this year, just to give me a little bit of a structure in my day, a little bit of a focus."
Sampras, who retired in 2002 after winning the U.S. Open, will play seven matches for the Beach Breakers over the next two weeks.
The American has no plans to return to the big stage or enter the coaching ranks. He considers his fitness as "okay."
He said: "I'm not killing myself out there, but at the same time I probably hit three, four days a week for about an hour and a half, getting to the gym for a little bit, just to get my body used to hitting some serves, moving around.
"Nothing like I used to be, but enough to get through some matches."
Sampras has "no idea" how he will react when he returns to competition. "I'm just going to see how it goes," he said. "What I want to do is play well and not hurt myself. I think that's my main concern.
"I'm a competitive person, especially on the tennis court. I'll want to do well and win. But it's not the cut-throat tennis that I used to be a part of."
Sampras said he is "a fan" of the current top-ranked player, Roger Federer, and expects the Swiss to eclipse his record of 14 Grand Slam titles.
Federer is on track to claim his fourth straight Wimbledon title and at the age of 24 already has won seven Grand Slams. He has been ranked number one since February 2004 and might ultimately topple Sampras's record of 286 weeks as the world's top player.
"Records are made to be broken," said Sampras. "I'm pretty confident that he's well on his way to not only breaking the No. 1 ranking, but this Grand Slam record.
"I just think he's got all the tools, he's got the demeanor. He really has the whole package to do it."
Few players today use the serve-and-volley tactic that Sampras deployed during his reign as the world's top player in the 1900s. On Monday, Sampras will go with what he knows best.
"I will die serving and volleying," he said.
7/06/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:44|:|A bit homesick, Sampras edges back into game|:||:|1152200687|:|By Christine Brennan, USA Today
For three years, Pete Sampras didn't pick up a tennis racket. He retired cold turkey. Other than the occasional playful tap with his now-3-year-old son, he didn't hit a "serious ball" from the summer of 2003 until the spring of 2006. He considered himself done with tennis, throwing himself into retirement the way he once threw himself into the game, with all his heart.
"The first year of retirement, you really enjoy it, you have some fun," he said over the phone the other day. "The second year of retirement, you still have fun but you wonder what's next. The third year, it's like, 'OK, I'm ready to do something more than just playing poker once a week and playing golf and staying at home,' so I decided to play a little bit."
You hear the news that Pete Sampras is coming back to competitive tennis and your natural reaction in this week of all weeks, with U.S. tennis players going 0-for-Wimbledon, is to start humming the national anthem and wonder how Roger Federer will handle the sport's best-known gentleman-athlete.
But Sampras, now nearly 35, can't do anything about the current disarray in U.S. tennis, with Americans being shut out of the quarterfinals at Wimbledon for the first time since 1911. He's not coming back to save the American game. Someone else will have to do that.
No, his sport has come calling at a different, more laid-back, entertaining level - Billie Jean King's World TeamTennis - and, for this summer anyway, Sampras wants to try his hand at it, starting Monday in Newport Beach, Calif.
"Billie Jean and Ilana (Kloss, WTT commissioner and CEO) have been asking me for quite some time to play," he said. "I'm a big fan of Billie Jean's. I admire her not only for what she's done for ladies sports but for sports in general. She really, truly is an icon. My respect for her is a big reason why I decided to play a little bit, to get myself in shape and have some fun out there. This is not cutthroat tennis, but I take a lot of pride in still playing well and seeing if I have a little bit of what I used to have."
Sampras doesn't miss the limelight - he was never in tennis for that - but he does miss "the focus, the working hard," he said. "I miss Sundays at the majors, especially at Wimbledon, that nervous anxiety where you feel kind of sick before you go out there but you get through it and you win. It is tough to replace that. You miss it, you miss the structure, you miss being really good at something."
Sampras has been watching Wimbledon on television from his home in Southern California and, when Andre Agassi announced his retirement and subsequently lost, Sampras empathized with his peer and rival.
"I felt melancholy," he said. "I actually felt like it was the end of an era. This was the last one of a crew of Americans to retire. He's always been such a great player, and he brought a lot to the sport. He brought a lot to my career and to my tennis. He made me a better player. We both added to each other's legacy."
Where the men's game once belonged to Agassi or Sampras, it now clearly is dominated by Federer, who has a fan in Los Angeles.
"We have someone who is better than everyone else at the current time and I really think he will be dominant for years," Sampras said.
Every single time he watches Federer, Sampras finds himself thinking about how he would play him. "Our games would have matched up. I think I would have had my fair share of wins and he would have had his. It's funny how the generations in tennis have worked out. I just missed McEnroe; he was on his way out as I was coming up. We didn't quite hit at the right time. It's the same for Federer and me. We just missed."
What Sampras misses in his tennis life he is making up for with his family. When he was growing up, his father worked two jobs. "I never saw him much," he said.
It's different for Sampras, who with his wife, Bridgette, has two young sons. "I have the luxury of being around, taking them to the court, to the pool, having fun with them. They know their dad. Hopefully I can be some kind of hero to my kids."
He has videos of his Grand Slam triumphs to show the boys someday, but in the meantime, there's another reason to play WTT this season.
"I would have loved for my kids to see me play at Wimbledon, but it didn't quite happen," he said. "So I want them to come out and watch this summer. I want them to know their dad and know his life." 4/12/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|11:03|:|Sampras attains yet another milestone|:||:|1144861408|:|[April 11, 2006] Pete Sampras came back to tennis last Thursday night in historic fashion. The 14-time Grand Slam champ returned to the court for the first time in nearly four years in an exhibition match broadcast live and exclusively on the United States Tennis Association's web site.
The match against Robby Ginepri at River Oaks International in Houston, Texas, was the first one to be broadcast live on usta.com.
And for those who missed it — don't worry. The complete rebroadcast can be still seen on demand at usta.com.
The broadcast begins with an in-depth interview of Sampras, covering his past, present and future plans.
Sampras fans will learn that he's been keeping busy playing poker and golf, and bonding with his 3 1/2-year-old and 7-month-old boys since retiring from tennis in 2003. You can hear how he has been getting in shape by hitting with the UCLA men's team and Justin Gimelstob. He also touches on his future plans of playing World Team Tennis and some exhibitions.
In a series of questions from viewers, Sampras reveals that Davis Cup play is out for him, but an exhibition with Roger Federer could be a possibility.
After a quick interview with Ginepri, it's onto the match itself. A word of warning, though — if you don't have high-speed Internet, the broadcast can be frustrating. While the audio portion virtually streamed uninterrupted, the video part did not. It's like watching a slide show.
Even with high-speed Internet, the ball is a little hard to pick up at times, the lighting isn't the best and there are no fancy, close-up shots or angles.
As for the match itself, well, it was on clay — Sampras' worst surface and Ginepri's best. Sampras, 34, hasn't played professionally in almost four years and 23-year-old Ginepri is ranked No. 19 in the world. Need I say more?
But all that aside, you can still appreciate the match for what it is — Sampras' return to tennis. And you can watch it any time you want.
Welcome back, Pete.
4/12/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|11:00|:|Sampras’ visit highlights FoxForce schedule |:||:|1144861219|:|[April 12, 2006] An appearance in Avon by 14-time Grand Slam Champion Pete Sampras highlights the Hartford FoxForce’s 2006 schedule, released by the team on Tuesday.
The team, in its seventh year of operation, will play 14 matches in the World Team Tennis league between July 6 and July 26, including seven at its home court -- Apple Arena on the Blue Fox Run Golf Course in Avon.
Pete Sampras will be visiting with his team, the Newport Beach Breakers, on July 21.
Sampras is playing in World Team Tennis for the first time, marking his first return to competitive, non-exhibition tennis since he closed out his ATP Tour career by winning the 2002 U.S. Open title over longtime rival Andre Agassi.
During his 15-year career, Sampras won 64 singles titles -- including a record 14 Grand Slam titles -- and more than $43 million in prize money. Sampras held the year-end, world No. 1 ranking for six straight years (1993-98), including holding the top rank for a record 286 weeks.
In another featured match, Bob and Mike Bryan, currently the top-ranked doubles team in the world, will play with their Kansas City Explorers team against the FoxForce in Avon on July 15.
Hartford opens the WTT season at home on July 6 against the New York Sportimes. Other home dates are July 7 (New York Buzz), July 11 (Delaware Smash), July 18 (Boston Lobsters) and July 25 (Philadelphia Freedoms). All home matches begin at 6:45 p.m.
Leading the FoxForce team for the entire season will be Meghann Shaughnessy, currently ranked No. 76 on the WTA Tour in singles and No. 9 in doubles. She reached a career high ranking of No. 11 in singles in 2001, and has a victory over current world No. 3 Justine Henin-Hardenne to her credit earlier this year.
Joining Meghann Shaughnessy with the FoxForce will be returning player Lisa McShea, plus newcomers Goran Dragicevic and Glenn Weiner. Former FoxForce player Don Johnson will return to Hartford as its head coach. 4/11/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|01:20|:|Sampras' visit serves up a Slam dunk|:||:|1144740009|:|[April 10, 2006 Dale Robertson] River Oaks showcase goes so well, star might return soon
River Oaks' decision to bring in Pete Sampras for a single-match exhibition paid off across the board and possibly laid the groundwork for a bigger role for the 14-time Grand Slam champion next April.
Assuming Sampras continues to play exhibition tennis — and he says he intends to — the club hopes to get him into the River Oaks International main draw in 2007. It wouldn't have been possible this year because Sampras — who lost to Robby Ginepri 6-2, 7-6 (10) — wasn't in good enough shape after 3 1/2 years away from the game.
Once he got past a sluggish, nervous start, he delivered the occasionally brilliant shot in the second set, including one of his famous leaping overhead smashes plus a reflex half-volley winner.
After the latter, Ginepri turned to the crowd and said, "Fourteen Slams — that's how he did it."
Friday, Sampras played a round of golf with tournament chairman Bill Hurt and Christopher Sarofim, Downey Bridgewater and Titus Harris III, whose businesses sponsor the International. He shot an 81 and charmed his partners for 18 holes.
"Great guy, great event, great time," Hurt said about Sampras.
The star was presented with the Ernie Langston Trophy, usually given to the player in the tournament who exhibits the best sportsmanship but occasionally presented for "lifetime achievement."
Had the Langston award not gone to Sampras, either of the finalists would have been deserving. Runner-up Juan Monaco played nine grueling, occasionally frustrating sets of tennis over the final three days of the tournament and never once lost his temper. Champion Victor Hanescu couldn't have been nicer, either, although on one point in Sunday's nearly three-hour marathon it looked like he briefly contemplated banging his racket on the ground.
Afterward, Hanescu thanked the fans, River Oaks and his hosts, David and Diane Modesett, saying the experience of coming to Houston for the first time was "very special" and he hoped to return.
Of course, a $50,000 check tends to make a guy sentimental.
David Modesett takes over as tournament chairmen next year.
4/07/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|17:03|:|Sampras would be foil to Federer|:||:|1144451021|:|[April 7, 2006, DALE ROBERTSON] Grand Slam king had service game, aggressive style to upstage No. 1
The torch didn't pass the day a teenage Roger Federer beat Pete Sampras in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2001, ending Sampras' 31-match winning streak on the lawns that had become so sacred to him.
Just 19, Federer was lost in the tennis woods, a terrific physical talent who couldn't keep his focus from one match — or sometimes set — to the next. He would be beaten in the quarterfinals by local hero Tim Henman, after which he failed to escape even the fourth round of the next seven majors before inevitably breaking through at Wimbledon in 2003.
That's the day the torch passed. That's when the talk, and the counting, began. Less than three years later, the greatest debate has become a rumble, approaching a roar.
Groundswell for Swiss
And support is tilting toward Federer. Most recently Sergi Bruguera, the two-time French Open champion and a Sampras contemporary, declared Federer to be the superior player.
Sampras' thoughts?
"It's hard to compare generations," he said, taking the diplomatic track. "I missed (John) McEnroe, (Bjorn) Borg, (Rod) Laver and Roger when I was in my prime. It's hard to say how I would have done against any of them."
Regarding Bruguera's comments, Sampras said: "Everyone's got their opinion. Sergi's entitled to his."
People favor Federer, it would seem, because he's on the court now and because he has kept his boot on the necks of his rivals since late 2003 like no player before him. The Swiss who rarely misses has won seven of the past 11 Slams while losing only 12 of his past 200 matches. Sampras went 6-for-12 in the majors in 1993-95, but during the height of his powers, he never won the secondary events with Federer's frequency.
But that fact doesn't prove Federer's superiority.
"Roger is head and shoulders above everyone, and there are many good players today," Sampras said. "But I think there are fewer great players than there were 10 years ago. Down to 50 to 70 (in the rankings), it's probably deeper, but the guys two through seven aren't as strong as the players I was having to beat to win Slams."
Agassi pushed Pete
In 1995, arguably Sampras' finest season because he won Wimbledon and the U.S. Open and was the runner-up in Australia, second-ranked Andre Agassi also reached the pinnacle of his Hall of Fame-worthy game.
Agassi was tough enough that year to hand Sampras three of his 15 losses, including the Melbourne final.
No. 3 was the Austrian clay court titan, Thomas Muster, the Rafael Nadal of his day. Boris Becker, Michael Chang, Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Thomas Enqvist rounded out the top seven, followed by Jim Courier, who by then had collected four Slams. Becker was a three-time Wimbledon champion with U.S. and Australian titles, too; Chang and Kafelnikov were past and future French Open champions, respectively. Kafelnikov also would prevail Down Under.
Today, with Agassi, 35, and the slumping Lleyton Hewitt having fallen out of the top 10, the players near Federer in the rankings have just two major titles between them — Nadal's French and Andy Roddick's U.S. Open.
Most significantly, none of them has a weapon, much less weapons, capable of neutralizing Federer's all-around excellence. It's for this reason Sampras says, "I think Roger will wind up being No. 1 for as long as he wants to be."
Chasing record
It's going to take Federer four more years, the current one included, to tie the record for year-end No. 1 finishes Sampras shares with Ivan Lendl. As for the Grand Slam race, Federer claimed his seventh at the Australian Open, leaving him halfway to Sampras' record 14 roughly six months after turning 24. Sampras had turned 24 only a month earlier when he got his seventh at the 1995 U.S. Open, his 26th Slam. After falling short in his first 16 majors, Federer is 7-for-27.
"Roger has taken over the tour," Sampras said. "He's winning matches even when he's not playing well, making it look effortless. I know he doesn't get the respect in the U.S. he deserves, but I definitely have the utmost respect for him."
Back to that nagging question, though: Could Sampras, playing his best, have beaten Federer, playing his best?
Yes, absolutely. Because Sampras had the weapons — a killer first serve plus a bedeviling second serve — plus the attacking style Federer's leading rivals lack, as buried behind the baseline as they tend to stay.
"I'm probably in the top two or three (of all time), with Borg and Laver or Roger," Sampras suggests, answering as candidly as he can. "It's hard to pick out one No. 1.
"All I can say is that when I was playing my best, I did feel unbeatable against anybody I had to play against."
Which, to be sure, is how Federer feels in 2006.
4/07/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|16:50|:|Everyone goes home pleased but Sampras|:||:|1144450211|:|[April 7, 2006 DALE ROBERTSON] Tennis legend sought good result, not exhibition loss
Pete Sampras tried to sneak around the back way, hitting partner Hugo Armando in tow, to get in a short warmup on a far back court before his first competitive tennis match since he won the 2002 U.S. Open.
But word spread quickly on the River Oaks grounds. Soon, nearly 100 curious fans lined the court, snapping pictures or paying quiet homage to one of the greatest tennis players.
Errant backhands
Those who paid attention to Sampras' gentle practice strokes, though, probably noticed something startling. The 14-time Grand Slam champion couldn't put a backhand in play. Topspin or slice, they sailed long. Some way long.
"I'm using the bigger racket now — more power but less control," Sampras said later, after he lost to Robby Ginepri 6-3, 7-6 (10) in an entertaining exhibition Thursday night that lasted nearly two hours and marked his return to the competitive arena after a 3 1/2 -year hiatus.
"I felt OK out there, pretty good but definitely not great," he said. "The thing is, I don't care if I'm 34 and haven't played in awhile, you want to play well and put on a good show for the fans."
Which he did before a lively, appreciative sellout crowd. Sampras did plenty to remind people how good he used to be but not enough to satisfy himself. The competitor in him expected a win, never mind that in Ginepri, 11 years his junior, he was playing the No. 1 seed in the River Oaks International. Or at least Ginepri was before Vasilis Mazarakis upset him.
"I was a little shaky at the start and a little winded at the end," Sampras said. "Actually playing, with people watching, is a lot different from practicing." 4/06/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|20:23|:|The return of Pete Sampras...|:||:|1144376626|:|The USTA provided an unprecedented live internet broadcast of Pete Sampras' return to the court on USTA.com.
Still wearing Nike, using Roger Federer's racquet, Pete still has the serve, the power, the forehand, and the fine touch of his volleys, unfortunately Pete came up short with a 3-6, 6-7 (10-12) loss to fellow American Robby Ginepri, on April 6, 2006, at an exhibition at the River Oaks International in Houston.
Pete will be back again in July for World Team Tennis and a charity exhibition in aid of the Katrina disaster in October.
4/06/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|19:18|:|Where are They Now?Pete Sampras|:||:|1144372730|:|Retirement, It’s a Dirty Job
By Peter Dopkin
For arguably the greatest player of all time, stepping away from the game might have been a difficult thing to do. But for Pete Sampras, who rode intothe sunset after winning his 14th and final Grand Slam title, it was also the right thing to do. Waiting for him on the other side was rest and relaxation—well, that and an endless supply of dirty diapers. Like most fathers of young children, your career accolades don’t mean very much when a soiled 1-year-old comes acallin’.
However, when you’ve earned over $43 million in prize money, you’re in your mid-thirties, your athletic and a perfectionist, what better activity is there to take up than golf? You can never be good enough and there is always something to work on. Plus, if greens fees aren’t an issue, it is a nice way to spend a day (especially if you’ve been playing tennis non-stop since you were seven). Sampras hits the links four or five times a week, and has managed to get his handicap into the single digits (although we won’t disclose how low . . . it can fluctuate from time to time). Also, with his newfound time off, Sampras was able to take vacations, and travel without his racquets.
After a few years of golf and a little bit of poker, Sampras was looking for something a little more rewarding. It’s been unsatisfying for the 34-year-old Sampras to spend his time as if he were someone who retired after working for 50 years. So he has started to get involved in World TeamTennis, joined a group of investors (which includes the publishers of TENNIS and SMASH Magazines) in keeping the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, and he’s playing an exhibition in Houston.
“I think it is more than just playing an exhibition,” Sampras says. “I think what I needed was a sense of focus, and a sense of preparation in my everyday life. You get to a point when you’re not doing anything, you’re playing golf, and you feel a little bit empty. Deciding to play and making that commitment was the biggest hurdle. Once I did that the next day I started going for a run, hitting a few balls, and I think that was what I was looking for. It’s not necessarily that I was dying to be competitive and beat these guys, whoever I’m playing. I think it was more about a daily life that gave me more focus than I’ve had.”
Sampras added, “When I’m playing, I have no idea what that is going to feel like. I’m playing in two weeks in Houston and I’m playing this summer, and I don’t know how that’s going to be. I could dread it. I could love it. I have no idea. But I think the preparation and the focus, and waking up in the morning and having some sort of structure in a day is something that I really needed that I had all my life—and cold turkey, I left it. So it’s not easy letting all that go. It was fun at first for a couple of years. But after those two years I was ready to do more than play some golf and play some cards. I’m still a young guy and every man needs a sense of purpose. And tennis is something that I love, and it is very easy for me to get back into it.
“I’m not killing myself, but I hop in the gym three, four days a week, I hit a few balls three, four days a week. I can still go out and play golf and have some fun. But at the end of the day you want to feel as though you accomplished something, you did something. . . . I’ve worked my whole life and I’m looking forward to getting on the road a little bit and doing something that I was pretty good at.”
It is sometimes hard to imagine athletes as anything other than athletes, especially the greatest ones. It’s hard to believe that Sampras has had a full career, then had his fun in retirement—and he’s still only 34 years old. But this California native is ready to fill the void left by uncertainty, and make his mark in his new life. Whether that’s on the court, in business ventures, or finally reaching the end of the diaper trail, if Sampras is half as successful as he was on the court, he’ll be one lucky man.
4/05/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|19:01|:|First Competitive Match for Sampras Since Winning the 2002 US Open|:||:|1144285276|:|Live Internet Broadcast Begins at 8:15 PM ET
Live Internet Broadcast begins with Exclusive Pre-Match Player Interviews Followed by Complete Live Match Coverage
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., April 4, 2006 -- The USTA today announced that it will provide an unprecedented live internet broadcast of Pete Sampras' return to the court, exclusively on USTA.com. As this match will not be available on television, USTA.com will be the only outlet for fans to see Sampras back in action. Sampras squares off against fellow American Robby Ginepri, on Thursday, April 6, beginning at 8:15 p.m. ET in an exhibition at the River Oaks International in Houston, TX.
The live internet broadcast will begin with pre-match interviews with both players starting at 8:15 ET/5:15 PT. Match play begins at 8:30 p.m. ET/5:30 PT.
"I'm looking forward to playing Robby on April 6 at River Oaks, where I have fond memories of playing early in my career," said Pete Sampras. "Many thanks to the USTA for working with us to broadcast the match online so fans around the world can enjoy the action."
The live internet broadcast will include the 14-time Grand Slam champion's complete match against 2005 US Open Semifinalist and in-depth interviews with both players. USTA.com will also make the match available immediately following the live viewing.
"This will be the first time that a high profile American tennis match will be available live and exclusively on the Web," said Jeffrey Volk, Director of Advanced Media, USTA. "We want to bring the game of tennis closer to our fans, and seeing the legendary Pete Sampras in his first match since winning the 2002 US Open helps us achieve that objective."
The USTA is working in partnership with IMG Media to produce this live internet broadcast which will feature multiple cameras and a full production team. IMG Media has been a technical and hosting partner of the USTA since 2002.
More information can be found on USTA.com and in conjunction with the River Oaks International, www.RiverOaksInternational.com.
For more on Sampras as he prepares to play Ginepri in an exhibition match at the River Oaks International, click here to read the entire webcast interview transcript.
http://dps.usta.com/usta_master/usta/doc/content/doc_13_12312.pdf
4/05/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|18:59|:|Sampras misses game, not pressures that come with it|:||:|1144285159|:|[April 4, 2006,By Bonnie DeSimone] He still pictures himself on the court, he says, serving well enough to beat Roger Federer. He still feels a shiver of longing on the last Sunday afternoon of Wimbledon.
The bottom line, though, is that Pete Sampras was one of those rare athletes who retired completely satisfied with his career. His contentment showed Tuesday as he spoke to reporters on a conference call to promote Thursday's exhibition match in which he'll face No. 19 Robby Ginepri at the River Oaks International tournament in Houston.
Sampras recently picked up a racket -- a bigger one than he used to play with -- for the first time in three years to get ready for the match and this will be his first on-court appearance since his dramatic four-set U.S. Open final win over Andre Agassi in 2002.
"Basically, after I retired, I took some time to have some fun, play some golf, and do some fun things," said Sampras, who is married to actress Bridgette Wilson and has two sons, Christian, 3, and Ryan, who was born last July.
"After a few years of that, I asked myself what was next. I need to keep myself busier, doing more, fulfilling things. The end of last year, I opened myself up to playing this year if the right thing came to me.
"Hope I won't embarrass myself out there."
That seems unlikely, but the match will be on clay, Sampras' least favorite surface, and against a worthy opponent. He said he's preparing seriously, hitting (with partners, including Justin Gimelstob, and members of UCLA's men's team) a couple of hours a day, four or five times a week, for the last month.
"Playing tennis is like riding a bike; you don't forget it," said Sampras, winner of 64 pro titles and a record 14 Grand Slam events. "I'm more concerned about my movement and my body than actually hitting backhands and forehands. I'm not really worried about playing anybody."
A questioner noted that he still seems to have a little swagger.
"There's always swagger when I step on the tennis court," Sampras said.
Sampras conceded that Federer's dominance, somewhat like his own during a big part of his career, is not necessarily the healthiest thing for the game.
"I put myself on the court against him and see the game and see there's no one out there that has a big enough game, a big enough serve that can back it up and really put any pressure on him," Sampras said.
"The bigger server, [Andy] Roddick, you know, stays back. That's an uphill struggle for him. I think I would stick to my game and hopefully be good enough to beat him."
But Sampras reiterated that he's not mulling a return to the pro tour. He's been playing a lot of golf and poker, and enjoyed the Indian Wells tournament as an investor rather than a player this year.
"I know playing this sport and coming out of retirement is a whole other animal," said Sampras, who also will play for the Newport Beach team in World Team Tennis this summer. "I can play as much as I want or as little as I want ... Once you've shut it down long enough, you look forward to hitting a few balls.
"I miss the focus. I miss the structured life. I miss the preparation ... I really miss the majors. What I don't miss is the travel, the pressure, the stress of staying on top of the game. I feel like I had a bull's-eye on my chest for most of my career, so just kind of fending people off is something that I don't miss."
The match will be web-cast free of charge on the U.S. Tennis Association's Web site, www.usta.com, with the pre-game starting at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday and the match itself beginning at 8:30 p.m.
Also missing in action ...
Sampras commented on the absence of a big serve-and-volley player since his departure.
"The art ... is pretty much extinct," he said. "You have some guys that do a little bit of it, but across the board, everyone stays back and just trades groundies. I miss the contrast. I miss one guy coming in and the other guy defending. I think that's the best tennis.
"But that's just a sign of the times. It's just the kind of direction it was at Wimbledon the last couple years. The part of the court that's worn out is the baseline, not the net. So, you know, if I'd be playing today, I'd be licking my chops on grass."
3/30/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:35|:|Sampras Scheduled to Play Seven Matches|:||:|1143736503|:|[Mar 28, 2006] NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. - Pete Sampras will play in seven matches for the Newport Beach Breakers of World TeamTennis in July, the league announced Tuesday.
Sampras will play six road matches and one at the Palisades Tennis Club, where the Breakers play home matches.
The Breakers made the 14-time Grand Slam singles champion the first choice in the marquee player portion of Tuesday's draft, obtaining the choice from the Houston Wranglers in exchange for an undisclosed financial consideration.
The dates of Sampras' appearances are expected to be announced in April, a team official said. 3/15/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:03|:|Sampras couldn't say no to River Oaks|:||:|1142481801|:|By DALE ROBERTSON
Pete Sampras could have launched his competitive comeback in a lot of places. River Oaks Country Club won out because of its ... golf course.
Well, maybe that's an overstatement. Truth to tell, Sampras liked everything about the River Oaks proposal. But he definitely had fond memories of his first visit to the club when IMG dispatched him here as a gawky, unknown 17-year-old.
"I remember the old wood stadium and this great golf course there," Sampras said.
The stadium's gone, replaced by a modern concrete and metal structure a number of years ago, but the River Oaks layout has only become lovelier than what Sampras remembers. As part of his deal, Sampras, 34, will play a round or two with the tournament's sponsors the morning after his best-of-three match April 6, probably against Robby Ginepri or Taylor Dent.
Sampras has practiced with Dent in the past and even played him once on the ATP Tour, winning two tiebreaker sets at Cincinnati in 2000. He never has faced Ginepri in a match but has hit with him.
Until he signed off on his first foray back into the game since he won the U.S. Open in 2002, Sampras said he had not struck a tennis ball seriously in 3 1/2 years.
"I need to get serious about it again," he said. "I've got to get my body back into tennis shape, and my arm into shape for serving again. I've been hitting three, four times a week for the last few weeks.
"It's less about hitting the ball and more about getting used to the starting and stopping. I don't want to hurt myself straight away."
This might not be the only time we see Sampras on a tennis court in Houston this year. Because he is going to play World Team Tennis, there is always a chance he will face off against the Houston team at Westside Tennis Club, and "it's not out of the question" that he'll return to play in Jim Courier's Stanford Financial Cup event at River Oaks in November.
Sampras is trying to put together a senior tournament of his own for the Los Angeles area, where he lives, or Scottsdale, Ariz., during the fall. But if he can't get that together this year, he becomes a candidate for the Houston tournament field.
"Last year, I got a little bored," he said. "My competitive juices are flowing again.
"But I just want to have some fun on the court. This isn't a comeback. This is my 'I'm-still-retired' comeback."
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
Source: Houston Chronicle
3/13/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|10:03|:|Sampras still in the rackets|:||:|1142269395|:|By KEN HOFFMAN
Copyright 2006 Houston Chronicle
TENNIS legend Pete Sampras, quite possibly the GOAT (greatest of all time), promises that he will look pretty much the same when he comes out of retirement for an exhibition match at River Oaks Country Club next month as he did when he was winning all those Wimbledon titles in the '90s.
OK, maybe he's a little thicker in the middle and a little thinner up top.
"Hey, I was losing my hair when I was still playing," he said, laughing. "That's the result of heredity and stress."
Tennis fans will notice one big difference: Sampras has ditched the Wilson Pro Staff mid racket he used his entire career.
"I'm actually trying a bigger racket. I used a small racket my whole time on tour. But now I'm an old guy, I need some extra power. I'm using the racket that (current No. 1 player) Roger Federer uses. I don't even know the name of it — I know it's red, that's all."
Federer's (and now Sampras') racket is the Wilson nCode nSix-One Tour 90.
Source: Houston Chronicle 3/01/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|06:15|:|Sampras calls Federer comparisons valid|:||:|1141218921|:|(February 28, 2006, Howard fendrich, Associated Press)All those comparisons between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras are right on the mark. Sampras himself says so.
"They're all very valid: Not only is he winning majors, but the way he's winning them - with pretty much ease. He's pretty much the favorite in every major for the rest of his career," Sampras said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press.
"Clearly, he's head and shoulders above the rest. I don't see anyone pushing him over the next three or four years."
Sampras knows his record of 14 Grand Slam tournament titles could very well be threatened by Federer, who has seven so far. Time for the 34-year-old Sampras to come out of retirement and try to add to his total?
Not quite.
Sampras is returning to the tennis court, though, signing up for the World Team Tennis Pro League more than three years after his last match.
"This is more about just getting myself a little busier and focused on something I used to be good at," he said ahead of Wednesday's announcement by the league. "It's time this year to do a little more. Last year, I was kind of floating along."
While it's tough for him to watch Wimbledon, where he won seven championships, Sampras keeps tabs on the game.
And he's impressed by the top-ranked Federer.
"He moves great, does everything very well. He's gotten to a point that when he's not at his best, he's finding ways to win, and that separates him from the rest," Sampras said, a moment before making sure to bolster his own credentials a tad.
"There are less great players today than there was when I was playing," he continued. "I just see him carrying on with what he's been doing. He's got the whole package. He doesn't have any holes in his game."
Federer has won Wimbledon three years in a row, and he's won the past three majors: Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Australian Open. The Swiss star heads to the French Open in May with a chance to complete a Grand Slam, albeit not in a calendar year.
The French Open is the only major Federer hasn't won; Sampras never made it past the semifinals at Roland Garros.
"Clay will be the toughest surface for Roger," Sampras said. "If things go right, if the weather's right, I think he can win it."
Sampras will be appearing in an exhibition match at Houston in April. He said he's thought about working as a TV commentator, but he's not interested in coaching. 3/01/06|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|06:10|:|Pete is back!|:||:|1141218612|:|[February 28, 2006 AP, Howard Fendrich] Pete Sampras is returning to the tennis court, signing up for the World Team Tennis Pro League more than three years after his last match.
"This is more about just getting myself a little busier and focused on something I used to be good at," Sampras said in a telephone interview ahead of Wednesday's announcement by the league. "It's time this year to do a little more. Last year, I was kind of floating along."
Sampras' last professional match was the 2002 U.S. Open final, when he beat longtime rival Andre Agassi for his record 14th Grand Slam title. Sampras held a news conference a year later at the U.S. Open to say he was retiring.
As much as he says he's looking forward to playing in the WTT, he made one thing quite clear: Don't call it a comeback.
"I miss playing the game. I miss the majors. I miss competing. But to play at the level I used to play is a whole other animal. I've done that, and I know what it takes," he told the AP. "Me playing a little tennis this year is something I can control; there isn't any pressure. I can relax and have a little fun. Coming back is not something that crossed my mind."
The 34-year-old Sampras has never played in the WTT, a 12-team league that in recent years has featured such stars as Agassi, Steffi Graf, John McEnroe, Martina Navatilova, Andy Roddick and Venus Williams.
Sampras will be chosen by a team in the March 28 draft and expects to play about a half-dozen matches during the July 6-26 regular season.
WTT co-founder Billie Jean King unsuccessfully tried to persuade Sampras to participate in the league while he was on tour.
"He's definitely someone that we wanted," WTT commissioner Ilana Kloss said. "We're just thrilled that Pete's going to be back out there, and fans will get an opportunity to see him again."
Sampras also will be appearing in an exhibition match at Houston in April. He said he's thought about working as a TV commentator, but he's not interested in coaching.
"When you retire, you take time away, you don't want to have anything to do with tennis. After two years of having fun and not doing much in the sport, you get a little bored and want to know what's the next chapter in your life. Last year was a turning point -- 'What am I going to do next?' -- and I had to make a decision," Sampras said.
"Playing in front of some people -- you kind of look forward to it a little bit."
11/03/05|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|06:13|:|Tennis Magazine - November 2005|:||:|1131023582|:|
A year ago, Pete Sampras couldn't even contemplate picking up a tennis racquet. The years at the top of the game had taken their toll, and he was burned out.
Funny how time changes things. When we caught up with him recently, the 34-year-old Sampras, who'd just moved into a new house in Beverly Hills, Calif., said that he was contemplating getting back into the game. Not that he'll have a ton of time on his hands: He has a 2-year-old son, Christian, and a newborn, Ryan Nikolaos, with his wife, Bridgette Wilson.
Are you going to play the senior tour?
"I'm reasonably open to it. I'm not practicing, not really training, but I think at some point I do see myself playing senior events in the States. It's taken me awhile to get to the point where I can even entertain the idea, but now I see playing as a way to keep me busy and focused."
There's a lot of new blood on the senior tour-players who take it more seriously. Is that part of the reason you'd like to compete again?
"Actually, no. I don't want to get into a situation where I'm grinding out matches. I just want to do it for fun. To grind out matches against someone like Jim Courier, who's a rival-and we've had competitive matches in the past-that's out of me. Those days are over. I don't have the competitive juices like some of the guys on the senior tour. But it'd be fun to see everyone again, though I wouldn't go to play to win."
So what have you been doing with your time?
"I'm playing a lot of golf and I've gotten into the poker craze. It's taken me a couple of years to get to the point where I think I've played enough golf and poker. Now it's time to find other things that are more fulfilling, like tennis. [Golf and poker] are fun for a while, but you come to a point where they get a little thin. I'm not going to get a job. But most professional tennis players, after they retire, eventually go back to tennis-it's what they do, it's who they are. That's the road I'm heading down."
What's your golf handicap?
"Six. I'm basically an athlete playing golf, not a golfer.
I don't have all the nuances of my stroke fine-tuned. I play for fun, sometimes I have a little bit of a gamble. But I'm not like Mark McGwire, who has a hitting coach. I thought about getting really serious about golf, but it didn't seem fulfilling enough."
What's your poker game?
"Texas Hold'em. I used to see poker on ESPN years ago and I'd ask, 'What is this doing on TV?' But I started to get interested and learned the game, and now I play a house game once a week."
Would you be interested in doing some commentating on TV?
"Potentially. I'd want to be good at it. I'd have to work at it. I'd like to do Wimbledon and the U.S. Open. I do miss Wimbledon. But I'm not ready to do a lot of traveling, going over to Europe-that's one trip I don't miss. But I will go back to Wimbledon."
Do you follow the pro game?
"I watch the majors. I'm up to date, but not on a week-to-week basis."
What are your thoughts on Roger Federer?
"He's head and shoulders above everyone else. He's got a great game, great attitude. He's all about winning and letting his racquet do the talking."
Can anyone touch him?
"I don't see anyone challenging him. Safin-he's got the game. When he's on, he can hold his own against Federer, but mentally he's years behind. Hewitt, Roddick-they're not good enough."
Copyright (c) 2005 by Miller Sports Group LLC.
10/12/05|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|10:16|:|Pete Attends the Movado - Macy Event|:||:|1129133807|:|
'Los Angeles, September 29 – Pete Sampras was at the 23rd Macy’s Passport AIDS fundraiser where Sharon Stone was the auctioneer.
Pete Sampras got caught up in the auction excitement, and impulsively threw in a private tennis lesson followed by lunch at his house. When pushy auctioneer Stone got the bidding up to $17,500, she brought the champ up onstage, took him aside and asked if he’d throw in a second identical package. Sampras turned to us and muttered, “She’s going to ask for my first-born next”. Stone sold lesson number two for another $17,500.
The evening included several other fashion shows, and Wilmer Valderrama and Venus Williams were on hand. Elizabeth Taylor was unable to attend.'
8/02/05|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|20:15|:|Baby Boy for Pete Sampras & Bridgette Wilson|:||:|1123035359|:|
Tuesday Aug 02, 2005 3:00pm EST
Tennis great Pete Sampras and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, have welcomed another baby boy into the family. Ryan Nikolaos Sampras was born Friday, July 29, 2005 in Los Angeles and weighed in at 6 lbs. 4 oz.
"Mother and son are doing great," the couple's rep says in a statement.
Sampras, 33, and Wilson, 31, who wed in 2000, also have a 2-year-old son, Christian. 7/14/05|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|09:21|:|Federer at Wimbledon: No Sampras|:||:|1121354482|:|Tuesday, July 12, 2005 by Baird Hull
For the third consecutive year, Roger Federer won Wimbledon. This has brought to bear the inevitable discussions of Federer's greatness and his place in history.
Announcers have claimed that Federer possesses the complete game and that he could be the greatest talent ever to have played. The Swiss sensation is only 23, and has won five majors, which puts him on par to possibly reach Pete Sampras' record of 14 slam titles. At Wimbledon this year, Federer was never seriously challenged and beat Andy Roddick with apparent ease. Federer is the only player since Sampras to enter Wimbledon each year as the overwhelming favorite.
Despite Federer's record at Wimbledon and the other slams, his accomplishments are less impressive when one looks at the lack of diversity in the men's game today. Namely, the tour lacks serve and volleyers, who are especially dangerous on the grass at Wimbledon. At this year's Wimbledon, the three semifinalists other than Roger Federer were Lleyton Hewitt, Andy Roddick and Thomas Johansson. All three of these players are basically baseliners. Lleyton Hewitt is essentially a grinder -- he wins matches by running from side to side at the baseline. Andy Roddick, despite his powerful serve, also resides at the baseline, trying to mask a backhand which is shaky at its best. Thomas Johansson is pretty much the standard male baseliner of the 1990s who had a hot
tournament.
None of these men possess the talent to have made it to the second week of Wimbledon during earlier generations. If one looks at the recent list of champions, one will find that John McEnroe, Boris Becker and Pete Sampras clearly dominated the event over the past 25 years. All three of these champions possessed great all-around games and were capable of dominating at the net. Other players with notable Wimbledon careers were Goran Ivanesevic and Patrick Rafter. Ivanesevic was an all-around player with a great serve, while Rafter was an all-around player with a great volley.
There is great evidence that these players were far greater grass court players than the players that are dominating Wimbledon these days.
To begin with, Thomas Johansson, Wimbledon semifinalist, has been playing grand slams since 1994. In all of his years, he was never able to make it past the fourth round. In his younger, fresher days he was always stopped short of truly making it deep into the tournament by better players. Also, Roger Federer, who had already been picked as the next potential great, lost to Tim Henman in 2001 in the middle of a run which put him as the favorite to win Wimbledon that year. This alone is clear evidence that Roger Federer would not have been able to dominate in years past.
The best way, however, to judge the competitiveness of today's grass court players versus the competitiveness of grass court players in years past is by a stroke by stroke analysis. Andy Roddick, who has indisputably been the second-best grass court player over the last three years, essentially possesses two strokes: the serve and the forehand. On both shots he possesses mind-numbing power. Unfortunately, he has neither a backhand nor a volley to provide a strong supporting cast. Even on his serve, his most feared weapon, he clearly lags behind players in the past. Although he can hit a 150 mph rocket, he has never put up the numbers that Sampras and Ivanesevic were able to do with 125 mph serves.
Even Federer himself is not a strong matchup against players of the past. Federer is often praised as an all-court player who is great at every shot. Federer does possess a good serve, which has gotten better over the last few years, a good volley, a good backhand, and a great forehand. However, he does not possess nearly as good a serve as Ivanesevic, who won Wimbledon only once, nor does he possess nearly as good a volley as Rafter, who never won Wimbledon. In addition, he falls behind Sampras in nearly every category. Sampras indisputably possessed a better serve, a better volley and a better half volley. Federer is probably a better overall groundstroker, being that he has a better backhand, but his forehand is not as punishing a stroke as was Sampras'.
What does all of this mean? Roger Federer is an extremely talented player, but his dominance at the All England Lawn and Tennis Club has come at a time when the competition is far less tough. Federer has emerged as the king of a new breed of baseliners who cannot take advantage of the grass as in days past. 3/13/05|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|07:08|:|Sampras expecting second child|:||:|1110722930|:|Former tennis star Pete Sampras and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, are expecting their second child this autumn.
Sampras and his wife have a 2-year-old son, Christian.
Sampras retired from tournament tennis after beating rival Andre Agassi at the 2002 U.S. Open, the last of his record 14 Grand Slam titles. Then 31, Sampras became the tournament's oldest winner since 1970.
2/08/05|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|20:07|:|Calendar Is Getting Crowded|:||:|1107918437|:|[Feb 4, 2005, Lisa Dillman] Two events in Southern California, running back to back, may make for a crowded tennis calendar in March. But for the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells, congestion may not be such a bad thing.
Women's qualifying at Indian Wells starts March 7, one day after the completion of the first-round Davis Cup matches between the United States and Croatia at the Home Depot Center.
"I believe we'll help each other," said Charlie Pasarell, tournament director of the Pacific Life Open. "Having the Davis Cup right before this event will help them and certainly makes it easer for the players playing in that. It just creates a lot of interest, and people start talking tennis."
There is one major change at Indian Wells this year. The men's final — which had been best of three sets — will move back to best of five. All of the top men are automatically entered, including defending champion Roger Federer of Switzerland, two-time champion Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, Andy Roddick, Australian Open champion Marat Safin of Russia and Andre Agassi.
Among the entrants in the women's field are top-ranked Lindsay Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo of France, Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova of Russia, Jennifer Capriati and Russians Svetlana Kuznetsova, Elena Dementieva and Vera Zvonareva.
Among those not listed as entered are French Open champion Anastasia Myskina of Russia, defending champion Justine Henin-Hardenne of Belgium, Alicia Molik of Australia, and Venus and Serena Williams.
The first week of the tournament also features a two-day fundraiser, the Desert Smash, at the La Quinta Resort & Club, March 9-10, to benefit the Tim and Tom Gullikson foundation. Among those scheduled to participate are Pete Sampras, Todd Martin, Mardy Fish, Bob and Mike Bryan, and Capriati.
1/22/05|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|21:50|:|Agassi-Sampras rivalry a family affair? |:||:|1106455812|:|By DENNIS PASSA, Associated Press Writer
January 21, 2005
Andre Agassi had some classic battles with Pete Sampras. With no sign of retirement in the near future, he's now sizing up his rival's son.
After Agassi's three-set win over Taylor Dent on Friday at the Australian Open, courtside television commentator Jim Courier asked Agassi when Jaden Gil, Agassi's 3-year-old son, might play against Christian Sampras, who is 2 years old.
``Would it shock you if I said I was going to play Christian Sampras before Jaden does?'' Agassi joked.
He then turned more serious.
``I hope my kids learn to love it,'' said Agassi, who also has a 15-month-old daughter, Jaz Elle, with wife Steffi Graf.
``Ultimately, my biggest hope for my child is that he's focused on something. Hopefully he'll choose tennis, because I love it so much. If he doesn't, maybe Christian Sampras will.''
Agassi, 34, and Graf married in October 2001. Sampras married actress Bridgette Wilson in September 2000.
SELECTIVE VIEWING
Wimbledon champion Maria Sharapova acknowledged that she only watches tennis on television ``when I'm feeling really, really bored.'' And if she does, it's nearly always men's matches.
``I always like exciting matches, I always loved when Agassi played Pete Sampras, I thought those were classic matches where the tennis is unbelievable. Obviously Roger (Federer) is playing out of his mind
right now, you can never get bored watching him.
``As for the women, I don't really watch the women too much.''
12/08/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|18:46|:|Sampras Says Federer Can Match His Long-Term Dominance|:||:|1102556763|:|December 2004
PARIS (Reuters) - Seven-times Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras believes Roger Federer could match his long stint as the world's dominant tennis player.
Federer's haul of three grand slam wins this year -- taking his overall tally to four -- has prompted suggestions that he could eventually surpass the American's record haul of 14.
"I think so, yes," Sampras, 33, who retired two years ago after beating Andre Agassi to win the U.S. Open, told French sports daily l'Equipe on Wednesday.
"Of course, he can have an off day in a big tournament and be surprised but over the whole season, he is head and shoulders above the others."
"He is the best athlete, the one who moves best on court. What's impressive is that he can play at the highest level without using too much energy while his main rivals use a considerable amount," added Sampras, of the 23-year-old Swiss.
Sampras said the two had much in common. "There are plenty of similarities. We have the same temperament, the same way of making it look easy.
"He can do just about anything he wants with a racket and he dominates everybody as I did several years before."
Federer, like Sampras, has yet to win the French Open, though, and it may prove just as difficult a mountain to climb.
"There are really so many claycourt specialists who are capable of hitting it heavy from the back of the court that it will be the biggest challenge of his career."
Sampras thinks his fortunes at Roland Garros could have improved if he had tried a racket with a bigger head which would have given him more power off the slow surface.
"I was really used to mine and I never dared (change). I was too stubborn. I was scared of losing control, that it would take me too long to master it." Sampras said he had barely picked up a tennis racket of any kind since his epic victory over Agassi at Flushing Meadows crowned his dazzling career.
"There was a little clinic organized by Paul Annacone (his former coach) near here about six months ago. I hit for about 10 minutes."
Sampras, who finished year-end world number one a record six times from 1993 to 1998, said he has no yearning to return to the game on a more regular basis.
"Not at all. I'm offered quite a few opportunities on the seniors tour or exhibitions but it is too early for me, much too early."
He added: "I'm not sick of a sport which made my fortune and my fame. But I am tired of tennis, it was all-consuming. All those years spent winning and keeping my place as number one; it was an enormous stress.
"During my career I never had a really good night's sleep. That all finished at once (after retiring). I started to go to sleep without the least worry in my head, without telling myself that the next day I would have to catch a plane or play a very hard match."
Sampras said he now devoted his time to his wife Bridget and son Christian. He has also found a new sporting passion -- poker.
"It's a game that I really like and play quite regularly. When I come to Las Vegas, I can play for six hours in a row. Especially if I'm winning."
12/08/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|18:43|:|SAMPRAS ENJOYS LIFE AWAY FROM TENNIS|:||:|1102556583|:|December 2004
Pete Sampras has played down reports that he could be poised to make a return to competitive tennis.
The 33-year-old announced his retirement from the professional circuit last year, and has not played a competitive match since beating fellow American Andre Agassi in the 2002 US Open final.
He has recently been rumoured to be considering a return to tennis on the seniors tour, but he told French newspaper l'Equipe on Wednesday that he has no regrets about stepping out of the limelight.
"I'm not at all disappointed about what the sport did for my finances and my name. But I was tired of tennis and it consumed me," said Sampras.
"I spent so many years getting to the top and then keeping my place as number one, and it was very stressful.
"Throughout my career, I never had one perfectly good night's sleep. When it was all over, I started to sleep fine without any concerns in my head, as I didn't have to think about catching a plane or playing a really hard match the following day.
"I am still calming things down, and that is why I'm not playing any professional tennis."
Although Sampras' outstanding career is now confined to the history books, he does think current world number one Roger Federer could go on to dominate tennis for years - just like 'Pistol Pete' did in the 1990s and early 2000s.
The seven-times Wimbledon champion, who won 14 Grand Slam titles in total, sees Swiss star Federer - winner of the Australian Open, Wimbledon and US Open this year - as a kindred spirit.
"Roger Federer, he is head and shoulders above everyone else," Sampras added.
"He is the best athlete around and it's impressive to see him consistently play at a high level without consuming too much energy.
"There are a lot of similarities with me. We have the same temperament. He seems to play as easily as I did.
"He can do almost anything with his racket...I think he can dominate tennis for a long time just like I did."
12/08/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|18:40|:|Pete mulls over return|:||:|1102556409|:|December 2004
Pete Sampras has sounded out Jim Courier about a return to competitive tennis, albeit the Seniors Tour after two seasons out of the sport. The seven-times Wimbledon champion, who captured his 14th major title at the U.S. Open in 2002, has been chatting to his old friend and rival recently.
The 33-year-old American is believed to have grown "restless" in California playing golf and rang Courier to find out about the Seniors Tour.
"I spoke to Pete this week. He was curious to see how I'm enjoying doing this. I sense a little bit of restlessness there," Courier told reporters at the Royal Albert Hall.
"Pete has been playing a lot of golf, but he was curious to know what this seniors tour is all about," he said.
Sampras was given an emotional send-off at Flushing Meadow last year, and has previously said that any retirement would be final, that he "did not want to come back 17 times like retired boxers".
"It's been two years since Pete played and I think that's about the time when people start to feel how much they love the game of tennis and creep back into it with a few exhibitions here and there, and test the water," Courier said.
"What you soon realise is that tennis is a core part of your being," he said. "It would certainly be a boon for the tour if Pete came out of retirement." 9/14/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Champ's Westside match over|:||:|1095211851|:|[Sep 5, 2004, Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer] Pete Sampras has sold his Benedict Canyon home for $3 million, according to public records. The tennis champ had listed the Beverly Hills-area home in August 2003 at $3.75 million.
He had owned the house since 1998, a couple of years before he married Bridgette Wilson, who played the bride-to-be in "The Wedding Planner" (2001) and costarred in the action-thriller "Extreme Ops" (2002). The couple was married at the Benedict Canyon home in 2000. About two years later, they bought another Beverly Hills-area home in the mid-$8-million range.
The house Sampras sold has four bedrooms and four bathrooms in 5,000 square feet. The home is on about 1 1/2 acres, with a pool, at the end of a long, gated drive. There is, of course, a tennis court on the property.
Sampras had purchased the home for about $2.5 million from Kenny G. The saxophonist-songwriter had maintained a recording studio there. Sampras used it as a family room. The country-traditional house was built in 1976 and later remodeled.
After buying the house, Sampras, now 33, won the U.S. Open. As defending U.S. Open champion, he withdrew from the event in 2003. In August of that year, he retired as a professional tennis player and became an investor, partner and special consultant to Tennis magazine and tennis.com. Sampras had been the top player in the world for a record six years in a row. He won a record 14 Grand Slams.
Jordan Cohen of Re/Max Olson Estate Brokerage, Westlake Village, represented Sampras in the Benedict Canyon home sale, real estate sources said.
[Article errors/facts about Pete corrected by Samprasfanz]
9/09/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|PETE SAMPRAS, Tennis legend|:||:|1094792985|:|
Thu, Sep. 09, 2004 By David Martindale
Special to the Star-Telegram
Pete Sampras still misses playing tennis now and then.
He especially misses it at this time of year, as the U.S. Open, a tournament he won five times, is winding to a conclusion.
"But I just don't have it in me anymore to go out and do the things I have to do to win a major," Sampras said. "Playing is the easy part. That's 10 percent of it. The other 90 percent is preparing and training. You wrap your whole year around playing those two weeks.
"That's the hard part. It's a tough way of life. It's a consuming sport. There's no question it took a lot out of me, especially when I was No. 1 in the world. It was a good time, but also stressful."
There's no stress in Sampras' life today. The most work he has done lately was giving an in-depth interview to the Tennis Channel (airing at 6 p.m. Sunday) and doing a few phone interviews -- from the golf course in Palm Desert, Calif. -- to promote the show.
This Tennis Channel interview airs on the second anniversary of your final Grand Slam victory. Does that make you nostalgic? Not really. I do miss it. And I always will miss it. But people ask me, "Are you going to the Open? Are you going to Wimbledon?" And I say, "There's no reason for me to go." There might be a day when I'll want to take my son to watch tennis. But when it's been your life for so long, you almost want to get as far away as possible. I'm still decompressing and not doing anything really with tennis.
What does take up the majority of your days? Do you have a day job? No, I don't have a job. I wake up, and I help out with my boy, and I go to the golf course and play a round of golf and sometimes two rounds of golf. Having not played, I've kind of lost my shape a little bit. So I'm starting to work out a little bit. I've been playing Texas Hold'em with some boys, playing some basketball, spending some time at the beach, trying to stay busy.
And how is your golf game? It's better. I'm a 6. Compared to some of the guys who are really good, like scratch players, I'm not there. Ivan Lendl is like a scratch player.
Have you sneaked a peek at the Open? I've seen some. A little bit of Roger Federer and Andre Agassi and the big boys. It's going to be an interesting second week. I think Andy Roddick can get to the final. I think the winner of Federer-Agassi will get to the final. It's really a pick-'em tournament right now.
Do you have a master plan for the rest of your life? I make it up as I go. I'm kind of waiting for something to fall into my lap. But I also know it doesn't really work that way. It's probably something that I'm going to have to go and create. But, whatever that is, there's one thing that I know, which I learned from tennis, and that's that you can't do it halfway. 9/08/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Retired Sampras misses tourney but not the pressure|:||:|1094693797|:|[Sep 8, 2004] A year after his retirement, tennis great Pete Sampras is going to great lengths to be seen and heard.
Thirty minutes longer, in one specific case.
He will be featured in a one-hour Center Court with Chris Myers on the Tennis Channel on Sunday at 6 p.m.
Sampras -- winner of seven Wimbledon, five U.S. Open and two Australian Open titles -- also took time Tuesday to chat via the phone with Quick Hits:
With the Open going on, what do you miss most?
"I do miss the Open, I miss Wimbledon. The Open is kind of where I made my first mark. I miss the night matches and the fact that it's a major and it's New York City. The buzz and atmosphere are tough to replace with everyday life. I miss it quite a bit, but on the other hand, it's a lot of work, a lot of pressure, a lot of stress. I know those days are over.''
What do you miss the least?
"The expectations I put on myself. The pressure, the stress, the physical and mental grind over a two-week major. The U.S. Open, I don't know if it was the city or whatever, but it always kind of stressed me out more than the others because it was the traffic or just the city itself. I'm not much of a New York City guy.''
When can we expect your comeback on the courts, or will you end up a golfer like Ivan Lendl?
"I haven't picked up a racquet for quite some time. There might be a day I might come out and play a few matches here and there, exhibitions or whatever. I'm done with the competitive tennis. Those days are over. I don't see myself pulling a Deion Sanders or coming-out-of-retirement sort of thing. I still miss the majors, and I miss playing tennis. But you don't do it halfway. Either you make it your life and your priority or you don't. I think I ended it the way I wanted to, on my terms. I'm looking forward to some other things in life.''
Your biggest adjustment to being retired?
"Now it's a different focus, being a husband, a father. Men go out and work. Now that I'm not working, retired at 33, it's definitely an adjustment. Playing golf is great, but ...
If somebody offered you a TV show, how much better would yours be than John McEnroe's?
"Not much. To host a talk show takes talent. John does a good job. I think he does it better than I would.''
Any acting aspirations, or will you leave that to your wife (Bridgette Wilson)?
"One actor is plenty. No desire or interest.''
Couldn't even get a cameo in the upcoming movie "Wimbledon'' with Kirsten Dunst?
"They didn't ask me. I guess I hadn't won it enough.''
9/08/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras admires Agassi's run, but won't mimic his rival|:||:|1094693706|:|[Sep 8, 2004 BILL FLEISCHMAN] Two years ago, after struggling with his tennis for several years, Pete Sampras won his fifth U.S. Open. Then, at age 31, he abruptly closed the book on the sport in which he won record 14 Grand Slam tournaments.
He has no plans to stage a comeback.
"I haven't picked up a racket in 8-9 months," Sampras said yesterday from Los Angeles. "I don't miss the grind, the pressure and the stress that comes with it. You do miss the competition, playing the majors.
"I certainly feel that now that the Open's on. When Wimbledon comes and goes, I always have a reaction of wanting to play again. But [it quickly passes]."
After focusing entirely on tennis from the time he was 8, Sampras enjoys life as a husband to actress Bridgette Wilson and father to 20-month-old son Christian.
While he has fun caring for his son, he said: "I can only play with Playdough so long. I can't stay home all day."
Golf fulfills his competitive juices right now.
Sampras, the subject of an interview with Chris Myers Sunday at 7 p.m. on the Tennis Channel, says he has watched "a little" of this year's Open on television. He plans to watch tonight's Andre Agassi-Roger Federer quarterfinal match.
Before the 2002 Open, Sampras didn't plan to retire. The way he was playing before the tournament discouraged thoughts of his winning the Open. But beating longtime rival Agassi in the '02 Open final was the perfect ending to an outstanding career.
"It was a great way to finish, on that court, playing Andre," said Sampras, whose first pro victory came in the U.S. Pro Indoor at the Spectrum in 1990. "I felt there was no place to go [after winning]."
Like many, Sampras is impressed that Agassi, 34, a year older than Sampras, still plays high-quality tennis. The seven-time Wimbledon champion thinks Agassi has been influenced by his wife, tennis great Steffi Graf.
"The way she went out about her tennis, very serious, I think he saw that and respected that," Sampras said. "He's in great shape, and it seems he has everything organized in his life to focus on tennis."
Sampras' future could include television work.
"I have a lot to say about the game," he said. "There might be a day where I get back into the sport in some way. I'm just not ready."
Coaching?
"No one's asked me," he replied. "I'm not one to give unsolicited advice."
After taking flak for saying in Tennis magazine interview 2 months ago that he'd never registered to vote, Sampras has done his civic duty.
"I was raised Republican, and that's the way I'll die," he said.
8/03/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete Sampras aced out of big home sale|:||:|1091515257|:|By DANIELLE REED, August 1, 2004
The Beverly Hills home of retired tennis ace Pete Sampras, on the market a year ago for $3.75 million, recently went into contract after being reduced to $3.5 million ¡X but the contract has fallen through, agents familiar with the area say.
The property is now for sale again at the same asking price.
Sampras bought the private house, surrounded by trees and up a gated driveway, for $2.65 million, according to property records. The seller was saxophonist Kenny G, who had installed a sound studio in the 1976 country-style house.
When he bought the home, Sampras was still single. He's now married to actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, and the family has a larger Beverly Hills residence that Sampras purchased for around $8 million in 2002. The 5,100-square-foot, four-bedroom home has a sizable yard ¡X it's on 1.5 acres ¡X and, naturally, a tennis court.
Jordan Cohen of Re/Max Olson & Associates has the listing.
6/19/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Tennis Magazine July 2004: Pete Interview (Excerpts)|:||:|1087655247|:|Made Man
By: Peter Bodo
Excerpts
What have you learned about yourself since retiring?
I’ve learned that I didn’t play for the limelight. I played to win, played because I enjoyed playing. I don’t miss that part, the stage. I don’t know, what else have I learned about myself? I like a pretty simple life. I like just being home, just being with my family. I love just having some friends, playing some golf, doing normal things. I’ve always enjoyed that, but the fact that I’m not playing anymore just gives me more time to do that.
Do you miss the applause?
You miss the hype, you miss walking out and seeing 20000 people, ready to see this clash. You make a great shot, you get an ovation, that’s great. But even more, I miss [moments like when ] it’s 1:30 for a 2 o’clock final at Wimbledon, and you kind of miss that nervous, you-want-to-throw-up feeling.
How do you want your child to grow up?
I’ve talked about that with Bridgette. We’re in this area of Beverly Hills, which means private school. It’s like 20 grand to get into a private school and there’s a year’s wait. I didn’t grow up that way; I went to public school. I didn’t have a cellphone until I was 28. Christian will grow up very comfortable, but I also want to instill some humility.
People wonder, what’s Pete Sampras doing with himself? Is it a long day for you?
Not really. I’m like, hey, this is work. You’re with your son half a day, feeding him. I mean, men are different that way. I’m with him half an hour, I feed him, I feel like I’ve accomplished something. Then I’ll go play golf, between, say, 10 and 2. Come back, have some food, maybe go to a Laker game, play poker, go see a movie. There’s enough things that I don’t sit home at 2:00 in the afternoon watching TV.
You said before that you wanted to be a better husband; was your career putting a strain on your marriage?
A tennis player is the type of athlete where it really is all about you, your schedule, when to practice, when to leave, when to play the next tournament. You have to be with someone who is selfless. Fortunately, my wife was willing to put her career on hold, travel with me, be all about me. That’s priceless.
Read the complete interview by Tennis Magazine
6/13/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Retirement is not a gift says Agassi|:||:|1087185264|:|June 6, 2004
LONDON (AFP) - US tennis great Andre Agassi said that retiring from the sport was not like a gift and he would not necessarily announce his withdrawal from the sport should he win a second Wimbledon title in July.
The 34-year-old is one of only five players to have won all four Grand Slams but following his stunning first round exit at the French Open to world number 271 Jerome Haehnel speculation has been mounting that he will soon retire.
"It (retirement) won't be choreographed," he told the Sunday Times.
"I don't think that's part of my nature.
"But I hope it will be more responsible than just a whim.
"It'll be somewhere between the two.
"I've never been very interested in tying a little bow round my career and making it nice and neat.
"This isn't about handing something over, its not a gift.
"It's about my journey and my challenges," added the 1992 Wimbledon champion, whose father Mike represented Iran in boxing at the 1952 and 1956 Olympic Games .
While Agassi, who has two children with wife Steffi Graf, admits the circuit has got lonelier without his great rival Pete Sampras he recognises why he hung up his racquet after collecting 14 Grand Slams, though without ever winning the French Open.
"I miss Pete, I sure do," said Agassi, who was once married to the actress Brooke Shields.
"I miss him because it was a great chapter in my career and I miss him because it can get lonely out here.
"But if there's one person out there who understands his decision, it would have to be me," added Agassi.
Agassi professes that the one Grand Slam title he treasures above the eight he has won is the Wimbledon crown which was his first.
"What is they say about first love? It's the one you always remember, right," said Agassi, whose charitable foundation for at-risk youth in his home city of Las Vegas has collected over 36 million dollars since its inception in 1995.
While Agassi praises reigning Wimbledon champion Roger Federer of Switzerland he still doesn't compare him to Sampras.
"I've seen Federer compared to Pete, but playing against Federer doesn't seem the same atall.
"History will tell.
"Pete's record is in the book, he's one of the greatest ever.
"Federer has incredible, incredible ability, and a career of great achievement ahead of him.
5/18/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete and Bridgette wrote to Samprasfanz|:||:|1084937135|:|
This note is coming to all of you who so graciously gave Christian one of the most amazing and most thoughtful gifts! The trees that have been dedicated to him in the woodland Trust at Hucking Estate are the perfect Gift. He Loves Trees! At nap time we always head outside to let him sleep under the trees and for the first few months of his life he would sit in his bouncy seat and just watch the tree branches sway in the wind for the longest time. Having said that, Thank-You Thank-You these trees are something that we as a family and Christian will always treasure!
Christian is getting so big. He is such a Happy, Healthy and active little boy. (We are in the May Issue of RedBook magazine together. It is a Mother's Day Issue so Dad isn't in the photos, but Daddy's pride and joy is.) Also, watch for Dad and Son to be in "Tennis Magazine" soon. (I think it's the June or July issue.)
Hope you are all doing well. We miss seeing you all in various parts of the world... but our appreciation for your support of Pete and for us as a family will never change.
Thank-you for always making the important moments in our life.... "Special."
With Love,
Pete, Bridgette & Christian
May 2004 4/25/04|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Photos 2004|:||:|1082885307|:|Photos uploaded in the Gallery
By Steve Flink in New York
23 December 2003
More than three months after officially announcing his retirement during a poignant ceremony at the United States Open, the man who created a brand of tennis unlikely ever to be replicated is certain that he made the right decision to leave the game.
Pete Sampras - winner of a men's record 14 Grand Slam championships, a singularly gifted and ambitious individual who pushed himself to his absolute limits across a commendable career - has had time to reflect on his triumphs as he enjoys life with his wife, Bridgette, and his one-year-old son in Los Angeles.
When we spoke last week, I asked him how he wanted to be remembered. He replied: "I think of three guys sitting around and talking about tennis and one guy says he saw [Rod] Laver in his prime and he was the best. The next guy says he saw [Lew] Hoad at his best and no one was better. And then the last guy says: 'Well, I saw Sampras and he was the best I have ever seen.' I would just like to be in that conversation."
That wish will surely be granted. Sampras celebrated a record six consecutive seasons (1993-98) as the world No 1. He won at least one major title for eight straight years (1993-2000), and appeared in at least one Wimbledon or US Open final for 12 of the last 13 years of his career. He was victorious in 14 of the 18 Grand Slam finals he appeared in, a big match player of unparalleled stature, and collected major titles 12 years apart (the 1990 and 2002 US Opens), a mark no other man has matched in the open era.
Many among the cognoscenti would point to 1993-97 - when he collected nine of his majors - as his prime. But Sampras contends: "The best tennis I played was when I was older. I wasn't as consistent week in and week out but that match I played against Andre [Agassi] at the 2002 US Open - my last match ever - was the highest level I have ever played.
"Everyone was getting better when I was No 1 in the world and winning majors left and right. I was 10 times the player as I got older. When I was dominating I didn't have any bad matches and players overall weren't as good. The 2002 US Open Pete would beat the 1994 or 1995 Pete easily."
Sampras clarifies why he believes he was better later in his career. "I served-and-volleyed a lot more on my second serve in the mid-to-late Nineties, and started using it more as a weapon. It was worth a few double faults to go for big second serves. The more I came in behind the second serve, the more effective a volleyer I became."
Be that as it may, Sampras cherishes his memories from all facets of his career, and celebrates his recollections of rivalries with Agassi, Boris Becker and others. Of his 34-match, 1989-2002 series with Agassi - Sampras was victorious in 20 of those contests and was 6-0 over his chief adversary at Wimbledon and the US Open - Pete says: "Andre brought out the best in me. The bigger the match, the more confident I was, the more I believed in myself at Wimbledon or the US Open against Andre. I felt comfortable being on that big stage. I am not saying that he didn't, but I really got going in those big matches. When I am 60 years old and looking back on my career, Andre will stand out in my mind because of the mutual respect."
Sampras feels similarly about his riveting collisions with the burly Becker, most memorably a stupendous five-set final that the American won at the ATP Tour World Championships at Hannover in 1996. Says Sampras: "Our Hannover match was an epic. We walked out on the court and they put the bright lights on us and for a moment I was taken aback, thinking that it was cool just to be a part of it. We embraced at the net when it was over and Boris couldn't have been any nicer. As much as the crowd wanted Boris to win, they appreciated me for being part of a great match. I have seen that tape a few times and for atmosphere it was at the top without a doubt."
While the gripping clashes with the likes of Agassi and Becker made the journey more exhilarating for Sampras, nothing mattered more to him than the chance to triumph at the majors. He secured five titles at the US Open, and set a modern record with seven championships on the lawns of Wimbledon, including his masterpiece against Agassi in the 1999 final. Sampras always valued craftsmanship over showmanship, and the Wimbledon audiences revered him.
"I played great tennis there, got some lucky breaks and it was magical," he recalls. "There is no other place like it. Winning there year after year, I just felt more and more respect from the fans. I did what I could to entertain them. I can't explain it, but I felt I was born to win Wimbledon."
The only missing piece in the Sampras collection is the French Open. He never reached a final. "I don't know if I totally believed I was good enough on the clay," he says. "The year I got to the semis [1996] I did start to believe but I ran into Yevgeny Kafelnikov on a hot day after three long five-set matches and hit the wall. As I got older, doubts crept in."
Those doubts seldom surfaced anywhere else. "Staying at No 1 six years in a row was the toughest thing to do in my tennis," Sampras asserts. "My approach to life helped me through that, not getting too high on the wins or too low on the losses. For someone like John McEnroe, who was so up and down in his emotions, it can be quite draining. I just tried to keep everything in check."
Moreover, he found a way to conclude his career on a remarkably positive note, capturing the championship of his country in 2002 to end a 33-tournament losing streak, finishing his business with a major triumph, becoming the only player in tennis history to realise that feat. It took some deep soul-searching finally to retire, nearly a year after his victory over Agassi in New York.
"Having a two-year drought and coming back from the brink to win a major, beating Andy Roddick and then Andre in the final, really took everything out of me," he says, "and that match with Agassi was the last drop of gas I had in my tank. I feel great about it now and am still riding a high from it. I did everything I could do at that Open. I was getting tired in the third and fourth sets against Agassi but came through in the end. I look at that symbolically."
These days Sampras is a consultant for Tennis Magazine but does not know what else he will do in the long run. "Nothing will replace that high of walking on the Centre Court," he muses. "Maybe in one year, or maybe in 10 years, I will say 'Let's make a difference' and try to give back. I have been decompressing but I have got my eyes and ears open."
It seemed certain that Sampras would join Agassi for a doubles match this month against McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in Las Vegas. But that exhibition will not happen. Sampras explains: "They [the promoters] could not come up with the money. I am glad it didn't happen. I would have wanted to play well but that would have meant hitting a lot of tennis balls to prepare and that is the last thing I want to do. I haven't played since three months before Wimbledon."
Sampras is following today's players with detachment. "I really don't watch any tennis but I can imagine that [Roger] Federer has the most complete game," he says. "He is the one guy that can do everything. Roddick is a great player but Federer is more complete and will win multiple majors I would think."
Sampras is optimistic about the partnership of his old friend Tim Henman and his former coach Paul Annacone, who will coach the Englishman at all the Grand Slams and selected other events next year.
"It is a good call for Tim to work with Paul," Sampras says. "Paul will help Tim mentally and strategy-wise. Maybe Paul can help Tim win Wimbledon. But ultimately, it is up to Tim to get himself in gear. I see this as a positive thing for both Paul and Tim."
At 32, the estimable Sampras is sorting out his priorities and inevitably will take on new challenges in the years ahead. He concludes: "I feel vindicated with how my career ended. I am glad I am done and ready for the next chapter."
10/31/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Lessons from a Champion|:||:|1067656084|:|[October 29, 2003 Zenaida A. Amador] IN an exclusive interview one night over BBC, Pete Sampras fielded a lot of questions on his career as a tennis champion for six straight years.
Two questions and answers intrigued me no end. The first question asked of Sampras was about when he decided to pursue his career seriously. Meaning serious to the point of being determined enough to win all those titles.
Pete Sampras answered that he was just happy sailing along in the game as the number six player in the world. He was enjoying himself, no pressure, happy where he was. And then one day, at a match which he lost and he realized he could have won, the defeat was so stinging that he decided he wanted to be number one. He realized it meant a lot of hardwork and pressure, but at that moment it became crystal clear to him that he wanted to be dead serious about the game. He was going to the top and he was going to stay there. The rest is tennis history.
What struck me is how a defeat led to hundreds of victories. The defeat did not overwhelm Sampras, it spurred him to glory, fame and money.
The second question was about what helped Sampras stay on top. And how he kept his cool everytime there were bad line calls and he didn¡¦t like umpire¡¦s decisions or when his opponent was rude or ill-mannered. Sampras answered that he just focused on what he had to do to win. He said it was a waste of time and energy to argue or quarrel. That was not part of the game. Not part of the sport. There you have it. Jewels of wisdom from a true champion. Victory indeed, is often achieved in the mind.
10/07/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Joins Tennis Magazine|:||:|1065582518|:|[October 7, 2003] Pete Sampras is getting back into Tennis. The 14-time Grand Slam champion, who officially concluded his career on the opening Monday of the U.S. Open, has become an investor, partner and special consultant to Tennis Magazine.
Sampras' new role is his first post-retirement corporate commitment. He also works with the Tennis Channel.
"Tennis Magazine has always been the leader and the pulse of the industry," Sampras said in a statement. "It's definitely a way for me to remain involved in tennis while helping to grow and improve the sport. I share the vision of Tennis' owners Bob
Miller and George Mackin, and I look forward to this partnership."
The 32-year-old Sampras contribute articles and instructional pieces to the publication and will be a presence in Tennis Magazine's corporate and marketing efforts.
"We are honored to have Pete join us at Tennis and we are eager to begin working with him," Miller said. "Pete's insights into the sport and his passion for the game will be tremendous resources for our readers and advertisers."
9/13/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|05:59|:|Video link: French TV interview |:||:|1063465627|:|Link to an interview from a French TV.
Source: France TV
9/12/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|05:59|:|Pete at David Letterman [August 26, 2003]|:||:|1063391962|:|
9/09/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|05:59|:|'History Will Be Pretty Good To Me' - [August 26, 2003]|:||:|1063126076|:|After his farewell in Flushing, Pete Sampras told Dan Patrick and Rob Dibble that he is done with the game he loves. "I really felt like I was standing there saying goodbye to something I love to do. And the US Open has meant so much to me," he said.
A selection of the Aug. 26 interview:
Irreplaceable challenges
Dan Patrick: What do you do now?
Pete Sampras: What do I do now? Well, I pretty much am doing what I've been doing for the past year. I've just been playing golf, hanging out … having some fun, doing some things I didn't have a chance to do, going on a few trips here and there. I love it. I love not having the responsibility of being on the tour and enjoying this retirement.
DP: But you find that athletes need something, that there's that competitive juices that you need to get into to let 'em flow. Is golf going to be that outlet for you?
PS: Golf is more recreation and fun, not necessarily going to replace tennis in any way. But I don't know. We'll see over time what I want to do. Nothing will replace walking out to Wimbledon or the U.S. Open in front of packed house. I know it's time. I know it's not in my heart anymore to go out there and play. It is a transition. But I'm looking forward to it. I'm looking forward to finding something over the next couple of years to see what I like, whether it's some sort of business or just not doing much, just having some fun. I am competitive, but I think I'm only competitive in tennis. I'm not needing that in my life. The limelight hasn't been something that's really important to me. I'm just going to ride off into the sunset, so to speak, and enjoy this time in my life.
'Picking up a racket is the last thing I want to do'
RD: If you need a little extra spending money, why don't you just go spank (Jimmy) Conners and Bjorn Borg and (John) McEnroe in that old-timer's tour, now that you're retired?
PS: Honestly, the thought of picking up a racket is the last thing I want to do.
RD: It's probably the last thing they want you to do, too.
PS: But I don't see myself playing any senior tennis. I still enjoy hitting the tennis ball. But the thought of hopping on a plane and going to Chicago or anywhere else in the country, I really have a hard time doing that right now. Maybe in three or four years I might do it for the fun of it, just to get out. But I don't see it happening anytime soon. DP: You have another kid, Bridgette gets pregnant again, you going to want to get out on the road, you may want to play tennis. You know what? McEnroe may never look better when get out on the road I think to go to play tennis.
PS: You're talking to the man with experience. You have what, six kids now, Dan?
DP: At last look, I think I've got seven. I haven't been home in a couple of days, so she may have had another one. But I think you still owe me a tennis match in your back yard. Didn't I bid some ungodly amount of money?
PS: Sure did. Whenever you're in LA. I'm not going anywhere. Tennis, golf -- I have time.
'It hit me all at once'
DP: Do you say to yourself last night, I don't want to get emotional?
PS: Yeah. It accumulated all day. It really did. It did for the last eight months just slowly saying goodbye. I think my life for the last eight months, year, have been great, I haven't thought about tennis, I've been having some fun. But I think getting back to New York, I took a drive to the site, which I've done for 15 years. Being at the site, seeing a lot of people, I think it did hit me that I really am leaving, that I'm saying goodbye. There's a sense of closure there. And when I walked out there, I think it stored up for months and the day ... the ovation from the crowd was very touching. I felt really appreciated. De finitely hit me. I really felt like I was standing there saying goodbye to something I love to do. And the US Open has meant so much to me. Winning the US Open for the first time and winning there last year, it just kind of emotional. It just hit me all at once, that I'm never going to play again.
'People want to see you suffer a little bit'
DP: But wasn't it interesting in your career that once you became vulnerable, it's almost as if people rooted for you a little bit differently or a little bit more so?
PS: Absolutely. When I was dominating in my early-and mid-20s, there wasn't a rival. I was winning majors and people really didn't know me that well. I didn't show a lot of emotion. There wasn't a ton to cling on to. The more I won, I felt a little more appreciation. Then I really felt I like I got a lot of support when I was losing. For the past couple of years it's been a struggle. Like I've said all along, I felt like a got more fans over the last two years as I lost more.
DP: Isn't that interesting?
PS: People want to see you suffer a little bit. They don't like to see someone dominating, making it look too easy. They want someone to cheer for. So the past couple of years I just felt I got some more fans, especially at the Open, knowing that I've been dropping in the rankings, not sure how much more I was going to play. And so I think I felt that last night from the fans. I think I felt appreciated. It felt really good to know that. I think history will be pretty good to me over time. So it is the way it kind of works in athletes in an individual sport. Once you start suffering a little bit, then you start to get those fans.
Source: ESPNRadio 9/09/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|05:59|:|Farewell Is Both Touching and Tearful|:||:|1063108791|:|[August 26, 2003 HARVEY ARATON] It was veiled panic that Agustin Moreno believed he detected in the teenager across the net out on Court 18 of the National Tennis Center. It was fear.
It was Pete Sampras, down a break in the third set after losing the second, ready to quit, or so it seemed.
"It was weird, he started hitting everything as hard as he could but with no emotion, nothing in his eyes," Moreno said. "Every shot, every second serve, as hard as the first. To be honest, I thought he was tanking."
How could Moreno, a Mexican, only 22 at the time, have then known that Sampras's poker face was nearly as impossible to read as his scorching serve? This was 1989, the first round of the United States Open, the unknown Sampras shifting gears with a guile that was easily obscured by his outrageous athletic gifts.
"He had that ability to decide he was going for it, no matter what," Moreno said. "And he acted like he did it all the time, like it was normal."
Back at the National Tennis Center as a coach yesterday, Moreno could look back at 1989 with a measure of historic distinction, the first United States Open opponent vanquished by the man who last night put a ceremonial period on the greatest Grand Slam career of all.
Sampras followed his victory over Moreno by beating the defending champion, Mats Wilander, and returned in 1990, at 19, to win it all. The first of a record 14 Grand Slam titles was taken in New York, as was the last, at Andre Agassi's expense last year. Now those matches are the hard-court covers to the seminal work on the endangered art of serve-and-volley championship tennis.
"It's a process, retirement," Sampras said before his touching and tearful goodbye last night. Wimbledon and his 2002 second-round defeat to a qualifier, George Bastl, had gnawed at him, leading to three days of tepid training last spring that convinced him, finally, that tennis "wasn't in my blood anymore."
So the Open became his Jordan-in-Utah ending, no flip-flops. On this subject, he sounded more believable than so many others because, as he said, "I know in my heart it's time." Sampras, always grounded, hung around through two brutal years because he believed, when no one else did, that he had one more Grand Slam left in his racket, and he was right.
"My biggest challenge was last year," he said.
Here at the Open, Sampras was seldom the sure thing he was at Wimbledon, a grand stage, where he won seven of eight during one stretch, much of the time making it easy. He was a machine, it was said. He was boring. The totality of his domination was somehow a drain on self-flagellating tennis, contrary to what Tiger Woods would achieve for golf.
It was all a blatant misread of the man, as far off the mark as Moreno had been in 1989. It wasn't Sampras's fault that graying American baby boomers were tiring of tennis as their recreational sport of choice. It wasn't his responsibility to produce an opponent who might have chased him throughout the 1990's the way Agassi finally would after his own career rebirth.
Even at 18, on Court 18 against Agustin Moreno, Sampras was no raging child, no McEnroe. He took the high road and avoided all distractions, all exits, until last summer, at the ripe old age of 31.
"It's very difficult to maintain that level of the game, to go out week after week, one tournament to another," Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia said. "He's been able to do that, and it shows he was the best."
Still, there were critics aplenty, especially near the end. It was Kafelnikov who added a player's voice to the chorus calling for Sampras to give up the chase after he lost a Davis Cup five-setter on grass (of all surfaces) to Alex Corretja (of all opponents).
"Absolutely," Kafelnikov said yesterday, without disavowing a word, to his credit. "I never thought he would have been able to do what he did here."
Then again, this was New York, not London. This was where Sampras developed and defined himself as much more than the serve-and-volley metronome.
Boring? When he won in 1990, he finished up by defeating, in order, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and the emerging Agassi.
Boring? Here at the Open he struggled with his early success, questioning his own ambition after losing to another contemporary, Jim Courier in the 1991 quarters. "Do you believe that garbage?" Jimmy Connors, who had been listening nearby, said. The next year, Sampras lost the final to Stefan Edberg and last night pinpointed that match as a career threshold, the defeat that "made me obsessed with being the best."
Boring? Sampras once dismantled Michael Chang, then in his prime as the game's premier plugger, in three startling sets of nighttime shot-making that left the men's locker room abuzz well into the next afternoon.
Boring? It was here in 1996, on the old Louis Armstrong Stadium court, that Sampras choreographed his most visually striking performance, staggering and vomiting his way to the quarterfinal victory in a fifth-set tie breaker over Corretja, the Spaniard, who better than anyone can understand Sampras's complex competitive nature, his ability to play greater than the sum of his energy depleted parts.
"He's a player who in my opinion is unmatchable," Corretja said. "I'm happy for him because he found what he wanted at one stage and now it appears he has found what he wanted at the next stage."
It took Sampras a year to be sure, but he returned to Arthur Ashe Stadium last night, with his wife and young son, whom he carried around the court as he took a walking farewell lap. Boris Becker came from Germany to send him off. McEnroe turned on the charm. You always got the feeling that Sampras was the close friend of few yet aloof as he seemed, he often connected to one drama or another. A coach dying. Another in jail. His body rebelling in a variety of daunting ways.
"I feel like as I started losing, I started getting more fans," he said.
Better late than never, the tough critics in the news media applauded him last night after his news conference and before Sampras would walk onto the court and start to cry. There was no point in posing anymore. What we saw last night was what he was.
9/08/03|:|petepage2|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|11:01|:|ANNOUNCEMENT: Newsboard under reconstruction|:||:|1063040460|:|Our newsboard disappeared into cyberspace. We are in the process of reconstructing the contents. Please bear with us. Thanks.
8/27/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Game Sampras|:||:|1062005208|:|Game Sampras
By A Boston Globe Editorial, 8/27/2003
IT'S ALMOST impossible to visualize the game of professional tennis without Pete Sampras, and a lot of people won't even try. Sampras defined the sport for the past decade, dominating it since 1990 when he won his first US Open at age 19 -- the youngest male player to do so. He went on to take four more US Open titles as well as two Australian Open victories and seven Wimbledon trophies for a total of 14 grand slam championships, more than any other male singles player in the history of the game.
Such a giant lingers forever in the heart of the fan and looms over the swinging rackets of all players, top-ranked or rank amateur. Sampras, 32, may have called it a career Monday at the start of this year's US Open, but his presence will be felt on the tour as powerfully as if his name were still in the draw.
Everybody with a huge serve will be measured against him -- particularly the 20-year-old American player Andy Roddick, who is said to be "the next Pete," though 21-year-old Roger Federer of Switzerland also became an heir apparent after winning Wimbledon.
None of the new guys has achieved the stats yet, however, nor the gravitas of the hulking Sampras taking the court. He often kept his face expressionless and slack-jawed, mouth open, so a viewer might worry about him swallowing bugs. Sometimes he seemed to be shambling back to the base line looking a little hang-dog after losing a point, the body language masking the power that was about to blast an opponent's rising confidence back down into the fear zone.
He rarely appreared nervous on big points, dispatching them quickly and, it seemed, easily, without the grunts, groans, grimaces, or death grip on the racket often seen in other players. He was criticized for lacking a show-biz personality and for going about his business so matter-of-factly and with such consistency that his wins began to seem routine: He was ranked top in the world for a record six consecutive years, and he got there with none of the crowd-pleasing histrionics of a John McEnroe or Jimmy Connors.
He won games with pulled muscles, sore feet, and cramps. He battled nausea so fierce he vomited between points as he beat Alex Corretja of Spain in the quarterfinal of the 1996 US Open. He sobbed through a match in the 1995 Australian Open after learning that his coach, Tim Gullikson, was dying of cancer -- and he won the match.
Standing in New York's Arthur Ashe Stadium Monday night, he let the rare public tears flow again and said he knew in his heart it was time to leave the game. It is the heart, after all, that ultimately makes a champion; talent is just one part of the equation.
Sampras had a mythic supply of both, and that combination makes him indelible, ever synonymous with the word "tennis."
8/26/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Grand Exit|:||:|1061915741|:|Sampras "at peace" with decision to retire, gets an emotional sendoff in ceremony at U.S. Open.
By Lisa Dillman
LA Times Staff Writer
August 26, 2003
NEW YORK — There had to be a way to finish this electric night with grace and elegance, a charming touch that wasn't some forced gesture. Surely there was something to punctuate this celebration of Pete Sampras' marvelous career, a pitch-perfect memory to be cherished.
One last victory lap, emcee Dick Enberg gently suggested.
And so, Pete Sampras shared himself — for one last time — with the crowded house in Arthur Ashe Stadium at the U.S. Open on Monday night. He walked around the court, a proud champion and proud father, holding his 9-month-old son Christian Charles in his arms, giving the crowd a farewell wave.
This night was never going to be easy for Sampras, not when the trail of tears started in the interview room with the media about three hours before the retirement ceremony, and certainly not when the standing ovation from the crowd of 21,853 brought his emotions bubbling over barely 30 seconds after walking out on the court. He cried for more than a minute, wiping his eyes, and his discomfort was palpable.
"I'm going to miss playing here," Sampras told the crowd. "I really loved playing in New York, loved playing in front of you guys. But I know in my heart, it's time to say goodbye."
This was where Pete Sampras was born as a tennis champion, thrived as a tennis champion and was reborn as a tennis champion. He won his first U.S. Open, the youngest male champion in tournament history at 19, in 1990, and won his final Grand Slam, a record 14th, at the Open last year, beating longtime rival Andre Agassi in the final match of his career.
It made sense that this was the scene of the retirement party. Farewells are often messy affairs. For one thing, the guest list is always an issue. The wrong person gets invited and the right guest misplaces his invitation.
Agassi wasn't there. But the three legends on the court, John McEnroe, Boris Becker and Jim Courier, were individuals Sampras has had issues with over the years. This was equal parts class reunion, retirement party and banquet roast. Luckily, Enberg, the Sampras of television commentators, was on hand to pull it all together after the night had started off looking like a bad Broadway show hijacking a farewell party.
Courier, the closest to Sampras of the three, described going to a junior Davis Cup camp in Santa Barbara with Sampras when he was 14.
"He would never get out of bed, ever," Courier said, addressing the crowd and Sampras. "He refused to get out of bed and somehow you managed to climb out of bed for 14 titles. It's an amazing career. I was privileged to play with you as a doubles partner, a Davis Cup teammate and I won't forget it."
Becker, the three-time Wimbledon champion, used that tournament as his frame of reference.
"Remember, before you were around, I used to own that place. I called it my house," he said. "Now seven titles later, you stole my keys."
McEnroe talked about Sampras and, of course, himself.
"Do you want to see Pete play again?" he asked the crowd, and teased Sampras as to whether he was really sure about leaving.
He told the 32-year-old Sampras that half the players in the locker room idolized him, and the other half tried to play like him.
"I tried to serve like you, couldn't do that," McEnroe said. "I tried to hit the big forehand like you and couldn't do that. I tried to act like Pete" The crowd burst out laughing at that one.
Sampras paid tribute to his siblings, his parents, his coach Paul Annacone and late coach Tim Gullikson, and his wife, Bridgette Wilson Sampras, who was on the court during the ceremony, holding their son. Earlier, in the news conference, he spoke about his young family.
"I adore this little boy, I really do," he said. "He's starting to crawl now. I'm having to work a little more. I love being home with him and taking care of him, taking care of my wife. It has changed my life. It's made me pretty complete. Looking forward to seeing him grow up and being a good role model for him."
The decision to retire may have taken almost a year after his last match, but it crystallized a couple of months before Wimbledon. Sampras began to prepare with Annacone for a bid to win an eighth Wimbledon and didn't even make it past a week.
"After three days, I was done," he said. "I just didn't want to practice. I didn't want to train. I didn't want to do everything you have to do. I feel like I did it all. I think that's when it hit me."
He leaves the sport with few disappointments. Not winning the French Open on clay is one, but he hardly seems haunted by it. He mentioned a more unsettling memory, losing to George Bastl of Switzerland in the second round at Wimbledon last year.
"That was one of the lowest points — maybe the biggest," Sampras said. "I was really down in the dumps after that."
Sampras managed to stay true to himself, saying he was proud he hadn't changed much over the years: "I didn't sell out for the press or anybody."
Those who have known him were hardly surprised he was so emotional on the court. After all, this was the same man who broke down on the court during the Australian Open in 1995 when Gullikson became ill, the same man who became emotional during TV interviews earlier this summer, simply talking about his family.
Some thought the long goodbye was, well, a little long. But perfect endings are in the eye of the beholder. It simply took Sampras a little longer to reach a state of closure.
"I never realistically thought I was going to win and stop," he said. "But once I did, it's a process, retirement. It's not like you wake up one day and say, 'I'm retired.' You need to go through all the emotions and I did that."
And in case there might be any doubts
"The process is now over. I'm 100% retired," he said. "I'm at peace with it. It's time to call it a career."
MOST MEN'S TITLES
GRAND SLAMS
14 Pete Sampras
12 Roy Emerson
11 Rod Laver
11 Bjorn Borg
10 Bill Tilden
SINGLES
109 Jimmy Connors
94 Ivan Lendl
77 John McEnroe
64 Pete Sampras
62 Borg, Vilas
Pete Sampras' victories in Grand Slam events:
• U.S. Open: 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002
• Wimbledon: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
• Australian Open: 1994, 1997
Source: LA Times
8/25/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete's Press Conference [Full transcript]|:||:|1061868520|:|US OPEN 2003 Press Conference on August 25, 2003 on Pete's Retirement
RANDY WALKER: Welcome, everybody. Pete is going to start with a statement and then we'll go to the question and answer session.
Pete.
PETE SAMPRAS: First of all, I want to thank everyone for coming here. I really, really appreciate it. I think you know why we're here, is to announce my retirement.
It's been quite a process this past year. I know that the process is now over. So I am a hundred percent retired. It brings back a lot of memories, coming back here to the site, being back in New York. I'm looking forward to tonight.
You know, I knew once Wimbledon came and went that it was time for me to stop. And I know that it's time. And I'm content and I'm at peace with it. It's time to, you know, call it a career. Couldn't happen at a better place than here in New York where everything happened for me at 19, and it ended for me last year here.
Anyone has any questions (laughter), you guys can ask.
Q. If you were still one Grand Slam behind or tied with Emerson, would you be retiring today?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's hard to say. That slam record was something that was really important to me. I worked hard, I focused on it. Once I did it, I felt like it could have been time to stop then. But I wanted to win one more. It was a tough year and a half. To win last year felt great.
But that 12 was definitely a number that I had on my mind. It felt nice to break it at Wimbledon.
Q. When Boris retired for the first time, he initially retired from Grand Slam play only. I read an interview. He said he just didn't have the selfishness in him required to compete at the highest level in Grand Slam tournaments and also have a life. It sucks too much out of you; you don't have enough to give to your wife and child. Could you comment on that.
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I'm not retiring because I'm married or, you know, I have a son. I'm retiring because I have nothing to prove to myself. I've always had challenges ahead of me, either staying No. 1 or winning majors. My biggest challenge was last year when I didn't win an event for a year and a half, and the challenge of winning one more.
Once I did that, I felt, you know, I really have climbed a tall mountain. If there's something out there I wanted to achieve, I would go and do it. You know, the support of my wife and family, to go and travel, to go and focus, do everything I need to do. I'm content, I'm a hundred percent content with everything I've done.
Q. Can you tell us what's gone on the last few months that's brought you to this point? We were all wondering what you were going to do. Tell us some of the process.
PETE SAMPRAS: The process, like I said, before Wimbledon, when I started to do some training and practicing, I felt this was real, I was going to stop at some point. I felt like it was going to be maybe later in the year. But I feel like I was ready, I was ready to move on and retire.
The USTA approached me a few weeks ago as far as coming here and being part of the ceremony. I'm flattered, you know, to be back.
But I know in my heart it's time.
Q. Can you talk about what it was like just walking in here? I know you're emotional now, but just arriving on the grounds tonight, did you look at center court, anything?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. All I did -- it was an emotional drive, just driving here, my last time doing that. I just went into the office. I haven't seen the court, haven't really seen anybody. Just got here a few minutes ago.
I'm sure tonight will be emotional, to be back on the court, to see the fans. It's definitely coming to terms with stopping. This is something that I love to do and I've been doing since I was seven. Saying good-bye is not easy, but I know it's time in my heart (tearing up).
Q. What do you want to do with the next 10 years of your life?
PETE SAMPRAS: I'm going to figure that out over the next couple years.
Q. What are the options?
PETE SAMPRAS: Whatever I want really. I can watch my boy grow up, be a good husband. Really I'm going to figure that out. I'm enjoying my time, playing a lot of golf, doing a lot of things that I couldn't do for many years. That's really it.
But there will come a day that I'll want to do something. I just don't know right now.
Q. You talked about coming to terms with giving up. Did it take a full year for you to do that?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.
Q. How hard was that?
PETE SAMPRAS: It was very hard. I went through this process starting last year here. After winning, two months after winning here, I felt like I wasn't sure what was next. I kept on pulling out of events through the year, always thinking I might play Wimbledon again.
And once I started doing some practicing and training for Wimbledon, and my heart wasn't into it, I knew that it was time, or the time was close to just saying good-bye. And I know in my heart that I'm done, a hundred percent done, I'm not coming back, coming out of retirement. I'm at peace with it. That's great.
Q. What was the biggest thing in the other category to make you consider not being done?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, playing well again. Winning here last year. Momentum, just keep it going for this year. But I realize it's a lot of work, a lot of focus. I've been going at it pretty hard for a very long time. And either I'm going to do it all the way or I'm not going to do it at all. I'm not going to play to say good-bye, I'm going to play to win.
And once I felt that my heart just wasn't where it needs to be, it needs to be in your blood. And after The Open last year, I felt like slowly it was going away. And I'm at peace. I'm really a hundred percent done.
Q. Four men, if I'm right, very important in your game: your dad took you out to the courts, Pete gave you your early strokes, Gully and Paul guided you. Of those four, which do you think was most key? Secondly, what was it like going through the Wimbledon fortnight and not being there? Did you watch? Was that tough?
PETE SAMPRAS: I watched a little bit, but it wasn't tough. You know, first day I saw Wimbledon, I missed it, I missed the court, I missed the stadium. It's another tournament. It's a grind. It's a lot of pressure. In a lot of ways, I was glad I was home.
The answer to your first question, obviously, my dad, he gave me the chance to play, which I'll always be thankful. And Tim, he took me from 6 in the world as far as going No. 1 in the world. Lost him. Paul really, for the past seven years, has been huge for my career. I mean, he has never got the credit that he deserves, and has been instrumental with everything I've done in my career as far as staying No. 1. It worked out well.
Q. Would you be where you were without PeteFisher?
PETE SAMPRAS: You could say that. But, you know, I don't --
Q. You always shy away from discussing the situation that a lot of people say arguably you're the best player that ever played the game. Can you kind of put your career in perspective, how you see it now?
PETE SAMPRAS: I will never sit here and say I'm the greatest ever. I just won't. It's up -- it's not up to anyone. I've done what I've done in the game. I've won a number of majors. I think that's really, you know, kind of the answer to everything.
It's hard to compare the '90s to the '60s and the '40s. I don't know if there's one best player of all time.
I feel like my game will match up against anybody. I played perfect tennis in my mind at times. I really stayed No. 1 for many years, which is tough to do. I feel like when it was a big match, that I was going to come through.
But to say I'm the greatest ever, I won't say that. At times I felt like when I was playing out there, I was playing, you know, pretty close to perfect tennis. But it's hard to compare.
Q. Do you have one special moment in your career?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's hard to pick one right now. I mean, last year was great. What happened here, coming through a tough year and a half, breaking the all-time record. The Wimbledons that I've won, all the Slams that I've won. Davis Cup in Moscow. I mean there's quite a bit there.
Q. When you were kicking back at home the last year, thinking about your career, what are the images that pop up in your mind, some of the tournaments, people you've played, all that?
PETE SAMPRAS: Just a whole bunch of memories. My Wimbledon finals. I mean, there's a few to choose from. I mean, obviously what happened last year here, everyone kind of writing me off - felt great. Being able to stay on top for many years, to be that consistent, I think I can say I was pretty happy about that.
Just the majors that I've won. I mean, those mean a lot to me. Having a great career that I'm proud of and I'm content right now. Played a lot of great players over the years. You know, the Boris Beckers, Andre Agassis. I look back on those matches as being some great tennis that I was a part of.
There's quite a bit there.
Q. There were a lot of people who were here last year for the final who thought that was just the perfect punctuation mark for your career. At the time, when you sat in here last year after that final, how much of a feeling did you have that you were done?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I really didn't know at the time. I thought about it a little bit, you know, during the two weeks, but I never realistically thought I was going to win and stop. But once I did, it's a process, retirement. It's not something you wake up one day and say, "I'm retired." You need to go through all the emotions, and I did that. I went through everything I had to go through to be convinced I'm a hundred percent done. And that's where I am right now.
To say I would have stopped on the final, I was not there yet. I certainly am now.
Q. When you say you knew in your heart it was time, does it mean all these years there was a kind of a small voice that you were following which also became part of why you are greatest of all time? To finish career with the Grand Slam, no one did it in history of game. Thanks.
PETE SAMPRAS: I'm not sure what your question is (smiling).
Q. I knew that you say, "I knew in my heart it's time."
PETE SAMPRAS: Right.
Q. Does it mean all these years you were following still small voice, specific conversation you had, which can also be a part of the answer why you're the greatest of all times?
PETE SAMPRAS: I mean, no. The only thing that I was telling myself was I wanted to win one more major. I've always had goals, very lofty goals, over the career. But I know what it takes to be there, and I know now I'm not there.
That's the formula that I had over the years, was the focus and the drive. Now it's not there anymore. So it is time to stop.
Q. It's obviously impossible to pinpoint one match in a long career. For many people in New York and tennis fans everywhere, that night against Corretja in '96 was pretty special. Have you ever watched tapes of that night? What effect do you think it had in terms of you in your career?
PETE SAMPRAS: If anything -- I haven't seen the match in a while (smiling). The perception was maybe that I have heart, and I wanted to win, and I was digging deep - no pun. I won it. There are times where I look a little lackadaisical, not into it. Not feeling great, physically getting tired, I was able to get through it. That was a great moment for me.
Q. You said it's a long process coming to retirement. Was there any one clinching moment or thought that you finally said, "Right, that's it"?
PETE SAMPRAS: Like I said, all year I had Wimbledon in the back of my mind and felt like once that event came around, you know, I might get myself going, get myself training and practicing. And once I started that process of starting to practice, after three days, I was done. I just didn't want to practice. I didn't want to train. I didn't want to do everything you have to do. I feel like I did it all.
I think that's when it hit me.
Q. When exactly was that?
PETE SAMPRAS: It was a couple months before Wimbledon. I kind of made an effort to kind of "let's do some work here." Like I said, after three days, I just felt my heart wasn't into it. You know, it wasn't in my blood anymore. That was the start of the process of it was pretty close to being over.
A few months later, I just felt like "It's time, it's time to announce it and move on."
Q. What will you miss the most?
PETE SAMPRAS: I'll miss playing. I'll miss competing. I'll miss going out in finals at Wimbledon or here, in front of 20,000 people, that rush, that excitement. I'll miss the competition.
Just the joy of just playing the game that I will miss.
Q. I heard that the SamprasTennis Academy has been scrapped. Do you have any plans in the future of an academy?
PETE SAMPRAS: I'm open to different ideas. As of right now, I'm not doing much.
Q. Champions of the past were strong rivals. When they retire, they became good friends. Do you see yourself in the future going out to dinner with Andre Agassi, for instance, and his family?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, funny enough, I could. When you're competing against each other, you can't. When it's all said and done, I've got a lot of respect for Andre. I've never disliked Andre. He's one of the nicest guys out there, and my rival. Five, ten years down the road, I can see us having Christmas together. I don't know about Christmas, but I don't see any reasons why not (laughter).
Q. You tried hard to win the French Open. Borg never won here. Other great players have not won everything. Do you feel that's a hole, or are you happy with what you did?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's a disappointment, not winning in Paris. It's something I don't think about much. I'm not thinking about it, obviously, today. It's just disappointment. I would love to have won there. I feel like one year I had a chance there, but it didn't happen. You know, life goes on. It's one of those places that never really seemed to click. It's pretty disappointing. Something I don't worry about.
Q. If you could pick one match that you would say represents everything you wanted out of tennis, is there one that stands out that you'd like to bottle and preserve?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think playing Andre in the finals of Wimbledon, I think it was 2000, I played perfect tennis. I just remember from 3-All to the rest of the match, it's as good as I could play. I'll bottle that one up and save it. That was as good as I can play.
Q. What would be your happiest and saddest moments in your career?
PETE SAMPRAS: Saddest would be playing Bastl last year at Wimbledon. That was one of the biggest low points - maybe the biggest. I was really down in the dumps after that. I think two months later winning here was the highest. Pretty much night and day there.
Q. Do you fancy going to Wimbledon, being on Centre Court, and how will you feel?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know. It's a ways away. I would go back to Wimbledon one day. If it's next year, five years from now, I don't know. Again, that court and this court really has meant a lot to me. It was hard not being there this year. But I plan on going back one day.
Q. Are you leaving American tennis in good hands now? Michael is going to retire. Jim is retired. Andre won't be around too long.
PETE SAMPRAS: I think we're in good shape. Roddick has taken it to a new level now, seems like. James Blake and Mardy Fish, guys are starting to catch on a little bit.
To duplicate what Andre and I did, Jim and Michael, it's going to be tough. I mean, there's a lot of majors there. But I think it's in pretty good shape.
Q. How are you different from the 19-year-old who sat here as the US Open champion?
PETE SAMPRAS: Not a lot different. That's one thing I'm proud of. I didn't change much over the years. I was true to myself. I didn't sell out for any -- you know, for the press or anybody. I was true to myself.
Just a little more mature. A little more wise than I was back then. But as a person, still pretty much the same.
Q. Is it possible we will see you on the seniors tour in a few years?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, I don't plan on playing any senior tennis.
Q. If you could change one aspect of your career either in terms of strokes or training, any aspect of your game, what would you change?
PETE SAMPRAS: I mean, I really wouldn't change anything. I trained hard, I worked hard, I put everything out there. I prepared as best I could. Sometimes I won, sometimes I lost. I wouldn't change a thing.
Q. You would still go for all the No. 1's, make those pushes in the late fall?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.
Q. You obviously saw the game change a lot in the years you played. Do you feel at all that it's changing in the wrong direction in terms of technology, racquets getting bigger, not a whole lot of serve and volley going on anymore? Are you worried about that at all?
PETE SAMPRAS: The serve and volley game is pretty much gone today. I do worry about it. Still have Federer and a couple guys here and there. I'm a little concerned. I think the best tennis is a serve and volleyer playing against a baseliner. You don't really see that much today.
Q. Racquets getting too big?
PETE SAMPRAS: There's some racquets that are very powerful. But, you know, it's something I don't have to think about anymore (smiling).
Q. Since we haven't seen you since your son was born, can you tell us what fatherhood has brought to you?
PETE SAMPRAS: I adore this little boy, I really do. He's starting to crawl now. I'm having to work a little more. I love being home with him and taking care of him, taking care of my wife. It has changed my life. It's made me pretty complete. Looking forward to seeing him grow up and being a good role model for him. Really it's been a happy time.
Q. How are your diaper-changing skills?
PETE SAMPRAS: I've become pretty good at it.
Q. You always let your game speak for you. Is there any final message you'd like to leave with your fans, people who followed you over the years?
PETE SAMPRAS: I mean, I've said a few things over the years, not a ton. You know, to sum it up in one sentence is hard to do.
I just loved winning. I loved playing the game. Felt like I was pretty good at it. I mean, there's not any message. I didn't change much over the years through success. I respected my opponents, the umpires. I felt like I was pretty positive out there.
Q. Is there a message you're going to be mentioning tonight on court?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. I mean, I'm going to say thanks, thanks for the fans and for the people that helped get me here, my family and friends. But I've always enjoyed playing New York. I just want to say thanks to them.
Q. What reaction have you had from some of your contemporaries to your decision?
PETE SAMPRAS: I haven't really talked to anyone really.
Q. Have you spoken to Andre much at all this year?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. A little bit about a month ago.
Q. What did he say about it?
PETE SAMPRAS: I wasn't yet retired. We were talking about this exhibition maybe in Vegas. I told him that I was pretty close to being done. We had kind of a private conversation about it.
Q. Do you think you'll be more appreciated now that you're retired? Sometimes athletes are not appreciated during their careers, especially someone who is a no-fuss kind of guy. Some people called you boring.
PETE SAMPRAS: (Smiling).
Q. Do you think now that it's all done, people will appreciate you more?
PETE SAMPRAS: Probably. Probably over time and history, they'll appreciate me more.
But I feel and have felt appreciated over the past number of years. Early on, in my mid '20s, wasn't quite there. But I feel like as I started losing, I started getting more fans.
Q. Going back to that 19-year-old kid, if someone had told you then 13 years later you'd be sitting here at your retirement announcement, reflecting back on the body of work you accomplished, would you have thought them crazy?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. At 19 I won The Open, but I wasn't sure what I wanted. I won't say I got lucky. I played two great weeks of tennis. When I lost to Edberg here in '92, I knew that's what I wanted. That loss made me change my career. It made me hate to lose. At that point it was good enough getting to the finals. I gave in in that match. Ever since that moment, I just became obsessed with being the best. It was night and day from '90 to '92. I just felt like I was a better competitor. I worked a little harder. I wanted it a little more. After that loss, it changed my career.
Q. Tiger Woods always talks about breaking Nicklaus' records. Did that ever get into your mind as a younger man?
PETE SAMPRAS: Never. When you're young, you're not sure what you want really. You say you want to be No. 1, win a major. You're just not sure until you're kind of put in that environment. I enjoy the environment. I enjoy being the best. I could deal with the pressure. I feel like I had the game to do it.
But to sit here and say I planned on winning 14 majors when I was eight years old, you're crazy. I felt like when I was getting close, seven, eight, nine, ten majors, I felt like it was a possibility, I was still pretty young. But I didn't have that goal when I was a kid.
Q. We know it's all about the excitement you had for winning and being the best. The lifestyle of a No. 1 player, flying around the world, getting access to things that regular people wouldn't, meeting athletes that may have been role models to you, what are some of the thrills or exciting moments you had, whether on another continent or hanging out with Tiger Woods? What has tennis afforded you?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, you know, play the great golf courses in the country (laughter). I can get into a lot of restaurants last minute.
When I was traveling and playing, I didn't really do a whole lot. I was pretty much in the hotel, back to the courts, back to the hotel. It was just kind of the lifestyle.
I'm a huge Pearl Jam fan, been on stage a few times, which is a huge thrill. I met a lot of great people. In this Tahoe event, I met Barkley for the first time. That was entertaining, doing some gambling with him. I met the best athletes - Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky. Those guys are legends. That's been fun meeting those guys.
Q. Can you talk about the role your wife has played the last few years in your journey?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, she has been my rock through the whole marriage. At a time where I was struggling, my heart wasn't into it as much, I feel like I achieved a lot and sacrificed a lot. She got blamed for it, which is absolute bullshit. It wasn't easy to deal with. But she stuck with me and we got through it together. There are times where I felt like I did want to stop over the past couple years. One thing she told me was, "You know, I want you to stop on your terms, not what the press is saying, not any of that, just on your terms." I needed to be reminded of that. I think I'm going out on my terms.
Q. Regarding your years at Saddle Brook in Florida, would you like to share your good and bad memories of those years?
PETE SAMPRAS: I trained there and practiced. It was a good place to do some training.
Q. You're a fairly private person. How comfortable are you tonight with the public retirement?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I feel like I'm going back to my house. Going back on that court has always been pretty comfortable for me, having to play or speak. I'm not addressing Congress. I'm addressing fans of tennis and fans of myself. So I just want to go there and thank the people that helped me: family, friends, coaches and the fans, for being there, supporting the game, supporting myself. That's the plan.
Q. Your retirement is casting a long shadow over the tournament, the sport. What do you think are the good and bad things in the sport of tennis?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think the game is still very strong. The men's game, you have some young guys coming up, doing well. Having Andre still playing is great for the game. On the ladies' side, the obvious ones aren't here. To be honest with you, for the past year, I've gotten as far away from the game as possible. I don't read any, I don't watch any. To shut it out has been nice. It's been so consuming to my life for so many years. It just felt good not to pay any attention to it. As time goes on, I will follow it and be part of it in some way. I just don't know right now.
Q. Who is here with you tonight?
PETE SAMPRAS: Everybody.
Q. You were always such an ultraconfident person, even the times when you weren't winning tournaments like you were before. You never expressed any doubts about your ability to come back and win Slams. Were there any real times when you thought you might not be able to go back and win another Slam again?
PETE SAMPRAS: I never had a doubt, I really didn't. I wasn't doing it. I wasn't winning Slams, but I felt like I still could. That's why I kept it going. That's why I continued to play after 13 majors. How I did it last year was that I still felt like I had the game, not week in and week out like I used to, but for two weeks I felt like I could still do it. I proved it to myself, which is the most important thing to me. Once I have nothing left to prove, that's where I'm at right now, so...
Q. At some point when you decide to get at least back into tennis in a peripheral way, could you do television commentary? If you decided that was something you could do, could you be critical enough to do it?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know if it's something that interests me. If you need me to be critical, sure, maybe. It's not something I'm really considering right now, to do any commentary. Maybe down the road I could. To be a commentator you need to be a little critical at certain times - in a nice way (smiling).
Q. Would you ever consider being Davis Cup coach? What was Pete Sampras' greatest quality as a person that allowed him to be such a great champion?
PETE SAMPRAS: Davis Cup right now doesn't interest me, being coach or captain. It's very political, I hear. I don't think I really have the energy for that. The qualities as a person, I just felt like I try to be a good person, be a great tennis player. I just appreciate my folks for the way they raised me (tearing up).
Q. Nobody's said this yet, but thank you for all you've done for us in the tennis industry. I know the fans will love you tonight.
PETE SAMPRAS: Thank you.
Q. Is the retirement how you envisioned it? You said you thought about retirement the last year or two. Is this the way you wanted to retire? Is this what you had in mind?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I honestly never really thought about how I wanted to go out; I really didn't. This all kind of happened in the past three or four weeks, coming to New York, being part of the ceremony. You know, most team sports guys play their season, they have a press conference and they're done. Tennis players, it's different. Everyone just kind of fades away. This is the way it happened. I didn't plan on it. I'm glad I'm in New York. It's a final good-bye for me. It's closure. Looking forward to a good ceremony tonight, being able to talk to you guys about it. You haven't talked to me in quite a while openly. Something I wanted to do.
Q. Question regarding Wimbledon.
PETE SAMPRAS: Would I go back there?
Q. Yes.
PETE SAMPRAS: I would go back there and have a cup of tea up top. I would love to go back to see it again. It's something I miss.
Q. Do you have any advice for a young kid who is starting to play tennis now?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, something that I did when I was a youngster, I was more concerned about playing well than winning. I think parents and kids today are so worried about winning when they're 12, 13, 14. I wasn't worried about winning when I was young. It was more important being well and being a great pro. That's something I would emphasize to youngsters, improving, not winning everything.
Q. 32 years of age, very young, very gifted. When you finally made the decision, was it painful?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's not painful; it's emotional. It's coming to terms with something that is a passion of mine that I love to do, that's been my life. To say good-bye to it, to say I'm not going to play again, not going to be out here on this court, it's emotional. It's a closed chapter, but still part of me is out there. I'm also realistic in knowing that my time is done. I've done everything I can do. I'm at peace with stopping. It's time to move on.
RANDY WALKER: Thank you very much.
8/25/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras: 'I'm done, 100 percent done'|:||:|1061855757|:|By HOWARD FENDRICH, AP Tennis Writer
August 25, 2003
NEW YORK (AP) -- Pete Sampras kept saying it, over and over, almost as though he wanted to make sure it sounded right: ``I'm done, 100 percent done.''
The owner of a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles delivered a formal farewell to tennis Monday in a news conference at the U.S. Open, not quite one year since he won the tournament in what turned out to be his final match.
He withdrew from tournament after tournament this season, but he never came out and said he would quit. Sampras said he made up his mind after deciding not to play at Wimbledon.
``The process is now over. I'm 100 percent retired,'' Sampras said, his voice cracking. ``I'm at peace with it. It's time to call it a career.''
Sampras, who's 32 and became a father in November, leaves with 64 singles titles, including seven at Wimbledon, five at the U.S. Open, and two at the Australian Open.
``I will never sit here and say I'm the greatest ever. I've done what I've done in the game. I've won a number of majors -- I think that's kind of the answer to everything,'' said Sampras, wearing a black suit and gray shirt.
``I don't know if there's one best player of all time. I feel my game will match up to just about anybody. I played perfect tennis at times, in my mind.''
The only gap on an otherwise impeccable record was never winning the French Open, the only major played on clay, a slower surface that isn't conducive to his serve-and-volley style. Sampras' best showing at Roland Garros was reaching the 1996 semifinals; he never made it beyond the third round again.
``It's a disappointment not winning in Paris, but I don't think about it much,'' Sampras said.
He finished at No. 1 in the rankings a record six years (1993-98) and held the top spot a total of 286 weeks, another record. Sampras tops the career earnings list with $43 million.
``Staying at No. 1 for six consecutive years is an incredibly demanding thing,'' said Jim Courier, a rival of Sampras' in the 1990s and now a TV analyst. ``He was able to stay healthy and stay hungry and continue to win at a very competitive time. He was playing against some tremendous all-time champions and still dominating: Boris (Becker) and Stefan Edberg and Andre (Agassi) -- those guys are some of the best that ever played.''
Sampras forever will be associated with Wimbledon, where his skills translated perfectly to grass, and where he went 56-1 while winning seven titles in eight years.
Still, the National Tennis Center made a perfect setting for his goodbye: He won the first and last of his record 14 major titles at the U.S. Open.
``Obviously, it's been an amazing run for Pete, and what an appropriate way to sort of cap it by coming back to the site where it all started and where it all ended for him,'' Courier said. ``It's a perfect punctuation point on his career.''
In 1990, Sampras beat Agassi in the final to become, at 19, the youngest champion in tournament history. Last year, he beat -- guess who? -- Agassi again to become, at 31, the oldest Open champion since 1970.
Last year's title was particularly sweet, given that Sampras hadn't won any tournament in more than two years. The man he beat in the third round, 1997 finalist Greg Rusedski, called Sampras ``a step and a half slow'' -- but Sampras just kept winning. He knocked off twentysomethings Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick while playing five matches in seven days to get to a fairy tale final against lifelong rival Agassi.
After, Sampras hinted he might walk away, but he never came out and said so. Instead, he practiced with coach Paul Annacone this year and kept pulling out of tournaments, week by week, until he was 100 percent sure he was ready to hang up the racket for good.
``As the year went on, he wanted to see how it felt, wondering: `Do I need to go play?' Clearly, Pete is someone who knows what he needs to do to be prepared to play. He didn't just want to show at a tournament. He wanted to be ready to win,'' Annacone said. ``This whole process has been about deciding what you want to do about playing, and now he'll move on.''
Probably in part because he came into the game alongside Agassi, Mr. Image is Everything from the get-go, Sampras often drew criticism for not showing more emotion on court or not being enough of a celebrity off it.
``He's been one of the greatest male players to ever have played, and at the same time, he's always been slightly overshadowed by Andre and some of the other players, which is pretty unique,'' three-time major champion Lindsay Davenport said. ``What I admire most about him is how he was able to win the U.S. Open last year. It seemed for two years he was just struggling and struggling. Everyone had pretty much written him off, and then he comes through.'' 8/25/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|A Legendary Career Comes Full Circle|:||:|1061800760|:|[August 25, 2003 CHRISTOPHER CLAREY, NY Times] He was never interested in a farewell tour, but Pete Sampras has agreed to a farewell ceremony, and when he walks just a touch self-consciously on court at Arthur Ashe Stadium tonight during the first night session of this year's United States Open, he will complete the near-perfect circle of his career in the most appropriate place.
Pristine, restrained Wimbledon, which he won seven times, was the tournament that defined him, but the polychromatic and cacophonous United States Open was the event where he took his first and last star turns.
Sampras, 32, won his first Grand Slam singles title here in 1990 at the age of 19, sweeping aside the best of the old guard (Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe) and the best of the new wave (Andre Agassi). Twelve years later, as a married man about to become a father, he won his 14th and last Grand Slam title by beating Agassi in the final.
He has not played another match since, and after considerable soul-searching and a lot more golf practice than tennis practice, he has finally decided to make his retirement official.
"It was a rush, no doubt about it: waiting with Andre in the tunnel before a final in a major and then going out with the crowd going nuts," Sampras said in a recent interview. "I'll always miss those moments, but reality sets in and there comes a time when you let go of all that. You've done your thing."
For Sampras, the biggest source of pride in his career was his consistency. He is the only player in the 30-year-history of the computer ranking to finish No. 1 for six consecutive years.
In all, he held the top spot for a record 286 weeks, earned a record $43,280,489 in prize money and won two more Grand Slam singles titles than any man in history.
Sampras considers those 14 major titles the highlight of his career. He puts his six straight years at No. 1 in second place. "That definitely takes its toll," he said. "And being able to handle that - the pressure on and off the court - is just a reflection of my personality. I don't get too down when I lose or too high when I win. It's funny. I was talking to somebody and they told me that Barry Sanders's dad used to tell Barry when he was young: 'You run into the end zone and pretend like you've been here before and will do it again.'
"That kind of sums up my career. People always wanted me to show more excitement, but I felt like I'd been there before and I was going to be back there soon. When Barry went into the end zone, he didn't do the whole touchdown dance, and I felt the same way after I won a tournament."
Sampras said he believed the best tennis he ever played was against Agassi in the 1999 Wimbledon final, which he won in straight sets. "My best match at such a big moment," he said.
He added some other moments on his short list of career highlights.
Leading the United States to victory over Russia in the 1995 Davis Cup final in Moscow on his least favorite surface (clay) by fighting through fatigue and cramps to win two singles matches. He also played brilliantly in doubles with Todd Martin.
Shrugging off a leg injury to break Roy Emerson's career Grand Slam record (12 titles) in the twilight at Wimbledon in 2000 with his parents watching for the first time from the Center Court stands.
Putting an end to a more than two-year title drought and, as it turns out, his career by beating Agassi in last year's United States Open final.
"Each major I've won I took something away from," he said. "I've won majors by playing dominant tennis from the first match on. One year at Wimbledon, I lost my serve twice, and I've won majors where I haven't played that well and just found a way to win."
One of those was the 1996 United States Open, when he had to fight his way through a quarterfinal against Alex Corretja of Spain, vomiting on court between points during the decisive set. "The Corretja match kind of confused a lot of people, but I think I showed I wasn't dogging it, for all the cynics out there," he said.
Sampras said his most important loss was the 1992 United States Open final against Stefan Edberg.
"That really changed my career for the better," he said. "I felt like I gave in that match; I felt it was good enough getting into the final. After that, the fact I knew I gave in bothered me a lot. I do hate to lose. I did more work, and it was just clear to me that nobody cares who comes in second. I learned the hard way and went from a kid who didn't know what he wanted to knowing exactly what he wanted in the course of one match."
What he wants now is a less frenetic existence, and he will retire today in the presence of family, friends and former champions, although Rod Laver, the former champion who has the most in common with Sampras, is not expected to make the journey from his home in Carlsbad, Calif.
Laver was the left-handed Australian whom Sampras grew up admiring for his comportment and achievements. Now that Sampras is all grown up, Laver remains the only player who is consistently ranked above him in the historical pecking order.
Laver won 11 Grand Slam titles, and he is the only player to complete the Grand Slam twice: winning the Australian Open, French Open, Wimbledon and United States Open in the same calendar year, in 1962 and in 1969.
Sampras never won the French Open, which is played on clay. And he reached the semifinals at Roland Garros only once, in 1996, during a sun-drenched spring in Paris and a dark time in Sampras's life, when he was trying to play through the pain of his coach Tim Gullikson's death from cancer.
"In a flat-out debate, you have to give the edge record-wise to Laver," said Sampras's friend and former rival, Jim Courier. "Laver didn't win the French just once. He won it twice, and Pete hasn't made it to the final of the French. But Pete is the best player in the Open era, no question, and a close second to Laver, in my opinion, all-time."
That remains the majority viewpoint, but there is a sizable minority supporting Sampras, including Paul Annacone, his last coach.
Citing Sampras's six years ranked No. 1, Annacone said that in this era, many players tailor their games for a particular surface and become extremely proficient at playing on that surface.
"I think it's been the most difficult era to be successful consistently," Annacone said.
Patrick McEnroe, the United States Davis Cup captain, said he believed Sampras would have won more than 20 major titles if he, like Laver, had been able to play three out of the four Grand Slam tournaments on grass.
But Laver surely would have won many more than 11 if he had not missed five years of Grand Slam play during the prime of his career between turning professional in 1963 and the start of the Open era in 1968.
"You can't compare the eras," Sampras once said.
Perhaps not, but you can close them out in style, and that will be the objective tonight.
"It's bittersweet," Courier said. "A little bit like getting ready to graduate from college. The real world beckons." 8/25/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|A Great One Goes Out in Style|:||:|1061800370|:|[August 25, 2003 Sally Jenkins] Pete Sampras will leave the game as he played it, a modest, easy, all-time great. You see all kinds of retirements in sports, and most of them are emotionally awkward and difficult to watch. There's the weeping news conference. There's the endless, ceremonial you'll-miss-me tour. There's the stutter-step retirement, in which the athlete retires only to unretire when he craves attention or needs the money.
Almost no one retires well.
But Sampras is retiring in graceful self-control. He plans to announce his retirement in a ceremony at the U.S. Open tonight, and a lot of people wonder why Sampras won't make more of the event, allow himself to be more elaborately feted. The simple answer is that
Sampras doesn't need it. He doesn't need a last jolt of adrenaline or dose of adulation. He doesn't need a prolonged ego bath. He doesn't need more money, or trophies. He doesn't need any of the things that other athletes find it so hard to walk away from. He's content.
That contentment is a kind of achievement in its own right. Sampras has made himself invisible since his victory in last year's U.S. Open. His 14th major championship now stands as the last match of his career, the perfect finish.
He's never played in another tournament. He's declined all interviews. He's simply stayed at home with his wife and new baby. Typically, he's chosen the anticlimactic first night of this year's tournament, rather than the last, to make his announcement. The session isn't even sold out.
Some may find this disappointing, but I find it to be utterly true to who Sampras is. He never trusted fame, and always boxed up and guarded his ego.
Here are two true stories about Sampras, and how he consistently handled his success from the time he won his first U.S. Open at 19, to his last at 32. In 1996, Sampras was traveling cross country in first class on a commercial jet, and sat next to Barry Bonds. Bonds
didn't recognize him, and Sampras, shyly, didn't introduce himself. Behind Sampras sat a friend of Bonds, who wanted to sit with the ballplayer. Bonds pointed at Sampras. "If this kid gets [up], you can move up here," Bonds said. Sampras shrugged and moved, without a word.
At around the same time, he tried to go to dinner at a Florida steakhouse, only to find that the line for a table went out the door. Sampras, for perhaps the only time in his life, tried to use his influence. He walked up to the hostess and asked for a table. The
hostess didn't know who he was. Sampras went to the back of the line, embarrassed, and never did it again.
Sampras has been the same reserved and methodical player throughout his career, no matter how many tournaments he won or records he set. Which achievement will stand longest? His record 14 Grand Slam titles? His seven Wimbledon titles? His six straight years as the year-end No. 1 player in the world? It's the latter that Sampras might be proudest of, because it bespeaks an entire philosophy of the game, tennis as ethic. He wasn't just great, he was dependably great. He never tanked, never ducked a commitment and struck every ball with serious intent. His work habits were equal to his talent.
For this he was labeled boring, but the label did a disservice to a player who made professionalism into artistry, and vice versa. He played complete and deeply realized tennis, but the lulling beauty of his game was so hypnotic that audiences couldn't imagine it came from sweat and work. In fact, it was the product of grim focus, self-deprivation and discipline. He burned to win so much that he got ulcers. He spent hours sweating with weights in a Florida garage with no air-conditioning -- "They don't air-condition the court at the Open," he said.
He traveled without seeing countries, rarely leaving his hotel except to practice, and he ate the same monastic training diet for years, sauceless pasta and chicken. "Every meal, whether I liked it or not," he said. "Choking it down." A rare splurge was to go to Vegas to play blackjack for a weekend, or to Peter Luger's steakhouse in New York, which more often than not left him queasy because he wasn't used to such rich food.
It was a source of frustration to him that the audience didn't grasp how much effort was behind the ease. "People watch him win, and think that doesn't look too hard," his coach, Paul Annacone, said. "But he'd like people to understand just how difficult it is."
The problem was that Sampras wasn't willing to abandon his reserve in exchange for understanding. If that was the price, he preferred to be misunderstood. He suffered a rare public breakdown at the Australian Open, after learning that his coach and friend, Tim Gullikson, had terminal brain cancer, and wept on the court in the midst of a match against Jim Courier. But later, he was bothered by his new popularity as a result of the episode. "It galled me that it took something like that for people to say, 'He's human,' " he said.
He preferred to stay sheltered in the hills above Los Angeles in a home that was comfortable, not palatial, and hidden behind towering old trees. "No one can see in and I can't see out, and I like it that way," he said. "I'm Howard Hughes." He kept his trophies on a shelf in the TV room, and enjoyed showing them, but with typical self-deprecation. "They aren't as heavy as you think," he said.
The press always found Sampras difficult to render precisely because he was so moderate and well-regulated. His genius came without the McEnroe-esque emotional torture, and therefore was un-dramatic. He was neither heroic nor villainous, he was simply excellent. Greatness was his only real excess. A villain or tortured genius would have been easier to describe. He was not a good conductor for audience emotions, either, because the whole point of him was that he was great every day, and the last thing audiences want at a sports event is the everyday.
But I'll miss him, both personally and professionally. I'll miss his hugely aspiring game, cloaked in that lazybones demeanor. I'll miss the prodigious sleeper, the slouchy, gangly, drowsy kid who napped in the player lounge and shuffled around in flip-flops for the past 15 years. I'll miss the determined, glowering athlete who internalized pain but couldn't keep it from coming out sideways. I'll miss the dedicated player who made a champion out of himself by deciding that his work should be equal to his talent. I'll miss his gorgeous classicism, his buried humor, his essential decency and his shy friendliness.
I suspect I won't see Sampras coming out of retirement to struggle to one more quarterfinal, just so he can hear applause again. I won't see a seedier, paunchy version of him on the senior tennis circuit a few years from now. The only place any of us is liable to see him is courtside at a Lakers game, or walking his baby in the park, contentedly. But then, Sampras has never wanted to be seen. He only wanted to be great.
8/24/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras was the equal of my idol Laver|:||:|1061737204|:|[August 24, 2003 John McEnroe] I have to admit to being a little surprised that Pete Sampras has taken the decision to retire, but then I'm not very big on retirements, having never taken the trouble to announce my own. Technically speaking, I still haven't retired, but I never had the chance to go out on a high note as Sampras has, as the US Open champion - albeit one year late.
At a special ceremony at Flushing Meadows tomorrow night the curtain will be officially brought down on the career of one of the all-time greats, thereby upstaging, not for the first time but probably the last, Michael Chang. Poor Chang, who is on something of a farewell tour this year, seems to have spent his entire career in the shadow of Sampras and his contemporaries Jim Courier and Andre Agassi.
I never saw Don Budge, Fred Perry or Lew Hoad play, but I have either watched or played against the greatest players of the open era and, for me, Sampras ranks alongside my idol Rod Laver as the greatest of that period.
I am loathe to put anyone ahead of a player who twice achieved the Grand Slam as Laver did - not to mention one who was a fellow leftie - but Sampras, the 14-time slam winner, was at least the Australian's equal in terms of ability.
In fact, if they could have played each other in their prime, I've no doubt Sampras would have won more often. He had all the shots and was also a much better athlete than people gave him credit for. If his volleying was not quite as good as the rest of his game when he started, it was at least as good long before the end of it. It was the same with the mental side of his game; he knew what he had to do to develop.
Like Ivan Lendl, he learned to become very strong mentally. One of his greatest qualities was his ability to play at his own rhythm. He was seldom ever forced out of his comfort zone, which is quite a feat.
Never was that more obvious than in the last match he played, in last year's US Open final, when he made someone as experienced and able as Agassi look like a statue for the first two sets. He could paralyse an opponent, as Andy Roddick, also at the US Open last year, would testify.
His body language was deceptive. Sometimes his head would go down and he would slouch around the court looking for all the world like a beaten player, which is something he never was. He had the ability to hang around in a match until things eventually went his way and, even when he was suffering physically, he was always capable of pulling something out of the fire with his extraordinary serve.
He and Boris Becker must have been the toughest guys to break in Wimbledon history when they were on their game. Not only did they have great first serves, but they also had the guts to go for it on the second.
I remember thinking when I played Sampras, 'How can he serve so big and place the ball so close to the line, and mix up his spins?' It was so difficult to put together enough points in a game to break him. It puts pressure on you to a point where if you don't feel downright inadequate, you certainly feel overwhelmed.
Wimbledon was perfect for Sampras both physically and mentally; a quiet setting before knowledgeable crowds in what is, let's face it, the world's best tennis stadium. No wonder he had so much success there. I don't think he ever left his Wimbledon house when he was playing there. You can call it boring or whatever you want to, but it can work. By not having any off-court problems, it was one less issue to deal with.
Having someone like Sampras dominating at a time when the game's popularity was under threat from other sports was unfortunate timing. In a one-on-one sport you desperately want personalities and it wasn't Pete's style to reach out. I
t wasn't all his fault, though. Tennis, in general, has shut itself off and paid the price. Players have got to make themselves more available to the media. If racing car drivers can be interviewed, as they are in the States, shortly before going out to race and putting their lives at risk, I am sure tennis players can be interviewed before doing nothing more dangerous than stepping on to a tennis court.
None of that detracts from my disappointment at seeing Pete go - particularly now that I don't have to play him any more - when he still has a few more years left in him. After all, he is still only 32. It is a surprise to me because tennis has been Sampras's whole life. It just goes to show that as great a player as he is, it still takes an enormous amount of effort and planning to get into a position where he can have a chance of winning.
For the first time in his life he has something else vying for his attention, namely his new wife and first child. I think he felt that he didn't want to give the same commitment to tennis nor could he. I can relate to that situation.
When I had kids I still wanted to be No 1 again but I didn't want to do it at the risk of being a lousy father and husband. I tried to do it in a way where I could be good at both, but it's very difficult to pull that off. As they say, when you get to 30 as a sportsman you have to work twice as hard just to stay where you are.
It's doubtful whether anyone for the foreseeable future will dominate the sport to the extent that Sampras has done. That is not to say I don't see certain individuals winning multiple slams. 8/24/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras soars higher than Rocket|:||:|1061737106|:|[August 24, 2003 Charles Bricker] I do remember, however, being mesmerized by the way Laver moved around the court, as if he was gliding on ice skates -- this wonderfully fluid man with the Popeye left forearm who was barred from the Grand Slams for six years because he turned professional before the Open Era.
Until Pete Sampras won his seventh Slam at the U.S. Open in 1995, there wasn't much debate about the best player in the world. It was Laver, who won 11 majors, including all four (the real Grand Slam) in 1962 and 1969, a feat which will never be duplicated.
There were those who threw out John McEnroe's name, and Bjorn Borg -- and the odd purist who thought no one could touch Bill Tilden.
But Laver was the only clear No. 1 for a long time. He won on every surface. He had every shot. He dominated the game. And he always left you feeling as if you had just watched one of the world's greatest athletes.
Now, however, with Sampras' official announcement of retirement, the time has come to hammer down the "who's No. 1" debate.
And the winner is Sampras.
There will always be difficulty in comparing Sampras to any player of another era because of the almost radical changes in competition and equipment.
Laver and Sampras were champions from distinctively different periods of the game. One played with heavy metal. One played predominantly with wood. The big money in the game drove hundreds of players internationally to become professionals in the 1990s, making the depth on the men's tour today 10 times greater than it was in the 1960s.
Laver, on the other hand, could have pounded down a Foster's on changeovers and still eased through the first three rounds of most of the Grand Slams he played.
The trick is to be able to project Rod into the 1990s and beyond and put a 10-ounce racket in his hands instead of the heavy racket he used to wield. But he was a magnificent athlete, and I don't see why, if he was in his youth today, he wouldn't be among the game's elite.
The case against Sampras centers on his failure to win the French Open in 13 attempts. If he had won at Roland Garros just once, there would be no debate. But that's always held up to him -- that he couldn't win a big one on clay.
Nevertheless, what is inescapable about Sampras' history are two records that probably will never be equaled: 14 Grand Slam titles and six years in a row finishing the season at No. 1. And he did it at a time when there were far more threats to his dominance than there were to Laver's.
8/23/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras coach: 'He doesn't want to unretire'|:||:|1061737078|:|[August 23, 2003 HOWARD FENDRICH, AP] Don't look for Pete Sampras to pull a Michael Jordan.
Sampras' coach, Paul Annacone, is pretty sure the 14-time Grand Slam champion is done for good with playing competitive tennis.
Sampras, who's 32, formally will announce his retirement Monday and be honored on opening night at the U.S. Open, the site of his last match one year ago.
"He waited to give himself the best chance to be sure. Pete doesn't want to unretire five times, like some athletes have done, whether it's Jordan or a professional boxer. He's pretty secure in that," Annacone said in an interview.
"Maybe in six months, he'll say, 'Gosh, I really miss it.' But I don't see him doing that."
Sampras beat Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final and pulled out of every tournament since -- although Sampras never actually said he was quitting.
"He's been thinking about it all year. He decided sometime after Wimbledon that he had had enough," Annacone said. "Part of the key was wondering how he was going to feel not being at Wimbledon, and how he would inevitably feel not being here at the U.S. Open. He had to come to terms with it being the end of his career."
Sampras practiced every day with Annacone early in the year, and he came close to returning to the pro tour in February or March.
"But he felt there wasn't any passion there," Annacone said.
"He feels likes he's climbed all the mountains that he's challenged himself with, and he's ready to move on now."
8/23/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras in exhibition|:||:|1061646906|:|[August 23, 2003 / NEW YORK ] In what might be the most-watched exhibition since Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs, promoters in Las Vegas are planning to pit Sampras and Andre Agassi against Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe in a made-for-TV doubles match that is almost certainly going to draw a wide audience.
The date is set at Dec. 27 but the site is not and there are money issues to iron out. But, said a source close to the negotiations, everything is on schedule.
All four players have agreed to play and to the special concept in which the "young" guys (Sampras and Agassi) will get only one serve instead of two, unless they lose a set. The match would be best-of-three.
How attractive would this exhibition be? It would put four tennis icons on the court at the same time and bring Sampras back to play for the first time since he won the 2002 U.S. Open a year ago. It would also bring together as a first-time doubles team, Connors and McEnroe -- two of the most volatile personalities in the history of the game.
Although Connors, 51, no longer plays on the senior tour, McEnroe, 44, is a frequent participant, and he still has the temper and blue language that he exhibited when he was a regular tour player.
In spite of their concurrent careers, Agassi and Sampras never played doubles together, either.
The match would be played indoors and, though there are numerous potential sites in Las Vegas, the MGM Grand would appear to be the most favorable. The 12,000-seat facility there has been used extensively for championship boxing matches.
By: Charles Bricker
Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
8/23/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Becker salutes "The Best of All Time"|:||:|1061604016|:|[August 23, 2003 Daily Times] German tennis legend Boris Becker paid tribute to seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras Friday as the American ace prepared to hang up his racket. "I have great respect for his decision," Becker told German news agency DPA. "But what can be nicer than ending your career with a Grand Slam victory?" said the three-time Wimbledon winner.
Sampras had a number of duels with Becker, 35, during his tennis career and the German is in doubt that the man who has won a record 14 Grand Slam titles is the greatest player ever. "In Pete Sampras the best tennis player of all time is retiring," lauded Becker. "For me the match against Pete in the 1996 Hannover Masters was unforgettable," continued Becker. "Even though I lost the final it was perhaps the best match of my life." Sampras triumphed 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4 in a five-set classic in Germany. AFP
Source: Daily times
8/22/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sad and Futureless|:||:|1061565600|:|[August 22, 2003 by Rahul, Samprasfanz] And the journey is finally coming to an end. 1 1/2 hours ago I opened my browser and it took me to the default msn.com page. A quick glance through the headlines had a little surprise. "Sampras to announce retirement". Though we all had more or less expected this to happen it was still a surprise. I didn't know how to react.
It is the feeling that you get when someone really old passes away. We are all expecting it, but it is still very sad when it happens. I am not sure why I feel so sad right now. I never expected Pete to pick up his racquet again. I knew that coming back would be more painful than joyful. But the finality is only now starting to sink in.
I am never going to see that first point ace. I remember vividly the first point of last years final. 0.3 seconds into the finals Agassi marching across to the other side of the court without moving a whisker. He might as well have stayed in his chair. The serve, a 130mph bomb down the T, the Pete trademark. Just the way Pete liked to start a match. Making his opponents know what they were up against.
Intimidating them right way. Pete never liked to waste time. No siree that was not his style. I am never going to see that second serve ace. The one that was just slightly slower but painted the corner, spinning with rpm only reserved for a car engine. And I am never going to see that monster forehand or the big backhand or those fearless forays to the net, the pass-me-if-you-can attitude and those sublime volleys. And the cat like grace and instinct.
Pete always reminded me of a cat on prowl. Always wanting to pounce on you. His opponents likened to preys. Alas, the cat has taken our leave. There will never be another king in the jungle. The Rogers, Andies and Juans and all will come and go. Agassi may keep playing well for another 5 years and sort of entertain himself. But when the real show is over and no main course is offered the opening acts and the little side orders have little meaning.
My first encounter with Pete, the tennis player, was 1989 when he beat Mats Wilander at the open. I was devastated. Mats was my favourite back then. I hated Pete for beating my favourite, but little did I know that this 18 year old in just another year would be holding the trophy in his hand. After an extraordinary performance where he beat Lendl in 5 McEnroe in 4 and Agassi... well just lets say it was ugly and beautiful.
The tennis, beautiful, the score ugly. Borrowing a journalist description, The scoreline had a grim progression, 4-3-2. Since that unlikely triumph in the tournament. Pete has made us laugh and cry. With the scale heavily tilting in the side of laughter. He has given us countless joy. I remember the days when he has lifted my spirits with performances that have left me in disbelief. From his first to his last wimbledon triumph. From every big serve to countless delicate volleys, from the running forehand to the sharp down the line backhand. We have lived through those tense moments and through those himalayan triumphs which were as much our trimphs as his. The unforgettable memories that he has served. The undying quest for greatness that he has displayed.
I remember during the 1995 US Open McEnroe, who has not always been very kind to Pete commenting. How can you beat this guy. He serves better than you, he returns better, he beats you from the baseline, he beats you at the net.
HOW DO YOU BEAT THIS GUY? It was strange, the exact sentiment going through my mind that very moment, McEnroe was tranced into saying it. Nothing is closer to the truth. On his best day Pete was simply on another planet. The best advice to his opponents was the advice that Becker gave Roddick last year "Get out of the stadium". Becker was empathizing. The result on those special days was forgone conclusion. Just a inevitable statistic. On those days his opponents tried especially hard. Not because they thought they could win. Surely that was idiocy. No, to prolong the inevitable. Probably because they wanted to witness the mesmerizing display unfold from the best the seat in the house. To me, Pete is the greatest... I dont' care what Laver did. I don't care what Agassi has done, I don't care want Borg and Conners or whoever else did. In my mind Pete is the greatest player, no arguments accepted. Whoever tells you that Pete isn't the greatest because he didn't win the.., you know what, tell them to shove it. Tell me to talk to me. Don't listen. They have no clue what they are talking about. When Pete was on top of his game nothing, absolutely nothing would have made a difference.
I could go on and on about how I feel about Pete and I would probably end up with a book. But to cut it short, Pete you will be missed. The courts will be dry forever, no juice left in them. The era is ending, thanks for the ride, Pete. My regret would be to have never seen Pete play at Wimbledon. But it is a privilege to have seen Pete in his prime and witnessed one of his greatest victories. And that I shall always be very thankful for.
So with a heavy heart I begin my transition into a Pete less world. As they say C'est la vie. But the ceremony. I ain't missing it for the world.
Is anyone buying tickets? I think the place is going to be sold out. Even Agassi fans wouldn't want to miss this. I am thinking of buying tickets in advance tommorrow. I would love to be with more people from the group to create our groups little Pete corner though I have a feeling that every corner will be a Pete corner on Monday. 8/22/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Triumph and Disaster: Reflections on Pete Sampras|:||:|1061564171|:|[August 22, 2003 David Higdon ATP tour.com] Inscribed above the entry to Wimbledon's venerable Centre Court, the hallowed green lawn which seven-time champion Pete Sampras turned into his own private backyard, is a quote from Rudyard Kipling:
"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same."
No verse could more accurately reflect the route to greatness undertaken by Pete Sampras. He will go down in history as the best player who ever wielded a tennis racquet, but his victories will pale compared to the trials and tribulations that he endured along the way. Who can reflect on Sampras' triumphs without recalling how he once cried and then later literally spilled his guts on court for his coach and best friend, Tim Gullikson, who died in 1995 from brain cancer. His record-breaking Slam title at Wimbledon in 2000 will be remembered as one he won under the threat of darkness, flashbulbs turning dusk into a flutter of lights as he broke down under the watchful eyes of his reticent parents. Everyone will forget, however, that he practically played the entire last week on one leg, his injured left foot requiring painkilling injections prior to play so he could endure another day frolicking so athletically on the manicured grass.
Sampras projected a cool, detached presence, and rarely let his guard down. But that's what made those moments, when the door to his soul opened ever so slightly for all or some of us to see, so enlightening. Following his triumph at Wimbledon four years ago, Sampras eventually relented to my pressure-he referred to it as "nagging"-to stop for a day in New York City on his way back home to Los Angeles for a round of media appearances. At the end of a long morning of interviews, he was escorted by a coterie of TV personnel toward an elevator. He suddenly stopped and said he'd prefer to walk upstairs instead, quickly shoving me into a stairwell and letting the heavy door slam loudly behind us.
"#&%*!" Sampras barked when we were out of earshot. He then took off his shoes, and with his left arm braced on my right shoulder, we walked up several flights of stairs, his left leg barely useful to him. The painkillers he had taken earlier, prior to The Today Show appearance at the crack of dawn, had worn off completely. When he opened the door at the top of the stairs, however, his shoes were back on, he strolled quickly to a sound stage for his final round of interviews and didn't mutter a word about his discomfort to anyone.
Sampras stands alone in his chosen sport, both figuratively because of his achievements and literally because of its nature. Tennis remains unique in the world of sports in that its participants still compete naked on stage. As writer Jay Winik once stated in an editorial in The Wall Street Journal: "Sports commentators…put Mr. Sampras in that special category reserved for the likes of Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Mark McGwire. But this almost certainly understates Mr. Sampras's achievements. With all due respect, none of these marvelous athletes has faced the withering day-to-day pressures confronted by Mr. Sampras. And all have had someone to fall back on during "off" days: In golf, there's your caddy; in boxing, your corner; in baseball and basketball, your teammates. Not so in tennis?Mr. Sampras has done it utterly and totally alone."
Sampras seemed blessed from the moment at 18 months when his Greek father took him out back and watched him repeatedly kick a football straight through some uprights that he had rigged up. Soterios (Sam) Sampras eventually pushed Pete into tennis, then entrusted his son's training to a doctor sporting an IQ of 200 but absolutely no background in coaching tennis. Dr. Pete Fischer was a pediatric endocrinologist who had mad scientist designs to "create" the perfect tennis player. He plucked his malleable student in front of old 18-millimeter films of Rod Laver and told Sampras that some day he would be better than the "greatest player ever." All this before the kid could hit a decent backhand passing shot.
But the talent was there. Even when he was losing plenty of tennis matches as a junior player, observers gushed. "When they were passing out talent," USTA junior development coach Greg Patton told me in 1987 when I was writing about Sampras for Tennis Magazine, "they not only dumped it on Pete Sampras, they not only sanded down Pete Sampras and put a layer of paint on him, they put 12 different coats of high-premium paint all over this kid. He is a piece of art." Fischer dismissed all concerns about Sampras' lack of success in the juniors as irrelevant in his preparation for the pros. "The goal has always been Wimbledon," Fischer said, "The competition has always been Rod Laver."
At Sampras' first four Grand Slam tournaments, he didn't get past the second round. But at the 1990 U.S. Open, Sampras strung together the hottest two weeks of tennis in his fledgling career-a "premature blip," he now calls it. He won the event at age 19 to become the youngest men's champion in the tournament's history. Along the way, he beat four former and future No. 1 players: Thomas Muster, Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi. Sports Illustrated put him on its cover under the slug line: "A Star is Born."
Then he fell back down to earth.
In 1991, losses piled up, the media and fan attention drained him of energy and Sampras quickly retreated back into his former shell. The low point occurred at the 1991 U.S. Open. After falling in the quarterfinals to Jim Courier, at the time a rising young American, Sampras admitted that the pressure of defending his title was a "bag of bricks." When his comments were relayed to Jimmy Connors, in the midst of his crowd-pleasing run to the semifinals at age 39, the veteran ripped into Sampras. "That's the biggest crock of #%#@," Connors said. "Being the U.S. Open champ is what I lived for. If he's relieved at losing, something is wrong with the game?and wrong with him!"
Sampras, the child prodigy, soon found Tim Gullikson, the former lunch-bucket pro. They were the Odd Couple. When the two first started working together, Gullikson was reading a book on Tao; I'm not convinced Pete has even read a book since perusing The Catcher in the Rye in high school.
Gullikson's friends nicknamed him Mr. Intensity; Courier dubbed Sampras "The Sweet One" for his effortless, casual approach to life. Gullikson would want to lose weight, so he'd start running 10 miles a day, seven days a week. Conversely, the serene Sampras expected positive results more than he wanted to work for them. Lendl once had taken Sampras under his wing for a week but declared the time together a waste. "He doesn't know what it takes," Lendl said. "He isn't willing to do what he needs."
Sampras already had dispatched a host of coaches when he hired Gullikson. An acrimonious split with Fischer soured him on "mentors," and he had little respect for what someone else could teach him. Gullikson was once ranked No. 18, Sampras calculated, and never even played during the final weekend of a Grand Slam tournament. What does he know about becoming World No.1? But their partnership worked until Gullikson's untimely passing. "Pete validated me," Gullikson said just prior to his death. "It's funny. I feel like I belong now."
Certainly Sampras belongs on a list of the greatest athletes of the 21st century, an accolade earned in large part under the wise and inevitably under-appreciated direction of Paul Annacone. Sampras was the ATP World No. 1 for a record-breaking six consecutive years, an achievement that many of us consider even more untouchable than his Grand Slam titles record. His career prize money earnings exceed $43 million, nearly double rival Andre Agassi's, a testament not only to his ability to deliver during prime time-14 Grand Slam titles, 11 Tennis Masters Series titles and five year-end championships-but also his relentless, steady pursuit of perfection throughout his 15-year career.
The aforementioned quote on the Wimbledon Centre Court entry reflects the essence of Pete Sampras the Tennis Player. But it's the entire verse by Kipling that more accurately reflects his spirit, and guides him as he now steps toward a new life as husband and father:
"If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two imposters just the same.
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-nor lose the common touch.
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And-which is more-you'll be a Man, my son!"
8/22/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras calling it quits|:||:|1061564105|:|[August 22, 2003, Howard Fendrich, AP] Pete Sampras won his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open.
He won his last one there, too.
And he'll return to Flushing Meadows to bid a formal farewell to the sport he dominated for so many years.
Sampras hasn't played a match since winning the 2002 U.S. Open, but he never officially announced he was retiring. That will change during a news conference Monday, when Sampras also will be feted at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the opening night of year's last major.
In keeping with Sampras' muted public style, the news came via an e-mailed statement from his representatives Thursday.
"We certainly look forward to having Pete back at the Open," USTA chief executive Arlen Kantarian said. "The ceremony will be a special night for Pete, for his family and for his fans."
``He was just one of the most graceful players of all time, one of the most quietly competitive players of all time, one of the best pressure players of all time. The bigger the match was, the better he played. And he didn't make a big fuss about things. He just made his name by winning. Everybody goes through peaks and valleys,'' Roddick said. ``Pete's the only guy I've ever seen win everything for six years.''
Mark Miles, chief executive of the ATP, on Thursday hailed Sampras as a model athlete.
"His passion for excellence and dedication to success make him a model athlete that will be celebrated for generations to come," Miles said. "Sampras may be retiring from professional tennis, but his legacy will carry on."
Sampras forever will be associated with the All England Club, where his strong serve, crisp volleys and booming forehand made him nearly unbeatable on grass.
In July 2000, Sampras won a fourth straight Wimbledon to break Roy Emerson's career mark of 12 major titles. After beating Patrick Rafter in the final, Sampras looked into the stands for his parents, who never before had witnessed one of his Slam wins.
Reflecting on his successful pursuit of Emerson's record, which stood since 1967, Sampras said: ``Time will tell if it will be broken. I think in the modern game, it could be difficult. It's a lot of commitment, a lot of good playing at big times.''
He wouldn't win another tournament of any sort for more than two years. The disappointments included early losses to journeymen at the French Open _ the lone major he never won _ and Wimbledon, and Sampras carried the drought into last year's U.S. Open.
He was seeded just 17th, barely above .500 for the season.
And he put together what, in retrospect, was a perfect parting gift to himself and tennis fans.
The man he beat in the Open's third round, 1997 finalist Greg Rusedski, called Sampras ``a step and a half slow'' _ but Sampras just kept winning. He knocked off twentysomethings Tommy Haas and Roddick while playing five matches in seven days to get to a fairy tale final against lifelong rival Andre Agassi.
In what it turns out will be Sampras' last match, he pounded 33 aces to beat Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 and, at 31, become the tournament's oldest winner since 1970.
At the postmatch news conference, Sampras alternated between sounding as though he were ready to hang up his racket and ready to get back to work.
``I'm going to have to weigh it up in the next couple months to see where I'm at. To beat a rival like Andre, in a storybook ending, it might be nice to stop,'' Sampras said at the time.
``But,'' he added, ``I still want to compete, you know? I still love to play.''
He has other interests, too, including fatherhood. Sampras' wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, had their first child in November.
So Sampras exits with perfect bookends: He beat Agassi in the 1990 U.S. Open final to become, at barely 19, the tournament's youngest champion.
``Pete Sampras' retirement is a time for us to honor the outstanding career of a champion who inspired us to be perfectionists,'' ATP chief executive Mark Miles said. ``His passion for excellence and dedication to success make him a model athlete that will be celebrated for generations to come.'' 8/21/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras to officially retire at U.S. Open|:||:|1061517354|:|[August 21, 2003 HOWARD FENDRICH, AP ] Pete Sampras is making his retirement official and he will be honored with a ceremony at the U.S. Open.
Sampras hasn't played a match since winning his record 14th major title at the 2002 U.S. Open, although he never came out and formally said he was retiring.
That will change Monday at a news conference he will hold before a tribute at Arthur Ashe Stadium on the first night of this year's Open, Sampras' representatives said in an e-mailed release.
Sampras has withdrawn from every event this season but remains ranked -- currently 35th -- because he never officially quit.
8/21/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|The final chapter of a storied career|:||:|1061477091|:|[August 11, 2003 Greg Laub]August 1971 was a historic time at the US Open. That year, Billie Jean King and Stan Smith won the women’s and men’s singles titles respectively, giving the United States both titles for the first time in 16 years. In the semifinals, King beat 16-year-old American and future six-time champ Chris Evert, who was making her US Open debut. And men's top seed John Newcombe became the first No. 1 to lose in the opening round since 1928.
But perhaps the most significant thing to happen to the Open that August took place a few weeks earlier and a couple hundred miles south of New York, when Sam and Georgia Sampras gave birth to a future legend in a Washington D.C. hospital.
Seventeen years later, in 1988, Pete Sampras, with as little fat on his body as confidence in his eyes, walked onto the courts at a Grand Slam tournament for the very first time – where else, but here at Flushing Meadows. Though he would lose in the first round to Jaime Yzaga of Peru, he managed to fight to the finish in a close five setter that showed promise and potential, including a couple chances to close out the match if not for some rookie errors.
The next year he came back to the Open with a win at a Grand Slam under his belt, a first-round victory he picked up at the French Open. He took his 1-3 career Grand Slam record back to Flushing, and in a week he tripled his win total, winning his first three US Open matches ever and making his first major splash, highlighted by a second-round upset over defending champ Mats Wilander, and a third-round revenge victory over Yzaga. Meanwhile, on another court the very next day, Chris Evert played her final match ever at the US Open.
Then, in 1990, Sampras’ career hit a bump. Starting the year ranked 61st in the world, Pete was forced to play in a qualifying round just to get into an Australian Open warm-up tournament in Sydney. He then skipped the French Open and lost in the first round at Wimbledon.
A young man with a lot of promise, things weren’t coming easy for Pete. The tennis world wasn’t exactly enamored with his quiet and insipid playing style, and his talent wasn’t translating into victories. He wasn’t winning matches, and he wasn’t winning the tennis world fans over.
Then it all changed. When Sampras returned for his third US Open, he had just turned 19, and New York would soon find out that there was a whole lot of magic behind that stoic face. With the previous year’s fourth-round appearance still the furthest he had ever advanced in a Grand Slam, he shocked many by defeating sixth-ranked Thomas Muster in the fourth round in 1990 to reach his first quarterfinal. His quiet style notwithstanding, there was suddenly a buzz around the grounds.
In the quarterfinals, Pete continued his run, stunning Ivan Lendl in five sets and ending the legend’s amazing string of eight straight US Open finals. The buzz got louder. Then, with the crowd pulling for veteran John McEnroe in the semifinals, Pete disposed of the fan favorite in fairly easy fashion, and suddenly, the crowd had a new American hero. People were realizing that Sampras may be quiet, humble and professional, but with one more victory, he could also be something very special.
And Pete didn’t disappoint. He went on to upset another top-ranked American, this one also a young rising star by the name of Andre Agassi. It was the first All-American final since 1979, and the victory made Pete the youngest US Open champion ever. And as the 12th seed, he also became the lowest men's seed to win the men's title in the Open-era.
That final with Agassi turned out to be the archetype of what would become a legendary rivalry. The two men would wind up battling each other for many years to come, and are now linked in US Open history much like Borg is linked to McEnroe, Evert to Navratilova, and Laver to Rosewall.
Agassi, the flashy kid with the image, had just come off a trip to the French Open final, and while Pete had created a little buzz in the previous year’s US Open with his fourth-round appearance, Andre was making even more noise with a breakthrough Grand Slam of his own, including a quarterfinal win over No. 6 Jimmy Connors (famous for the “You’re a legend, he’s a punk” line), followed by a semifinal loss to No. 1 Ivan Lendl. But when it came time to claim his first title, the subdued Sampras was there to squash Andre’s hopes – for the first time.
However, Andre thought it was going to be the last time. He believed, like many others, that Pete’s magical run in 1990 was merely a fluke.
"Let's not get carried away here,” Agassi said after his loss. “He did it once. Let's see where he goes from here."
Well, you can’t blame Andre for not being able to predict the unpredictable. Pete worked his way to the top, becoming the world’s No. 1-ranked player from 1993 through 1998. He won 63 more ATP titles and over $43 million over his career. A world record 14 of those titles were Grand Slams, and five of those came here in Flushing, matching Jimmy Connors' open-era record.
To top it off, three of the five US Open titles Sampras won came with Agassi at the other side of the net in the final (and in the other two, Pete defeated the player who had beaten Agassi).
At first though, it didn’t look like Andre’s comments were that far off. Pete labored a bit after his 1990 US Open title, not even getting a sniff of a Grand Slam final for another two years, a rough ride that included a straight-set quarterfinal loss to Jim Courier at the 1991 US Open.
But it wasn’t as if Andre could gloat. He fell apart completely, winning just four total matches at the US Open between 1991 and 1993, while Sampras managed to find his game again in 1992. Working his way back into the final with a huge revenge victory over No. 1 Courier in the semifinals, Sampras ran out of gas and fell to No. 2 Stefan Edberg in the final. But the magic was back.
In 1993, with Agassi still struggling, Sampras once again was back in the final, and this time he made it over the hump and took home his second title. In fact, he breezed right through the entire event, dropping only two sets en route to a straight sets victory over Cedric Poiline.
Not to be outdone, Agassi stunned his critics and finally took home an Open crown in 1994. Meanwhile, it was like 1989 all over again – as Andre was on top of his game and barreling his way through the field, Pete was once again losing to Jaime Yzaga, this time in the fourth round.
But just as he did five years earlier, Pete again came back to beat Yzaga the following year en route to a trip to the final, and once again he ran into a red-hot Agassi in the final. And just like in 1990, Pete denied Andre the title, only this time he also denied him the shot at becoming a back-to-back champion. Andre again had his dreams crushed by Pete, and again he spent the next few years trying to find his game. To make matters worse, the following year Pete became a back-to-back champ.
While Sampras didn’t get to face Agassi in the 1996 Open, it wasn’t without its own special moments. Pete was having a very difficult season both on the court and off, as his play was down due in part to the death of his coach and good friend, Tim Gullikson. After Pete won a gut-wrenching, five-set victory over Spain's Alex Corretja in the quarterfinals, a match memorable for the courage and heart Pete exemplified, he went on to win the final over Chang and looked up to the sky to dedicate the win to his friend.
“He would have been 45 today,” Pete said after the match, “and I was thinking about him all day today and all during the match and things he told me to do on the court. I still felt his spirit and even though he is not with us, he is still very much in my heart and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for his help. I saw Tom when I was holding up the trophy and
that was a nice moment.“
As for Agassi, he made his second career comeback, finally finding his way back into the final on Center Court in 1999. As it was in 1993, he didn’t have to face his nemesis en route to victory, as this time Pete sat out due to a herniated disc in his back.
Pete came back from his back injury strong, and while he wasn’t able to win the title over the next two years, he did reach back-to-back finals in 2000 and 2001. Interestingly, in 2000 he beat Lleyton Hewitt in the semifinal before losing to Marat Safin in the final, while in 2001 he beat Safin in the semifinal and lost to Hewitt in the final.
One other interesting fact: in the 2001 quarterfinal he overcame his most difficult match of all, running into an opponent that gave him everything he had and pushed Pete to a fifth set with tie-break after tie-break. In the end, Agassi still couldn’t beat Pete in the big match.
Did it end there? Of course not. What story would be complete without the ultimate climax. Hollywood couldn’t have written it any better. In 2002, Pete looked like he was finally finished. The years of pounding were taking their toll, and his poor play and the hopelessness in his eyes was becoming more and more obvious. By the time the Open rolled around in August, he was 32 years old and deemed a longshot to even reach the quarterfinals. He was the No. 17 seed, but many felt that was generous. Everyone except Sampras.
He scratched and crawled all the way to another final, with one unforgettable match after another. A five-set classic with Greg Rusedski, in which the Canadian-born Brit implied that he lost to an inferior player. Wins over higher seeds Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick. A semifinal romp over Sjeng Schalken. And then, Andre Agassi in the final.
In the 1990 Open, Sampras became the youngest titlest. When the curtain fell on 2002 and Agassi was once again left wondering what hit him, Pete found himself the event's second oldest winner ever (Ken Rosewall won it at 35 in 1970).
Pete hasn’t played a match since, probably ending his career the way it started, and without much fanfare. That makes sense, as it was a career in which every win proved to the world that he didn’t need to have an image to have heart. He didn’t need to show emotion to show desire. But most importantly, that he didn’t need to prove it.
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Back in 1993, Pete was asked how it felt to be a 3-time champ.
“Well, if I can do – maintain this for 10 years; then I will be in good company. But you know, I have three Grand Slams titles, and you know my goal one day is to be in the same set as Laver and Rosewall. Those guys were class acts. That is something that I try to present when I play.”
Now, 10 years later, a class act is ending the magic right where it began. He rode the carpet and came full circle, more than just once, in a storied career that repeated itself time and time again, and each time amazed even those who came to expect it.
What other ending could you expect from a legend.
8/21/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Waiting Too Long for the Inevitable|:||:|1061476899|:|[August 20, 2003 By SELENA ROBERTS]HANG the same Crayola-colored sunset over Arthur Ashe Stadium; reissue the seats for the fans who grasped the moment's perishable sweetness; allow Andre Agassi to retrace his steps to the net for an embrace of his longtime foil.
Let Bridgette Wilson glow like moonbeams once again as her husband seals match point; hand a tennis legend one more taste of an aura reclaimed after two years of decline; give Pete Sampras another chance to take his exit on the perfect cue.
Can we have a do-over? If there could only be a "re-enactment" disclaimer at the bottom corner of the screen, Sampras could recapture the opportunity to leave the game upon his 14th major title, upon the evening he flustered Agassi for old times' sake, upon the final he played with violin strings on his racket.
He had the stage to himself, all eyes on him, but couldn't quite force the word retirement from his lips after the United States Open final last September. He came tantalizingly close, saying, "To beat a rival like Andre in a major at the U.S. Open, a storybook ending, it might be nice to stop."
"But," he continued as laughter erupted, "I still want to compete, you know?"
But did he? His work ethic was already in question last season. Remember the frustration shown by Jose Higueras, Sampras's cameo coach, over his lack of interest? Remember how the easy points for Sampras had grown tedious as his body slowed? Remember how understandably distracted he had become by real-life issues like looming fatherhood?
Somehow, his mechanics took over in the press room. Out of habit, he said his will to win still drove him; his desire to compete still pushed him. In reality, his drive was in park, and everyone, including Sampras, knew it.
"I think he felt he could leave on a miracle-on-ice moment," said Pete Fischer, the original architect of Sampras's style. "My view was that he should have retired after the 2000 Wimbledon," where Sampras won his record-breaking 13th major singles title. "Then came the 2002 Open," Fischer continued. "That was a fairy tale."
Like many, Fischer believes Sampras waited a year to be sure "because he didn't want to go out like Michael Jordan."
"Jordan retired and retired, and people started saying, 'Why doesn't he see the handwriting on the wall?' " But in taking his time, Sampras must know he squandered an incandescent farewell. Those with knowledge of Sampras's plans say he is likely to call it quits officially in a ceremony on Monday night at the United States Open, using the event as the site for a retirement speech.
Sampras could have cleared his throat there last September, on the grounds where he won his first major in 1990, in front of a stadium crowd tipsy on nostalgia. He could have said goodbye back then, before the public's short-term memory kicked in, before his name disappeared this past year. Off the Tour. Off television. Off the map.
Sampras could have seized the momentum with the last point of his final match, after overwhelming Agassi with a serve as fabled as Paul Bunyan's ax, positioned to capitalize on enough good vibes to cover any criticism of his career. Too aloof to be a mentor. Too one-dimensional to win a career Grand Slam. Too bad he didn't do more for the game.
Now, Sampras could look as if he was upstaging it. No doubt the razzmatazz officials at the United States Open will make Sampras's send-off an event for the scrapbook, but there are drawbacks to a retirement announcement one year removed from its expiration date.
While there is something noble about skipping a self-indulgent retirement lap around the Tour - note Michael Chang's unending series of so-longs - Sampras risks taking a bow before a stadium half-confused by one question: "Didn't he retire already?"
No, he just stopped playing. Pat Rafter did the same thing two years ago under the guise of taking some time off to find himself, but he never found his way back from the beaches of Bermuda.
Sampras wants more, and he deserves more. As a meticulous caretaker of his legend, Sampras would probably enjoy a little tip of the hat. After all, as the man who owns more major titles than any other, he should be feted properly for a brilliant career.
Although great athletes know how to arrive, the departure often becomes a little tricky. Timing was never a problem for Sampras on the court - with his one-two-three, one-two-three choreography from service line to the net - but he never understood the art of instinct off the court.
A year ago, Sampras finally had a fair share of crowd adoration on his side. After years of watching Agassi ascend to pop-culture status, after surveying life through ESPN while his rival exhibited worldly introspection, after painting by numbers while Agassi painted with creative strokes, Sampras entered the United States Open as a sympathetic figure.
He was an aging superstar in a slump, much more lovable as a vulnerable legend. After he was demoralized on an outside stadium court by a lucky loser in the second round of Wimbledon in 2002, Sampras's voice shook as he said, "I'm not going to end my time here with this loss."
Defiantly, Sampras ended his career in a victory, not a loss. One year ago, he missed the perfect exit. Now, if there could only be a "re-enactment." 8/21/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Is Inching Closer to Announcing Retirement|:||:|1061476743|:|[August 20, 2003 by MICHAEL ARKUSH] Pete Sampras has not played in a tournament for almost a year, since his stirring triumph over Andre Agassi in the 2002 United States Open final. Now, people with knowledge of Sampras's plans say that there is a strong likelihood he will announce his retirement within days, and that there is a good possibility there will be a ceremony honoring him on Monday night at the United States Open.
The announcement would not come as a tremendous surprise. All year, Sampras, who turned 32 this month, dropped out of one tournament after another, including Wimbledon, because he lacked the desire and the motivation to put in the necessary work. While he continued to leave the door slightly open on the possibility of playing again, speculation began to grow that his career was over.
How Sampras will make it official, if he follows through on the mounting speculation, remains to be seen. A Monday night ceremony would take place during the first full day of competition at the Open, but no details were known yesterday.
Sampras has been enjoying his new life in Beverly Hills, Calif., with his wife, Bridgette Wilson, and their son, Christian, who was born in November. Sampras has also spent time on his golf game.
Sampras, winner of a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, had gone two years without a tournament victory when he arrived at the Open in 2002. In each of the previous two Opens, he had lost in straight sets in the final to much younger players: Marat Safin of Russia and Lleyton Hewitt of Australia. Last year at Wimbledon, he lost to the unheralded George Bastl in the second round. The second round. It certainly seemed that the best of Pete Sampras was in the past.
A few months later in New York, he had a chance for one more moment in the spotlight at the United States Open. After recording two easy victories, Sampras - who captured the first of his five Open titles in 1990 when he upset Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Agassi - got past the hard-serving Greg Rusedski in five sets. He then outdueled Tommy Haas to reach the quarterfinals, where he was matched against 20-year-old Andy Roddick in a much-anticipated battle of generations.
It was no battle at all. Sampras won in three sets and coasted again in the semifinals against Sjeng Schalken, setting up another match everybody was dreaming about: Sampras versus Agassi for the United States Open crown. Sampras won, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, capping what many consider the greatest tennis career. It certainly seemed to be the perfect time to leave the game.
Fans, perhaps more accustomed to the emotions of McEnroe and Jimmy Connors, did not warm up to Sampras and his game in his early years. Some considered him boring, almost robotic, with an unstoppable serve-and-volley game. But as the seasons progressed, all he did was win, including seven Wimbledon titles in an eight-year stretch. When he captured the title in 2000, he broke a tie with Roy Emerson for the most Grand Slam singles titles in tennis history.
When he began to struggle in recent years, however, he seemed to win over more fans. He was vulnerable, human, and they appreciated him and wanted to see him come back. Sampras worked hard, believing he could make that happen. At last year's Open, he did.
He will be forever linked with his great rival Agassi, who is seeded No. 1 for this year's Open. In their 34 matchups, Sampras won 20 times.
The only omission from the Sampras resume? is a French Open championship. He never advanced beyond the semifinals at Roland Garros. But Sampras does not seem to be the type to be haunted by this failure. He is the type to move on, which, it seems, he is about to do.
7/25/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Agassi and Sampras: Two for the Ages|:||:|1059146345|:|
[7/25/03 Sally Jenkins August 2003 issue of TENNIS Magazine] The relationship between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi is that of two men so different that, in a way, each serves as a looking glass for the other.
Andre and Pete; Pete and Andre. Never mind that their on-court rivalry has been less exciting at times than their off-court struggle for the loyalty and affection of tennis fans, that their personal exchanges are merely cordial they are not great friends or, for that matter, great enemies. The intriguing thing is that in the eyes of the public they are nearly inseparable, each of them the measure of the other.
For some 15 years, theirs has been a fabulous game of trump: Sampras' nonpareil serve against Agassi's stunning returns; Sampras with the running rope of a forehand, Agassi with the steam-press stroke that is his backhand; Agassi with flair, Sampras with discipline; Sampras all feel, Agassi all fight. Finally, they've attained a like stature. If Sampras' legacy is 14 Grand Slam titles, Agassi's testament is having won all four major trophies. And each can boast a unique claim to the No. 1 spot: Sampras finished the season on top for an unprecedented six consecutive years, while Agassi, at 33, is the oldest man in the modern era to be ranked the highest.
They are opposite, these two titans, even in mannerisms: Sampras, long and tensile in a white shirt buttoned to his neck, his ancient Wilson racquet black and dull as an iron skillet; Agassi a darty-eyed, pigeon-toed pirate in denim or black, his untucked V-neck shirt billowing around his waist as he waves a bright ceramic racquet. Sampras was always by the book, more self-willed and accomplished. Agassi was ever the hooky player, or maybe the actor searching for motivation, evading responsibility, and breaking rules. They are similar in two ways: They both wear white socks, and they both want to win everything, including a conversation.
Agassi's early brassiness, the dyed blond mane and exhibitionism, disguised a more stubbornly substantial nature than anyone could have predicted. His knee-jerk honesty and a surprisingly searching mind have not permitted him to give up on a career that, despite long hiatuses, has been one long self-exploration. Sampras' rebelliousness was buried beneath a cropped, introverted neatness, his equanimity concealing an ulcerous hypersensitivity. He's far more profane and driven than most would suspect. Sampras liked to celebrate wins at the US Open by going to the Peter Luger Steak House in Brooklyn and eating so much he made himself sick. His favorite book remains The Catcher in the Rye, the story of a desperate, smart-alecky loner who says, "Don't ever tell anybody anything."
Perhaps this dissimilarity accounts for the peculiar fact that Pete and Andre have rarely played their best against each other on the right occasions. When Sampras was great, Agassi was absent. When Agassi was finally fully present, Sampras was already tired. Or so it seemed. Their overall record is 20-14, advantage Sampras, and of their 34 matches only five were Grand Slam finals. But in the last three years they finally made the rivalry a material thing--both of them ready to live up to the moments they shared in the spotlight. And in the 2001 US Open quarterfinals they created an epic, just when we thought they had begun the long, slow fade into retirement. It was as though they made a private accord to play for a final prize.
The scoreboard on that September day in New York read 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5) Sampras. They may have been the best four sets of either player's life, and even announcer John McEnroe was nearly struck speechless. "I am lucky to be a commentator," he said humbly. "I am lucky to be here." Then they went two rounds better in 2002, meeting in the final. Again Sampras won in four, but it hardly mattered, both were victors over time and over a field that was growing ever younger. As Agassi said, "We're still out here and there's no getting around it."
Curiously, though, the only other period in which both players were at their best at the same time was in a short but splendid span in 1995 when their match record was square at eight wins apiece and they were at a youthful peak. In late March of that year, they also agreed to a brief dente in their rivalry to play a Davis Cup tie in Italy. It was an obscure but telling episode, this uncharacteristic decision to take a buddy trip together to play for their country.
The Italians had chosen a slow red-clay court in Palermo, and the Americans knew that without a strong team they could easily lose. So Agassi and Sampras struck a deal with the USTA: Each would abandon his Grand Slam preparation to play only if the other agreed to as well, and if they could take the Concorde to London and a private plane from there to Palermo. The USTA acceded to their demands and booked the flights.
But first, a day before they were scheduled to leave, Agassi and Sampras met in the final of the Lipton Championships (now the Nasdaq-100) at Key Biscayne, Fla. Agassi won a three-setter and two weeks later attained the No. 1 ranking. After the match, he offered Sampras a lift to New York on his private jet so they could get a decent night's sleep before traveling to Europe.
The two of them took so little time to shower and change that when they jumped into Agassi's rented car, traffic leaving Key Biscayne was still backed up. Agassi casually veered onto the breakdown lane and bypassed the traffic, waving at the other drivers and the occasional bemused cop.
While Agassi drove, he and Sampras made awkward small talk, trying to find something they had in common.
"Do you like Neil Diamond?" Sampras hazarded.
"You know, I do," Agassi said. "I do like Neil Diamond."
They moved on to talk shows. "Do you watch Sally Jessie?" Agassi asked.
"I watch her," Sampras said. "But I like Montel better. Do you like Montel?"
"I like Montel."
Soon they arrived on the tarmac at Miami International Airport where Agassi's Citation 10, a burning tennis ball emblazoned on the tail, was waiting. They climbed aboard and a flight attendant greeted them with food and drink. Sampras was awed. He unwrapped a turkey sandwich and bit into it.
"You travel like this all the time?"
"It's the only way to do it," Agassi said. "It's going to add years to my career."
Sampras' habitual austerity gave way. He rocked back in his deep leather seat and swiveled it. "Oh man," he said. "I like the way you travel. What does this cost?" They lapsed into a discussion of chartered hours versus time in airports. Gradually, they relaxed and spent the rest of the flight trading ATP tour gossip, and their strategies against players such as Michael Chang, Boris Becker, and David Wheaton.
The next morning they met at Kennedy Airport and boarded the Concorde. As they sat together they evaluated each other's and their own games. Sampras wondered about Agassi's reliance on his coach of the time, Brad Gilbert. "What does he do for you?" Sampras wanted to know. Agassi said that Gilbert gave his game structure; previously, he had been a belter with no idea of shot selection--he just "wracked it." Now, he had a blueprint to build points and matches.
Sampras shrugged; all he wanted a coach to do was check his toss.
They were met in London by a VIP escort who gave them expedited forms to get them through immigration quickly. Agassi, typically, figured that meant they got to skip the paperwork. But Sampras paused at a counter to fill out his entry card. Agassi waved him on, impatient. "Come on, we don't have to do that."
"Yeah, we do," Sampras replied, correctly.
Outside, a limo waited to take them to a private terminal for the flight to Palermo. But Agassi was hungry. He said, "Let's go to McDonald's."
"I don't think they have one here."
"Sure they do," he said. "It's on the outskirts of the airport."
Agassi directed the driver to McDonald's. Sampras and Agassi placed their order at the drive-through window: Agassi wanted a couple of burgers. Sampras ordered the same, and they both added Chicken McNuggets as an afterthought, along with large fries and apple pies.
They spent four days in Palermo sitting side by side in identical USA sweatshirts. Pete and Andre; Andre and Pete. But in the end the difference between them showed, as it always did. After the USA won 3-0, the question of dead rubbers arose. For Sampras it was a question of responsibility: having decided to do this thing, he was going to do it right. For Agassi it was a matter of love; he could only play if he cared, and he didn't care about an exhibition.
Agassi came down with a case of the tweaks and a doctor's note. Sampras played.
Andre
"How old do you have to be before people forgive you for your past?" Agassi wanted to know.
This was a couple of years ago, after he had finished an exhaustive interview in Las Vegas in which ESPN's Roy Firestone had brought up all the old bad-boy episodes, the blurted insults and the tantrums and the tanks and the weird haircuts. Agassi answered the questions, but afterwards, as he left the studio and climbed into his SUV to drive home, the conversation still bothered him. "At what point do people let you move past your childhood?" he wondered. "Is that ever going to happen?"
Agassi drove through Vegas at a sedate speed. Against all odds, he had made a man out of himself and he took pride in that. He wanted a little credit for that. He pointed to the left while passing the Andre Agassi Boys & Girls Club, established to benefit at-risk kids. His foundation also had funded a shelter for abused children and a charter school, the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy. Agassi liked to say of the school, "It's not the first two words that matter, it's the last three."
Agassi, himself, did not grow up as a normal kid taking college-prep classes. His childhood had been surrendered to the obsessive desire of his father, Mike, to make a tennis champion. Andre was a certified prodigy—on the junior circuit at 7, shipped off to Florida to train with Nick Bollettieri at 13, and by the time he was 18 the No. 3 player the world. In that taxing process, he also had become his own biggest opponent.
Later that afternoon in Vegas the question of the past came up again, in a meeting with Nike over the design of new sneakers. Andre wasn't pleased with the cartoon-like shape and colors of the shoes. He was stripped down now, to a basic and unpretentious adult. "Look what they're trying to take me back to," he lamented mockingly. He wanted a design that reflected the lean, clean lines of his adulthood, not the thrashings and yowlings of his adolescence.
Still, Andre knew that much had been given as well as taken by the singular way Mike Agassi taught tennis. Other kids had the schooled strokes grooved by country-club teachers, $25-an-hour backhands with proper mechanics and racquet-back preparation. Not Agassi. He stood at mid-court while his father stood at the net and fired balls at him as hard and fast as possible. Shot after shot, the boy would whip his racquet around more tightly, shortening his swing and picking the ball up earlier and earlier, until he was almost volleying his ground strokes. Then Mike would order his son, "Faster!"
As Rita Agassi, Andre's older sister, once said of the way Mike taught tennis, of the kind of man he was, "My father was a sober drunk."
But if Mike was drunk on tennis, he was also inspired. His methods were based on his intuitive grasp of velocity and speed-to-power ratios. Several years ago, Mike privately expounded on the theory underlying Andre's strokes. Standing in his Vegas living room, with a tennis court and desert dunes visible beyond the picture window, he held up a gauzy cotton handkerchief and waved it around. "See," he said, "is that going to hurt anyone?"
Then he twirled the handkerchief around and around until it formed a tightly wound whip. He snapped it in the air and said, "Now that will hurt someone."
Mike stared out the window, at the court with the ball machine at the far end. It mostly went unused now that Andre was grown, had a home of his own, and rarely played at his father's.
"I wish there were some little ones to teach," Mike said sadly.
But maybe it's just as well Mike didn't put his mark on any more children. Agassi remembers being paraded around on a tennis court at the Tropicana in Las Vegas, his father advertising his prodigy to visiting pros. Once, when Agassi lost a junior tournament, Mike took the runner-up trophy and hurled it into a nearby garbage can.
In that moment, a lifelong mutineer was born.
"You know what?" Agassi has grown fond of saying. "I'd rather feel I missed out on some good tennis than some good living."
Pete
He always has been a great killer of momentum, all but his own.
He abbreviated so many points, squelched so many hopes, with that great blast of a serve. He lulled opponents and audiences alike with the trancelike rhythm of his game and the monotony with which he acquired titles and records. But Sampras played complete and deeply realized tennis, too; he never bored the connoisseurs or those who understood that beneath the seeming indifference lay a craving for the game so powerful that he twice vomited on the court and once even wept on it. As his former coach Paul Annacone said, "Pete makes it look too easy. People watch him win and think, 'That doesn't look too hard.'"
The ease of his game did Sampras a disservice: It obscured his supreme professionalism, no common commodity these days. We thought Sampras would always be there. He's been more than just great; he's been dependably, reliably great. For more than a decade, we could count on him: 64 singles titles, while the lurkers and bangers and transients came and went. He never really changed.
Sampras won the US Open as a 19-year-old in 1990 with a thoroughly unaffected manner and a quirky sense of humor. When told the President might call him, he smiled, grimaced shyly, and said, "The phone's off the hook."
Asked to describe himself at the time, he said, "I'm a normal 19-year-old with a very unusual job, doing very unusual things."
But that was only partly right. He was a fragile, touchy creature, too. Before he became an invincible champion, he was all lethargy and sensitivity, not a good player in the heat, or in the mornings, and not yet insensitive to pressure, either. Two years would pass before he won his second major, and of them he says, "I had to learn how to play tennis. I was the greenhorn, the kid who had to do it all by himself, learn it all by himself. Nobody told him anything."
Sampras has always felt this curious sense of isolation, almost as if he were orphaned on the court. And if Pete and Andre seem different, what about Mike Agassi and Sam Sampras? What of the way Sam would drop little Pete off at junior tournaments and then simply turn and leave? Pete remembers being abandoned, the sight of Sam's back, moving away. Sam was too nervous to watch, sure. But he also wasn't certain he approved of this whole costly and troublesome junior circuit. Sampras would stand on the court, watching his father retreat, and years later he said, "I still remember feeling alone."
Sam made a self-sufficient player of him, and a self-effacing one, too. On the afternoon Sampras had a big win and was interviewed by the press for the first time, his father cautioned him: "Just tell them you were lucky."
The next day, Sampras lost. As he sat there, brooding, his father tapped him on the shoulder, pointing to the winner and new darling of the press.
"See that?" he said. "That's what happens."
And in that moment, a reticent star was born.
Pete and Andre; Andre and Pete
They are what tennis needs more of: grown men. Over the years, the public has developed a relationship with them, a continuous connection that it doesn't have with any other players. Maybe one day we'll know Lleyton Hewitt and Andy Roddick this well, but for now they are superficial characters, rude bashers with sticky hair.
Agassi and Sampras have known each other for two-thirds of their lives. We have known them for half.
They start as two small boys, Sampras 8 years old, Agassi 9 or 10, and they are on a court in Northridge, Calif., about to play each other for the first time. Agassi, if you can believe it, is the bigger of the two, recalling years later that Sampras "comes up to about my chin." But Agassi has no real ground strokes yet, and Sampras remembers saying of him, "He's all trick shots." Then again, Sampras has no serve, and with his two-handed backhand he's a tiny baseline grinder.
They could not be more different, and the same will be said of the way they will go about things from this point on. Sampras will worship tradition and study the greats and attain a pure classicism. Agassi will become a work of junk fiction and then mature into an artist.
Neither can remember who won that first match.
We cannot remember, or imagine, the game without them. 7/20/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras won't play in U.S. Open |:||:|1058751139|:|[July 20, 2003 AP] Pete Sampras plans to withdraw from the U.S. Open, opting not to defend his record 14th major title.
His last competitive match was the final of the 2002 Open, when he beat rival Andre Agassi. This season, the 32-year-old Sampras has pulled out of a succession of tournaments, including the majors: the Australian Open, French Open and Wimbledon.
While playing at a celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe this weekend, he told NBC-TV "there's a good chance" he will officially retire soon.
"Not being at the Open this year, which I'm going to pull out of, and not playing Wimbledon -- I don't miss it enough to really start training, start practicing, doing everything I have to do to be where I want to be," Sampras said. "So it tells me it's a sign to
say, 'It's probably time.'"
He's won seven Wimbledons, five U.S. Opens and two Australian Opens. He hadn't skipped Wimbledon since 1988. "I miss it, but it's time probably to give it up," Sampras said. "I feel like if I wasn't going to play Wimbledon, then that was probably it for me, so that's the way it goes."
He withdrew from Sunday's final round of the golf event here citing personal reasons, tourney spokesman Phil Weidinger said. 7/17/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras working on his golf game|:||:|1058506126|:|Sampras working on his golf game
[July 17, 2003 Chad Hartley] Going from the workplace into retirement means a lot more trips to the golf course for many people.
It's no different for perhaps the greatest men's tennis player of all time.
Though Pete Sampras has not officially announced his retirement from professional tennis, it seems clear that the 14-time Grand Slam champion has called it quits. He hasn't played in any of the Grand Slam events this year and his entrance into the American Century Championship for the first time this week may be just another indication he has hung up the racket.
"It's a grind," Sampras said of life on the pro tennis tour. "All of the travel and all of the work you put in, it gets to be a grind."
Sampras has an 8-month-old son at home with his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, and he said he is focused on fatherhood.
"It is a lot of fun at home," he said. "At this point he is smiling and giggling so it is fun. Once he is old enough, I can't wait to get him on the tennis court and get him on the golf course. I want this
little boy to be an athlete."
Sampras will join 75 other players for the annual celebrity golf tournament and don't think this will be his last appearance on the golf course in the public eye. He has played as an amateur at the PGA Tour's Bob Hope Classic and wants to continue to play such events.
"Everyone is kind of coming over (to golf) and I see myself playing a little bit more now," he said. "I've played the Bob Hope. You look at that one and the AT&T (Pebble Beach National Pro-Am) and this one, I'll play those three and that is about it."
7/12/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete to take part in a celebrity golf tournament|:||:|1058070233|:|[July 11, 2003 Source: Tribune sports] Pete will be taking part in the Celebrity 14th American Century Championship from July 18 - 20, 2003.
Dig out the signature-needy memorabilia and start memorizing a new scoring system.
The underlying theme for next week's 14th American Century Championship is change. Not only has the tournament name been condensed, but the 78-player field sports enough new star quality to rival an Academy Awards night.
Throwing their names into the hat for the $500,000 championship for the first time are former single-season home run king Mark McGwire, three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Troy Aikman, six-time NBA champion Scottie Pippen, Michael "Danny Noonan" O'Keefe, comedian Dennis Miller, Notre Dame football coach Tyrone Willingham, former Green Bay Packer receiver Sterling Sharpe, actor Dennis Quaid and radio personality Rush Limbaugh.
They'll complement an experienced star-studded player list that includes Michael Jordan, John Elway, Jerry Rice, Charles Barkley, Mario Lemieux, Emmitt Smith, Mike Schmidt, Johnny Bench, Pete Sampras, Ivan Lendl, Bo Jackson, Marcus Allen, Bode Miller and Marshall Faulk. All seven champions, including five-time winner Rick Rhoden, are entered as well.
Olympic gold medalists Lisa Fernandez and Cammi Granato give the event its first female competitors since Ann Meyers and Bonnie Blair participated in 1996.
In a golf twist, the highest scorer will capture the $100,000 first prize.
NBC, which televises two of the three rounds, discarded stroke play for a modified Stableford scoring format. Players will collect 10 points for a double eagle, six for an eagle and two for a birdie; a bogey will cost them a point and two over par on a hole will mean a two p
oint deduction.
"I think it will keep guys in the tournament longer," said two-time defending champion Dan Quinn. "If you have a couple of bad holes early and make a couple of birdies or something coming in, it gives you a decent score as far as having a point total."
Although he isn't entered, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban will keep things interesting next week.
The self-made billionaire plans to use the American Century Championship and its long list of stars to raise more than $100,000 for the Fallen Patriot Fund, a charity that provides financial assistance to families who have lost loved ones serving the United States in Iraq.
"I'm going to be bouncing around and trying to extract money from as many people as possible," Cuban said. "I can be very persuasive at times."
One of Cuban's scheduled money-making gimmicks is an autograph session with Aikman on Thursday. The pair will sign a tournament poster or a memorabilia item for $20.
Autograph seekers are encouraged to attend practice rounds on Tuesday and Wednesday. No cameras or video cameras are permitted during the 54-hole tournament.
Ticket prices are $10 for the Lake Tahoe Celebrity-Amateur on Tuesday, the practice round on Wednesday and the American Century Celebrity-Am on Thursday. Tickets are $20 for each tournament round July 18-20.
ESPN will show tape-delayed coverage of Friday's first round and NBC will provide live second- and third-round coverage on the weekend.
7/08/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Video link: Pete's interview by NBC's Mary Carillo (updated with pics)|:||:|1057681302|:|
The interview began with Mary Carillo asking Pete what he is doing in LA in June instead of being in England for Wimbledon.
Pete Sampras: Playing a lot of golf, hanging out with my family, not playing a whole lot of tennis
[Video footage of Pete winning at Wimbledon, then cut to the interviews with sister Stella and coach Paul Annacone.]
Stella Sampras: People would watch him hit. He's probably 6 years old and I was 8, and we'd be hitting and they'd just see something in him that's out of the ordinary. They would say he's gonna be great.
Paul Annacone: Because he does what he does so easily, people don't and never will understand how good he is. He makes it look too easy. He does and that's why that lethargy is floating around the court. People look at that as oring.
Pete Sampras: I just wish people would see me - how hard I train over the years. They might think it came easy and natural but I put on a lot of time, a lot of hard work. I was focused. I win events, come back home, take a few days, get back on the tennis court. And that was kinda my life.
On Wimbledon 2000 and his parents witnessing his victory on Centre Court
PS: It was a great moment and it's one of those moments my parents will have forever. It's just they....
MC: I was asking Stella, "What are the Samprases like?". Humble and private and she used beautiful words to describe what you guyrs are like.
(Pete was touched and could not talk.)
On Tim Gullikson and the Australian Open 1995
PS: I remember mainly the worried feeling that I had when I heard Tim has brain tumor. I never lost it like that on a tennis court. I can go back there and kinda remember the feeling that it physically felt good to kinda let go. People are saying it's nice to see that's Pete human. I didn't know how to take that. I have feelings. I have emotions. I just show them in a different way on a tennis court.
Tom Gullikson: I think Pete learned a lot of lessons from Tim. Tim taught him how to win and he taught him how to be a champion. But I think, he really taught him to be a better person too.
On the subject of his newborn son, Christian, and what he will tell his little boy about who his daddy is.
PS: Well... there's a part of me that would want to play for him, to see me play. Obviously he's still young and he would not remember but I'd love to take him to Wimbledon and take a picture with him on Centre Court (laughs)
Bridgette Sampras: He's involved in a way that's... like people always jokes, 'Do you change diapers?' He changes diapers. He feeds him. In the beginning, he was a little intimidated but he loves being involved and he just ADORES that little boy.
On his marriage and how it affected his game
PS: Everytime I seem to walk into a presscon or interview, it's about retirement and marriage. I was so tired of it. I had enough. I just wanted to win one more major. My wife pretty much put her career on hold to travel with me. Because she wanted - we wanted to be together. It was hard. It was taxing on our marriage. No question. I wasn't doing well. A few people in the press blamed her and that bothered me.
MC: Did it bother her?
PS: I think it did. It's.... For me, you can criticize me, but don't criticize my family.
On winning the 2002 US Open
PS: After I won it and came home, I felt - All these guys, all these interviewers asking me these questions and I like shut them all up... like I had the last laugh. And that really felt good for me.
On "what's missing", why he's not back on tour
PS: Throughout my whole career, I had a goal ahead of me. If it's winning a number of majors, being number 1, there's always something there and what kept me going the last couple of years was the challenge of winning one more. After I did that, a few months after the open, I go "What's next?"
Bridgette Sampras: If he decides not to play again - the US Open was the last match he played, I think it's wonderful. If he's happy and content, then I'm happy and content. There's another side of me obviously that is going to miss watching him play.
On his retirement -
PS: The reason that I haven't 100% retired is because I might play again. I want to see how these next 2-3 months go. Not being in Wimbledon. Not being at the Open. I'll miss it but if I'm not 'there' and end of the year comes around, I'll call it a career. For now I'm just enjoying hanging out with my family, just doing some fun stuff. I like my life.
[Go to Gallery for more pictures]
Source: NBC Sports 6/29/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|A million thanks Pete... for the memories|:||:|1056887629|:|[June 26, 2003 NIRMAL SHEKAR] Exactly 10 years after he won the first of his record seven Wimbledon titles in 1993, the chances of the great man returning to the hallowed lawns for a final goodbye in 2004 seem rather bleak. And it's time now to curtsy to Wimbledon's greatest living Royalty, Pete Sampras,
"It's going to be a tough flight home. But I plan on coming back. This is not the way I am going to end it here." -- Pete Sampras, June 26, 2002
As sporting Greek tragedies go, on a scale of 1-10, this was a Perfect 10. There he was, slumped in his chair on the sidelines, staring vacantly into the turf on the No. 2 court at Wimbledon, long after his conqueror ?a Swiss journeyman called George Bastl ?had departed, dozens of cameras feasting on the poignancy of the moment and the tragic gloom on his sweat-stained face.
In sport, the dismantling of legends is at once an ugly and cruel business -an excruciatingly slow process where the icon is relentlessly stripped bare and pulled down from his pedestal to the level of fallible, fumbling, ordinary mortals.
And so it was on June 26, 2002, as the great Pete Sampras was beaten in five sets in the second round by a man who had made the main draw as a "lucky loser" from the qualifying event. And the great man simply sat there, striking a Rodinesque pose, unable to come to terms with the reality of the moment.
Not since Leon Spinks floored the incomparable Muhammad Ali had a sporting image so steeped in pathos managed to singe its way into your mind.
Less than an hour after that soul-shattering loss, Sampras would tell us during the post-match interview that he would certainly be coming back and this was not the way he wanted to leave Wimbledon.
Yet, on the press mini-bus back into Central London that night, I remember saying to myself: "Hope he doesn't come back. What if it gets worse for him here?"
At that point, Sampras had not won a tournament ?not just a major, but any tournament -since beating Pat Rafter in the 2000 Wimbledon final and had gone over 25 events without a title. Others, including veteran tennis writers, had dismissed his chances of adding another major a lot earlier.
But, until that day -June 26, 2002 -I believed that the great man could win another big one, especially on his favourite grass or at the U.S. Open. But the three hours spent on the No. 2 court, watching Sampras go down to Bastl shattered my convictions.
It was on that day -night rather -my belief in the great master's ability to win another major was badly shaken. I said to myself that it would be a miracle if he did it again.
As it turned out, one did not have to wait long for the miracle to happen - and it did in early September at a place where the Greek-American genius won his first Grand Slam title.
And now that Sampras has not played a competitive match since beating his friend and arch-rival Andre Agassi to win his 14th Grand Slam title at Flushing Meadows, the question has to be asked whether the great man has already played his last Grand Slam match.
This, of course, will mean that the soul-numbing image of the remarkable champion slumped in his chair on losing to Bastl will stubbornly refuse to leave its ugly niche in our memories.
Sampras will turn 32 in a few weeks' time and by the time Wimbledon-2004 arrives, who knows if the great man would still be an active player. It is now nine months since he last played a match and he knows, more than any of us, how tough it is to come back from such a long break.
"I know what it takes to be competitive. And I am just not there right now," Sampras said recently.
Having discovered the joys of fatherhood and quiet family life with wife Bridgette and son Christian Charles, whether Sampras will ever find the motivation to whip himself into competitive shape and undertake the steep climb remains to be seen.
In the event, exactly 10 years after he won the first of his record seven Wimbledon titles, beating Jim Courier in the final during one of the warmest and driest English summers in memory, the chances of the great man returning to the hallowed lawns for a final goodbye seem rather bleak.
"I don't want to totally close the door. I have given myself to the end of the year to make a decision on whether to stop or not," Sampras said the other day. "The decision not to go to Wimbledon was immediately followed by the one not to play in 2003, because if I can't motivate myself for the tournament that I put above all others, it's not even worth thinking about the rest."
Not surprisingly, the tournament he puts above all others ?Wimbledon ?in turn put him above all others in the entire history of the game. If the great man had not done it actually, nobody in his right mind would have believed that it was possible for one man to win seven Wimbledon titles in an eight-year span.
Now it is almost certain that the greatest grass court champion in history will never perhaps set foot on the famous grass again, at least not to play a competitive match. For, if Sampras cannot motivate himself for Wimbledon, there is very little chance that he would want to lift a racquet again.
"I said to myself: `What do you have to prove?' And I said `stop.' I stayed at home and stopped training," said Sampras. "I didn't have any aim. I can no longer have any aim after all that I achieved in my career."
Nothing to prove, nothing to aim for... even for the greatest of champions that's a great place to be. In lesser mortals, such tranquillity and contentment comes from abandonment rather than from extraordinary achievement. But, to a handful men like Sampras, it comes after every single peak has been conquered. Why climb mountains? Because they are there. As simple as that. And Sampras climbed every mountain there is in a remarkable career and the only place where he slipped was on the dusty red clay of Roland Garros. His best chance in Paris came at his peak in 1996 when he served and volleyed his way into the semifinals with stupendous victories over clay court masters such as Sergei Bruguera and Jim Courier, both in five sets. But his legs gave up when he faced a red hot Kafelnikov in the semifinals.
"I did everything I could to win this (French Open) title, so I can forget it without having any regrets," said Sampras.
Now, and well into the future, critics will surely point to that one little hole in his record. But that's like saying Don Bradman couldn't play on rain affected pitches ?in fact, the greatest batsman of all time played some superb knocks on drying damaged pitches ?and Pele had a problem with water-tight defences.
"He is human, but not by much," said Todd Woodbridge after losing to the great man in the Wimbledon semifinals in 1997.
Indeed, not by much. Between 1993 and 2000, Sampras was beaten just once at the great cathedral of tennis on Church Road. And he lost to an inspired Richard Krajicek over two days in the quarterfinals in 1996.
Until Sampras arrived, Bjorn Borg's feat of five titles between 1976 and 1980 seemed like the ultimate achievement. Five titles in this ultra-competitive era in sport? Few believed the record can be bettered until Sampras went on to win seven in eight years.
And when you consider his other achievements alongside his Wimbledon record, his place in the game's history -at the very top - becomes rather clear.
* All time leader in Grand Slam singles titles (14).
* A record six consecutive years (1993-1998) as the year-end No. 1.
* Voted as the best tennis player of the 20th century by CNN/Sports Illustrated poll.
* Voted by current and past players and the media as the best male player of the past 25 years.
* Record 276 weeks as No. 1.
"I play for history," the great man loved to say. And even as we prepare to usher the Sampras Era into the pages of history, I am sure, in my mind, that I will never see another champion like Pete Sampras in my lifetime.
A million thanks Pete, for all the memories. You made my days on the famous lawns. You made my career worth its sweat and toil. And this fortnight, in leafy SW 19, it somehow won't be the same.
Now, ladies and gentlemen, the All England Lawn Tennis Club may have thought it fit this year to do away with the age-old practice of requiring players on centre court to curtsy to royalty.
But, let's do it one last time here and now... to Wimbledon's greatest racquet wielding Royalty... Pete Sampras.
A Sampras Top 10
FROM the time he won his first Grand Slam title at age 19, beating Andre Agassi in the 1990 U.S. Open final, I have watched Pete Sampras play quite a few memorable matches. In many of these, he was simply matchless, in others his heroic qualities as a great performer on a big stage were wonderfully on show.
While it is difficult - if not impossible- to pick the 10 best matches he has won in his career, when you bring a touch of subjectivity to the exercise, it becomes that much easier. So, here then are the 10 best matches I have seen the great man win over 13 years.
1. Pete Sampras beat Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 7-5. Wimbledon final, 1999. From 0-40 (on serve), 3-4 in the first set, until early in the third, Sampras played a brand of tennis I have not seen anyone play in the last quarter of a century. "He walked on water," said Agassi.
2. Sampras beat Jim Courier 6-7, 6-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-3. Australian Open quarterfinals, 1995. "Do it for your coach, Pete," shouted a fan from the stands as Sampras fought to stay in the match in the second set tiebreak. And the normally composed champion broke down. Then, wiping off tears, he slowly got back to business. It was an epic match in which the great man dug deeper than ever before.
3. Sampras beat Alex Corretja 7-6, 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6. U.S. Open quarterfinals, 1996. The great man was so exhausted in the four-hour marathon dogfight that he stood at the back of the court vomiting early in the fifth set.
4. Sampras beat Jim Courier 6-7, 4-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. French Open quarterfinals, 1996. This was Sampras' finest performance at Roland Garros in the only Grand Slam that has eluded him. To beat a two-time French champion from two sets down was a marvellous effort. It was also Sampras' best chance to win the French Open but he was running on empty in the semifinal against Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
5. Sampras beat Pat Rafter 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2. Wimbledon final, 2000. In the gloaming, the great man pulled off a minor miracle in front of his parents to win his 13th Slam and beat Roy Emerson's record. Rafter was up 4-2 in the second set tiebreak. It was an emotional moment for the great man.
6. Sampras beat Boris Becker 3-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-7, 6-4. ATP world championship final, 1996. This was a great tennis match featuring two of the finest serve and volleyers of the era.
7. Sampras beat Goran Ivanisevic 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2. In his third Wimbledon final, Ivanisevic threw in everything he had, and some more, through four sets before Sampras stamped his authority in the decider.
8. Sampras beat Andre Agassi 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6. U.S. Open quarterfinals, 2001. Shot for shot, point for point, this was probably the finest hard court match ever played. The tennis was of such extraordinary quality that many oldtimers in the media said it was the best match they have ever watched. Neither man lost serve in this epic.
9. Sampras beat Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4. U.S. Open final, 2002. Who would have believed this? Who would have thought that after 26 months without a single title, over 33 tournaments, the great man would do it again where it all began in 1990?
10. Sampras beat Petr Korda 6-4, 6-3, 6-7, 6-7, 6-4. Fourth round, Wimbledon, 1997. This was a spectacular grass court match. Korda, one of the finest shotmakers in the game, battled back in great style but the champion of champions prevailed in the end. 6/25/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras' departure left us all with void|:||:|1056550427|:|[June 24, 2003 Peter Kerasotis FLORIDA TODAY ] We begin to recognize Pete Sampras' greatness now as we observe it in the rearview mirror of history.
Eye-rubbing statistics spill forth -- a record 14 Grand Slam titles, for instance -- and it's hard to believe Pete Sampras accomplished all that he did and that he's still only 31.
Even harder to imagine that he is only 31 and walking away from tennis. Perhaps for good.
For the first time in 15 years there is no Pete Sampras at Wimbledon, and the taste it leaves is like bread without butter.
Sometimes, you don't realize how good something was until you don't have it anymore.
We weren't that way with Michael Jordan and Wayne Gretzky, of course. Time stood still when they were on center stage. We savored the moment.
Time passed quickly with Pete Sampras. Now we savor the memory.
Jordan and Gretzky are the perfect analogy because they were not only the greatest of their era, but of all time. The Sampras era ran almost concurrently with Gretzky's and Jordan's, and he not only dominated his sport like they did theirs, but also was the greatest of all time.
But we really didn't notice, did we? Not like we should have.
We perceived Sampras as boring and mechanical, and a little too private for our liking. Once upon a time, Joe DiMaggio was like that, and yet his stardom never suffered from a lack of wattage. But we live in different times now, for sure.
Good guys like Tim Duncan and David Robinson can front the best team in the NBA and produce the lowest live TV ratings in the history of the NBA Finals.
Pete Sampras wasn't flashy enough in a sport that has been declining in popularity anyway. It hurt his popularity. But so be it. He wouldn't have done anything differently.
Sampras never wanted to be flashy. Pick out a picture from the Sampras era and you'd be hard-pressed to attach a date to it. Early '90s or late '90s? It'll be that way years from now, too. Why? Because Sampras never wanted his pictures to look dated, swayed by the fads and fashions of the day.
You can form a pop culture timeline by looking at Andre Agassi's pictures through the years. From big hair to no hair, from beard to goatee, from headband to bandanna, from the day-glo garb of a decade ago to whatever the fashion flavor is today.
That was Agassi.
Sampras basically wore, well, your basic whites. Short-cropped hair. And that was it. Nothing much changed. Nothing to indicate, even, that he played when he played.
The reason behind that is Sampras wanted his look, like his game, to be timeless.
And so it is.
But now his time has come and gone. He didn't play in the Australian Open, and it was because he was taking a few months off for the birth of his first child. Then he didn't play in the French Open, and we thought maybe it was an anomaly. After all, he never much cared for the French and its clay surface, reflected in the fact that he never won the tournament.
But Wimbledon was different. It is where he won seven of his 14 Grand Slams, most in the modern era. But the thrill of the grass doesn't thrill him anymore. His wife recently said the tennis balls that still come in boxes to their home, they give away "to friends who have dogs."
If Wimbledon, where Sampras once went 54-1 in matches during an eight-year stretch, couldn't pull him back, then what will?
And so we look at the end of an era as a time to analyze and theorize.
Will anyone win 14 Grand Slam tennis titles again? Hard to imagine. But then again, it was hard to imagine someone approaching Jack Nicklaus' record 18 majors in golf. Until Tiger Woods came along. Point is, we won't appreciate how hard it is to win 14 Grand Slams until someone tries to do it again, which then will put Pete Sampras' name to the fore in a way that it perhaps never was as a player.
Even now, it's hard to believe that when ESPN gave us its list of the 50 greatest athletes of the 20th century, Pete Sampras barely made the radar screen. He came in at 48th, wedged between Edwin Moses and O.J. Simpson.
The greatest tennis player of all time is only the 48th greatest athlete of his century?
Please.
How embarrassing. Not for Sampras, but for ESPN.
History will be a friend to Pete Sampras, the friend he never had when he was playing. It will grow his stature and put his accomplishments in bold print with exclamation points. It will move him up the list of all-time greatest athletes.
I still think Sampras has what it takes to be the best in the world, like he was late in the summer of 2002, when he summoned all his greatness and won the U.S. Open, and then left the court for the stands, where he hugged his pregnant wife and shed a tear.
It was a scene more symbolic than we realized, for it is his family and his life away from tennis that now captivates his interests.
"I took my bows at the U.S. Open," Pete Sampras said of that moment. "I just didn't know it."
We know it now.
His era came and went.
It wasn't like we blinked and missed. It was more like we hardly gave it a look. 6/22/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|End of the road for the king|:||:|1056291136|:|[June 22, 2003 Sunday Times, Andrew Longmore]
Pete Sampras exclusively reveals he has played his last match at Wimbledon and may not even defend his US Open title.
The racket lies in the games room, next to the pool table. Close by stand the trophies, the videos neatly stacked next to the television, the images of a career that is done. Being Pete Sampras, as cautious off the court as he was explosive on it, he will not fully commit to a life without tennis, but in an exclusive interview with The Sunday Times last week, the seven-time champion admitted for the first time that he would not be coming back to his beloved Wimbledon.
"We've got the two biggest events in tennis coming up, Wimbledon and the US Open, and if there was anything in me, that would be enough of a challenge," he said. "But it's not there, it's time for other guys to hold up the trophies. I'm 95% sure I'm stopping."
Sampras can even date the moment the odds slipped beyond his reach. Two months ago, he returned to the practice court at the bottom of his garden in Beverly Hills. It was spring and the inner clock was counting down the days to his favourite time of year. He called his coach, Paul Annacone, and said he wanted to hit some balls again, the first since he won his fifth US Open so dramatically and emotionally
late last summer.
"I knew I had to get my body back in tennis shape if I wanted to play at Wimbledon," he recalls. "I'd been putting off the decision and putting off the decision in the hope that something would come back. I thought I would get back to practising hard because of what the tournament meant to me. For a couple of days we had some good practice down there. But then on the third day, after about half an hour I called over to Paul and said, `Let's sit down for a second'. He knew what was coming. "I said, `This is real, I can't do it'. I just knew my heart wasn't in it. It wasn't my body that felt bad, it was just getting up and going to practice. I enjoyed hitting the balls, the backhands and the forehands, it was the bagful of other stuff that I knew I had to do, all the drills and the fitness.
" I just wasn't where I needed to be. Last year, losing like that (to George Bastl) on Court Two wasn't the way I wanted to go out. I couldn't think of anything worse, but even that wasn't enough to make me go back.
"Then it really hit me that I wasn't going to play Wimbledon. I had to own up to the facts, to the reality of where I was, and that was a huge deal because of what Wimbledon has meant to me. Growing up as a kid, that was where I dreamt of playing and where I dreamt of winning.
"It's no longer a tennis tournament, it has become part of my life and the whole process of not playing there after so long was very hard."
For two weeks, Sampras knew he wasn't going to play; he just didn't know how to tell anyone. He had to pass one further test of motivation. At Christmas, his brother had bought him the video of his seven Wimbledon triumphs, compiled by the BBC: Courier, Ivanisevic, Becker, Pioline, Ivanisevic, Agassi and Rafter. Late one evening, when his young son Christian had gone to sleep, he slipped the video
on for the first time. He wanted to see the final against Andre Agassi, the moment he reached perfection on a grass court.
"I was searching for something," he says. "I wanted to see if that would do anything to inspire me. So I sat there and watched the match against Andre and a little bit of my last final against Rafter, out of curiousity.
"But, actually seeing me play, seeing the mindset I was in, the focus and the concentration, knowing all the work that goes into that, made me pull away even more. It seemed like another age. It made it even more clear to me that my time had gone."
Admitting that to the rest of the world proved a bigger problem, a part of what Sampras calls the "process of retirement". He told Bridgette, his wife, and the rest of his family and discussed what to do with his agent.
In the end, Sampras was sitting at the side of the court, watching the LA Lakers lose to the San Antonio Spurs, when the news leaked out.
"That was an eerie day because people kept coming up to me and asking me about it," he says. "Everyone thought I was going to play, and when I said I wasn't I think they understood what I was going through.
"The public hadn't heard from me for quite a while because I had nothing to say, but once Wimbledon came around it was time to own up. I'd be cheating myself and the tournament to go out there. So the racket went back in the cupboard and that was pretty much it."
So, for the first time in 15 years, the greatest player in Wimbledon history will be absent, on the golf course at the Bel-Air Country Club, maybe, where he regularly challenges Annacone and a group of actors, new friends of his, to a dollar or two a hole.
Curiousity will drive him to switch on the coverage late at night, to check on the progress of his old foe, Agassi, and to glimpse the tunnel vision in Lleyton Hewitt which he once recognised in himself. He was asked to do commentary at Wimbledon for an American television station, but politely declined such an instant and obvious hop over the fence. Too much of his soul would be there on the court.
Yet there will be times over the next fortnight when he will shake his head at the succession of factory-built baseliners masquerading as grass-court players.
Whatever his heart might say, his instinct will remind him that, at the age of just 31, he could beat most of them tomorrow. "I used to lick my chops when I saw someone staying back," he says.
"Look at the top 10 in the world now. I think my game could still stack up against some of these young guys. There's nobody there who can serve you off the court and I never used to worry much about returners, to be honest.
"Last year's final (between Hewitt and David Nalbandian) was a sign of what's to come. Tim Henman's there, he's one of the few natural serve and volleyers, but if he's not in the final, you could have two baseliners again.
"Roger Federer's got a good game for grass, I think, and Andy Roddick has the ability, though it's hard to serve that well every match.
"One of the reasons I was able to win it so many times was that I could play at a high level at Wimbledon with less effort than many of the others. I could just serve and volley some guys off the court and my reputation helped me, there's no question about that. But this year I think it's a matter of who gets hot over the fortnight."
He pauses, contemplating his own absence. "I'll always miss Wimbledon, this year, in 10 years' time, whenever, but I'm not going to come back and play just to say goodbye. People talk about Michael Jordan and his competitiveness in everything, but I don't feel like that. I was competitive at tennis and that's why I didn't want to contemplate a farewell tour or anything, because the only reason I play the game is to win. I've raised the bar over the years, and though it has been tough to touch the same heights over the last couple of years, I still expected to reach certain standards. "Before the last US Open I wanted to win one more major, to prove to everyone that I could do it, to prove everyone wrong. When I won it, I felt kinda empty because I realised I had nothing left to prove, but the day after wasn't the right time to call it a day. I thought maybe it was time to stop, but I wanted to be 100% sure.
"I didn't want to retire and then six months later come back again. The good thing is that I don't have to report to anyone, not an owner of a ball club or a team manager. I'm my own boss and I can make my own decisions."
The statistics define Sampras's status in the game with indisputable accuracy. He has won 14 Grand Slam singles titles, more than anybody else in history, spent more weeks at No 1 (286) than anybody else and
earned more money (just under $44m) than anybody else. His record at Wimbledon : played 70, won 63 (including 53 victories in 54 matches from 1993 to 2000) : is unsurpassed. Yet it will mean as much
to Sampras that Stefan Edberg, a player and a man in his own image, recently nominated the American as the greatest player he'd ever seen.
Nobody at Wimbledon will need any reminding of that essential truth. Sampras made it look so easy, deceptively so. "People misunderstood me, underestimated the amount of work I've had to put into the game," he says. "The game did come pretty easy to me, but for six or seven years I was the man to beat and that has taken its toll. It's nice to see Andre still out there at 33, and I wish him well, but I've burnt more fuel along the way than he has. You have to be in better shape as a serve and volleyer than a baseliner. The arm, the back, the
shoulder; the movements are more explosive. It's like the difference between a sprinter and a marathon runner."
Occasionally, the vague outline of a return to the courts infiltrates the reality of his conversation. He will give it a few more months, he says, before he finally gives up on his motivation. The US Open, and the prospect of defending his title, will be the last chance. Any longer and there will be rust on the wheels. "I feel content," he says quietly. "I never felt like that in my career. It feels good not having the responsibility any more, the travel, the practice, the airports, the lifestyle of a professional tennis player. It's not a bad life at all, but it's a hard life. I've a seven-month-old boy and he's smiling now and it's a lot of fun to see him growing up. Having a routine at home, sleeping in my own bed at night, making breakfast in the morning, that's something I've never had. It'll take time before I'll pick up a racket again, even for a gentle hit. Besides, the strings on the racket have all popped."
Just one thing he wants to know. Why do the players no longer have to bow to the Royal Box? Maybe, I laugh, it's because he's not there.
"That's right," he says, enjoying the idea. "The king is gone." 6/22/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Wimbledon will miss Sampras' presence|:||:|1056288367|:|[June 22, 2003 Charles Bricker] For the first time in 15 years, including seven in which he raised the championship trophy over his head on the final Sunday, Pete Sampras is not at Wimbledon.
His locker in the gentlemen's clubhouse has been passed on to another player. You won't find him on his favorite practice court, gagging it up and betting dinners with Tim Henman or Jeff Tarango that he can whip them in a tiebreaker. The house he rented for years has been let to someone else.
There is no evidence anywhere of his presence, though you might still get a chill as you enter one of the gangways on Centre Court and look down on the pristine grass which has become known, quite correctly, as Pete's Lawn.
Yankee Stadium without Babe Ruth. Chicago Stadium without Michael Jordan. In its own context, Wimbledon, which begins its annual fortnight run Monday, has lost just as much.
Even in his unannounced retirement, Sampras cannot be separated from this pantheon of tennis. He has won 14 Grand Slam titles, but it is at Wimbledon, not at the U.S. Open, where his greatness was forged, and he will be deeply missed.
Outwardly, Sampras displayed little change in personality or attitude over the years. He was the consummate Wimbledon sportsman -- a man who held this tournament in as much or more esteem as any Brit and who never uttered a demeaning word in a news conference.
Inwardly, however, there was a petulance boiling up within him that was fed, in a reverse way, by his Wimbledon success.
He was indignant that he never received the unbounded adulation from the rest of the sports world than he routinely received from the tennis community.
And so he remains in Los Angeles, unofficially retired and happily married with a son and no apparent plans to play in 2003. Yet he has not declared himself finished as a player.
How will he be remembered at Wimbledon if he has indeed played his last match here?
Henman needed less than three seconds to answer that question. "Best grass-court player that ever lived," Henman replied. Then he smiled. "That doesn't take me or a rocket scientist to say that, does it?" he added. 6/22/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Referee Mills feels he may have mistreated champ Sampras|:||:|1056288327|:|[June 21, 2003 CHARLES BRICKER South Florida Sun-Sentinel] As tournament referee Alan Mills contemplated the first Wimbledon in 15 years without Pete Sampras, there was a sadness in his voice, as well as a lingering fear that he might have had something to do with Sampras' absence here.
"I think putting two and two together, he thought he was badly treated last year and maybe he's a little bit annoyed," said Mills, who had scheduled Sampras' second-round match against George Bastl on an outside court.
"He played his match on Court No. 2 and lost to a lucky loser, which obviously devastated him. You could tell that by the way he was at the end of the match. I hope it's not because of that that he's basically retired," said Mills, who also is the long-time referee at the Nasdaq-100 on Key Biscayne.
It was not unusual for Mills to schedule former champions for a match away from Centre Court or Court No. 1.
"We always try to put top players out there. We had McEnroe, Connors, Henman, Rusedski. ... I think it's a little bit unfair if you keep the same player inside the big courts all the time," he said.
"Pete called to find out where he was playing and I told him. There was no argument. Fifteen minutes later he called back, asking if there was any chance of going indoors, as he called the big courts. I said, `Well, no, the order has been published.' Then his coach (Jose Higueras) came in, which is fair enough. He looked at the four men's matches on the big courts and said he could understand. Pete's match didn't have the attractiveness of the others.
"The way he handled it told me he takes the rough with the smooth, that he's a great sportsman. I will miss him in a personal way."
Listening to Mills, there was a sense that the episode on Court No. 2 last year still weighs heavily on him.
"I hope Pete will come back, because he will be invited back," Mills said. 6/14/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Tennis-Sampras says will never play French Open again|:||:|1055606390|:|[June 14, 2003 Reuters] Pete Sampras says he will never again play at the French Open, the only grand slam tournament he has not won.
The record 14-times grand slam winner, who has not played since beating old rival Andre Agassi in September to win his fifth U.S. Open title, said he had put too much pressure on himself to win in Paris.
"That's that. I won't be seen at Roland Garros anymore," the 31-year-old said in an interview with sports daily L'Equipe on Saturday.
"I did everything I could to win the title, so I am giving it up without regret. I changed my preparation, playing a lot on clay before the French Open, or less, but there was always something wrong," Sampras said. "I came every year for nearly 15 years, I did everything I could to win this title, so I can forget it without having any regrets."
"When I came back to Flushing Meadows last year, everyone thought I couldn't win. Then I did win. So when I beat Andre in the final, it meant something enormous to me.
"I wanted to prove something, that I was still able to win a 14th grand slam tournament," he added.
Sampras said he had planned to return to Wimbledon this year. The American has pulled out of this month's grasscourt event, which he has won seven times, but has not ruled out a possible return.
"If I had made a comeback in the middle of the season, I've have done it at Wimbledon. Two months ago I started training again seriously with the aim of going back to Wimbledon. But it didn't last, my heart wasn't in it any more.
"This decision not to go to Wimbledon was followed immediately by that not to play in 2003, because If I can't motivate myself for the tournament that I put above all the others, it's not even worth thinking about the rest.
"I said to myself: 'What do you have to prove?' And I said 'stop'. I stayed at home, I stopped training. I didn't have any aim, I can no longer have any aim after all that I achieved in my career and what happened in the US Open."
And he admitted he will be tormented about not being at Wimbledon this year.
"When I think about tennis it's usually about Wimbledon.
"At the moment I've no feelings. But the first day of the tournament I know that I'm going to be thinking about it a lot, it will even torment me."
Asked why he did not announce his retirement, Sampras said: "I did not want to close the door for good. I will see at the end of the year if I will quit or not. Maybe in November or December, after more than a year without a competition, I will have the desire to play a few tournaments.
"With a bit of luck, it will be for the US Open or Wimbledon in 2004." 6/13/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Game, Set, Career|:||:|1055558672|:|by Rick Reilly (June 16, 2003 SI)
Just inside Pete Sampras's front door in his cushy Beverly Hills house is a case of unopened cans of tennis balls.
"We give them to our friends who have dogs," says his wife, the actress Bridgette Wilson.
Suddenly, she stoops and covers her mouth. "Oops! Did I say that out loud?"
It's the worst-kept secret in tennis. The greatest player who ever lived has quit, without a parade, without a tour, without a goodbye. He has taken his record 14 Grand Slam singles titles and his unseeable serve and called it an era. He's traded his Wilson for his Wilson.
O.K., Sampras says there's a "five percent" chance he could come back and maybe play Wimbledon in 2004. "but the problem is wanting to." The way his nose wrinkles when he talks about it, you get the feeling he'd loofah-scrub Al Roker first.
"It's weird to say, but I'm content," Sampras says. "I'm happy. I've got nothing left to prove to myself. That's a big statement. I'm coming to terms with it, you know? I'm like, "I'm stopping?' But there's nothing left in tennis I want to achieve."
So winning at least one French Open means nothing to you? "If it did, I'd have been there this year," he says flatly.
Now wait a minute! You just don't do this in America! Not at 31! You don't just stop! You're supposed to keep striving, wanting aching to be more, better, greater. In this country the day you buy your Saab 900 is the day you start working your buns off towards the Saab 9000. The carrot is for chasing, not eating, damn it! "I know," he says with a grin. "It's crazy, huh?"
So the final act was his smash hit: the unforgettable Big Fat Greek Upset over Andre Agassi in the finals of the 2002 U.S. Open, when the 17th-seeded Sampras climbed into the stands to hug the person whom the media had blamed for his 26-month winless streak--his pregnant wife.
"[A TV commentator] had called her the Yoko Ono of tennis," he says, venom in his eyes. "That sooo pissed me off. Criticize me, criticize my game, but don't criticize my wife. She pulled me through the hardest period of my tennis life. That's why that [Open win] felt so damn good. I shut them all up in two weeks of work. I showed them that the best part of me was her."
Full yet empty at the same time, he took the rest of 2002 off and the first three months of 2003. In late April he was just about to begin the two-month sweat-a-thon that would get him ready for this year's Wimbledon when something turned up missing--his desire. "I've always had this little thing I do when I tie my shoes," Sampras says. "I finish tying them, slap the ground and say to myself, Here we go! But this time, it didn't feel good. And I stopped, right there and then."
He stewed over it. Was his career really over? He called friends in and out of tennis. Finally, when he called Wayne Gretzky and asked him what to do, the hockey god said simply, "You're the only one who can know." Sampras realized then that he already did. And that has pleased exactly nobody else.
His family, his friends, Bridgette, they all want him to play one more Grand Slam event. "I want it to be up to him, but, just personally, I'm going to miss watching him play," Bridgette says holding the six-month -old boy, Christian, for whom she's happily suspended her acting career. "And I'd love for Christian to be there once, even if he'd never remember."
But Sampras is choosing this new Huggies life, this Gymboree world where he's a hero to nobody but a kid who will never see him play. "My life not playing is too good!" he says, and that life includes adults--too much golf with his pal, actor Luke Wilson, and too many welts from banging with his three-on-three hoops buddies out on his tennis court. (Hey, you gotta use that space for something.)
He's a new man. You should see him chug the baby's baby's chocolate soy milk straight out of the carton, order the extra dessert, eat dinner without a thought of carbohydrate counts. "If I want steak instead of a big plate of pasta, I can," he gloats. "Or I can not eat at all. I'm free! I don't have to worry all the time: How am I going to play tomorrow? How're my legs? Did I eat the right combinations?"
But doesn't America deserve a chance to watch you take your last bows? "Acch," he says with a shrug. "I see Michael Chang doing the farewell tour thing, the rocking chair in each city thing, taking the bows. I don't want that. I hate to be honored. I took my bows at that Open. I just didn't know it."
I pity Pete Sampras. I do. He's lost the drive, the ambition, that will that keeps the rest of us busting his butts. There is no hope for the satisfied man, they say. Sampras is 31, and he'll never do anything greater in his life. He's doomed to spend the rest of his days with a neck-snapping blonde and a gorgeous son in a hilltop palace with nothing to do but find new and creative ways to blow his career winnings of $43 million.
(Hey, Pete, need any help?)
5/29/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Out of Carson Project|:||:|1054196449|:|[May 28, 2003 Bill Dwyre, Times Staff Writer] Pete Sampras, probably retired but uncertain about his next step, said Wednesday that he has pulled back from immediate involvement in the new tennis center at the
Home Depot sports complex in Carson.
"Yes, it is true, I'm not doing it," Sampras said, referring to his long-projected role as namesake and frequent participant in what many in tennis and many involved with the Carson project had assumed would become the Pete Sampras Tennis Academy.
Sampras, last year's U.S. Open champion, who said recently that he would not play at Wimbledon next month, backed off last week, under consultation with his management agency, IMG, when it became time to formalize several years of discussions and plans
with a contract.
Anschutz Entertainment Group, the developer of the Home Depot complex that will open Sunday with an international track meet and that will eventually house facilities for world-class competition in soccer, tennis, track and velodrome cycling, said in a statement:
"Part of the scope of the development of the Home Depot Center included the creation of a year-round tennis academy to provide tennis programs and nstruction for players of all abilities and serve as a full-time training center for touring pros and players preparing to join the professional tour.
"During the initial stages of this development, AEG approached Pete Sampras to be a partner in the creation and operation of the academy. Based on a mutual agreement, Pete's overall participation called for him to immediately play an active role in the establishment of the academy and the overall day-to-day management of the facility and its programs.
" 'My enthusiasm for the project hasn't diminished, but I am not able to
make the necessary time commitments for a facility that would have my name on it,' Sampras said. 'AEG and I have mutually decided not to formalize our agreement.'
"AEG will continue to develop a world-class tennis academy at the Home Depot Center and look forward to establishing a formal relationship with Pete Sampras in the future."
AEG had hoped to make the Sampras Academy a sort of West Coast answer to the highly successful Nick Bollettieri Academy in Florida, where players such as Andre Agassi and Jim Courier began.
The first major event at the new 13,000-seat tennis stadium will be the JPMorgan Chase women's open Aug. 4-10. The event formerly was played at the Manhattan Tennis Club in Manhattan Beach. 5/28/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Says Thrill Is Long Gone on the Court|:||:|1054136844|:|[May 28, 2003 CHRISTOPHER CLAREY] Pete Sampras might not be ready to retire from professional tennis, but he is ready to retire from the French Open.
"It's clear; I don't see myself playing it," he said Monday in a telephone interview from Los Angeles in which he talked extensively about his state of mind and his career, which most likely came to an end with his 14th Grand Slam singles title at last year's United States Open.
Sampras, who turns 32 in August, won five United States Opens, seven Wimbledons and two Australian Opens. He also finished No. 1 in the computer ranking for a record six consecutive years. Yet he never made it past the semifinals here at Roland Garros. It will always be the hole in his near-perfect résum? and while Michael Chang was playing his farewell match on center court today and Martina Hingis was watching women's matches from the stands, Sampras was content to keep his distance and fade away.
"It's not going to affect the rest of my life, but it is one of my more disappointing moments," he said of the French Open, where he won one match in his last three appearances.
By the end, the clay surface was not the only problem in Paris. "If it was a hard court at the French, I don't know if I would have played well," he said. "I was more relaxed at the others, but at the French, I was trying to make it happen instead of letting it happen."
Such a different feeling than he had at Wimbledon, where his big serve and athleticism kept him in the comfort zone. The irony is that the last match he played there was arguably his worst: a second-round defeat last year to the journeyman George Bastl of Switzerland. But instead of trying to create a more fitting final image, he has decided to skip Wimbledon th
is year for the first time since 1988 and expects - but does not promise - that he will never play there or at any professional event again.
"If that's my last image at Wimbledon, my apologies to the people there and to myself," he said. "I never thought it would be like that. I hope people think about what I've done, and what I accomplished there."
"Sure I had thoughts about that match over the months," he said. "It's such a miserable ending. It makes you want to go out there and end it on a better note. But then you think that there are no guarantees that it's going to happen.
"You can plan on these things and on having a storybook ending. Sometimes it happens, like at the last couple majors I won, but there are no guarantees I'd play Wimbledon this year and win and beat Andre in the final in five sets. The reality is it's a lot of hard work, a lot of things you need to do to get yourself ready."
Until earlier this month, Sampras thought he might be able to get ready for Wimbledon, but he now concedes, "I haven't picked up a racket in a long time." He has been debating whether to continue since he beat Andre Agassi in the United States Open final after more than two years without a tournament victory. He said he discussed his quandary extensively with his wife, Bridgette Wilson, other family members and his coach, Paul Annacone.
He called the hockey great Wayne Gretzky late last year. "I was kind of picking his brain a little bit," Sampras said.
He finally decided to play this season, but each time he returned to practice, he lost his motivation in a hurry. With Wimbledon looming, he said he started a final cycle of training about a month ago. "I started practicing three or four times, and one day I started hitting with Paul for half an hour and just said, 'Paul, let's have a seat on the bench,' '' he said. "And he felt it was coming, and when I sat down, I said: 'This is real. I can't get myself going to play Wimbledon. I feel like we're coming to an end pretty soon.' "
"I thought, 'Should I hav
e a big press conference and just stop now, don't draw it out? Because I don't want to draw this out.' But I also felt there might be a time when I might want to play again, might have the urge to pick up a racket and see if I could come back after taking a year and a half off and do well in or win a major. Wouldn't that be great? To top what I just did. But if I continue, I will do it for the right reasons, not because I'm bored."
Sampras said he had no concrete plans for a new occupation. Then again, when you have earned $43.2 million in prize money, there is presumably no need to rush. For now, he is interested in taking vacations with his wife and 6-month-old son, Christian, and improving his golf game, which he plans to work on this week with Jim Courier. Sampras is not interested in coaching, tennis administration or continuing his formal education, which ended in high school. Nor is he interested in television commentary.
"I'm not sure how good I'd be at it," he said. "If I wanted to do it, I'd want to be good, and that means taking a lot of training for something that's not a huge passion of mine."
Sampras said that the months since Christian was born had been "the most enjoyable time of my life" but that his family was not the reason he had decided to stop.
"I realized that it's all about me and my goals and something I need to prove to me," he said. "To be No. 1 or win the majors, it was all about putting something in my head and then I had to do it, and now, I just don't have that feeling.
"It was important to me to win another major after 13, just for me, because I felt I wasn't ready to stop. I wanted to keep on going and prove to myself and the people who were pulling for me that I could still do it, still get it going when I had to. And that was the toughest challenge."
He realizes that by leaving the door ajar to a return, he risks diluting the impact and public appreciation when he does officially retire.
For now, he is only 95 percent certain, so he will watch from afar and moni
tor his reactions during Wimbledon next month.
"I have a lot of respect for what Andre's been able to do," Sampras said. "He's a great player, able to play well at 23 and 33. We've had different journeys to this point in our careers, and he obviously still has a little left in him.
"He seems more focused now than when he was 23. That's him changing as a person and growing up a little bit. The time off he had, the ups and downs he had through those years, is a big reason he has been able to keep it going. If he was at the pace I was at, burning candles at both ends trying to stay No. 1 for those years, I don't know if he'd be there now."
He might instead be at home preparing to watch Wimbledon himself.
"I'll have my TiVo ready to make sure I'll get every match," Sampras said. "I'll be charting, getting the draw out to see who's going to do what."
He was kidding. But skipping Wimbledon is, in general, no joking matter.
"I will miss the echo of the ball, and I will miss walking out on center court," Sampras said. "I will miss it at 31, at 41, at 61, for the rest of my life."
5/28/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras is a study in greatness|:||:|1054136435|:|[May 28, 2003 Josh Bean, Times] Pete Sampras isn't playing this week at the French Open.
He won't play at Wimbledon next month, either.
How sad that the greatest tennis player of a generation -and probably the greatest tennis player of all time - has faded into the shadows of the sports world.
Sampras, 31, married actress Bridgette Wilson in September 2000, signaling the end of his tennis career and the beginning of a new chapter in his life.
It's a shame we no longer get to see Sampras in action.
It's an even greater shame that Americans - sports fans and otherwise - fail to recognize Sampras' greatness.
Pete Sampras isn't as volatile as John McEnroe or as egotistic as Andre Agassi.
That's what's so impressive about Sampras.
His name never shows up on a police blotter, and he played the game with class and dignity.
Sadly, that's precisely why the public never really got to know Sampras.
Agassi summarized the attitude of American athletes when he proclaimed "image is everything" during TV ads a decade ago.
You remember them - Agassi, long hair bouncing more than Britney Spears, selling camera equipment with his tennis skills.
Agassi's shameless promotion made him a household name at a time when Sampras emerged as the game's best player.
Agassi's legacy is built on his celebrity ¡V a marriage to model Brooke Shields and a subsequent marriage to former tennis star Steffi Graf.
Not Sampras.
Sampras will be remembered for his resume and nothing more.
Take a look - 14 Grand Slam titles, including a record seven at Wimbledon.
Pretty impressive, eh?
The American sports landscape has become littered with players with more style than substance, more panache than performance.
How else can we explain basketball phenom LeBron James signing a $90 million sneaker deal before actually bouncing a pass or shooting a free throw in the NBA?
Hype sells.
That's why Michael Jordan can't keep his bald noggin out of the limelight, and over-the-hill boxers continue to be beaten into submission for a fistful of pay-per-view dollars.
Once in the spotlight, it's difficult for athletes to step out of it.
But not for Sampras.
He never seemed comfortable with his celebrity, retreating from the public eye and concentrating on becoming one of the greatest athletes of all time.
If sports fans can't recognize Sampras' greatness, it's their loss.
It doesn't take an over-hyped image or a slew of endorsement deals to make an athlete successful.
Winning does.
Sampras won more majors than any player in tennis history.
That's greatness. 5/25/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|We took Sampras for granted|:||:|1053911777|:|[May 23, 2003 Ray McNulty] It all went by too quickly, which is often the case when true greatness passes through.
Has it really been 13 summers since a scrawny, wide-eyed 19-year-old named Pete Sampras walked into the jazzy confines of Louis Armstrong Stadium and walked out as the youngest U.S. Open champion in tennis history?
Wasn't it just yesterday that Sampras was bouncing Boris Becker at Wimbledon, out-slugging Todd Martin in Australia and running Michael Chang all over Flushing Meadows?
How can the greatest tennis player of his generation -- the man who won an unprecedented 14 Grand Slam singles titles and held the No. 1 ranking for an unmatched 286 weeks -- be done already?
It feels strange, knowing we'll never again see that overpowering serve, or those stinging, seeing-eye volleys, or the most complete game since Rod Laver was beating everyone and becoming Sampras' Australian idol.
It's sad, really, in a selfish, nostalgic sort of way.
It's even sadder that we took him for granted, as if he'd be there forever, showing us the way the game should be played, showing everyone there's still a place for class, grace and sportsmanship, even in today's look-at-me sports world.
Truth be told, it always bothered me when people complained that Sampras didn't have enough personality to carry the game. It bothered me that people wanted him to be Andre Agassi.
Sampras wasn't a showman who played to the crowd. He was a champion who played for the crowd . . . and history . . . and himself.
He played with skill, with purpose and with heart, giving us all he had to give, somehow finding a way to play his best when it mattered most.
He won seven times at Wimbledon, five times at the U.S. Open and twice in Australia. He lost only four of his 18 Grand Slam finals.
And now, apparently, he has nothing left to give.
Eight months after rising from the tennis dead -- he went 33 tournaments without a title before putting together a memorable-but-improbable run to one last U.S. Open championship -- Sampras can't seem to find his way back to the court.
At age 31, the competitive fire that burned so bright for so long has burned out.
Sampras hasn't formally announced his retirement, but he hasn't played since the U.S. Open. It was especially telling that he has decided not to play next month at Wimbledon, where the fast, grass surface would give him his best chance to win.
If he doesn't play there, he won't play anywhere.
And he shouldn't.
Sampras already wrote a better ending that anyone could've imagined last September. Not only did he come out of nowhere, taunted by the whispers that he was no longer a serious threat to win major championships, but he also beat his long-time rival on America's
grandest tennis stage.
You couldn't ask for a more-fitting finish: Sampras won his first and last Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open, and both times he beat Agassi in the final.
So why risk ruining it?
Sampras seems perfectly content with being a husband and father. And, more important, he couldn't be satisfied with being nothing more than a tough out.
No real champion could.
So there's no good reason to come back. Except this:
We miss him, which is often the case when true greatness passes through. 5/22/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Withdraws Participation In Home Depot Center|:||:|1053653792|:|[Tennis Week 05/23/2003]
In a shocking surprise, Pete Sampras has withdrawn his endorsement and participation in the $130 million Home Depot Center currently under construction on the campus of California State University in Carson, California.
To date, no reasons have been given for Sampras' withdrawal.
Owned by AEG, the Home Depot Center is an 85-acre sports campus complex that had planned to host the Pete Sampras Tennis Academy, which was supposed to provide training programs and instruction for players of all skill levels as well as serve as a full-time training center for touring pros and players preparing to play on the pro tour.
What will happen to the roles carved out at AEG for former adidas executive Ryan McCauley and Sampras' coach, Paul Annacone, is unclear.
Scheduled to open this summer, the complex will serve as the home of the USTA's new USA Tennis High Performance national training center and feature a 13,000-seat tennis stadium as well as 36 new or renovated courts. In addition to serving as a tennis center, the complex will offer a 27,000-seat soccer stadium, a 20,000-seat track and field stadium and facilities for baseball, basketball, softball and volleyball. The site will also be the home of the U.S. soccer federation.
A leading sports and entertainment production company, AEG is a subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation, which owns or controls companies and facilities such as the Staples Center, home of the Los Angeles Lakers, The Forum, the NHL's Los Angeles Kings, six MLS franchises and six hockey teams in Europe. The USA Tennis High Performance center is the product of a partnership between the USTA and AEG.
5/22/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|For Pete's sake, let's give Sampras his due|:||:|1053607970|:|By GARY SHELTON, Times Sports Columnist
© St. Petersburg Times
published May 22, 2003
If he had been the life of the party, perhaps we would do a better job of noticing Pete Sampras' departure from it.
If he had been prone to charming moments, or glib ones, or revealing ones, perhaps he would not be leaving so quietly.
If he had been of a different time, or a different sport, perhaps this would be the day we added up the moments and the memories.
Alas, all Pete Sampras ever brought us was greatness.
Just that.
Sampras is all but gone from tennis. He announced that last week when he said he was withdrawing from the French Open, which he never has won, and from Wimbledon, which he always seemed to win. Sampras said he was 95 percent sure he would not return to the game.
And the silence was deafening.
How can this be? How can so much greatness walk away with so little fanfare? How can we resist debating his place in history? How can we not measure whether it was the athlete or the sport that made the other richer?
True, it would have helped if Sampras had been more definitive, if he had said he was leaving and not coming back. Had he said this would be his last Wimbledon, perhaps we would have time for a proper sendoff. Had he done it 20 months ago, in the echoes of somehow winning the U.S. Open, it would have been perfect.
Instead what we get is a career that is, as the wizard in The Princess Bride suggested, mostly dead. Logic tells us that Sampras is done. He was such a finely tuned athlete, mentally and physically, that it's hard to picture him putting the two together. Still, the end seems vague, lacking flair.
And when you get down to it, isn't that the way you would think Sampras' career would conc
lude?
As a tennis player, as an athlete scaling a particular mountain, he is Jordan, he is Gretzky, he is Ali. If Sampras was not the greatest tennis player of all-time, he at least gets into the discussion, which isn't bad in itself.
Fourteen major titles. Seven Wimbledon championships. Six consecutive years as the top player on the planet. At a time when equipment has done much to make very good players look like great ones, Sampras still managed to stand taller than everyone else.
Yet for most of his career, there was a distance to Sampras, as if he were keeping the very best part of himself inside. As a competitor, he could tear an opponent's throat out. As a showman, well, he could have used a new coach.
For most of tennis history, that would have been fine. Ivan Lendl had no personality at all, and those in charge wouldn't even rent one to him. If Bjorn Borg were in the car with Sampras, you'd refer to Pete as "the fun one."
Sampras, however, happened to come along when there was no opposite side of the coin. He would have done the part of "ice" just fine, but Andre Agassi went for a walkabout with his "fire," and fans missed the contrast.
Accordingly, fans seemed to blame Sampras for any blandness they saw in the men's game. "Sourpras" the British tabloids labeled him.
It wasn't fair. It wasn't even the point.
The point should be that, on the court, Sampras was as fierce, as furious, as focused a player as the game has seen. In the discussion of best ever, there always will be those who hold his failure to win a French Open against him, and they'll write in Laver's name, maybe Borg's, before his. But they won't write many before his.
The career of Sampras was odd in that he had to show a little weakness before fans acknowledged his strength.
That final major, when Sampras somehow gathered himself to win the U.S. Open, was a thing of beauty. That was his crowning glory. His serve had lost some heat, and his ground strokes were shakier than they had been, and his opponents no longer fear
ed him. But Sampras always had that knack for rising for the big point, and he did it, one more time.
To some, that is where you will begin to tell the legacy of Sampras the Great, when like an aging gunfighter, he found a way to win one more time.
My favorite Sampras moment was July 4, 1999, the day that Nostradamus predicted the world to end. Others were predicting it was the day Agassi finally would get the better of Sampras in a Wimbledon final. Some days, it seems, you just can't predict anything.
That was the best of Sampras. He blew away Agassi, who played pretty darn well, in three straight sets. "He walked on water," Agassi summed up.
Sampras had been shaky the entire tournament, and the Wimbledon fans sensed it. They never had been kind to Sampras, the bully, but now they seemed to reach out for him. Finally they seemed to realize not what Sampras lacked, but what he possessed.
Now that he is departing, perhaps it's time for the rest of us to realize it, too.
As much as any athlete of our time, Sampras shows how often we look for the wrong things in the athletes we observe.
If Sampras had been a brat, someone who threw rackets and balls and umpires around, there would be more attention placed on his farewell.
If he had loved the nightlife, if he had loved to boogie, he would have been all over the tabloids, and as such there would be more sadness evident over his fading away.
Even if he had been a thug, if he had bitten an opponent's ear off, if he had left a few rules tied into a pretzel, we would pay more attention.
Instead, all Sampras had was greatness.
At the conclusion of a career, it looks like plenty.
Source: St. Petersburg Times
5/20/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras a humble champion|:||:|1053495344|:|[May 20, 2003, DAVE HYDE] The trick to writing any athlete's retirement story is in recalling some telling scene or witnessed emotion that sums up the departing name. When the subject was John McEnroe, for instance, there was the story of him approaching the old Lipton Championships bleachers to demand a fan stop smoking.
"You'll feel better," McEnroe shouted at him, "and so will I."
That was McEnroe in an anecdote. Martina Navratilova, witty and willful, could be remembered by a serve-and-return with a male tabloid reporter at a Wimbledon news conference.
"Are you still a lesbian?" the man asked.
"Are you still the alternative?" Navratilova shot right back.
Personality, you see, remains the fertilizer for remembering sports legends, and the louder it was the easier they're recalled, especially in an individual sport like tennis. But Pete Sampras heads off the court now in a manner so typically quiet, so understated - some preferred to hang the too-surface label of boring on him - that he again eludes the obvious scene or quote.
Through his coach, he withdrew from three tournaments he had entered, including Wimbledon. His heart wasn't into tennis today, and maybe forever, Sampras said in what passed for a farewell from his courtside seat at a Los Angeles Lakers game. He wore jeans and a baseball cap.
No farewell tour. No curtain call. None of the is-he-or-isn't-he game that plays out at least once with most legends, thanks be to Pete.
Modest. Decent. So utterly normal, in everything but his game. Wasn't that how the Sampras story will be written?
He was never a favorite for the elementary sports fan, the one who needed the starter kit of a Jimmy Connors fist pump, a Williams' sisters father or an Andre Agassi hair reinvention to b
e interested. Sampras was for the advanced fan. He was for people who were content with talent, understood discipline and appreciated an accumulation of excellence over time, most of all.
Excellence is always interesting in its own right, no matter the medium or subject matter. Personality provides flavor. There's no denying that. But Sampras' demonstration of excellence made you watch from the time he vaulted onto the international scene at 19, winning the U.S. Open against Agassi, then a 20-year-old mop-head.
He went through the boring label and shrugged at it, through the star tag and lived with it and through the inevitable straight-arrow comparisons to Agassi and profited from them. What he never did was publicly stray from who he was or what he believed.
At his seventh and final Wimbledon title in 2000, Sampras showed a rare view of emotion, running into the crowd to embrace his parents, who had made a rare trip to watch him. His parents had a healthy respect for the spotlight. So, obviously, did their son.
At his 14th major victory and fifth U.S. Open title last fall, Sampras got what every great champion deserves. One more day in the sun. One final chance for people to cheer him.
"A storybook ending - it might be nice to stop," he said after it.
And so it appears he has stopped, and with him goes a slice of the sports world you don't see enough of anymore. The kind that says a champion should act like one, a legend should.
You can do or say anything anymore in sports. It's not just the athletes, who often get vilified. It's the media that rewards the person who shouts loudest or can't stop talking about the coach who starts the biggest scandal. It's the fans, as evidenced by the recent chant in Boston directed at New Jersey guard Jason Kidd for striking his wife years ago.
In this sports forum, such a decent and dignified voice like Sampras seems strangely revolutionary by comparison. He was someone to celebrate, his retirement something to note. He wanted you to pay attention to his tenn
is excellence in the way Dennis Rodman asked you to watch his tattoos. If you missed it, you missed something.
Now for the anecdote. In 1996, at the Lipton, a ball boy and girl were asked after the tournament who was their favorite player.
"Maybe Sampras," the boy said.
"Yeah, Sampras," she agreed. "He never says a bad word, and says thanks to us a lot of times."
The biggest names only have to do the littlest things to make people appreciate them. But only the greatest among them do. One more of them will be missed today.
5/20/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|For Pete's Sake, What Is Going On?|:||:|1053443027|:|[May 20, 2003 BUD COLLINS]
No re-Pete?
The suspense and suspicions of eight months without Pete Sampras showing his face or feet on a tennis court seem to make it apparent that one of the most brilliant racket-flapping careers has come to a close.
Or has it?
After playing hide-and-seek -- rather than tennis -- with himself, curious reporters, and his large constituency of fans, the lately mysterious Sampras was overtaken by journalists in his lair, Los Angeles, at a Lakers game the other night.
"What's up, Pete?" was the obvious question.
Like the spin doctor he has become -- topspin, slice, take your pick -- Pete confessed that he would not be at three forthcoming tournaments he had entered: the French Open, Queen's Club in London, and his Eden, Wimbledon. However, as to the future: "I'm not 100 percent going to close the door."
Pete has dropped tournaments like Madonna strewing suitors -- 10 that he has entered this season.
Obviously the guy is confused. Ever a champion of impeccable sportsmanship, Pete is being a naughty boy. He owes his public a press conference, stating one of three courses:
1. I quit. I'm thankful for a wonderful run.
2. I'm not quitting. I'm too young, and my US Open victory last September certified that I've still got plenty left in the tank. I'm enjoying fatherhood, but will need some time to get tournament-fit again.
3. I'm conflicted, mixed up, trying to sort things out. I've never reached this crossroad before. Give me until the US Open, and I'll get back to you.
My hope is No. 2. That's probably selfish because I enjoy his fluidity, the smoothness that has made him Silky Sampras, his flair and daring as the paragon of a virtually extinct breed -- a serve-and-volleyer surrounded by the conservative gang of baseline backboarders.
There are those who feel he should walk away at the top, having solidified his male record of major singles titles, the 14th last autumn in New York. Pete must be considering that. How many athletes have a top to walk away from, perched on an Everest-size wallet?
As he told the Los Angeles Times, "I know what it takes to be competitive -- training, preparation, dedication -- and I'm just not there right now." He was never an especially rigorous trainer, getting by handsomely on superior skill, a highly competitive heart, and certainly dedication to be the best. Whether those qualities can be reheated (or even matter to him anymore) is questionable.
Pete turns 32 Aug. 12. Of his five US championships, the first and last, 1990 and 2002, were the most unlikely. As a 19-year-old he became the youngest to go all the way, coming out of the pack to beat Andre Agassi in the final. Twelve years later, he broke a 33-tournament drought -- and Agassi again -- at Flushing Meadow to become one of the oldest winners. No American had bridged such a US gap with titles, 12 years apart, although the Aussie wizard, Ken Rosewall, won in 1953 and 1970.
Whatever Sampras decides, his place among the all-time greats is assured: the main man of all at Wimbledon with seven titles; 64 singles titles total; No. 1 six straight years (1993-98), tying Big Bill Tilden's record (1920-25); a defining Davis Cup-seizing tour de force of 1995 in Moscow, winning both singles and the doubles on a clay court installed to devour him during a 3-2 victory over Russia. And much more that, if he is truly through, will land him in the International Tennis Hall of Fame at Newport, R.I., in 2008.
One friend of Pete's says, "Wait'll he gets tired of diapers, and the baby waking them up in the middle of the night. Then he'll be back."
What to do for an encore for such a young man? Ion Tiriac, once player-coach of the late Boston Lobsters of World Team Tennis, now promoter of the Madrid tourney, has an answer for Pete: "Why not finish high school?" 5/19/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras leaves wiggle room for more Grand Slam play|:||:|1053397334|:|[May 19, 2003 Christopher Clarey] Pete Sampras's decision last week to withdraw from the French Open and Wimbledon probably signals the end of the most remarkable tennis career in the past 30 years.
But that does not mean Sampras, the winner of a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, has retired. He still wants to leave himself enough wiggle room for the second thoughts that might surface in the months ahead, particularly when he watches Wimbledon begin from afar for the first time since 1988.
"I am not ready to close the door quite yet on my career," he said when interviewed by ABC television Thursday in Los Angeles during a National Basketball Association playoff game in which his beloved Lakers were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs.
Sampras, 31, has not played a competitive match since he won his 14th major title by defeating his longtime American rival, Andre Agassi, in the final of the U.S. Open last September.
If that remains his last match, it will rank as one of the most stirring farewells in history for a sports star.
"Sure we've talked about it," his coach, Paul Annacone, said by telephone Friday. "He feels, like, O.K., Andre Agassi, finals of the U.S. Open, two-year drought, 26,000 screaming fans; it doesn't get a whole hell of a lot better than that in terms of a resurgence and maybe an overall completion of the picture. It's like Michael Jordan hitting that last shot years ago against Utah.
"In a romantic way, everyone says, 'Walk away.' It sounds terrific. But in reality, it remains to be seen. We'll see what not being at Wimbledon does to him. Maybe it will fuel some fire, or maybe he'll say, 'I feel O.K. about it.'"
Though Sampras announced plans to return to competition in February, he has now withdrawn from several tournaments this season and said last week that it was very unlikely he would return for the U.S. Open this year.
Annacone said that Sampras practiced with him regularly through March but had been much more of a part-time player in the past six weeks, when Annacone has focused more on Sampras' business activities than on his game.
"It went to a couple times a week, and he probably went one spell where he didn't hit for two to three weeks," Annacone said. "Since then, it's been once or twice a week, a casual 40 minutes just to keep the groove."
Annacone, who believed Sampras needed two months of consistent effort leading into Wimbledon to stand a chance of winning his eighth title, said Sampras also had been playing beach volleyball and basketball.
"He's in decent shape; he needs to get in tennis shape," Annacone said. "It's not like he's weighing in at 215 with a case of Heineken sitting nearby."
But it also is not like he is burning with desire to prove himself again on the circuit that he dominated for much of the 1990s.
"When I started the process of trying to play Wimbledon, I found that my heart wasn't 100 percent into it," he told ABC. "It takes a lot of work, and if your heart's not into it, it's time to move on."
Sampras said he had chosen not to retire now because he did not want to run the risk of changing his mind.
As to whether Sampras might emulate Jordan's multiple retirements from professional basketball, Patrick McEnroe, the U.S. Davis Cup captain, said: "That's not his personality. He's stubborn in a way, very thoughtful about the decisions he makes. He's very attuned to his place in tennis history, and he's not going to play if he doesn't feel he can win, and he wants to make sure that when he says he's stopping, he is really done."
Annacone said Sampras was adamant that the birth of his first child in November was not influencing his thinking about continuing his career.
"It's not, 'I need to be home. I have to be with my child,'" Annacone said.
"It's about, 'Am I ready to do this seven days a week? With that focus, that discipline, that sacrifice?'
"Even though he's so introverted, people don't know what went on for him internally to stay at the top of the game for six years and win all those majors.
"There's a lot of fire there. Just because he doesn't verbalize it or act it out, people didn't realize that, and that's kind of who he is, what his makeup is, and he doesn't really want to go back unless he feels he can get to that emotional place where he wants to win like that.
"Basically he used the word 'need' with me, saying, 'I used to need to win Wimbledon.' There's a difference between wanting to and needing to."
Sampras would certainly have a motive for returning to Wimbledon. He won seven singles titles there, equaling the men's record established by William Renshaw in the 1880s when tennis was more genteel and much less competitive and the title holder only had to win one match to retain his crown instead of playing through the whole tournament.
But last year, Sampras suffered his most shocking defeat on Wimbledon's grass, losing in the second round to a Swiss journeyman, George Bastl. Still, even the memory of the Bastl match may not be enough.
"In a romantic way it is fuel," Annacone said. "Putting closure on that place, in particular, that he holds pretty close is an important facet. But I think really, after climbing that mountain, doing what he did in New York, he feels pretty good."
Perhaps the only hope for a comeback is if another mountain appears. Winning the French Open, the only Grand Slam title missing from his record collection, has long seemed unrealistic for a man who is no fan of clay. But Annacone, who is lobbying for Sampras to continue, thinks this long layoff just might generate its own challenge. In the modern game, no established star has managed to win major titles again after a long break from the sport: not John McEnroe, not Mats Wilander, not Boris Becker.
"Maybe that will be intriguing to him," said Annacone, acknowledging that, for the moment, retirement stood a much better chance of holding Sampras's interest. 5/17/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Becker wants more of Pete|:||:|1053233207|:|[May 18, 2003 Telegraph, Calcutta] Boris Becker hopes that Pete Sampras¡¦ decision to miss this year¡¦s French Open and Wimbledon championships does not mark the end of his illustrious career. ¡§You have to respect his decision. But I sincerely hope we see him one more time at the US Open. I don¡¦t know if this is it, I hope not,¡¨ the six-time Grand Slam winner said at the Masters Series event in Hamburg on Friday. ¡§I haven¡¦t spoken to him so I don¡¦t know what¡¦s on his mind. It¡¦s probably the most difficult decision of his life.¡¨
Sampras has not played a match since winning his 14th career Grand Slam by beating Andre Agassi at the 2002 US Open but Becker, who lost to Sampras in the 1995 Wimbledon final, believes it will be hard for him to walk away. ¡§It took me a while to call it quits and I think anybody who has won a Grand Slam or two, in his case 14, it¡¦s something we have been doing all our lives so we don¡¦t have the game plan for what is going to happen after. You need time to finally make up your mind,¡¨ he said.
5/17/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|A classy exit for Pete Sampras|:||:|1053230858|:|[May. 16, 2003 MELISSA ISAACSON, Chicago Tribune] He never did cozy up to the idea of retirement and perhaps he never will.
But Pete Sampras always had a much better feel for his internal clock than any expert or opponent ever did, and so we watch now as he orchestrates the close of his career in his own way, in his own time and yes, on his own terms.
The end for one of the greatest tennis players of all time appears to be in sight with Sampras' withdrawal from Wimbledon this week. He had pulled out of every event he was scheduled to play this year, so the significance of Sampras missing Wimbledon should not be lost, and not simply because it is where he won half of his 14 grand slam titles.
This will be the first summer in 14 years he will not enter the hallowed grounds of the All England Club, a place that showcased Sampras at his very best and ultimately exposed him at his worst.
Never before had a tournament and a surface so suited a player and his skills as the grass courts caressed Sampras. His commanding serve and graceful volleys were embraced by the people and the place in a way that bonded them together and made it, for a time, impossible to imagine him losing there.
But after he won his last Wimbledon title in 2000 over Patrick Rafter, there was a five-set, fourth-round loss to Roger Federer in 2001. Then last year a second-round defeat by George Bastl, a little-known player on a lesser-known outside court that seemed as insulting to Sampras' legacy as his performance.
Tennis finesse was suddenly as outdated as a wooden racket, Sampras' demise reflecting the sad state of the men's game. Still, one month short of his 31st birthday, Sampras was not ready to retire, ignoring such suggestions that came even as he defeated Greg Rusedski in a third-round, five-set thriller that fall at the U.S. Open.
"He's a step and a half slow coming to the net . . . he's just not the same player," Rusedski said, expressing doubt that Sampras would win another match. "I mean, he's a great player from the past."
Rusedski was right, and deep down maybe Sampras knew it. But the truly great ones are those who can will themselves to win even when they have no business performing at such a level anymore. That is precisely what Sampras did in his stirring march to the final, where he would defeat longtime rival Andre Agassi for his fifth U.S. Open title.
"To beat a rival like Andre in a major tournament at the U.S. Open, a storybook ending, it might be nice to stop," Sampras said at the time.
But he was no more certain than we were. For Sampras, retirement was not going to come with one final pronouncement but the way we see it playing out now, in dribs and drabs, the decision ultimately making itself so he didn't have to.
He always said he would quit when he didn't feel like playing anymore and not because his skills had diminished. But he may be wondering now that he has apparently taken his last pass at Wimbledon if indeed, he had created that perfect ending last fall.
He should know that it's really about what he created at so many points along the way.
It is about what he did as a scrawny 19-year-old who scarcely knew how special it was to win his first grand slam title, unleashing his grace and power to defeat a shaggy-haired 20-year-old Agassi in straight sets at the 1990 U.S. Open.
And it is about what he did as a 31-year-old when he beat 19-year-old phenom Andy Roddick in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open last fall, teaching the future of American men's tennis that great players are not created in a cacophonous overnight racket but rather in a smooth simmer over time. It is about the ease with which Sampras took apart nearly all who tried to return his serve at Wimbledon, and the mental toughness that filled the gaps.
And more than anything, it is about the strength it takes to walk away.
5/17/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|The Sampras Interview |:||:|1053230560|:|[May 17, 2003, Neil Harman]'Wimbledon is the one place where I really get emotional. This has been a very, very hard decision'
THE tone of his voice gives the game away. He says it is not a "for ever"decision, but to all intents and purposes it is. "I climbed the highestmountain and I'm not sure if I can top that," Pete Sampras said yesterday.
After 14 years of English summers spent accumulating a lifetime's worth of medals and memories, Sampras has chosen to be at home in Los Angeles when Wimbledon rolls around in five weeks' time. The languid grace combined with the devastating power of the most wonderful service action the sport has seen, the spellbinding volleys, the masterful movement, the slam-dunk overheads . . . all have become yesterday's treasures.
At 31, almost nine months after his last competitive match and seven since the arrival of his first son, Christian Charles, Sampras does not have it in him to challenge on the stage that was once his own patch of grass. "I didn't say anything for a long time because I didn't have anything worth saying, I just wanted to get out there and practise and see how it went," he said. "I have found out that my heart isn't in it and I always promised myself I wouldn't just play, I had to play to win. "I'm not into farewell tours and saying goodbyes. I've got to be out there to win, doing whatever it takes to be what I want to be. I would be doing myself a disservice going out there and I don't want to do that to myself. You need to be on top of your plan, on top of your emotions, have a purpose. I've just felt like it's not there. But I'm not ready to retire. I can't make that choice now. I don't want to close the door 100 per cent.
"There might be a possibility I could play next y
ear, I don't know that yet. I'm going to miss Wimbledon, but I'll find out what it feels like not to play. Then I'll be much clearer if I want to continue or not. Right now, mentally and physically, I'm nowhere near close enough to where I need to be to compete for the majors. You can't do it halfway."
As ever, Sampras speaks plainly, but even down a phone line to his home, you get the sense of a man whose heart is breaking, ever so gently. "It's very
difficult for me to have to own up to my feelings," he said. What would he not give to walk out on Centre Court (by instinct he would turn and bow, and expressed disappointment that it is no longer de rigueur) and whip a few more butts? He could play grass-court tennis in his sleep.
His record at Wimbledon is astonishing. He first played the championships in 1989, when, as a 17-year-old, he was knocked out in the first round by Todd
Woodbridge. The same happened in 1990, when Christo van Rensburg put paid to his chances. But Fred Perry, Great Britain¥æs three-times champion in the 1930s, had seen enough to be convinced that Sampras would win the title one day.
Derrick Rostagno, Sampras's fellow American, defeated him in the second round in 1991 and the following year he was beaten in the semi-finals by Goran Ivanisevic. The breakthrough arrived in 1993, beginning a run of seven championship victories in eight years, interrupted only in 1996, when Richard Krajicek defeated him in the quarter-finals en route to the title. With his twilight success in the 2000 final over Pat Rafter, Sampras overtook the record of 12 grand-slam titles, held by Roy Emerson.
In the past two years, Sampras's flame has dimmed. He was beaten in the fourth round by Roger Federer on Centre Court in 2001 and then, sadly and badly, by George Bastl, another Swiss, in the second round on the notorious Court No 2 last year. During that defeat he constantly referred to a letter, written by his wife, Bridgette, telling him that he was the best husband, the best player, the best man in the world and not to worry about the match.
In his press conference only a few minutes later, he choked up. "When I heard I was on Court 2, I wasn't happy about it," he said. "But as predictable as I've been here, you are going to have a match like this every ten years. I plan to be back. I love playing here and though I'm pretty bummed out right now, I'm not going to end my time here on that loss."
That was then. In all, Sampras played 65 singles matches at Wimbledon and won 59. He never lost in his seven final appearances. A couple of months later, when no one gave him a prayer, he won his fourteenth grand-slam title at the US Open -- his "mountain top". Since then he has gone about fatherhood with great glee, leading some to suspect that family contentment is behind his announcement.
"I have a wonderful family, but I want you to make it absolutely clear, to let people know that this decision has nothing to do with me being a father," he said. "It's about me as an athlete. If I had a goal that I wanted to achieve, the family would come to London. And I am my own boss. Of course, those who are close to me have had their opinions, but this is my choice. I'm just not driven right now.
"This is hard to admit but it's true, I'm owning up to it. Wimbledon is the one place where I really get emotional, so you can imagine that this has been a very, very hard decision. I've wrestled with it for months and months. I just didn't want to put the work in on the practice court that was required. I'd go out there for a couple of days, but on the third I didn't have it in me.
"For me, tennis has been about victories, records, numbers. My six years in a row as No 1 was agonising, but I made myself do it. There aren't that many
challenges left. I'm very content with the feeling that I can let Wimbledon go. I don't know if I'll watch it. I'll probably be anxious to see some results. I'll miss it when I'm 32, 42 or 52, but I have to remind myself what I've achieved, where I've been at. That's life."
Paul Annacone, Sampras's coach, said his man was the exception that broke the rule. He played tennis in a different way, one that brought a contrasting sense of joy, of beauty. The final last year was played between strict baseliners, a trend that Sampras believes is with us for the foreseeable future. It says much about how remote he has become from the sport that he was not even aware of Tim Henman's shoulder injury. "Of course, I wish him well, I'd love to see him win it," Sampras said.
With that, he bids you farewell. He does not want to consider whether he would return to defend his US Open title in September, he just wants time to reflect on what he has done to Wimbledon, and to himself. How can the man who has climbed the highest mountain seem so low? 5/16/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras isn't playing but is it the end?|:||:|1053147933|:|[May 15, 2003 By Cynthia Faulkner] When Pete Sampras' coach Paul Annacone talks about the man he's coached for the better part of 15 years, the word superstar pops up more than once. But on Thursday night, after Sampras said he's not planning on playing the rest of the year, so did the word normal.
And Sampras looked like a normal guy -- a sports fan sitting courtside at the Lakers game with his wife. But still neither man called this break by the R-word.
"Although he isn't retiring, he's not going to play and continue not to play for the time being -- just to get his bearings down and see if the fire starts to burn to get back out there," Annacone told ESPN.com. "But right now he doesn't want to do it halfway, so he felt like this is the best thing to do. Even though Wimbledon does have that special place in his heart, the last thing he wants to do is be over there and not be prepared."
"I kind of have to own up to the fact that my heart's not into it," Sampras told ESPN's Alex Flanagan, while attending Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals in Los Angeles.
Sampras once said he wanted to retire on Centre Court at Wimbledon. Instead, last year, the place where he won seven of his 14 Grand Slams became the site of his biggest career disappointment. He lost on an outside court in the second round. And if he can't feel the fire to come back this year, the possibility of a glorious ending on Centre Court seems more unlikely.
"As much as you want to make things special and unique with superstars," Annacone said, "it's really a phase of life that he's going through and he's just trying to really sort it all out before he says 'OK, I'm definitely done,' or 'OK, I just needed a break and now I'm ready to go again.' I think th
at's human nature. After all, no matter how good these athletes are they are human beings and they go through everything else that we do, they just tend to do what they do a little bit better than everybody else."
A little bit better seems modest in this case. Sampras is arguably the best tennis player who ever lived. He holds the record for major titles and held onto the No. 1 ranking for six consecutive years. And because of that, he's not willing to get back on a court again unless he's put in the prep time.
"I go to win," Sampras said. "I don't just go to play."
Although both say he lacks match toughness, Annacone said Sampras is working out regularly, though not always on the tennis court.
"He does some beach volleyball stuff," Annacone said. "He plays basketball. He sees his trainer regularly lifting weights. (He's) doing some plyometric stuff for leg strength and things of that nature. From time to time we're out there hitting tennis balls, but it's not a daily routine. It's just enough to keep the cobwebs off, so he feels relatively sharp when he's out there swinging the racket."
He's spending time with wife Bridgette Wilson, son Christian, and family members living in California all while preparing for the eventual day when the announcement becomes official.
"I think he's been leading a relatively normal life and enjoying that for the time being -- looking after some potential business needs and looking for opportunities to do things down the road business-wise because ultimately whether it's this year or next, he's going to be done playing tennis," Annacone said.
But Sampras isn't ready to say he's done yet.
"There might be a day, six months from now, that I'll want to get back into playing again. I'm my own boss, which is nice," Sampras said.
"For the time being, he's very happy and content with where he is," Annacone said. "But you know, we'll see how that human nature evolves after not being in a place that's been so special to him. Who knows, I could speculate as to what that'
s going to be but we really won't know until after the tournaments are over."
For now, both men are living life differently. Preparing for that so-called normal life. After being Sampras' coach for the better part of 15 years, Annacone is starting to serve as an off-court advisor.
"Sure my heart is on the tennis court with Pete Sampras, but the deepest part of my heart's really our friendship and the other ways I can help make his life and his business opportunities happy and healthy."
Annacone knows the time is fast approaching that Sampras will have to make a decision but he still believes that a champion can still win.
"The longer you wait the more difficult it is," Annacone said. "Being in sports as long as I have, I think the special athletes and superstars need challenges and who knows maybe this is one of those challenges that will ignite the flame and maybe burn even brighter where he's thinking 'no one has sat out this long and come back and done a terrific job, so that's what I'd like to do'. I don't think he's consciously sitting there and thinking about that. I think that the longer you wait for any human being the more difficult it is particularly at this stage of his career."
But while the coach talks about potential challenges, he's also reflecting on the glory of a potential final moment at last year's U.S. Open. Fittingly ending a stellar career at the place where it began with Sampras' first major victory in 1990.
"It's a tough decision," Annacone said. "I think romantically in everyone's mind, and probably in my mind, too, to think of your last match being against Andre Agassi at the center court of the U.S. Open, it's kind of a nice thing to think about, a way to stop. But in actuality can you do that or do you want to do that? Those are the kind of things that he's mulling over."
Mulling over whether to go after a normal life, if that's even possible for a superstar.
5/16/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete's Interview at NBA (Video Link)|:||:|1053099872|:|Excerpts --
Q: It was announced on the ABC broadcast that you have pulled out of Wimbledon and are considering retiring.
Pete: Yeah, I pulled out of Wimbledon. Retirement... I'm not quite there yet. I'm gonna see how I feel in the next few months. There could be a chance I'll play next year but my heart isn't in the game right now - it really isn't.
Q: When did you make the decision to pull out of Wimbledon?
Pete: Probably about 3 weeks ago in my mind. I start doing some work - working out, starting to practise a little. But after about the fourth day of practising, I felt my heart wasn't into it.
Q: Do you have a timeline for when you want to try to get back in or when you will make the ultimate decision
Pete: End of the year.
Full interview at ESPN.com
Source: ESPN Video Link 5/16/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Retirement Is a Know-When Situation|:||:|1053095072|:|By Bill Dwyre, Times Staff Writer
Pete Sampras was at the Laker game Thursday night. The tennis star said before the game he was a little bummed.
"If only Horry's shot had gone in," he said. "I would feel a lot better now."
If only Sampras would stay around for a while longer, the tennis world would feel a lot better now.
But he is not. Most likely, we have seen the last of a magnificent talent. A maestro has put down his violin. Once, we had Agassi and Sampras. Now we have Rodgers and no Hammerstein.
For years, we took for granted that with "Breakfast at Wimbledon" came that tall, handsome, Greek American, rocking back at the service line and then, as smooth as vanilla ice cream on chocolate cake, exploding forward with an effortless motion that would send a tennis ball into the service box at speeds impossible to imagine and to spots impossible to reach.
When Sampras won his last Wimbledon, the four-set nail-biter against Patrick Rafter in 2000, he hit 118 aces in his seven matches. Most club players don't hit that many in a lifetime.
Thursday, when his coach, Paul Annacone, called the people at the French Open, the Queens Club event and Wimbledon and said that his player would not be playing this year, an era most likely had ended.
"There is really no right way or wrong way to do this," Annacone said, referring to how to announce that one of the greatest players ever probably won't play again. "He is still uncertain sometimes about coming back, but not playing at Wimbledon says a lot. He won't play any more this year, and I'd put it at about 95% that he will not play again, period.
"I know one thing for sure. He doesn't want to be like one of those pro boxers who retires and unretires seven times."
The quest
ion that will ring out most loudly is why. Why would a player who is not going to turn 32 until August, who has his health and wealth and his place in history firmly established, go so quickly and somewhat mysteriously off into the sports ether?
Why no victory tour? Isn't that what Michael Chang is doing?
Why no reduced schedule as a prelude to total absence?
Why no request for Davis Cup captaincy, or network TV commentating spots?
Why not cling, in some way, to a sport that has made him a household name?
The answer is complicated, and simple. Just like the man.
Since Sampras walked off the court at Wimbledon in July 2000, after beating Rafter and reaching the goal of 13 Grand Slam titles that he had pursued since he was old enough to understand its significance, his tennis life was, in his eyes, less than happy, maybe even miserable.
He went 33 tournaments without a title. The closest he got in tournaments that really mattered to him were finals in 2000 and 2001 U.S. Opens, and both times he was blown out by youngsters, Marat Safin of Russia and Leyton Hewitt of Australia. Especially galling to him was the loss to Safin in 2000. It was the first time Sampras had lost a Grand Slam final in straight sets. Safin couldn't miss and has said since that he has no expectation of ever playing a match like that again.
It was almost as if the tennis gods had given Sampras Grand Slam event No. 13 and now wanted payback.
"The last couple of years took a lot out of me," Sampras said Thursday. "I had climbed the mountain and I knew what it took to get there."
And so, when he climbed the mountain one more time and beat Agassi in last year's U.S. Open final, he was both ecstatic and conflicted. It was such a romantic ending, such a wonderful exclamation point to a career of wonderful highs. But he was also young and healthy and figured that he had lots of years left and lots still to achieve in the game.
Many of his friends recommended a victory tour. The premise was that he had accomplished everything, th
at he could go and play when he wanted, as hard as he wanted, and with medium success, and that people would not only understand but embrace him for it.
But in the end, that was never an issue, any more than the fact that he had a newborn son at home. People who speculated that he cut back or considered retiring because of the baby at home infuriated him.
No, the issue -- the answer to the question of why Pete Sampras would stop now -- is the very reason that he was as great as he was. He never played just to play, or to get to the quarterfinals, or to please his parents or fans, or to collect a check, or to become famous or to position himself for a later job on ESPN.
He played to win. Not some matches or many matches. All of them.
All of us think it would be wonderful if he trained for a few weeks now, got in pretty good shape, went over to Wimbledon, did the interviews and waxed poetically about memories and history, and then won a couple of matches and went home.
To Sampras, that thought is horrifying.
And so now, the reality is that, while he could still get himself to the point where his mind knows that, with decent draws and decent breaks, he could go over and win Wimbledon yet again, getting himself to that point is no longer worth it.
In all the things he said Thursday during an interview, only one really mattered in addressing the "why" question:
"I play to win. I play to achieve goals. I won't do a farewell tour. I won't be part of that. When I step out there, I'm not there to say goodbye. I'm there to win."
He said that he'll play a lot more golf now. Spend time with his family. Work on some business deals -- an agreement to have a tennis academy in his name at the new Home Depot Center in Carson is still in the negotiation stages -- and he'll be happy just to have no schedule.
Vince Lombardi said that winning is the only thing. Pete Sampras decided Thursday to live that.
Source: LA Times
5/16/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Game, set and match likely as Sampras declines Wimbledon start|:||:|1053094745|:|By Bill Dwyre in Los Angeles
May 17 2003
Pete Sampras, whose status as a tennis legend is best represented by his record 14 major titles, has probably played his last competitive match.
Through his coach, Paul Annacone, Sampras withdrew on Thursday from three tournaments that were holding entry spots for him.
One was Wimbledon.
"Yes, for me not to be at Wimbledon, I guess that's big," Sampras said from his home in Beverly Hills, California.
Seven of Sampras's 14 grand slam titles came on the sacred grass of Wimbledon, where, in 2000, he beat Australian Patrick Rafter in the final. That gave Sampras his record-breaking 13th grand slam title, topping by one the standard established by Australian Roy Emerson in 1967.
Sampras beat Rafter after losing the first set and trailing in a second-set tie-breaker 4-1. When Rafter returned wide on match point in the fourth set, giving Sampras his seventh Wimbledon title in eight years, a period in which he had a 53-1 record, Sampras sank to his knees, emotions pouring out that were seldom seen from him.
He climbed high into the stands to embrace his somewhat reclusive parents, who were making a rare trip to watch him, and he spent much of the immediate aftermath battling to fight back tears.
He was still a month away from his 29th birthday then, but the high of his 13th major title was so hard to maintain that, over the next two years, he went on a 33-tournament victory drought that did not end until he stunned a tennis world that had begun to believe he couldn't win a big one again by doing just that.
He beat Andre Agassi in a dramatic US Open final last September. That was his 14th major title, the 762nd tour victory of his 15-year career, against
only 222 losses, and took his earnings total to $43,280,489, by far the most ever.
He has not played since.
Late last year, he announced that he would begin a comeback at a February tournament in San Jose. But that event came and went, as did one withdrawal after another, followed by statements that he wasn't quite ready to come back, stirring speculation the real comeback might be never.
But Wimbledon was always the carrot held out by those in the tennis community who felt he would not be able to resist returning there for one more try, especially because his 2002 experience there, a second-round loss to unheralded George Bastl of Switzerland on a side court, left both a bad taste and some unfinished business.
"I'm going to watch some of Wimbledon on TV," Sampras said. "I'll be curious. I won't watch a ton, but it'll be interesting to see how I feel."
Sampras said he hadn't totally closed the door to a return.
"More like maybe 95 per cent," he said, adding that, by the end of the year, "it'll all be more clear to me".
Sampras also pulled out of the French Open, which begins on May 26, and the Queen's Club event, a grass-court Wimbledon lead-in tournament in early June. Wimbledon starts on June 23.
Few expected him to play the French, his least favourite of the major tournaments because its slow clay surface does not suit his serve-and-volley game. The French is the only major he has not won. He advanced as far as the semi-finals only once and lost in either the first or second round seven of the 13 years he played there. Besides his seven Wimbledon titles, he won the US Open five times and the Australian Open twice.
Sampras's decision was gradual. In March, the first real alarms went off in the tennis world that he might, indeed, never play again. He missed the Masters Series event in Indian Wells, an event that had been one of his first as a pro and one close to home.
At that time, he said he had been training hard and was ready physically to play, but the thought of playing matche
s that didn't mean a lot, then going back to an empty hotel room made him change his mind.
"Maybe my juices will start flowing when the slams get closer," he said then.
But as it became time to get ready for the one that really mattered, Wimbledon, Sampras found he really wasn't ready.
"I know what it takes, the time and the training," he said, "and I just feel it isn't in me right now. If I went to a major, I would go there to win, not just to say goodbye."
Source: Los Angeles Times 5/15/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras out of Wimbledon, French Open|:||:|1053062873|:|May 15, 2003, LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Pete Sampras pulled out of Wimbledon and the French Open and probably won't return to competitive tennis, the Los Angeles Times reported on its Web site Thursday.
Sampras has not played a match since a surprising run to the U.S. Open title in September for his record 14th career Grand Slam singles championship.
He has withdrawn from a succession of tournaments this season, leading many to believe he wouldn't return to the sport.
``I'm not 100 percent going to close the door,'' Sampras, 31, told the newspaper, ``but I know what it takes to be competitive -- the training and preparation and the seven-day-a-week dedication -- and I'm just not there right now.''
His brother, Gus, told The Associated Press on Thursday he didn't know about Sampras' plans. ``He hadn't told me anything final,'' Gus Sampras said by telephone.
Sampras' agent, Bob Kain, did not return a telephone message, and the ATP Tour couldn't confirm the Grand Slam tournament withdrawals.
If he is indeed walking away, Sampras leaves with an impeccable resume, including a record 286 weeks at No. 1, 64 titles and a career match mark of 762-222 (a .774 winning percentage).
His victory at the U.S. Open would be a perfect way to cap his career, particularly because it came after a long dry patch. He entered that tournament with a 20-16 season record, zero titles since July 2000, and was even written off by Greg Rusedski as ``a step and a half slow.''
After beating rival Andre Agassi in four sets in the final at Flushing Meadows, Sampras stopped short of saying he would quit. But, the Open's oldest champion since 1970 did sound like someone thinking about retiring on a high.
``To beat a rival like Andre, in a storybook ending, it might be nice to stop,'' Sampras said that day. ``But ... .''
His wife gave birth to their first child in November, and the next month, Sampras said he wouldn't play in the Australian Open.
Sampras' struggles last year included a first-round loss at the French Open -- the only major played on clay, and the only one he hasn't won -- and a second-round exit at Wimbledon.
5/06/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras pulls out of Hamburg Masters|:||:|1052239117|:|AFP
Hamburg, May 6
American Pete Sampras has pulled out of the Hamburg Masters ATP event next week, tournament director Walter Knapper said on Tuesday.
The 31-year-old reigning US Open champion, who had also pulled out of this week's Rome event, now looks less and less likely to play at Roland Garros, the world's top clay court event in Paris, in three weeks' time.
The seven-time Wimbledon champion has received a wild-card entrance to Queen's, a curtain-raiser to the All England Club event, and the signs are he may finish his sabbatical at that London event.
Sampras' last match was his victory in the final of the US Open on September 8 2002, his 14th career Grand Slam title.
Since then he has taken an extended break from the game, becoming a father in November.
5/02/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Wherefore art thou, Pete? [May 2, 2003]|:||:|10518768000|:|Sampras silent on whether he’ll retire
BUD Collins, May 2 - I don’t suppose Pete Sampras ever intended to be the mystery man of tennis, the D.B. Cooper of the courts, a subject for one of those "Where are they now?" features that track down somebody famous long ago. But Sampras’ silence about his future has been surprising and it’s time for it to end.
MUM HAS BEEN THE WORD
We know that Sampras is alive and well-fixed in the Los Angeles area and hasn’t become amnesiac as far as hitting tennis balls goes, which he used to do awfully well.
I have this marvelous memory of a man reborn eight months ago at a place called Flushing Meadows, breaking from a dry spell worse than Prohibition to brilliantly win the U.S. Open after suffering through 33 tournaments without a victory.
That was Pete Sampras winning his 14th major, fattening his all-time record.
And then? What for an encore? Silence.
Except for notifying tournament directors, one after another, like dominos that he won’t be there, canceling his entries.
He won’t be in Rome for the Italian Open - a tournament that many forget was his property in 1994, despite his seeming allergy to clay.
A RETURN ON GRASS?
Not a day passes that someone doesn’t ask me: "Will Pete give Wimbledon another shot?"
If he could win at Flushing, his fans reason, isn’t there an eighth Wimbledon title within the lean, supple frame of a man more destructive on grass than a herd of Japanese beetles?
They know Sampras has entered the Wimbledon lead-up tourney at Queen’s Club in London and they wonder if that’s enough preparation for him.
Or will Queen’s and the Big W just come and go without him?
TIME TO END THE SILENCE
Well, Pete, stop being a naughty, unresponsive boy.
You have a loyal public deserving of some answers.
The only fitting and proper thing to do is call a press conference and tell us one of three things: You’re retiring and thus ending an illustrious career, having earned a place among the all-time greats and certainly an alcove in the International Tennis Hall of Fame five years hence.
Or tell us you’re not retiring and have a time table a "road map" - is the current popular phrase - for restoring yourself to the game where there is more for you to accomplish even though you’re 32 and wealthy enough to buy one of the Greek islands.
You could also tell us that you’re confused, pondering and don’t know what to do.
The last seems pretty obvious, but let us know. We’ll understand.
For my part I would hope to see Sampras play again.
I could never understand those who thought him dull.
For me the smoothness of Silky Sampras, his fluidity, his volleying legerdemain was exciting and set him apart in a game where the volley, sadly, seems as extinct as the Edsel.
He was the tennis version of DiMaggio in his ease at play with his modest manner.
So, what will it be, Pete? Give us a hint.
Source: NBC sports
4/30/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras withdraws from Italian Open [Apr 30, 2003]|:||:|1051704000|:|Associated Press
Rome, April 30
Pete Sampras has withdrawn from next week's Italian Open, sending a strong signal that he does not plan on taking part in the clay-court season that culminates with the French Open. The Italian Open is considered the premiere tuneup event for the French, the year's second Grand Slam and the only Slam that Sampras has never won.
The 31-year-old Californian has not played since winning the U.S. Open in September for a record 14th Grand Slam singles title. He has entered a number of tournaments in the past two months, only to withdraw.
Sampras gave "no reason" for withdrawing, ATP Tour spokesman Rob Penner said Wednesday, and he will not be penalized since he pulled out with more than three days notice.
Penner said Sampras called the ATP's office in the United States late Tuesday to make his plans known.
"He's still making up his mind on what he wants to do with his tennis," Penner said. "And the way these tournaments are set up he has to withdraw each time."
Sampras has requested and was granted a wild card for the Wimbledon warm-up tournament at Queens Club, which follows the French Open and is the year's first on grass.
The Italian Open is one of the few clay-court events Sampras has won, taking the title in 1994.
His name was added to a list of withdrawals that already included world No. 2 Lleyton Hewitt, who decided to pull out after being told by doctors to rest.
Sampras' top rival Andre Agassi, who surpassed Hewitt for the No. 1 ranking last week, is scheduled to defend his title in Rome when the tournament starts Monday.
4/27/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Annacone keeps schedule open for Sampras [Apr 27, 2003]|:||:|1051444800|:|Former Tennessee All-American tennis player Paul Annacone is still working with Pete Sampras - sort of.
Annacone resigned his position with the USTA development program to spend more time with Sampras this season.
Sampras said he wanted to play another season, but only if Annacone would travel with him full time. Annacone's loyalty to Sampras won out.
But Sampras hasn't played in a match this season. He's been entered in a number of events, only to withdraw because he doesn't feel mentally prepared.
"Since January, Pete has been struggling with whether he wants to play or not,'' said Steve Annacone, Paul's brother and tennis director at Smoky Mountain Tennis Academy. "He's having a hard time finding a reason to play again (after having a son in December).''
Sampras has been working out for months, although not hitting as much as usual.
Meanwhile, Paul Annacone is running a Pete Sampras tennis academy in California.
By JIMMY HYAMS
Source: Knox news
4/17/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras pulls out of Houston tournament [Apr 17, 2003]|:||:|1050580800|:|HOUSTON, TEXAS, April 17 (Reuters) - Fourteen-times grand slam champion Pete Sampras has pulled out of next week's U.S. clay court championships in Houston.
Tournament officials and Sampras' agency, IMG, told Reuters on Thursday that Sampras would not be featuring in the event -- the fifth straight tournament he has withdrawn from.
Sampras, who has not played a tournament since winning the 2002 U.S Open last September, has pulled out of all five events he had entered this year -- San Jose, Scottsdale, Indian Wells, Miami and now Houston.
Last week, the seven-times Wimbledon champion asked for a wild card into the Queen's Club grass court tournament, which is played the week before Wimbledon.
However, his brother Gus said Pete's Queen's request was not a solid indication that he will come back.
"It's just standard business," Gus said. "He hasn't made up his mind whether he'll return."
U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe said he spoke with Pete Sampras in March and feels he will play Wimbledon.
"But he doesn't know -- nobody knows," McEnroe said. "He seems perfectly happy doing what he's doing right now."
McEnroe added that if Sampras returns he'll have a great shot at his eighth Wimbledon title.
"After what I saw at Flushing Meadows last year, nothing will surprise me," said McEnroe.
"He can show up at Queen's and win two matches and then lose, play one exhibition, and if he wins two rounds at Wimbledon, everyone in the locker room is going to be shaking in their boots."
4/10/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras won't play at Houston tennis tournament [Apr 10, 2003]|:||:|1049976000|:|Pete Sampras withdrew from the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships less than two weeks before the event is set to begin at Westside Tennis Club.
Sampras called Westside owner Jim McIngvale to withdraw Tuesday night. The news came as a disappointment to the organizers, who hoped Sampras would make his 2003 debut in Houston. Sampras has not played any tournaments since he won the U.S. Open in September.
"I certainly understood," said McIngvale. "Who am I to question one of the greatest players of all time? I think he's still weighing whether or not he's going to retire permanently. It's a disappointment, but at the same time, I respect his decision."
Sampras has entered a number of tournaments in the past two months, and then withdrawn from all of them. His decision to skip the Clay Court Championships was of little surprise, even though his coach did call Westside just two weeks ago to make sure Sampras was in the main draw.
During the conversation with McIngvale, Sampras said it just wasn't time for him to return.
"He just said, `I want to tell you, that I think a lot of you and Linda (McIngvale), but I'm not going to be playing in your tournament. I wouldn't be doing your tournament justice,'" said McIngvale. "I just don't think he's in shape, and he's still weighing whether or not he'll play on."
Clay has never been Sampras' best surface. Many believe if he does return to the Tour this year, it will be when the grass season starts so that he can play Wimbledon one final time.
Despite Sampras' constant withdrawals this season, there are indications that a return is still imminent. Only a day after
withdrawing from the Clay Court Championships, Sampras requested a wild card for the Stella Artois Championships at The Queens Club on June 9. The tournament follows the French Open and is the years first on grass.
U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe has kept in touch with Sampras during the past few months, and said Wednesday that Sampras returning to the Tour for grass events makes more sense than his return during the clay season.
McEnroe said he doesn't believe Sampras will play in any clay events this year.
"I'd be surprised," said McEnroe. "The only thing -- I spoke to him when I was out at Indian Wells. My feeling was that the only thing that could possibly happen is that he'll play Queens and Wimbledon. I mean, that's my feeling.
"But he doesn't know. So I don't think ... nobody knows. But he seems perfectly happy doing what he's doing right now."
Sampras' absence will not alter the Clay Court Championships, considering his presence was constantly in question. The tournament still boasts Andre Agassi, who is off to a 17-1 start this year. Two-time defending champion Andy Roddick will also be at Westside, along with the nine other Americans currently ranked in the world's top 100.
By MEGAN MANFULL
Source: Houston Chronicle
4/04/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|A Rivalry To Remember: Courier Analyzes Agassi vs. Sampras [Apr 4, 2003]|:||:|1049457600|:|They are two of the greatest Grand Slam champions of all time and over the years their riveting rivalry has produced some timeless tennis and tireless debate among fans over which will own the more prominent place in history.
Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi began the 2002 U.S. Open as the two oldest seeded players in the draw and concluded it with a climactic clash that saw Sampras capture his 14th career Grand Slam crown with a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over archrival Agassi.
It was the 34th and perhaps final meeting between the old rivals. The 31-year-old Sampras won 20 of those 34 meetings. In a rivalry that spanned 14 years, the pair played each other in 16 finals with Sampras winning nine of them and holding a decisive 4-1 record in their Grand Slam final meetings. Sampras' six straight years as the season-ending No. 1 player - an achievement unmatched in ATP history - supports his status as his generation's top player.
"I can definitely say that there's nothing like it in my career that compares to playing Pete," Agassi said. "Pete, in my opinion, is the best that I have ever played against. That forces you to get that rush of blood that makes you do a little something special."
Though Agassi's eight Grand Slam titles place him behind Sampras (14), Roy Emerson (12), Bjorn Borg (11), Rod Laver (11) and Bill Tilden (10), Agassi's all-surface ability distinguishes him from other Grand Slam greats in that he he has won Slam titles on hard court, grass and clay - a feat only Jimmy Connors, who won U.S. Open titles on three different surfaces - can match.
History shows Agassi and Sampras have secured their spots among the game's elite and in some respects they have used each other as the measuring stick. They shared the court together and share a deep mutual respect for each other.
"I have a lot of respect for Andre," Sampras said during the 2002 U.S. Open. "He's the best returner in the game. It's a great clash. When we play, it is always one to remember."
It is a classic clash of styles and temperaments matching Sampras' superb serve-and-volley skills against Agassi's baseline brilliance. It pits of the top servers in tennis history in Sampras against perhaps the game's greatest returner in Agassi. It's a momentous matchup between two titans of tennis who always seem to bring out the best in each other.
Their styles couldn't be more different, but their skills brought them together again and again over the course of their careers.
"I've played some of the most memorable matches of my career against Pete - come out on both sides of that," Agassi said. "We're just opposite. We're opposite in everything we do. Out there on court, we're two styles that are going against each other. It allows for many aspects of the game to kind of reveal themselves. And it's exciting to play against it because every point, something special seems like it can happen."
While Sampras has not played a professional match since producing his fantastic Flushing Meadows fortnight, the ageless Agassi has continued to show the superb skills of a champion who shows no signs of slowing down.
With his 33rd birthday approaching on April 29th, Agassi may be playing the best tennis of his career. His commitment to conditioning, striking strokes, extraordinary execution and remarkable eye-hand coordination that enables him to pounce on serves in excess of 120 mph and pound punishing returns past astonished opponents continue to absolutely astound current and former foes.
"Andre’s hand-eye coordination I think is unmatched in anyone that I’ve ever seen either on tape or in person, male or female," said former No. 1 Jim Courier, who trained with Agassi at the Bollettieri Tennis Academy when the pair were promising juniors. "I just don’t think anyone’s ever seen the ball the way that he sees it. And picked up the ball earlier and been able to time it. It’s cool man. Where have we ever seen a guy consistently over his career have (such great) ground strokes and be able to half volley from the baseline? It’s just that kind of ability is really once in a generation if not once in a century. Now that has been baffling to me to watch over the years, having seen him since he was 12 years old do it. You know, that is incredible."
Courier's comments came in a conference call with the media conducted last week to promote his upcoming appearance in The Miracle Match Foundation's Matches For A Cure charity tennis events. Courier clashes with John McEnroe in a battle of former top-ranked players set for the Donald Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma on April 9th and at the SBC Center in San Antonio, Texas on April 10th.
A four-time Grand Slam champion, Courier has confronted both Agassi and Sampras in Grand Slam finals. Adjusting his position on the return of serve after a Roland Garros reign delay, Courier rallied from a two sets to one deficit to defeat Agassi, 3-6, 6-4, 2-6, 6-1, 6-4 to claim his first Grand Slam championship in the 1991 French Open final. Two years later, Sampras scored a 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 victory over Courier to win his first Wimbledon crown.
Asked to analyze the Sampras-Agassi match-up, Courier said the record supports Sampras' edge in head-to-head play, but qualified his answer by pointing out any accurate comparison must take into account the surface the pair played on.
"That’s really a tricky question to say because I think that clearly the match up favors Pete if you look at the results," Courier said. "A great serve and volleyer against a great base liner on the hard, fast surfaces will win. Of course if they played the bulk of their tennis on clay the record would be reversed. So that’s really an unanswerable question. I think they’re both brilliant tennis players and they both have their strengths and weaknesses. I mean Andre doesn’t volley very well, adequately, but Pete on the ground (strokes) is pretty vulnerable too."
Suggesting Sampras' success was more dependent on a single shot - his serve - Courier gave Agassi the edge in a hypothetical match-up that takes away the players' biggest weapons.
"I think if you take away their best shot, Andre’s a better player," Courier said. "If you take away Pete’s serve, and you take away Andre’s return, I think Andre’s going to beat Pete. That’s my feel. But that’s irrelevant because you can’t do that."
Sampras' sensational serve, particularly his devastating second delivery, which in his prime was regarded as perhaps the best in history, makes his former Davis Cup captain, John McEnroe, place the seven-time Wimbledon winner and 11-time Grand Slam champion Rod Laver as the premier players in tennis history, with Agassi and Borg a level below them.
"Laver was my idol, and he won the Gram Slam twice, so it’s hard to put anyone above him," McEnroe said. "But I sort of put (Sampras and Laver) in the same boat. And after that, it’s like another group of people -Agassi has come up, and he’s shown to be one of the greatest, and Borg when he won the six French and then five Wimbledons - and it’s so difficult to do that together. And I’m not as familiar with Don Budge. I knew Don Budge as a person, he’s a great guy, but I didn’t see Don Budge play. And I didn’t see Lew Hoad, who I heard was a great player. Certainly Pete is up there. Like to me, it’s like him (Sampras) or Laver is like the greatest player. Pete's got the greatest serve in the history of tennis."
Neither Agassi nor Sampras remember much about their first meeting in a junior tournament when Agassi was 10 and Sampras was nine except that Agassi was taller than Sampras at the time. They can look back on their shared past knowing they took that each helped the other take tennis to new heights.
By Richard Pagliaro
Source: Sports Media Inc
3/16/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras goes missing from the action [Mar 16, 2003]|:||:|1047815000|:|States of Play
Art Spander
Marat Safin, who was about to take his leave, unrequested, had been asked why Pete Sampras wasn't even taking his chances. How come Sampras had turned into the invisible man when everyone expected him to be turning up everywhere for a last leg of a wonderful journey?'I don't know what's in his brain,'' said Safin about Sampras, which hardly made Marat much different from the rest of us. 'I mean, he's doing whatever he wants. Probably he doesn't want to play for the moment.''
The moment? Sampras' absence has been not momentary but monthly. He's been seen at Los Angeles Lakers games, at the opening of a tennis camp, but not facing an opponent. Sampras has competed in no tennis tournaments in 2003 but has pulled out of four, including the Siebel Open last month at San Jose and the Pacific Life Open, which has been sweating its way through a second week in the California desert down the road from Palm Springs.
In Britain, honoured citizens have initials bestowed following their names, such as MBE, Member of the British Empire, or KG, Knight Order of the Garter. Taking this to another level, we find Pete Sampras, WD, as in withdrawal.
What Sampras chooses to do, or not to do, is certainly his own bus iness, but in effect he also made it our business when in December, after allowing time for an apparent UN inspection of his game, Pete told the Los Angeles Times exclusively he was going to play this year.
After his remarkable victory in the US Open in September, ending a stretch of 26 months in which he won not a single tournament, Major or minor, the question was what Sampras might do next. At 31, a new father, one of Pete's possibilities was retirement, which would have been quite accepta
ble.
No better time for an athlete to depart than when he's on top, as we've become aware from the multitude of athletes who wait until they've sunk to the bottom.
One of Pete's longtime rivals, Michael Chang, announced this would be his final year, but it comes a year, or two years, or three years too late. Chang is now merely a foil for the top players, so has no chance to even get past the first round, as happened at San Jose and as happened on Tuesday at Indian Wells, where he lost 6-0, 6-4, to Carlos Moya of Spain, the No 5 seed.
Sampras, however, decided to take the victory lap to which, with an all-time record 14 Grand Slam victories, he was entitled. After the Open win it didn't matter how he fared, just that he played. If he wanted to play. Which it seemed he did. But now? What's going on? Why did he say at the end of last year, 'I'll start in February in San Jose, and then go right from there to tournaments in Scottsdale, Indian Wells and Miami. I'm just going to see how it goes, just kind of ride the wave and see how far it takes me.''
It's taken him nowhere. He continues to avoid the competition he told us he wanted. He has not played a competitive match since beating Andre Agassi in the Open final. And you have to wonder if he won't play another.
'The talk of not playing seemed a little scary,'' Sampras said about the decision to return, 'and I've kept playing enough around [Los Angeles] since the Open to know that I still enjoy playing.
'And now that I've decided that I'm announcing it and letting people know, it feels good. I'm relieved. And the goals are the same as they were 10 years ago, to win Majors.''
It sounded so noble, but three months later the words have come back to haunt him. The Pacific Life is, after the four Grand Slam tournaments and Miami, actually Key Biscayne, the sixth-rated event on the globe. But Pete isn't here.
'I don't think he knows what he wants to do,'' said Charles Pasarell, tournament director at Indian Wells and a former star player.
'He's unable t
o make up his mind. I'm disappointed he didn't play here, but I'm not angry. Pete has done so much for us in this tournament and so much for tennis, he can do what he wants.''
Which, Pasarell, mused, might be delaying any competition until Wimbledon, the end of June, or roughly nine months after Sampras last faced an opponent when it meant something. 'He still probably can beat almost anybody on grass,'' said Pasarell. Or could. Sampras left Wimbledon after the second round in 2002, beaten by a wild card entry, his earliest defeat in the tournament since 1991.
And even given his history at Wimbledon, wouldn't he require some sort of warm-up?
When he was losing matches the last two years, Sampras admitted he also lost confidence. You mean he won't question himself if he ever gets in a tournament again?
The question the rest of us must ask is why enter a tournament if all you're going to do is withdraw?
3/07/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras withdraws ... again and again [Mar 7, 2003]|:||:|1047038415|:|FROM THE PACIFIC LIFE OPEN IN INDIAN WELLS, CALIF. – What to make of Pete Sampras' nonstop withdrawals from tournament after tournament, including his pull out today from next week's Pacific Life Open and the Nasdaq-100 Open in a week and a half?
That his fans must be pulling their collective hair out their heads trying to figure out whether he will retire next week, next month, just before Roland Garros or Wimbledon, or after the All-England Club shuts its doors in July. While it is completely within the best player of all time's right to take his time making a decision, he did tournament directors and fans in San Jose, Scottsdale, Indian Wells and Miami a major disservice by waiting so long to pull out.
His brother Gus, the tournament director in Scottsdale, said that Pete still hasn't made a decision on whether to retire yet and may just come back for the majors, but who knows?
"He's reflecting on everything and wants to see how he feels when he gets closer to the time," Gus said. "He taking it one week at a time. He doesn't want to pull a la Michael Jordan – retire and then come back again."
Gus added that if Pete does decide to retire, he won't have a farewell tour a la Michael Chang."That's not him or his style. If he going to play, he's going to play ... he's going to play seriously."NASDAQ tournament owner Butch Buchholtz also spoke to Pete and said that Sampras told him that the December birth of he and his wife Bridgette's first child, Christian, has nothing to do with his decision to stay at home.
"He feels he's not at a top level yet and he doesn't want to go through another drought," Buchholtz said.
Sampras is next scheduled to play the Houston on clay at the end of April. When asked whether Pete would play Houston and then hop over to Europe for the clay court season, Gus joked, " Oh, yeah, he's getting primed for a run at Roland Garros."
Funny, yes, but the waiting for King Pete's decree on his career is getting tiresome and pretty soon, people will begin to lose interest.
by Matthew Cronin
Source: Tennisreporters.net 3/07/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras not ready to get back in the game [Mar 7, 2003]|:||:|1047038410|:|I don't know whether Pete Sampras' stunning championship at last fall's U.S. Open was, in fact, his valedictory as a force in American tennis. But I know it should be.
Sampras' performance at the Open was what a successful life in sports is supposed to be: It was favored; it was impassioned; it was inspired; it carried the day. Think Michael Jordan against the Utah Jazz and you're right there. If you were to charcoal an exit sketch for Sampras, in fact, New York would be the canvas, and his winning the men's singles title would be the image.
But that's it, of course: We're all just guessing at the Sampras image right now. Months after that triumphant turn, the 31-year-old has become the sport's leading cipher.
Will he or won't he? Only Kremlinologists and tea-leaf readers know for sure.
Friday's announcement that Sampras has withdrawn from next week's Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells, Calif., was taken as another in a growing collection of indications that his career as an active tennis player is either over or about to be placed in a cryonic container. It's the third tournament Sampras has pulled out of in a month, following withdrawals in San Jose and Scottsdale.
Officially, the word is that while Sampras continues to work out with coach Paul Annacone, he is not yet ready to return. Unofficially, we're free to run wild.
And we're getting help with the running. When Sampras returned last month to the mega-agency IMG for marketing and management, he lauded the firm for its resources to help him "as I begin to transition to a non-tennis playing career." Company president Bob Kain, for his part, said IMG was "glad to be part of the team that will direct the next stages in this legend's life."
Sounds a lot like moving on, now that we mention it. And if so, then allow me to suggest that Sampras' greatest possible exit line is the one he already has written.
Forget the farewell tour. The farewell tour almost always devolves into a string of uninteresting performances against uninspired "rivals," adorned by gifts of classic cars and rocking chairs. If I want to see some old dudes waving from the stage, I'll catch a Kansas concert on the next fairgrounds tour.
No, Pete Sampras already has it all worked out. The Open was the thing. There's no point in playing another competitive match, another honest-to-goodness tour-tournament match, unless Sampras becomes somehow convinced that he can write a better ending.
It seems obvious, even from afar, that Sampras is a man who has been given the gift of perspective here at the far side of his playing career. He's a guy with a lovely wife and a young kid, still just 31 years old, with decades to become anything that he wishes his life to become. Sampras doesn't have to spend the rest of his days being introduced as the man who used to be Pete Sampras.
He already has the Sampras Tennis Academy set to open in September in Carson, Calif., and he is set as an investor in The Tennis Channel, coming sooner or later to a remote control near you. A life beyond the game itself beckons, too, and with IMG aboard, the question of Sampras as a business entity is pretty much answered. He'll have his hands in stuff.
So this, instead, is a question strictly about the tennis. It's about wanting to see Sampras play just a bit more on the one hand and knowing instinctively on the other that New York was the perfect walk-off piece.
It's a sports-centric concept, by the way, the career capper. You never hear of anybody in business who closes the deal of his life and then retires the next week. We reserve this hideous ritual for the world of sports, a place in which people age in dog years, sometimes treat their bodies as ongoing lab experiments, and seem to understand without being told that they're holding the tail of a shooting star even when they're at the apex of things.
It is a world that Sampras dominated for years on end -- for the duration of the 1990s, essentially. A record 14 Grand Slam singles titles. More than 60 individual tournaments won. Weeks, months and years on end of unparalleled status on the men's tour.
Now Sampras lifts his eyes and sees another horizon, maybe a few other horizons. It happens even to the great ones -- especially to the great ones, perhaps. If Indian Wells, as close to a major on the men's tour as any non-Grand Slam can be, isn't enough to quicken the pulse of the mighty Pete, perhaps there isn't a challenge on the tour that would.
If so, the ending already is written. No need to revisit the idea. Pete Sampras has already made his closing statement. All he need do now is honor it.
Mark Kreidler is a columnist for the Sacramento Bee and a regular contributor to ESPN.com
Source: ESPN
3/07/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras ready to venture into post-tennis career [Mar 7, 2003]|:||:|1047038406|:|Pete Sampras won't be playing in a tournament again next week, but he'll have plenty to do besides spend time with his wife, Bridgette Wilson, and his 3-month-old son, Christian. That's because Sampras, who holds the career Grand Slam tournament titles record of 14, is lining up his business future as his tennis career winds down.
Sampras has become active in two business ventures, as a financial stakeholder in The Tennis Channel and the Pete Sampras Tennis Academy, both of which are expected to begin this year.
In December 2001, Sampras bought a stake in the round-the-clock cable channel with which he will have a presence both behind the scenes and on the air.
Sampras has told network executives he wants to have an instructional show and a behind-the-scenes look at Sampras will be the first episode of the channel's personality show, "No Strings," said the channel's president and founder Steve Bellamy. While waiting for the launch, Sampras has been making appearances, picking up the phone and writing letters for the network.
"He has always told me that he is very envious of (former hockey great and current Phoenix Coyotes managing partner) Wayne Gretzky," Bellamy said. "Wayne was the top dog in the game and he remained on top when he got into the business world. Pete wants to follow the same path, and I know he'll be successful at it. If you can succeed in tennis, which is as physically challenging as boxing and as mentally challenging as chess, you can succeed in anything."
Sampras also will be busy managing the Pete Sampras Tennis Academy, a training camp for ultra-competitive up-and-comers. The academy will open in September at The Home Depot Center, a 85-acre sports complex in Carson, Calif., that will house a 13,000-seat tennis stadium. Sampras is an equal partner with Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG), which developed and will operate the facility, in the tennis academy business.
"He's been involved in every detail to date, from the budgeting of the project to identifying types of programming to writing the actual curriculum for the academy," said Bill Peterson, AEG's senior vice president for events. "Since he's putting his name on it, he cares about his reputation and is totally committed to make this a special place for young players."
Sampras should have plenty of opportunities in the corporate world, if he chooses to pursue them.
"Pete has always been the consummate professional," said Steve Rosner, a partner of 16W Marketing, which represents retired athletes including Howie Long, Phil Simms and Boomer Esiason. "I definitely think he's one of those guys that will allow himself to get more involved in the marketing side when he's no longer playing."
Hiring retired athletes also minimizes the risk should a player in an advertising campaign go down with an injury. Four NFL spokesmen for Campbell's Soup -- Terrell Davis, Kurt Warner, Jerome Bettis and Donovan McNabb -- were sidelined with injuries last season.
Although Sampras' personality has been labeled by many as boring, Rosner says "it was because Andre Agassi was so outrageous, it made Pete look more bland than he really was." Sampras could easily make $750,000 to $1 million by signing a three-year deal with a company to make appearances at the U.S. Open, according to Rosner. Speaking bureaus have said that Sampras would command at least $40,000 for public speaking engagements.
But Sampras, who has made more than $43 million on the court during his career, is known for asking for the sky. In a highly publicized battle in January 2002, Sampras announced he was not renewing with Nike -- which has a building named after him on their Beaverton, Ore., campus --because he felt insulted during the negotiations process. Months later, he agreed to wear the swoosh again.
"Pete has made so much money over the years that in order for him to do something, he asks for very high prices that are usually unrealistic," said Ryan Schinman, president of Platinum Rye Entertainment, a marketing firm that has pitched deals to Sampras. "People are going to want to work with him for his durability, reliability and recognizability, but he has to realize that he's not going to be getting a Grand Slam paycheck."
Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at Darren.rovell@espn3.com
Source: ESPN
3/07/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras adds Miami to list of tournament withdrawals [Mar 7, 2003]|:||:|1047038405|:|INDIAN WELLS, California, March 7 (Reuters) - Pete Sampras continued his slew off pullouts on Friday, withdrawing from the Nasdaq-100 Open in Miami just hours after pulling out of next week's Pacific Life Open.
With Sampras deciding to skip the Florida event starting on March 19, he has now withdrawn from four consecutive tournaments.
His brother Gus, the tournament director of the Scottsdale Classic in Arizona, told Reuters by telephone that he spoke to his brother on Thursday and he still had not made a decision on whether he was set to retire.
"He's still holding off," Gus said.
"He's still practicing and training the way he always has, but he's not ready to make a decision."
Gus Sampras added that his brother may still come back to contest the grand slams at the French Open or Wimbledon.
"He's reflecting on everything and wants to see how he feels when he gets closer to the time," Gus said.
"He taking it one week at a time. He doesn't want to pull a Michael Jordan -- retire and then come back again."
Gus added that if his brother did retire, he would not have a farewell tour.
"That's not him nor his style. If he going to play he's going to play, he's going to play seriously."
Nasdaq tournament owner Butch Buchholtz also spoke to Sampras and said that the player told him the December birth of his first child had nothing to do with his decision to hold off.
"He feels he's not at a top level yet and he doesn't want to go through another drought," Buchholz said.
Sampras has not played since winning the U.S. Open in September -- his 14th grand slam win.
The 31-year-old is next scheduled to play the Houston on clay at the end of April.
03/07/03 22:39 ET
3/07/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras pulls out of Indian Wells tourney [Mar 7, 2003]|:||:|1047038400|:|INDIAN WELLS, Calif. -- Pete Sampras withdrew from next week's Pacific Life Open, tournament organizers said Friday.
Sampras has not played competitively since winning the U.S. Open in September. Sampras, 31, also withdrew from tournaments in San Jose and Scottsdale in February. Sampras has been practicing with coach Paul Annacone, and does not believe he is ready yet to return, according to The Los Angeles Times.
After winning at the Open, Sampras said he was going to take some time off but was planning on resuming his career. It is unknown whether Sampras will be ready to return to play in the Nasdaq 100 Open in Miami, which begins on March 17.
Sampras has won a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles.
Source: ESPN
3/03/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Canceling his court time in Beverly Hills [Mar 3, 2003]|:||:|1046692800|:|Tennis champ Pete Sampras and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, have listed a Beverly Hills home they bought early last year. The asking price is $8.9 million, close to what they paid for it.
The couple, married in 2000, had planned to completely remodel the house, built in 1933, but their priorities changed.
The Country English home, designed by John Byers, has seven bedrooms and seven bathrooms in about 8,200 square feet. It sits on slightly more than an acre and has mature trees, a pool, city views and a tennis court.
Sampras, 31, won his fifth U.S. Open in September. In the early '90s, he was the youngest player ever to win a U.S. Open. He was also the first man to win the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and the Australian Open in succession.
Wilson-Sampras, 29, played the bride-to-be who hires Jennifer Lopez in "The Wedding Planner" (2001). She made her film debut as Arnold Schwarzenegger's daughter in "Last Action Hero" (1993). Last year, she co-starred in the action thriller "Extreme Ops."
Loren Judd of Westside Estate Agency, Beverly Hills, has the listing.
By Ruth Ryon, Times Staff Writer
2/26/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Still no sign of Sampras [Feb 26, 2003]|:||:|1046260800|:|Will he or won’t he? 14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras promised he'd return, but has not been seen on a court since winning the US Open. After pulling out of next month's Scottsdale tournament, James Buddell wonders if we have seen the last of the American legend.
Brother Gus, the Scottsdale tournament director was clearly disappointed: "I talked to Pete this morning and he’s still trying to figure out whether it makes sense to continue on. He's just not sure."
Five months have elapsed since the 32-year-old ended a two-year tournament drought last September by winning his fifth US Open title, beating longtime arch-rival Andre Agassi 6-3 6-4 5-7 6-4. Since then, the tennis world has held its breath, left guessing as to a possible return.
Much however, has happened since then, to arguably the greatest tennis player ever to swing a racket. Most notably, his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, gave birth to the couple’s first son, Christian, in December.
Sampras appears torn, citing insufficient preparation for a return to the tour. Fellow American Justin Gimelstob has practised with him in Florida and his coach Paul Annacone "hopes that he decides to play on."
But what for?
Another crack at that elusive first French Open title? Or a strong show at
Wimbledon to erase the bitter memory of his 2002 second round humiliation at the hands of Swiss qualifer Georg Bastl?
Sampras’ brother Gus appears skeptical: "At the end of the day, playing well at the French Open or trying to win Wimbledon again might not be enough to get him back."
A career full of record-breaking achievement as the world’s premier player for six years from 1993-1998, the number of Wimbledon crowns in the modern era and prize money of $43m, to add to his trophy cabinet of 64 titles.
Sampras serious about the French? In an era when hispanic clay court specialists appear to have a stranglehold on Roland Garros, the tournament would not appear to rank among the ambitions of serve-and-volleyer Sampras.
But the Greek-American has been spotted practicing on clay during the off-season, fueling the most contradictory of rumours.
But smart money would go against an Agassi-style revival!
The Vegas Kid's achievement of returning to the top after free-falling to 141 in the world and playing challenger tournaments in 1997, are a reference in tennis lore.
But Sampras is not in the same boat. He last left the court as a champion.
It's mission accomplished for Sampras: the boy who grew up idolising the ‘Rockhampton Rocket’ Rod Laver, watching 12mm Wimbledon footage with coach Pete Fisher at his dinner table, hoped one day to be uttered in the same breadth as the great Australian. Today, his place in the pantheon of tennis is safe.
For now though, the waiting game continues...
Source: Eurosport
2/25/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras leaves his return on hold [Feb 25, 2003]|:||:|1046174400|:|PETE SAMPRAS has decided that he cannot yet face the demands of competitive tennis, raising further doubts as to the 31-year-old's commitment to a return at all. Even his family do not quite know what to make of his reluctance to step back into a world that he once owned.
The 14-time grand-slam champion was scheduled to play in the Franklin Templeton Classic in Scottsdale, Arizona, next week, the event for which his older brother, Gus, is tournament director. Sampras, who has not played since taking the US Open in such glorious style against Andre Agassi in the first week of September, was also scheduled to have played in San Jose two weeks ago but withdrew.
The official reason is that Sampras is "insufficiently prepared" to rejoin the tour. He is now scheduled to return in the opening Tennis Masters Series event of the year, in Indian Wells, California, starting on March 10, but his brother is not sure what will happen.
"I talked to Pete this morning and he's still trying to figure out whether it makes sense to continue," Gus Sampras said. "He said he doesn't want to retire right now and maybe have to come out of retirement again. He's practising and conditioning, but he doesn't feel like his game is at the level he wants it to be to compete. He feels like he needs to practise more, but where that's going to lead, I don't know.
"It's a double whammy for me. I'm disappointed because our event lost a great player, but I'm also upset as his brother, because I believe he has the potential to do great things again. But he has to decide that for himself."
Sampras said on the night he won the US Open that it might be a nice way to wrap up one of the greatest careers. It is ironic that Agassi, the man who lost that remarkable evening, is 12-0 in singles this year and looks as if he could go on for ever.
By Neil Harman, Tennis Correspondent
Source: Times Online UK
2/21/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras withdraws from Arizona event, ponders future [Feb 21, 2003]|:||:|1045828805|:|
SCOTTSDALE, Arizona, Feb 21 (Reuters) - Fourteen-time grand slam champion Pete Sampras has pulled out of next month's Franklin Templeton Classic and is still considering whether he will return to the sport at all.
"I talked to Pete this morning and he's still trying to figure out whether it makes sense to continue," his brother Gus, the tournament director of Scottsdale, told Reuters on Friday.
"He said he doesn't want to retire right now and maybe have to come out of retirement later. He's just not sure."
Sampras has been replaced in the draw by world number one Lleyton Hewitt, who has been given a wild card for the March 3-9 event.
The withdrawal marks the second time Sampras has delayed his comeback.
Last week, he pulled out of a San Jose Open, saying he was insufficiently prepared to rejoin the tour.
"He's practicing and conditioning, but he doesn't feel like his game is at the level he wants it to be to compete," Gus Sampras said.
"He feels like he needs to practice more, but where that's going to lead, I don't know."
Sampras is next scheduled to play in the Pacific Life Open in Indian Wells starting from March 10.
Gus Sampras said he would like to see his younger brother play on.
"It was double whammy for me," Gus said.
"I'm disappointed because our event lost a great player, but I'm also upset as I believe he has the potential to do great things again. But he has to decide that himself."
Sampras hasn't played a tournament since winning the U.S. Open in September and was contemplating retirement in the autumn.
His wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, gave birth to the couple's first son, Christian, in December.
Hewitt hasn't played a regular tournament since being upset in the fourth round of the Australian Open by Younes El Aynaoui.
World number two Andre Agassi is also scheudled to play Scottsdale.
by: Matthew Cronin
02/21/03 20:44 ET
2/21/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras returns to IMG|:||:|1045828800|:|Sampras has returned to IMG for marketing and management as his tennis career winds down and he starts to look at new business and personal opportunities.
Bob Kain, IMG North America president and COO, will oversee the newly-formed "Team Sampras," which will be involved in everything from marketing, to academies, to special events.
Commented Sampras: "As I begin to transition to a non-tennis-playing career, IMG is the place I want to be. Bob and I have always had a great relationship, and it's time for me to capitalize on IMG's expertise and experience at this important point in my life."
Whilst no set date was given for Sampras' retirement, Kain indicated that IMG would certainly be involved in planning some type of "farewell" tour at the appropriate time.
IMG's other notable tennis clients include Venus Williams, Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati, Chris Evert, Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe and Monica
Seles.
2/06/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras out of San Jose, raises questions [Feb 6, 2003]|:||:|1044532800|:|As Siebel Open tournament director Bill Rapp said on Tuesday, Pete Sampras' decision to pull out of the Siebel Open was "90 percent surprising and 10 percent predictable."
Surprising in that Rapp signed a contract with Sampras before last year's US Open, is a friend of Sampras' coach, Paul Annacone and as of Monday morning, Sampras was still planning on chatting up reporters on a teleconference this week.
Predictable in that it's tough to count on someone who hasn't played since winning his fifth US Open last September, has a 2-month-old son and with 14 Slam titles, has few reasons to return, other than to avenge his horrific Wimbledon defeat last year and save some face at Roland Garros.
"We signed a contract with Pete 10 days before the US Open and I'm the type of person who always honors contracts," Rapp said. "But maybe that's just me. Paul told me that Pete has been working out pretty hard in Los Angeles, but just isn't mentally prepared yet to come back."
Tournament Chairman Barry MacKay spoke to Sampras on Monday and told tennisreporters.net that Sampras still hasn't mentally come to terms with returning to the tour. Sampras hasn't played a tournament since last September and said in the fall that he was unsure whether he would come back.
'I'M JUST NOT READY TO PLAY YET.'
"Pete is still vexed by the big picture of his career," MacKay said. "I think it's a combination of him not feeling prepared physically to come back and play at a high level and him not being 100 percent mentally committed to returning. Pete told me, 'I'm just not ready to play yet.' "
MacKay said while Sampras is unclear of his plans, he does believe that seven-time Wimbledon champion Sampras will eventually return.
"It's just a gut feeling I have, but I believe that he thinks he can win Wimbledon again and that might get him back," MacKay said. "But you would think he needs at least three months of preparation"
Former U.S. No. 1 MacKay is a big fan of Sampras', but wasn't thrilled by his withdrawal. With Sampras pull-out and Andy Roddick's withdrawal last week due to injury, the tournament is left with Aussie Open champ Andre Agassi, James Blake and the declining Mark Philippoussis as its headliners.
"The ATP has to do something about this," said MacKay. "These kind of late withdrawals of stars hurts tournaments."
Rapp said that his attempt to get defending champ Lleyton Hewitt to play as a late replacement fell on deaf ears, because Hewitt has post-Davis Cup obligations in Australia.
Sampras is next scheduled to play the Franklin Templeton Classic in Scottsdale, Az., March 3-9. The tournament director there is his older brother, Gus.
by: Matthew Cronin
Source: Tennisreporters.net 2/05/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras not ready to return yet, says brother [Feb 5, 2003]|:||:|1044446400|:|LOS ANGELES, Feb. 5 (Reuters) - U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras pulled out of next week's tournament in San Jose because he is still not ready to return to the circuit, his brother said on Wednesday.
Gus Sampras, the tournament director of the ATP's Scottsdale, Arizona event, where Pete is next scheduled to play, said that while the former world number one had not pulled out of the event yet, he was not quite mentally ready to begin playing matches again .
"He's still searching for reasons to come back," Gus Sampras told Reuters by telephone from Los Angeles. "At the end of the day, playing well at the French Open or trying to win Wimbledon again might not be enough to get him back.
"But I haven't got the feeling that he is ready to retire tomorrow."
Sampras has not played a tournament since winning the U.S. Open in September -- his 14th grand-slam career win. He withdrew from the San Jose tournament, his first of the year, on Tuesday, saying he wasn't fully prepared for the event.
Gus Sampras, who spoke to his younger brother on Monday, said that he wouldn't be surprised if Pete retired, but felt that his brother would get the urge to play again once the season progresses.
"He told (me) he's just not ready now," Gus said. "He's been working out a lot off court and doing some hitting, but he hasn't been playing enough sets and doesn't feel match tough.
"It's hard to get going at the beginning of the year, especially when you haven't played in so long. But in a month or so, I'm sure hoping he'll be ready to play here."
The Scottsdale tournament begins on March 3.
by: Matthew Cronin
02/05/03 20:40 ET
2/04/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Tennis-Sampras unsure of future, withdraws from San Jose [Feb 4, 2003]|:||:|1044360005|:|By Matt Cronin
SAN JOSE, California, Feb 4 (Reuters) - U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras pulled out of next week's tournament in San Jose, his first of the year, because he is still unsure of his future, a tournament organiser said on Tuesday.
Tournament chairman Barry MacKay said after speaking to Sampras and his coach Paul Annacone on Monday, he felt one of the reasons why Sampras withdrew was because the 14-times grand slam champion was still considering his future.
"Pete is still vexed by the big picture of his career," MacKay told Reuters. "I think it's a combination of him not feeling prepared physically to come back and play at a high level and him not being 100 percent mentally committed to returning.
"Pete told me, 'I'm just not ready to play yet."'
Sampras hasn't played a tournament since winning the U.S. Open in September and had been contemplating retirement.
Earlier on Tuesday, Sampras released a statement through his agent announcing his withdrawal.
"Unfortunately, I will be postponing my return to the competitive arena and am withdrawing from the Siebel (San Jose) Open," Sampras said in the statement.
"Although I have made significant progress in recent weeks, I am not fully prepared to compete at the highest level.
"It is disappointing to be unable to participate in San Jose where I have enjoyed many successes in the past."
MacKay said while Sampras was unclear of his immediate plans, he believed the seven-time Wimbledon champion would eventually return.
"It's just a gut feeling I have, but I believe that he thinks he can win Wimbledon again and that might get him back," MacKay said. "But you would think he needs at least three months of preparation."
Mac
kay said while disappointed, the tournament had still attracted some big names, including 2003 Australian Open champion Andre Agassi.
"Obviously, a late withdrawal such as this is extremely disappointing and will make our entire tournament staff work even harder for a successful event."
"(But) the (tournament) already has an extremely strong field, headlined by ...Andre Agassi, James Blake and two-time champion Mark Philippoussis."
Sampras is next scheduled to play a tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona that begins on March 3.
02/04/03 22:31 ET
2/04/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras withdraws from Siebel Open [Feb 4, 2003]|:||:|1044360000|:|The Associated Press
Pete Sampras withdrew from the Siebel Open on Tuesday, further delaying his return to tennis after a long absence.
Sampras, who has not competed since winning the U.S. Open in September, said he is not prepared to play a tournament. He and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, became first-time parents in November.
The Siebel Open begins Feb. 10 in San Jose, Calif. Australian Open winner Andre Agassi is entered, along with Michael Chang, who will begin his farewell tour in this tournament, and James Blake.
"Unfortunately, I will be postponing my return to the competitive arena and am withdrawing," Sampras said in a statement released by his agent. "Although I have made significant progress in recent weeks, I am not fully prepared to compete at the highest level.
"It is disappointing to be unable to participate in San Jose, where I have enjoyed many successes in the past."
The 31-year-old Sampras, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, won his 14th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open.
Siebel Open tournament chairman Barry MacKay expressed his displeasure that Sampras backed out of the event.
"Obviously, a late withdrawal such as this is extremely disappointing and will make our entire tournament staff work even harder for a successful event," MacKay said. "The 2003 Siebel Open already has an extremely strong international field of players."
1/06/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Fast Chat: Pete Sampras [Jan 6, 2003]|:||:|1041854400|:|On winning the U.S. Open and his future plans
NEWSWEEK
Jan. 6 issue — As the tennis star eyes the future, he spoke with Susannah Meadows about his legendary career.
What was it like to win the U.S. Open this year after everyone had counted you out?
It was the most rewarding feeling I’ve ever had. One thing I’ve never really had to do is have a comeback. I think I always knew I could win. A lot of people don’t see the guts and the heart that I know has always been there. I guess I had the last laugh.
Are you the best to ever play the game?
That is hard to answer [ laughs ]. Put it this way, I feel like I would match up against anyone ever and feel pretty good about it.
Was it difficult not getting the adulation that other athletes got at the top of their sport?
Sure, there were moments I didn’t feel as appreciated—from basically 2 to 10 [Grand Slam victories]. But on my 12th or 13th I think that’s where it kind of exploded.
What was it like to go from No. 1 to not No. 1?
It was great. Staying No. 1, tennis has to be your life. I did that for many years. After five or six years of it, I had just had enough, and I let go of it.
What will you miss about the game?
I’ll miss the competition. I’ll miss playing in the finals of the majors. I’ll miss that excitement. I’ll miss actually playing the sport, just hitting the ball. Other than that, I probably won’t miss much.
Source: Newsweek 1/02/03|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras winds down, but not ready to go [Jan 2, 2003]|:||:|1041508800|:|Before assessing the future, you should attack the past, cover it from baseline to net, and so Pete Sampras recently slid in a tape of his U.S. Open quarterfinal triumph against tennis' "It Boy," Andy Roddick, a flattened bug on the windshield of high-speed fate. This rewind through the most improbable individual sports tale of 2002 emboldened the man who would be the most deserving individual sports star of 2003, a champion ready to say goodbye just when America was letting him in the door.
"The end is near," Sampras said by phone, but that end has been postponed on account of greatness and grit. He watched that straight-sets destruction of Roddick and saw his New Age opponent overwhelmed by the magnitude of some Old School majesty, by the bright lights and big stakes that defined the greatest tennis player of all time and a 31-year-old athlete who couldn't stuff his career inside his racket bag when there was one more Sunday to seize.
"I didn't retire because I still believe I can win majors, and the day I don't believe that is the day I'll stop," Sampras said. "In big moments, in big events, I still like my game against anyone else's."
He's passing on the Australian Open, and his heart still says he'll win his 15th major in 2003, the combined totals of Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe. As a kid, Sampras never believed it possible. What young slugger would agree that he'd someday match the combined Grand Slam cuts of Hank Aaron and Babe Ruth?
But despite the fact that one Tiger Woods trophy case (eight majors) plus one Michael Jordan trophy case (six majors) equals one Pete Sampras legacy, the nation's sporting public never fully embraced its humble and historic son.
Sad but true: Ozzy Osbourne's America prefe
rs its weekend warriors to mimic the push-the-envelope likes of Jeremy Shockey and Terrell Owens. Back in the day, it was Connors and McEnroe.
The new year should bring a new appreciation for Sampras, a serial winner who never should've forfeited points for refusing to berate and belittle others while bathing in his own glory. In what likely will be his final year - "If I'm a betting man," Sampras said, "I'm not 100% this is my last year but it definitely could be" - he deserves an appropriate victory lap, the profound respect and affection he was finally granted while winning the Open after 26 title-free, demon-filled months, a grim period punctuated by Greg Rusedski's claim that his third-round Open conqueror was a washed-up bum.
"If McEnroe or Andre (Agassi) or someone I actually respected said that, it would've motivated me," Sampras said. "But when someone like Greg says that, you have to look at the source. I do feel great satisfaction that those remarks will stick with Greg the rest of his career.
"I never felt so vindicated in my life because I knocked out one and a half years of criticism in two weeks. I had the last word. I was getting down on myself, talking about quitting, thinking the media was right and that I should ride off into the sunset. But my wife, Bridgette, wouldn't hear of it. She kept me going through the toughest part of my career and was the one who said I had to go out on my own terms.
"That's why I went up into the stands to be with her after I beat Andre in the final. She took so much grief in the media, from people pointing out I hadn't won since I got married, and I thought that was grossly unfair. I wanted to show the world how important she was to me."
Bridgette Wilson, actress, just gave her husband a son. If Christian Sampras hasn't changed his father's game, he has completely altered his father's world. "He spits up on me, and I don't care," Sampras said. "It's an amazing feeling to hold him, to know I'd do anything in the world for this person."
Mother and son wi
ll travel with Sampras on a farewell tour that will start at the French, the one that's gotten away. Sampras will be packing a bigger racket this time and even bigger dreams. "Maybe destiny and fate will meet at the French this time," he said. "Who knows?
"In a romantic way, I want to finish off better at Wimbledon. People say there can't be a better way to go out than beating Andre at the Open, and even I had those thoughts in the moments before that final. But I still love playing, and I still feel I'll win another major. Once I start playing, I'll know where my heart is and how long I'll take this. I already know I'm living proof that if you believe in yourself, you can do anything."
You can even say goodbye when America is just learning how to say hello.
Source: USA Today
12/23/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|2002 REVIEW: Serena and Sampras [Dec 23, 2002]|:||:|1040644800|:|BY HOWARD FENDRICH
Associated Press
Dec 23, 2002 9:50 p.m.
Tennis 2002 was mainly about Serena and Sampras.
For all the out-of-nowhere champions, fantastic comebacks and high-profile spats, the sport's most significant scenes came courtesy of the younger Williams and Pistol Pete.
Emerging as the best player in her home and the world, Williams swept the last three Grand Slam titles for what she called a "Serena Slam" -- beating sister Venus each time.
If hers was the most impressive overall performance, Sampras' exclamation point of a U.S. Open had to be the most personally satisfying moment.
"This one may take the cake," Sampras said after beating Andre Agassi for a fifth U.S. Open title and record 14th in a Grand Slam event. "The way I've been going this year, to come through a very tough time and play like this - it was awesome."
He had been hounded for more than a year by questions about retirement. Sampras entered the Open with a 20-16 match record for the year, no titles since July 2000, and he even was written off by Greg Rusedski as "a step and a half slow" AFTER their match at Flushing Meadows.
The final against Agassi was a marquee matchup straight out of the early 1990s. Sampras is his generation's greatest server, Agassi its top returner, and each played the assigned role to perfection. Sampras boomed 33 aces at up to 132 mph, and won the point on 69 of 105 net trips. Agassi conjured up 19 groundstroke winners to Sampras' 16.
Even Agassi acknowledged: "It was special."
And maybe their sons will meet at the 2022 U.S. Open: Sampras' wife, actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras, gave birth in November; Agassi's wife, Steffi Graf, did last year.
In the afterglow of winning the Open, the 31-year-old
Sampras sounded like someone ready to walk away. But by the middle of December, he had announced plans to keep playing and persuaded Paul Annacone to resume as his full-time coach.
Other players might want to think about asking whether Richard or Oracene Williams is available for lessons; they managed to raise the first two siblings to reach Nos. 1-2 in the rankings.
Venus -- at 22, older by 15 months -- and Serena claimed that distinction right after the French Open. At that point, Venus was No. 1, but Serena overtook her at Wimbledon and stayed on top.
They continued to grow as players and people on the sport's biggest stages.
After Serena won a mistake-strewn final at Roland Garros - 101 unforced errors, 14 double faults, 13 service breaks - Venus grabbed Oracene's camera and joined the photojournalists snapping shots of the champion with her trophy.
At Wimbledon, they were truly Slammin' Sisters: trading hard shots, getting to balls that would have been winners against anyone else. When it was over, with another victory for little sis, Venus - who had won two straight titles at the All England Club - leaned over and whispered: "You have to curtsy. Did you know that?"
Serena capped her run at the U.S. Open, where she didn't drop a set, the same as at Wimbledon.
"I was just tired of losing," said Serena, who has just as many major titles as Venus, four. "Life was passing me by."
Serena went 56-5 (.918 winning percentage) with a tour-high eight titles (in 13 tournaments). Venus was 0-4 against Serena, 58-5 against everyone else.
In the 1900s, two siblings never met for a Grand Slam title. These sisters did it three times in as many months.
Lleyton Hewitt (who won Wimbledon and finished a second straight year at No. 1) and Amelie Mauresmo (twice a Grand Slam semifinalist) were among those wondering aloud whether fans want to see more all-Williams title matches.
"People may get sick of seeing the two of them playing in every Grand Slam final all the time," Hewitt said.
The only major where
they didn't decide the title was the Australian Open, which Serena skipped with an ankle injury.
The champion there was Jennifer Capriati for a second straight time. That was her highlight; she didn't win another title and was off the Fed Cup team after fighting with captain Billie Jean King.
Capriati won in Melbourne by saving four match points against Martina Hingis, a record for a women's final at a major.
That actually was Hingis' high point, too. The former No. 1 had ankle surgery in May and pulled out of the French Open and Wimbledon - the first majors she missed since turning pro in 1994. She returned in August, then went back to rehab in October.
No comeback was more inspiring than Corina Morariu's. She returned to Grand Slam action less than 1½ years after starting treatment for leukemia, playing Serena Williams in the first round of the U.S. Open. Alas, now Morariu's sidelined up to six months after shoulder surgery.
Lindsay Davenport and Chanda Rubin had knee surgery in January, and both were winning matches by the summer. Rubin won two titles, and Davenport reached finals at four of nine tournaments. Gustavo Kuerten, though, wasn't the same after hip surgery.
Other story lines:
Thomas Johansson (Australian Open) and Albert Costa (French Open) shockingly won majors, David Nalbandian's first grass-court tourney ended with a loss to Hewitt in the Wimbledon final, and Sjeng Schalken made the U.S. Open semifinals.
Paradorn Srichaphan of Thailand vaulted from 126th to 16th in the rankings.
Russia won its first Davis Cup title, Slovakia won its first Fed Cup title.
Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Cedric Pioline and Sandrine Testud retired.
Anna Kournikova didn't win a match at a major, extended her career-long title drought to more than 115 events, had an argument with a British TV interviewer, and threatened to sue Penthouse after it published nude pictures of another woman and billed them as photos of her.
12/22/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras' plans affect USTA [Dec 22, 2002]|:||:|1040558400|:|Pete Sampras is back at least through Wimbledon. After that, we'll see.
After three months of deliberating the rest of his life, the man who might be the greatest tennis player decided he wasn't quite ready to retire, at least not until he properly says goodbye at the Grand Slam he has won seven times.
Friends say Sampras deliberated long and hard over the decision not to leave the game just yet. Once his son was born last month, life seemed less complex.
He'll not go to Australia, which will give him an extra month to help his wife reorganize the family's agenda, then fly up to the San Francisco Bay Area from Los Angeles to play San Jose in early February.
He'll stay on the West Coast for Scottsdale (early March), followed by Indian Wells and then come to Key Biscayne. He is not, however, setting an agenda for the clay court season and it wouldn't be surprising if he played only one or two clay court events before the French Open.
I think the short-range plan is to say goodbye at Wimbledon, if he makes the final there. If not, he continues on to the U.S. Open to defend his title.
Wherever Sampras finally calls it a career, he will not play past 2003. That seems clear.
Sampras had a chance to leave the game at the top as Rocky Marciano and Sandy Koufax did after winning the Open to extend his record number of Slam titles to 14.
But he felt a need to go back to London for a proper farewell, and of course he will get it from a British public that idolizes him not only for his play but for his demeanor. He is, nationality aside, the very paradigm of a British sportsman.
Sampras' decision impacts heavily on the USTA because his longtime coach, Paul Annacone, has quit as director of High Performance to return to the c
ourt with Pete. This is a monumental loss.
USTA Executive Director Rick Ferman is going to have to find someone to match Annacone's ability and expertise only 15 months after hiring him.
You can say Annacone quit because Sampras asked him back. But it's my belief Annacone would have remained at the USTA if the organization had not snowed him under with countless frustrating demands to rethink ideas and concepts.
Annacone explained in an interview last September that his decisions and views as High Performance director were constantly being routed through myriad USTA offices, then sent back for massaging, which is so typical of the USTA.
They hired Annacone with the understanding that he was the expert needed to push the USTA development of young players in a decisive direction. Yet he found himself too often having to sell his plans to board members who are rank amateurs in the area of player development.
As a result, the program has been slowed and the only definitive action to come out of the last 15 months was the signing of a 10-year lease with a new athletic complex in Carson, Calif., in Los Angeles County, where the USTA will set up a West Coast training center.
That will give the USTA training centers in L.A. and at Key Biscayne. What it won't have is Annacone and some of the USTA board members can kick themselves for the loss.
Second serves
The British Lawn Tennis Association is looking for someone to run its professional development program and they're looking in the U.S. for a successor to Patrice Hagelauer, who quit to return to France as assistant to Davis Cup captain Guy Forget. ...
Monica Seles is injury free and was in Key Biscayne for a few practice days. She'll begin her season with the Hopman Cup, a mixed-gender team event that doesn't count on the WTA won-lost sheet. After that, she'll play the Australian Open. ...
Patrick Rafter will not play the Australian Open and if he won't play in his home country, you can assume he's not making a comeback in 2003. ...
Marat Safin signed his seventh coach in the last three years: Denis Golovanov of Russia. His previous associations: Rafael Mensua of Spain, who was his junior coach, Alexander Volkov of Russia, Mats Wilander of Sweden, Amit Naor of Israel, Marc Rosset of Switzerland, and Andrei Chesnokov of Russia. Now that's diversity.
By: Charles Bricker
Source: Sun Sentinel
12/21/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Annacone to Be Sampras' Full - Time Coach [Dec 21, 2002]|:||:|1040472005|:|By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) -- Pete Sampras is serious about sticking to tennis.
Not only will he keep playing, but the 14-time Grand Slam tournament champion is bringing back Paul Annacone as his full-time coach.
Annacone resigned Thursday as managing director of USA Tennis High Performance after a year of running the program aimed at developing stars of the future.
``The opportunity to rejoin Pete at this time in his career is special for both of us, and an opportunity I could not pass up, and one that requires full-time dedication,'' Annacone said.
He worked with Sampras from 1995 until December 2001. They got back together in July on a part-time basis, and Sampras gave Annacone a lot of credit for helping him win the U.S. Open -- ending a drought of more than two years without a title.
After beating Andre Agassi in September's final at Flushing Meadows, Sampras said he would consider retiring.
He said this week he'll play in 2003, after skipping the Australian Open.
12/21/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Annacone quits USTA to rejoin Sampras, stuns staff [Dec 21, 2002]|:||:|1040472000|:|After overseeing a massive restructuring of the USA Tennis High Performance program that included dismissing its coaching staff, Managing Director Paul Annacone abruptly quit the organization on Thursday to resume coaching Pete Sampras full time, stunning some staffers who expected him oversee the program he worked so hard to reinvent.
"The coaches I talked to were pretty stunned," one USTA staffer told tennisreporters.net. "It was completely unexpected."
Annacone, who joined the USTA in late 2001 after Sampras dismissed him, spent much of this year creating the USA Tennis High Performance national training center concept, which will begin operation next year at AEG's sports complex in Carson, California, and add more staff and programs to its existing site in Key Biscyane, Florida.
Until November 2001 when he and Sampras parted ways, Annacone had coached Sampras for seven years. But after a mediocre 2001, Sampras decided to go in another direction, briefly hiring Tom Gullikson and then Jose Higueras to coach him. After a disastrous Wimbledon, he parted ways with Higueras and rehired Annacone to coach him through the US Open, which he won in sterling fashion.
Sampras has not played this fall and will skip the '03 Aussie Open before beginning play at the '02 Siebel Open in San Jose in February. After briefly considering retirement, Sampras is apparently planning another major assault on the Grand Slams next year. One of the reasons why he dismissed Higueras was that Higueras refused to join him full-time. That Sampras demanded the same out of Annacone is not out of the question.
ANNACONE SEES ASSAULT ON ROLAND GARROS
"I'm sure that in his mind that he thinks that if he can stay focused like he di
d at the U.S. Open, he can win Roland Garros," Annacone said of Sampras desire to win the one Grand Slam title that eludes him. "And I know how upset he was at Wimbledon. Those are the types of goals that can keep him going."
Apparently Annacone was exhausted at the US Open from trying to do two significant jobs. However, he told tr.net in October that he was enthusiastic about continuing with both the USTA and Sampras.
Earlier this year, Annacone said that he planned on staying with the USTA for a significant period of time.
"This a lengthy process. There are a lot of issues we have to address," Annacone told Inside Tennis' Richard Osborn. "People have to believe in the direction we are going in. ... The USTA is a big machine. Hopefully, it's a long term commitment. It is on my part."
In November, USA High Performance decided not to renew the contracts of any of its player development coaches and asked all of them to reapply for their jobs, with the exception of keeping on Director of Women's Tennis Lynn Rolley and Director of Men's Tennis Rodney Harmon.
The USTA has done way with the idea of having regional coaches work with juniors and young pros across the nation and instead will have all the coaches now reside near Carson (which is in Los Angeles County) and Key Biscayne.
"It was a little too decentralized," Annacone said of the old structure. "We were giving too many mixed messages to coaches and players by having everyone so spread out with their responsibilities."
USTA Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer Rick Ferman said that Annacone was the right person at the right time. "He was relentless in his pursuit of excellence in developing the foundation of our new direction," Ferman said. "Paul's efforts will have a lasting impact on our future High Performance efforts in the U.S."
Annacone added, "We have begun to make great strides in elevating and re-energizing USA Tennis High Performance and a great plan is in place to help achieve the mission," Annacone said. "The opportunity
to rejoin Pete at this time in his career is special for both of us, and an opportunity I could not pass up and one that requires full-time dedication."
The USTA hasn't yet begun the process of searching for a replacement of Annacone, but both longtime employees Harmon and Rolley figure to interview for the job.
By: Matthew Cronin
Source: Tennisreporters.net
12/20/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:54|:|Sampras to play on, but not in Melbourne - [Dec 20, 2002]|:||:|1040385600|:|Pete Sampras wil return to the court in February.
Pete Sampras' exceptional career will continue - just not next month and, consequently, not in Australia. Sampras will play on for at least another year, but seems unlikely to return in an active capacity to Melbourne Park.
The grand slam singles record-holder and two-time Australian Open champion said this week he would end the hiatus that followed his surprise September
victory at the United States Open, and plans to resume for a 16th season in San Jose from February 10.
That means, for reasons of inadequate preparation, no Australian visit for only the second time in 11 years, and no commitment beyond the defence of his fifth US championship. Sampras' personal Holy Grail, the French Open, will feature on his 2003 schedule, as will other tournaments to be determined by his health and motivation.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Sampras said he wanted to avoid his season being treated as a farewell tour. Perhaps he remembers 1996, when Stefan Edberg's year-long finale was one long procession of send-offs, tributes and presentations, or 2001, when the prelude to Pat Rafter's indefinite break was dominated by questions about his intentions.
"I'm just going to see how it goes, just kind of ride the wave and see how far it takes me," said Sampras, whose wife, Bridgette Wilson, last month gave birth to their first child, a son. "The last couple of years were tough. It took a lot out of me, emotionally, to not play well and to have to talk about it all the time."
The 31-year-old's last competitive match was against Andre Agassi at Flushing Meadows, sealing what he maintains was the "sweetest" of his 14 grand slam
victories. Before the US Open, Sampras had not won an event of any kind since claiming his record seventh Wimbledon in 2000. "There were many moments when I
seriously talked about stopping," he said. "Once I won, I felt like I had wiped out two years of criticism in two weeks of tennis."
He has spent the past few months at home in Beverly Hills pondering his future. Should he stay in the game or should he go? The decision to continue was made with the help of his wife, his father, Sam, and brother, Gus.
"I kept looking for something to tell me, for somebody to give me an answer," Sampras said. "But there wasn't one moment, not any one conversation, some quote or even something I heard on TV. Sometime last week, I just decided. The talk of not playing seemed a little scary, and I've kept playing enough around here since the (US) Open to know that I still enjoy playing.
"And now that I've decided, that I'm announcing it and letting people know, it feels good. I'm relieved. And the goals are the same as they were 10 years ago, to win majors."
There will be at least one change: a new racquet with a larger head will replace what had become the smallest weapon on the men's tour, one he had used
since the age of 14.
Sampras' perspective, and ambitions, altered more recently. ". . . I don't have what I had when I was No. 1 in the world (1993-1998)," he said. "To do
that, to stay there, it has to be your total life, you have to live and breathe it. But that doesn't mean I can't still win the big ones. That's why I play."
Australian Open and Commonwealth Bank International officials cannot claim to be too surprised by the confirmation that Sampras will not play here, as the
longer he took to commit, the less probable was his visit.
Tournament director Colin Stubs is yet to announce who will fill the position that had been held open in the eight-man Kooyong field, while the Australian
Open must cover the loss of another drawcard less than four weeks from its January 13 start.
The missing already include Amelie Mauresmo, Martina Hingis, Jelena Dokic,Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Arnaud Clement and Goran Ivanisevic. Among the doubtfuls
are defending champion Thomas Johansson, Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski and Australian No. 2 Wayne Arthurs.
Mauresmo's apologies were the most recent, the 1999 finalist and current world No. 6 yesterday citing a kneecap injury.
By Linda Pearce
12/4/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:16|:|Sampras enters Australian Open [Dec 4, 2002]|:||:|1039003200|:|Australian Open organisers have confirmed that Pete Sampras is among the entries for next month's tournament, but remain unsure whether the American will compete. The US Open champion was automatically included in the official entries for the event when nominations closed on Wednesday but has yet to indicate whether he will play.
Under ATP rules, the top 100 ranked men were automatically entered into the tournament unless they had notified organisers they would not be playing.
But Sampras has not played since winning the US Open in September and has hinted he may retire.
Sampras tipped for Oz return "Like everyone else we're still waiting to see what Pete's future in tennis is," said a spokesman for the event.
"Of course we're hoping he'll come, but at this stage we really don't know."
Three times Australian Open champion Martina Hingis appeared on the entry list despite recently undergoing ankle surgery.
"It's great to see that triple champion Martina has indicated that she wants to play," said Australian Open chief executive Paul McNamee.
"Like her we'll be keeping our fingers crossed that she'll be fit in time for January." 12/3/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:|08:14|:|Sampras does a Lazarus - [Dec 3, 2002]|:||:|1038916800|:|Having watched in person at Melbourne Park, Roland Garros and Wimbledon as Thomas Johansson, Albert Costa and Lleyton Hewitt won the year's first three grand slam titles, the United States Open final for this viewer was a bedroom affair. September. Early morning. Remote control. Warm doona. Bleary eyes.
Bleary, not teary, it should be emphasised, but then again any misty tendencies could have been excused. For if Pete Sampras' victory against his great rival Andre Agassi was not one of the more emotional moments of the sporting year, then Mick Malthouse merely had MCG grit in his eyes after the siren on grand final day.
First, a little perspective. Unlike jockey Damien Oliver, Sampras had not just lost a brother, but his dignity was rapidly going the way of his hairline. Sampras was as low as he had been since his great rise had gathered pace 13 years earlier. He had claimed the 13th of his record 14 grand slam titles at Wimbledon in 2000, and not won a tournament of any size in 33 attempts and 26 months since.
In April, Yevgeny Kafelnikov had advised an immediate retirement, suggesting Sampras was soiling his reputation with so many losses. In New York, Greg Rusedski had just announced ungraciously that the present Pete Sampras was "not the same player" as the champion with a strong claim to being rated the greatest of all time.
At Wimbledon, this correspondent had also declared a touch prematurely that Sampras "would be lucky to win a family round-robin right now", let alone another major title.
Still, the 31-year-old had just been humiliated on grass by 145th-ranked lucky loser George Bastl, and been ridiculed for reading supportive notes from his pregnant wife, Bridgette, at changeovers.
Hairy-chested former players were left asking, with obvious contempt, what sort of man needs to rely on his wife to win a tennis match? Surely he should retire now with what self-respect was still left?
The situation failed to improve in the pre-Open months that followed. Sampras had lost to young Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu in the Long Island lead-up event, and was on the verge of tumbling from the top 50, having won justsix of his previous 16 matches
The outlook was so grim that Sampras' self-defence - that he was still capable of great tennis, that he could beat any player on his day - was starting to sound sadly self-delusionary. Having bombed so badly in his pet event at Wimbledon, what chance did he possibly have on the unforgiving hardcourts of Flushing Meadows?
In the event, help came from an unexpected source: Hewitt, who had defeated the fading champion so comprehensively in the US Open final the previous year. This time, he was able to stretch Agassi to four tough semi-final sets on Super Saturday. Sampras, who had already disposed of young punks Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick in the preceding rounds, had an easier passage past Sjeng Schalken to confirm his half of the first over-30s men's decider since 1929.
His fifth US Open title was to follow, as New York provided the bookends to a magnificent career that has included six consecutive years at No. 1. The oldest US Open winner since 35-year-old Ken Rosewall in 1970 did so with 33 aces and 84 winners, and a score of 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, before leaving the court and reappearing in the stands to embrace Bridgette, his staunchest supporter and now mother of the couple's first son, Christian Charles.
To Bridgette, Sampras apparently whispered: "I love you. Thank you. You kept me together." To the crowd, he beamed: "I guess I'm back", while accepting a fifth US trophy before a sellout crowd of 23,157 at Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Later, he admitted: "This might be my biggest achievement. This one might take the cake. I never thought anything would surpass Wimbledon, but to come here
and play like this, it's awesome. To come through the year I've had and win the US Open, that's pretty sweet."
Not to mention, surprising, remarkable, romantic, poetic, and a fairytale of almost Ivanisevic proportions. Agassi was fitter, ranked higher, less obviously in decline. But Flushing Meadows, as Bridgette had written in the note her husband carried in his racquet bag, is Pete's "house". And, as on-court announcer Tony Trabert announced during the trophy presentation: "The king is not dead."
So it was that there were four grand slam winners - one of them an Australian - in an unpredictable men's tennis year, but just one truly irresistible story.
It was viewed through sleepy eyes on a portable TV a hemisphere away, but the latest and perhaps last Sampras achievement was still more inspiring from a distance than anything seen up close.
Source: The Age, Australia
11/28/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras to play in RCA Championships - [Nov 28, 2002]|:||:|1038484800|:|INDIANAPOLIS (AP)- Pete Sampras, who won his record 14th Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in September, has committed to play in next year's RCA Championships.
The tournament is from July 19-27 at the Indianapolis Tennis Center, where Sampras made his last appearance three years ago.
Sampras holds a 28-6 lifetime record in Indianapolis, where he has won three singles titles (1991, 1992, 1996). 11/25/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras becomes a father [ Nov 25, 2002]|:||:|1038225600|:|November 25, 2002
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Pete Sampras has become a father for the first time.
Sampras' wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, gave birth to Christian Charles last Thursday in Los Angeles, according to Deborah Grimes, the actress' spokeswoman.
Both mother and baby are healthy, Grimes said.
The couple was married two years ago.
Sampras won his record 14th Grand Slam tennis title at the U.S. Open in September. Wilson's film credits include ``The Wedding Planner'' and ``I Know What You Did Last Summer.''
11/24/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Call Pete Sampras 'daddy' [Nov 24, 2002]|:||:|1038139200|:|Pete Sampras added an important new fact to his impressive resume this week when he became a father for the first time. A valued tennisreporters.net source confirmed that Sampras and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, welcomed a son to their family. Mom and baby are reported to be doing fine and there is no word yet on what the couple have named their new arrival.
Sampras, who holds a record 14 Grand Slam titles, won his last major at the US Open in September. Since that time, he's been contemplating whether to retire or return to the tour for the 2003 season. Sampras
has admitted he is torn between seeking an eighth career Wimbledon title and ending his career with his recent success at Flushing Meadows.
By Sandra Harwitt and Matt Cronin
Source: Tennisreporters.net 11/18/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras wavers on retirement [Nov 18, 2002]|:||:|1037620000|:|November 18, 2002
If anything, Pete Sampras has become more conflicted than ever about his tennis future since winning the U.S. Open in September. There has been no bolt of wisdom or inspiration, only his own counsel.
It sounds so simple when you hear athletes talking about retiring on their own terms. Well, it's not.
"There's a lot going on, and I need to decide in the next couple of weeks," Sampras said Friday in Costa Mesa, Calif., where he was appearing at a function for a watch maker he endorses.
"I've been in limbo for the last month, not avoiding it, but just not sure. It's all coming to terms with stopping."
His plan of playing for at least another year was pleasantly disrupted by his U.S. Open victory against his biggest rival, Andre Agassi. Sampras, 31, is going to be a father for the first time within a few weeks and wants to make a decision before then. Some days, he is leaning toward retirement.
"I've had moments of wanting to continue and I've had moments of stopping," he said. "It depends on what I'm doing at the time. Either you do it all the way or you don't do it halfway."
Contrary to popular perception, Wimbledon won't determine his final decision. Sampras, a seven-time winner, went out in the second round this year to George Bastl.
"I won't play just for one tournament. I'll play because I want to, because I enjoy playing, and go through the process and the challenges, not just for two weeks of the year. In a romantic way, I would love to end it on a much better note than I did this year."
Source: LA Times
11/15/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete Sampras Movado Signing [Nov 15, 2002]|:||:|1037361600|:|On Friday, November 15, Tennis Legend Pete Sampras, winner of 14 Grand Slam Tennis Championships, met fans and signed autographs while showing off the new Special Edition Movado Pete Sampras SE Denim Watch. Created to commemorate Pete's 14th Grand Slam victory at the 2002 U.S. Open, only 14 of these watches have been made. 100% of the proceeds from the sales of the watch will go to the Tim & Tom Gullikson Foundation to assist brain tumor patients and their families.
The 14 Movado Pete Sampras SE Denim watches, retailing for $2002 each, are on sale now exclusively at Macy's South Coast Plaza or by calling 715-556-0611 ext. 4444. Purchasers will also receive a signed Certificate of Authenticity. 11/11/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Q&A with Bridgette Wilson-Sampras [Nov 11, 2002]|:||:|1037016000|:|November 11, 2002
Though she's eight months pregnant, the 29-year-old actress and wife of tennis star Pete Sampras is still quick on her feet. Her latest film, Extreme Ops, opens on Nov. 27.
SI: If you have a boy, would you consider naming him Andre or Lleyton?
Wilson-Sampras: No.
SI: You play an Olympic gold medal skier in Extreme Ops. How good a skier are you?
Wilson-Sampras: Should I be truthful? I've only skied a couple of times in my life. Any skier would say I stink.
SI: Tell me about your character in Extreme Ops.
Wilson-Sampras: She's won a gold medal in downhill skiing and she's the one sort of outsider who comes in with all these extreme sports people who don't really accept her because it's like 'Oh, you're not really a real sports girl. You do downhill skiing.' At first she struggles to fit in.
SI: You performed your own stunts in Mortal Kombat. How many stunts did you perform for this movie?
Wilson-Sampras: I did some stuff, but all the beautiful, wide skiing shots you see are not me. Sometimes it's a man in a ski suit and a blond wig who looks just enough like me.
SI: In real life could J. Lo really steal Matthew McConaughey from you as she did in The Wedding Planner?
Wilson-Sampras: [Laughs.] I'll take the Fifth on that.
SI: In 1999 Pete called you, having never met you. What did he say that persuaded you to go out with him?
Wilson-Sampras: He actually left a message the first time. He was just so sweet and humble, and it was such a cute message, I was like, OK, I'll call him.
SI: What does your heart say about Pete's playing next year?
Wilson-Sampras: I'm mixed because it's all in his court. The great thing about it is he's in a position where he can do whatever he
wants to do. If he wants to continue to play and enjoys it, a lot of the pressure is off. If he doesn't want to play, he doesn't have to.
SI: Would you rather he play or stay home and be Mr. Mom?
Wilson-Sampras: He'll be a little of Mr. Mom if he's on the road or not. I told him, "Wait and make your decision once little Pee-Wee comes. Middle of the night wake-ups and feedings might make you go, 'I really need to go play tennis.'"
SI: Have you learned how to play tennis since marrying a to a 14-time Grand Slam champion?
Wilson-Sampras: I haven't. There have been a couple of times we've gone on the court but it's pretty hard when I say, 'Well, how do you serve?' and he says, 'Well, you just do this.' Then you watch him and you go, 'OK, if I could just do that, I would be playing professionally.' I've decided I'm going to wait until my children are old enough [to play] because then maybe I'll be on the same level.
SI: You didn't know much about tennis when you went out with Pete, right?
Wilson-Sampras: I didn't know him, but I remember calling my sister and saying: 'Should I go? What should I do?' And she's like: 'You know what, just go. Have a drink. She said if it didn't work out, it was just a half-hour in my life or maybe it would be something really great. Panned out on sis' advice.
SI: Unlike those involved in the Salt Lake City figure skating scandal, can you assure our readers that you did not bribe any of the judges to win the 1990 Miss Teen USA competition?
Wilson-Sampras: I can assure you that I did not know any of the judges. But one of my judges was Robin Roberts of ESPN, and I know her now.
SI: Being married to Pete, what's the tougher crowd: movie critics or tennis journalists?
Wilson-Sampras: They both can be pretty rough at times.
SI: You married one of the world's most famous Greek-Americans. How close was your wedding to My Big Fat Greek Wedding?
Wilson-Sampras: (laughs) Pretty different.
SI: Who was the better Arnold Schwarzenegger daughter: Alyssa Milano i
n Commando or you in Last Action Hero?
Wilson-Sampras: Is that even a necessary question?
SI: Have you picked out names for the baby?
Wilson-Sampras: Some. We're still working on it. It's one of those things where we had some picked out and liked them for so long until we were like 'Do we really like them anymore?' Then we made the mistake of telling people our names and everybody finds something wrong with every name you come up with. We've learned that once we do come up with a couple of names, we have to put them in the vault.
SI: You were born in Coos Bay, Ore. Do you know what famous athlete was born there?
Wilson-Sampras: I do. Steve Prefontaine.
SI: That's correct. People magazine described you as an athletic tomboy who would fish and chop wood with her father. When is the last time you chopped wood in Los Angeles?
Wilson-Sampras: That hasn't happened yet.
SI: You played basketball, volleyball and track in high school. What was your best sport?
Wilson-Sampras: I played varsity on all of them for four years. I'm 5'9 and that's not that tall for a center so I was a forward. I loved playing volleyball and basketball and track I was good at, but it stressed me out. I realized the difficulty of an individual sport over team sports. In track, I ran the 400 and did the long jump but when I did the mile relay I was always faster and my times were always better because I was part of a team. I was so stressed for every 400. I would just about make myself sick.
SI: After seeing your performance in Love Stinks, Pete was determined to get in touch with you. He obviously loved you in the movie but how do you rate that performance?
WIlson-Sampras: I remember laughing and thinking, 'Of all the movies I've done in my life, the one where I play a crazy awful psycho woman finds me my husband.'
SI: Could Pete ever make it as an actor?
Wilson-Sampras: I'll tell you what: He's pretty good at it sometimes (laughs).
SI: Do you share your husband's obsession with the Lakers?
Wilson-Sam
pras: I have grown to love the Lakers. We started out with a little rivalry. I was a Utah fan, but I've been converted.
SI: Have any of your single friends asked your husband to introduce them to tennis players?
Wilson-Sampras: 'Can you find me a guy that's always on the road and never around, that would be really great!' No, I haven't.
SI: If you were the casting director for the movie version of your lives, who would star as Pete and Bridgette?
Wilson-Sampras: That's a good question. I don't know. Who would I cast for my husband? And more curiously, would I put myself in those scenes next to my actor-husband? Instead of the movie maybe we'll do a reality TV show like The Osbournes. We do have an English bulldog like Lola. Except ours is named Ruby.
SI: Finally, would you ever have Andre and Steffi Agassi over for some lunch and a game of doubles?
Wilson-Sampras: If it's Andre and [their infant son], Jaden, against me and Pete, I just might consider it.
--Richard Deitsch
Issue date: Nov. 11, 2002
Source: Sports Illustrated
11/7/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras burns another boat [Nov 7, 2002]|:||:|1036670400|:|Stephen Bierley
Thursday November 7, 2002
The Guardian
Pete Sampras has not renewed the contract of Alex Stober, his German trainer and physio, fuelling further speculation that he may be on the verge of retirement.
Sampras, 31, has not played since winning the US Open at Flushing Meadows in September, when he defeated his fellow American Andre Agassi in the final for his 14th grand-slam and 64th career title.
Sampras, who prior to this year's US Open had not won a tournament since his seventh Wimbledon success in 2000, indicated immediately after his victory over Agassi that he might quit. However, according to those close to Sampras, he wants to make his swan song on the grass of Wimbledon next summer.
Stober is now a free agent and is being linked with Tim Henman, who is currently without a full-time trainer.
Sampras was offered the place of first reserve for next week's end-of-season Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai but turned it down - as did Henman, because of his shoulder injury. The position has been filled by Thomas Johansson, the Australian Open champion.
The draw for the Masters Cup, which begins next Tuesday, was made yesterday with Lleyton Hewitt, the world No1, in the same group as Marat Safin, who beat him in last Sunday's Paris Indoor Open final,
together with Carlos Moya and Albert Costa. Agassi, the only player in a position to pip Hewitt for the end-of-year No1 position, will play his round-robin matches against Roger Federer of Switzerland, Juan Carlos Ferrero of Spain and Jiri Novak of the Czech Republic.
The Lawn Tennis Association said yesterday that it had held no talks with Michael Stich. The 1991 Wimbledon champion, who lost his job with the German Tennis Federation rece ntly, said in a radio phone-in: "If the British need my experience, I might come if they asked
me."
11/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Bridgette Writes to Samprasfanz|:||:|1036224000|:|
Samprasfanz,
First off, thank you for my birthday card. That was so thoughtful...I loved it. Secondly, the message book and card put together for Pete is amazing! We both were touched by the lovely messages and by the time you put into preparing it for us. Thank you for your unwavering support and continuous positive energy...it has been extremely appreciated this entire year!
As for No# 14, wow! Wasn't that incredible!?
Thank you for sharing in the joy.
Finally, the time is almost here for little 'Baby Sampras'...our due date is getting closer and closer. We will keep you posted!
Again, many thanks to each and everyone of you!!
Love, Bridgette and Pete
10/30/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras` agent proceeding with plans for next year|:||:|1035964800|:|[October 30, 2002 Greg Garber ESPN.com]The Westside Tennis Club at Houston announced Wednesday that Jill Smoller, Sampras' agent at the William Morris Agency, said that Sampras is committed to play in the event, which will be held at the Houston club April 21-27, 2003. At the 2002 championships, Sampras defeated Andre Agassi in the semi-finals before losing to Andy Roddick in the finals.
Pete Sampras and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, may well become parents sooner than expected.
"The baby's due at the end of November," Jill Smoller, said Wednesday from her Los Angeles office. "But she visited the doctor yesterday and she's farther along than expected. We could be looking at the middle of the month."
So, while the world's top-ranked eight players are banging away at the Masters Cup in Shanghai on Nov. 12-17 to determine whether Andre Agassi or Lleyton Hewitt is the sport's No. 1 player, Sampras could be a first-time father back at home in Los Angeles.
After defeating Agassi in a back-to-the-future U.S. Open final -- the first of his record 14 Grand Slam singles titles came over Agassi in Flushing a dozen years before -- Sampras said he was thinking about retiring. In the two formal interviews he has granted since the Open, Sampras has kept that decision to himself. Connie Chung of CNN tired to pry the information from Sampras and his wife, but they didn't budge. Tennis writer Steve Flink, who wrote an incisive piece for The Independent of London in early October, came away thinking Sampras hadn't made up his mind yet.
What does Smoller think?
"At this moment, I believe he intends to play," she said. "I talk to him something like 15 times a day and he hasn't given me any indication that he's not going ahead. I'm approaching it as business as usual in terms of next season. I don't really have any choice."
Smoller's observation doesn't necessarily mean Sampras won't quit. The realities of today's sports world -- tournament commitments, potential endorsements and travel plans -- demand that she assume Sampras will play in 2003 until she hears otherwise.
"He's at home, enjoying the quiet with Bridgette," Smoller said Wednesday. "He's sort of got it in neutral right now."
Sampras, 31, finds himself in a weird and oddly wonderful position. No other notable champion of the Open Era -- not Laver, Borg, Connors, McEnroe or Lendl -- walked away from the game after a Grand Slam victory. On one hand, the timing for retirement, given his win at the U.S. Open, his increasingly brittle body and the prospect of impending fatherhood, couldn't be more ideal. On the other, Sampras' victory suggests he still might have another Slam in him.
"It is a no-lose situation for me," Sampras told Flink at a Philadelphia charity event. "I play next year, I won't have the same pressures I had this year. If I decide to stop I will just enjoy the next chapter of my life."
Before the Open, Sampras had endured the worst slump of his career, going 26 months without a tournament victory; he had not reached a final in 2002. Still, he insisted he could still win. Few believed him.
"I just wanted to win another major, to prove it most importantly to myself," he told Flink. "Winning the U.S. Open was not the biggest win of my career, but it was the most important. Putting people in their place is really me. But I feel very vindicated because every time my name came up for the past year it was all very negative, from Boris Becker and others.
"And in my own way, just what I did with my racket, I was able to throw a lot of egg around. That felt really good from the human side."
Now, will he try to do it again?
Sampras, who will finish the year ranked in the low teens -- he's currently No. 13 -- still has enough game to win on the ATP Tour. His problem in recent years has been finding the motivation to train adequately. If he doesn't retire, chances are he will build his season around winning Wimbledon for an eighth time. The grass at the All England Club is built for his still-big serve and deft volleys. In fact, last year's disastrous result at Wimbledon might be enough to swing him toward playing. In the obscurity of Court 2, Sampras lost a second round to George Bastl.
It wouldn't be terribly surprising to see Sampras savor the family life through the holidays and, perhaps, pass on the Australian Open in January. He hasn't won the event since 1997 and has skipped it three times. Retirement for a player who can still play is a ticklish decision. Australia's Patrick Rafter, a two-time U.S. Open champion, took extended time off at the end of 2001 and has made no move to return.
If Sampras does return, he plans to make the switch to a bigger racket. His Wilson Pro Staff, he said, has left him at a competitive disadvantage.
Now, will he be using that new racket on the charity circuit or in the game's grandest venues?
"I think this last U.S. Open showed a lot about who I am," Sampras told Flink. "More than just playing the game, this was about being 31 and still wanting to do it when people didn't believe in me. You always dream about how you might stop, and the storybook ending at the Open a month ago could be it. But I just don't know.
"It is still up in the air." 10/24/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Keeping Options Open|:||:|1035446400|:|[October 24, 2002 Sky News] Organisers of the Australian Open are still waiting to hear whether US Open champion Pete Sampras intends to play in next year's first grand slam.
Officials at the Kooyong Classic, the final warm-up event before the Australian Open, said they were saving a spot in their invitation-only tournament for Sampras, who has not played since his win over Andre Agassi in New York last month.
Six of the eight available places have already been filled and tournament director Colin Stubs said one of the remaining two spots had been reserved for the 31-year-old American.
"I've spoken to his management and they say he still hasn't made a decision, but he will definitely make his comeback at Kooyong if he decides to play the Australian Open," said Stubs.
Sampras may decide to retire at the very top and settle down with wife Bridgette and their first child, due in December. But he has not made a formal announcement on his future and Australian officials are sweating on his next move.
Stubs also said Australia's world number one Lleyton Hewitt had turned down an invitation to play in the event because he wanted to save himself for the first grand slam of the year.
Hewitt was knocked out in the first round of this year's Australian Open after contracting chicken pox and is planning a lighter preparation for Melbourne, starting with the Hopman Cup mixed team event in Perth.
But Agassi, who is closing in on Hewitt for the number one ranking, has confirmed he will play Kooyong, ending any doubts about his plans to hang up his racket this year.
Also confirmed as starters for Kooyong are Sweden's reigning Australian Open champion Thomas Johansson, British number one Tim Henman, Spain's double French Open finalist Alex Corretja, Germany's Tommy Haas and Australia's Mark Philippoussis. 10/11/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Stars should be allowed to just fade away|:||:|1034323200|:|Source: Christopher Clarey IHT, Friday, October 11, 2002
So what would you do in the unlikely event you were Pete Sampras?
Stop on top after the perfect ending? Or follow your career-long plan and swing away into your 30s for the sheer, untrumpable thrill of playing the game you love on the biggest stages for as long as possible?
Just six weeks ago, the chances that Sampras would face this sort of win-win proposition looked as remote as the prospect of him win-winning on Paris clay. But that was before he ripped through the draw and the most emblematic adversary possible in Andre Agassi to hold up the trophy at the U.S. Open.
Since then, he has been reveling in the unexpected buzz, enjoying married life in Southern California and considering his options.
His first child is due in early December, and he has said that he will not play again this year and intends to make a decision on his future by the end of this month. Early indications are that he is leaning toward retirement, and when he told his longtime coach Paul Annacone during a golf game last weekend that he was giving it serious thought, Annacone said he told Sampras: "Pretty romantic; 25,000 fans, you and Andre, that's a pretty great way to go out."
So was Michael Jordan's title-winning jump shot at the buzzer in the 1998 National Basketball Association finals. But Jordan, despite giving retirement a test drive, could not stay away, and you have to wonder whether Sampras, a big basketball fan, is truly prepared, either. It is not as if he has another consuming professional goal outside the game.
"That innate ability and desire to compete is something really difficult to flush out of your system," Annacone said. "Maybe he's ready, and there's nothing wrong with that. It's romantic as hell, but I just don't know how you do it. When you know you can still beat the best players in the world. What I do know is that these guys - Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Pete - have earned the right to stop any way they want. People say it ruins their legacy if they keep playing and this and that, but it's their choice, and in my mind it doesn't ruin anything."
I used to disagree, used to crave the storybook finish for the athletes who inspired me. But having seen so many sports icons wrestle with the denouement of their careers, my view has evolved. They are public figures, but this is a private decision. The truth is, there is little chance they will be as good at anything else as they are at their games. Who are we to shame them into cutting the experience short for the sake of a story arc?
One of the year's most striking images was Arantxa Sanchez Vicario, a four-time Grand Slam singles champion who was once ranked No. 1, hopping on the regular shuttle bus from Manhattan to Flushing Meadows and then walking through the crowd, with no fuss and no security guards, to the locker room to prepare for a first-round match that she would lose, as she has lost so often in the past two seasons. It was as if she had come full circle: re-melding with the rank and file after years of special care and handling. Sanchez Vicario is a proud and tenacious Spaniard, and to accept these repeated ego blows, she must either really need the money or, more likely, enjoy the process and challenge - as must Michael Chang, who has played on long after he stopped being a legitimate threat.
"I told Pete, 'You're not going to find a substitute. Take it from me; it doesn't exist,'" said Annacone, a former top 10 player. "I told him, 'So as long as you feel motivated to do this, do it. And if you don't feel motivated, you've earned that, too. Go play golf. Go roll around the living room floor with the baby. Watch Laker games. You deserve it.' I just want him to make an informed decision, and he's good about that. He'll make one, and it will get my vote of support, and I hope it still involves holding a tennis racket."
Of recent tennis champions, Steffi Graf came closest to the Hollywood ending, retiring in 1999 soon after improbably winning the French Open and then reaching the final at Wimbledon. But as she had been struggling with injuries, retirement was a form of deliverance.
Annacone, back to devoting all his energy to running the U.S. Tennis Association's player development program after coming to Sampras' rescue this summer, says that, physically, Sampras has "three or four more years left."
At 31, Sampras appears to have improved his work habits and, despite his internal debate, he is training off-court and hitting twice a week in case the answer to the retirement question is no. I hope it is.
Watching Sampras' fluid, all-court game is a rare pleasure, and while he has struggled by his standards in the past two seasons, he has still been involved in an inordinate number of memorable matches, elevating less accomplished opponents.
If he does continue, it is clear that he cannot coast and succeed. The media might be in a forgiving mood, but he will not forgive himself too many early-round losses. He reached that career summit in New York by slogging through less floodlit tournaments, and though he does not need to play a full schedule, he needs to play an intelligent schedule.
"If he could just drive up to Wimbledon and play, he'd say great, but does he want to put in all that time and effort?" Annacone asked.
If Sampras decides that he does, it will be for all the right reasons. He has already won a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, earned more than $40 million in prize money and proved that he can win another major under duress. All that is left is to use his gift for as long as possible: to enjoy the simple pleasure of the ball crisply meeting racket; to ride the adrenaline rush that only competition brings, and to hear the increasingly sympathetic rumblings from the crowds who know they might be seeing a true, dignified champion for the last time. 10/10/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Keeping Fit, Pondering One Last Wimbledon |:||:|1034236800|:|[Oct. 10, 2002 OSSIAN SHINE, Reuters] He is mulling over retirement and has promised a decision next month, but right now Pete Sampras is keeping himself in tip-top shape while pondering one last assault on Wimbledon.
The American is only too aware that last month's glorious run to the U.S. Open title would serve as a perfect epitaph, but the man who has won more grand slam crowns than anyone else in history still has some scores to settle.
According to coach and friend Paul Annacone, the 31-year-old still hankers for a French Open crown and would love to leave Wimbledon on a high.
"I'm sure that in his mind he thinks that if he can stay focused like he did at the U.S. Open, he can win Roland Garros," Annacone told www.tennisreporters.net.
"And I know how upset he was at Wimbledon."
Having won seven Wimbledon crowns, Sampras slumped out in the second round this year in one of the lowest points of his career.
Earlier this week the 31-year-old said: "I always think about going back to Wimbledon... there is no guarantee I would win there but I would be able to end my time there on a more positive note."
STILL TRAINING
While Sampras ponders his future -- weighing up the birth of his first child later this year and a settled home life against another year on the tennis circuit -- the fact he is still training despite having already quit for the year might give a clue to his leanings.
Having ended a two-year barren run in such stupendous fashion in New York to win his 14th grand slam title last month, Sampras is enjoying tennis again and has the hunger for another tilt at a major title.
"He's still hitting the gym and track and practicing a little," Annacone said.
"He knows that he can't go cold turkey for three months if he's going to have a chance at another major.
"Playing tennis is fun for him again and, after winning the Open, he now knows he can play at a high level once again.
"The tricky and tough part of the decision for Pete will be deciding whether he can maintain a positive attitude week in and week out if he loses some matches; and whether he is willing work enough to maintain a high level.
"He would have to develop a schedule that will allow himself to keep sharp and be ready to go at the majors.
"First he has to make an emotional commitment to himself. Then he has to say to himself and to me that he'll keep positive and not let losing eat away at him if he happens to lose.
"As far as I'm concerned, the guy is one of my best friends and I want him to be happy. He's still evolving and needs to consider what stage of life he's at." 10/10/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras tells his story - Champ to pen autobiography |:||:|1034233200|:|[October 10, 2002 Peoplenews] Seven-times Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras is planning to write an autobiography. The 31-year-old, who is generally thought to be in the twilight of a career, has apparently started hawking ideas around the New York publishing houses. The book is expected to concentrate on his battles with Andre Agassi and spill the beans on some of his fellow pros. However, the opinion is that Pistol Pete, a man as famed for his dourness as his flashing forehands, may find it harder to than he might have thought to secure the deal. 'The book would be compared to McEnroe's recent book, You Cannot Be Serious,' said a publishing insider. 'Pete just can't compete with that. McEnroe's drug-taking, his marriage to Tatum O'Neil and the general carnage of his career made a fantastic tale. Sampras is a great player, but that doesn't necessarily make a great book.'
Within days of winning the U.S. Open against Andre Agassi last month, we hear, the 31-year-old tennis champ started shopping around a proposal for his autobiography. "It's just one long paragraph," reports a publishing insider who has read the pitch. "If you were on the fence in thinking readers would come to Pete Sampras, this wouldn't have convinced you." Although he's no John McEnroe -- whose best-selling memoir, You Cannot Be Serious, retailed juicy tales of temper tantrums, drug use, and a messy Hollywood marriage to Tatum O'Neal -- Sampras may have some surprises. After the U.S. Open gave him his first tournament victory in two years, Sampras admitted to having suffered bouts of anxiety when his career fell to an all-time low in June after he was knocked out in the second round at Wimbledon. And he, too, has a Hollywood marriage, albeit a happy one. He and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, are expecting their first baby next month. "She lives with me every day," Sampras told USA Today after the Open. "Trust me, it's not easy. When you're struggling, you're not having fun." 10/9/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Annacone: Sampras keeping in shape but still mulling retirement |:||:|1034150400|:|[WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2002 By Matthew Cronin tennisreporters.net]
Paul Annacone played golf with his student, Pete Sampras, last Friday in LA and Sampras' coach said that the 14-time Grand Slam champion still isn't sure whether he will continue playing next year. But did say that Sampras is keeping himself in shape just in case he decides to head Down Under in January. He added that Sampras does have enough desire to make another run at another major title.
"He's still hitting the gym and track and practicing a little," Annacone told tennisreporters.net. "He knows that he can't go cold turkey for three months if he's going to have a chance at another major."
Sampras is apparently thinking that it will be tough to top the magic he created in New York last month, when he won his first title in more than two years at the US Open, edging his great rival, Andre Agassi, in stirring four-setter.
"In a romantic way, it might not ever get better than that," Annacone said "Finishing his career that way would be spectacular. But the fact is now that playing tennis is fun for him again and after winning the Open, he now knows he can play at a high level once again. The tricky and tough part of the decision for Pete will be deciding whether he can maintain a positive attitude week in and week out if he loses some matches; and whether he is willing work enough to maintain a high level. He would have to develop a schedule that will allow himself to keep sharp and be ready to go at the majors."
GOING TO EUROPE WON'T BE A VACATION
While the 31-year-old Sampras doesn't need another Australian or US Open crown, the majors in Europe certainly beckon: He has never won Roland Garros and hasn't played well there since 1996; and at '02 Wimbledon, he was stunned in the second round by George Bastl in a desultory performance, not the way
that the seven-time champion wanted to end his career at the All-England Club. Giving those two tournaments another shot may just be all the motivation Sampras needs to get back on the court next year.
"I'm sure that in his mind that he thinks that if he can stay focused like he did at the US Open, he can win Roland Garros," Annacone said. "And I know how upset he was at Wimbledon. Those are the types of goals that can keep him going. But if he says he's going to retire say after the French or Wimbledon and doesn't do well there, that's a big risk emotionally. He needs to play on his terms ?which is to focus on playing well, not on results, and allow his level to come to him. Before the US Open, he was too focused on his results and developed a bit of a negative mind set. Once he became convinced that the best way to proceed was to focus on playing his game, his level caught up with him."
Sampras' wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, is expecting the couple's first child in December. Whether Sampras will want to hit the road for an extended period after their baby cracks his or first smile is debatable.
"First he has to make an emotional commitment to himself," Annacone said. "Then he has to say to himself and to me that he'll keep positive and not let losing eat away at him if he happens to lose."
RETIREMENT STILL AN OPTION
Annacone said that he wouldn't be surprised if Sampras decided to call it quits."As far as I'm concerned, the guy is one of my best friends and I want him to be happy. He's still evolving and needs to consider what stage of life he's at. He knows that if he decides to play again that it's a no brainer before any Slam that he'll need to work three months in advance," he said.
Annacone said that while Sampras was disappointed that the US Davis Cup team lost its semifinal tie to France, he isn't regretting his decision not to play. Sampras had committed at the year's outset to playing all year.
"I talked to Pete just after he told [US captain] Pat McEnroe that he wasn't going to play and Pete said to me, "I don't know if I want to play anymore. And I thought he was just talking about Davis Cup before he stopped me and said, 'I mean not playing, period. If he's even thinking that, he shouldn't be on the team. I know he felt bad that the team lost and knows that they could have used him, but it was no-brainer not to play if he wasn't in the right frame of mind to compete." 10/9/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|CNNSI Wertheim`s views |:||:|1034146800|:|[October 9, 2002] CNNSI.com: Do you see Sampras hanging up his racket now? He's said he would play another year, but what does he have left to prove?
Wertheim: It goes both ways. There would be something poetic in Pete going out on top. But he said that he would make a decision in December of 2003, and if can still bring it like this, still be on top of his game, why not play a few more Slams? I think he'll cut back his schedule, not play the Houstons and San Joses. But if can home in on the Slams, throw in a couple matches here and there, some Davis Cup, why not give it another year?
CNNSI.com: How does this victory help Sampras' case as the best player in history?
Wertheim: He's the all-time great. This seals it. Twelve years of sustained excellence with bookend U.S. Open titles, coming back from that kind of a slump ...
CNNSI.com: What about the naysayers who point to his failures at the French Open?
Wertheim: Twelve years between hard-court Slams is pretty impressive. More than the 14 total Slams and the six years at No. 1, this sort of run -- with 12 years in between Grand Slam titles -- should do it.
10/7/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Wimbledon will be key to Sampras decision |:||:|1033977600|:|[October 7, 2002 Steve Flink] Desire to leave All England Club on a positive note may lead US Open champion to extend his playing career
Late last Thursday afternoon, Pete Sampras completed a brief practice session at Villanova University outside Philadelphia, the city where he won his first professional tournament 12 years ago.
Sampras was appearing at the World TeamTennis Smash Hits, a benefit for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. He would face his old rival Andre Agassi in a pair of exhibition sets later in the evening, but the 31-year-old American will not compete again in an official tournament for the rest of 2002. He is seriously contemplating retirement.
Sampras is in a good frame of mind, at ease with himself, still wrapped in layers of emotion after securing an exhilarating 14th Grand Slam championship triumph at the US Open last month. He had ousted Agassi for his fifth crown in New York, claiming his first tournament win since Wimbledon of 2000, reaffirming his status as almost certainly the greatest player in tennis history.
But as we sit down for an interview in the locker room, an introspective Sampras is still in doubt about his plans. "After the Open," he tells me, "I just assumed I would keep going with my tennis. But once that kind of high wore off, I was thinking: 'What am I going to do?' Now we are in October and the Australian Open is not until January. But come November I will have to decide that I am going to do this all the way, or not at all."
When Sampras sealed his record-breaking 13th major title two years ago at the All England Club, he realised his most substantial goal. His revival in New York has left him similarly content.
"The last couple of years really took a lot out of me, mentally and emotionally," he says. "To come through that and win the Open meant more to me than anything I have ever done, because with 13 majors I could have walked away from the game at 29 and felt damned good about what I had done. But I felt there was something left in me. I thought I could still turn it on at a major, and I did. It's a great place to be, but the reality is: where do I go from here?"
By adding another shining Grand Slam title to his collection, Sampras not only silenced the sceptics who had counted him out but he also rewarded himself for his unwavering spirit and fortitude. He did it with dignity, and spoke eloquently with his awe-inspiring tennis. But how did it feel to put so many people in their place?
"I just wanted to win another major, to prove it most importantly to myself," Sampras said. "Winning the US Open was not the biggest win of my career but it was the most important. Putting people in their place is not really me. But I feel very vindicated because every time my name came up for the past year it was all very negative, from Boris Becker and others. And in my own way, just with what I did with my racket, I was able to throw a lot of egg around. That felt really good from a human side."
As gratifying as his latest big victory surely was, Sampras will surely find even larger emotional rewards with the arrival of his first child, due in early December. That is a moment he and his wife Bridgette are eagerly anticipating. "Both Bridgette and myself are very happy and waiting for the day to come," Sampras said. "Our marriage is rock-solid and we know the focus will come to our child. My brother just had a girl and my sister had a boy and being part of that has been great. They tell me that this is what life is all about. Tennis is very important to me, but with a family and a child your priorities change."
Surely, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras wants her husband to finish his time as a tennis champion following his own instincts, rather than listening to those outside his inner circle who do not fully understand him.
Speaking of his wife's supportiveness, Sampras says: "I have had moments when I considered stopping during this year for the wrong reasons. If I decided to leave now, it would be for the right reasons. My wife has been pretty honest with me about not listening to the critics and believing in myself. It was good to hear those things day in and day out from her. But now it is kind of eerie how quickly this is happening, even thinking about retirement. I will figure it out. But it wouldn't make sense going through the motions and doing my farewell waves to say goodbye."
Knowing full well the justifiable reasons he would have for getting out of the game, Sampras realises the lure of Wimbledon could keep him around. Despite his modern record of seven titles on the All England Club lawns, he is reluctant to end his record there with the stunning second-round loss he suffered against George Bastl on Court 2 in June. He says: "I always think about going back to Wimbledon. There is no guarantee I would win there, but I would be able to end my time there on more of a positive note."
No reasonable critic believes Sampras could have lost to Bastl on a show court. He makes no excuses for his defeat, but is candid about his feelings. "[Referee] Alan Mills gave me his reasons for putting me on Court 2. He said he had a couple of good matches to put on Court 1. And I said: 'It doesn't really matter who else is playing. I just feel I have done well enough at Wimbledon over the years to get a show court'. It did hurt because playing on Centre Court or Court 1 is my home-court advantage."
Sampras might also be spurred on by taking another crack at Roland Garros and trying to win the only major title to elude him. If he does play the 2003 season, he is giving strong consideration to trading his old and trusted Wilson Pro Staff ¡V which he has used his entire pro career ¡V for an alternative frame. "If I play next year I will try a bigger racket. The racket I play with now against these guys with the newer technology makes it very tough for me. So I might make the switch for the clay. Over the next month, I am going to try some different things while I make up my mind about next year."
He has some thoughts on what path he would take should he elect to retire. "I would like to be a part of the big tennis academy that is being built in Los Angeles, from a tennis and a financial standpoint. When the Tennis Channel gets started, I will help with that. Players that have stopped competing have always gotten bored after six months. I know I need to keep busy. I hope my name will open up a few doors. I want to feel fulfiled."
The way Sampras looks at it, he cannot go wrong whether he quits tennis or not. This much is certain: concluding his career with a triumph at a Grand Slam event would separate Sampras from every other great champion of the Open era. No one else ¡V not Borg or McEnroe, not Laver or Connors ¡V has had the grace or the gumption to leave the competitive arena after a major tournament victory. "It is a no-lose situation for me," says Sampras. "If I play next year I won't have the same pressures I had this year. If I decide to stop I will just enjoy the next chapter of my life."
If Sampras takes his extraordinary talent, drive and intelligence into other endeavours, he will be sorely missed. He has been the game's ultimate shot-making stylist, the most complete player of his generation, a remarkable sportsman and role model, a man of rare class and character. In many ways, he has been larger than the game he plays. How does he assess his legacy?
"I don't look at myself in terms of being a legend," he says with characteristic modesty. "The reality is that I have done really well. I think this last US Open showed a lot about who I am. More than just playing the game, this was about being 31 and still wanting to do it when people didn't believe in me. You always dream about how you might stop, and the storybook ending at the Open a month ago could be it. But I just don't know. It is still up in the air."
PETE SAMPRAS THE LIFE AND TIMES
Name: Pete Sampras
Born: 12 August, 1971, Washington, DC
Lives: Los Angeles
Family: Wife, actress Bridgette Wilson-Sampras.
Career: Turned professional game in 1988 as a 16-year old qualifier and had a game that was considered 'dangerous' by fellow competitors. Building on his serve, he took only two years to reach the World Top 10. In 1990, aged 19 years 28 days, he became the youngest ever US Open champion. He won that first major title defeating Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe along the way. Won the 1991 IBM World Championship and in 1992 he played on the US team that won back the Davis Cup. Went on to collect two Australian Open titles (1994, 1997), three more US Open titles (1993, 1995-96, 2002) and seven Wimbledon titles (1993-95, 1997-2000).
Known as: 'Pistol Pete' and 'The King Of Swing'. Official website: www.petesampras.com.
Lowlights: Playing on clay. This has prevented him ever winning the French Open. Being beaten by George Bastl on Court 2 this year while aiming to equal Bjorn Borg's record five successive Wimbledon titles.
He says: 'I never wanted to be the great guy or the colourful guy or the interesting guy. I wanted to be the guy who won titles.'
They say: 'He was always the most complete player. He has the power, he has the speed, he has the touch. He is the best player ever.' Boris Becker long before the US Open.
Famous for: His often unreturnable serve. In 1993 he established a new ATP Tour record when he became the first player to serve over 1,000 aces in a season. Outstanding athletic ability. 10/4/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras considers retiring on high note |:||:|1033725600|:|By DOUG LESMERISES,Delawareonline.com, 10/04/2002
VILLANOVA -- If Thursday night was the end of Pete Sampras' tennis career, he went out in the same city where it all began.
Twelve years ago in a midnight match in a nearly empty Spectrum, 18-year-old Sampras beat Andre Agassi, another teenage hotshot, for the first time, launching the greatest career in the history of men's tennis.
Thursday night in front of a packed house at The Pavilion on Villanova's campus, 31-year-old Sampras lost to Agassi, another old pro, possibly for the last time, perhaps ending the greatest career in the history of men's tennis.
Sampras is seriously considering retirement, having announced earlier in the week that he'd withdrawn from all the remaining ATP tournaments this season. Thursday he said he'd make a final decision on his career in the next three of four weeks, sounding very much like a man ready to hang up his racket.
"I think you just know in your heart," Sampras said. "You know when your heart is not quite into it. I'm still competitive and I still want to be out there. But there's another part of me thinking of stopping with what happened a couple of weeks ago -- having done everything I ever wanted to do in tennis."
What happened a couple weeks ago was Sampras' victory over Agassi in the finals of the U.S. Open, giving him a record 14 Grand Slam titles. Having beaten Agassi for his first Grand Slam at the 1990 U.S. Open, it brought full circle a tennis life composed of $43 million in winnings and 64 singles titles.
"Playing Andre in the final, it was a great moment for tennis and for myself," Sampras said, "so it could be a storybook ending in terms of what I've been able to do in tennis."
Philadelphia would then serve as Sampras' prelude and his postscript. After beating Agassi in the round of 16 in 1990, Sampras continued on to win the Philadelphia Indoor for his first pro title. Thursday night, Agassi beat Sampras 6-5, 6-4 as Team Billie Jean King beat Team Elton John 21-20. The event was the 10th annual World Team-Tennis Smash Hits, a charity exhibition that both Agassi and Sampras have been playing in for years.
Tennis star King and recording star John are friends who created the concept a decade ago. Thursday's match and accompanying silent auction set an event record by raising $700,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The event was held in Philadelphia for the first time as a tribute to John's song "Philadelphia Freedom," which he wrote for King.
It worked out even better as a possible Sampras farewell.
"I drove by the Spectrum," Sampras said, happy to reflect. "That's where it all happened for me. I was number 60 in the world and went to number 12 and then I won the Open. Twelve years later, I've done all right."
But has he done everything? Sampras' wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, is expecting their first child in two months and family life is weighing heavily in Sampras' decision. King and John are already trying to set up a future World TeamTennis match between Jaden Agassi, the 1-year-old son of Agassi and his wife Steffi Graf, and the Sampras baby-to-be.
Sampras said he has made no plans for what his post-tennis life would be like, but he left the impression that changing diapers and rocking a baby to sleep would gladly take up his time.
And Sampras made two things very clear. He won't play a partial schedule or focus only on just the Grand Slams. It's a full schedule or nothing. And he won't come back when he does retire. It's going to be for good.
If Thursday night was it, at least Sampras had fun. He wore good-guy white, while Agassi, in bad-boy black, smoked a forehand off the shoulder of Sampras' partner in mixed doubles (Sampras and Ally Baker won 6-3) and drew some half-hearted boos.
There were enough aces on Sampras' serve, enough running forehands to leave a clear picture of what he was and sometimes still is.
"To end his career with a nice little package of accomplishments and being able to come back when a lot of people were writing him off, I can certainly understand why it can't get much better than that," said Agassi, who at 32 has no thoughts of retiring. "That being said, I know what a competitor he is and he's motivated by a lot more than a nice little ending. I know there's a lot more tennis in him, but I'm very supportive of whatever choice he makes.
"But I think if anyone has earned the right to call his shots at this stage, it's Pete." 10/4/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Kafelnikov: Sampras `greatest ever` |:||:|1033722000|:|Moscow, Oct 4: Russian Yevgeny Kafelnikov says if Pete Sampras decides to retire he will have nothing but respect for a player he regards as the ``greatest ever``.
Kafelnikov, who has hinted at possible retirement himself if Russia beat France in the Davis Cup final, said: ``I really envy him in the good sense of the word.``
``If he has a chance to walk away from tennis at the height of his career after winning the U.S. national championship in his own country -- one of the most important tournaments there is, then yes, I can only take my hat off to him and say `you are the greatest ever to play the game and deserve all the praise for what you have done`.``
Sampras, winner of a record 14 grand slam titles, has not played since beating Andre Agassi in the final at Flushing Meadow last month, and will miss the rest of the season -- a decision that has fuelled rumours of his imminent retirement.
``But if he wants to announce his retirement now only to come back in the next few months, then I really don`t know what to think of his decision,`` added the outspoken Russian.
Kafelnikov, 28, speaking after defeating Germany`s Nicolas Kiefer in Moscow on Thursday, said he now wants to ``complete`` his tennis career by helping his country to a first-ever Davis Cup title later this year. 10/4/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Agassi beats Sampras at charity match|:||:|1033718400|:|[October 4, 2002] VILLANOVA, Pennsylvania (AP) - Facing each other for the first time since last month's U.S. Open final, Andre Agassi beat Pete Sampras 6-5 (5-2), 6-4 Thursday night in a charity exhibition.
The 31-year-old Sampras was playing a day after he said he would not compete in ATP tournaments the rest of the year.
He said he will decide in the next month whether to retire.
He and his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, are expecting their first child.
"I've been through a lot the last couple of years,'' Sampras said.
"Playing Andre in the final ... it's the perfect ending. On the other hand, it's become fun again. It's fun competing against Andre and these young guys, and I love to play.''
Sampras beat Agassi for the U.S. Open crown, winning in four sets for his 14th major championship.
"I can't say it's always nice,'' said Agassi, referring to his rivalry with Sampras.
"But I will say the fundamentals of what I've done my whole life is competition and bringing out the best in ourselves whatever the environment is. We go out there and do what it is we love, so I enjoy it a lot.''
The competition Thursday night, the World Team Tennis Smash Hits at Villanova University, benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local charities.
John and Billie Jean King play host to the annual event, which raised $700,000 Thursday.
"Pete and Andre have been so supportive to this event for so long,'' John said. "It just shows you how big of champions they are off the court as they are on the court.''
Agassi and 16-year-old Sunitha Rao made up team Billie Jean King and won the charity event 21-20. Agassi and Rao lost to Team Elton John, Sampras and 16-year-old Ally Baker, 6-3, in a set of mixed doubles. Rao beat Baker 6-5 (5-3).
John was to play a celebrity doubles match with Sampras, but he pulled out because of bursitis in his right shoulder. John travels with a tennis coach. 10/3/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Retirement Heavy on Sampras' Mind|:||:|1033635600|:|By MARC NARDUCCI / Philadelphia Inquirer/ October 3, 2002 - VILLANOVA, Pa. - Pete Sampras won his first professional tennis tournament in Philadelphia. Thursday night, he may have also made this area the site of his final appearance as a pro tennis player.
Sampras participated in Thursday night's 10th annual Smash Hits event hosted by Elton John and Billie Jean King at Villanova's Pavilion. The event, which included a live and silent auction, raised more than $700,000 for the Elton John AIDS Foundation and two area charities, ActionAIDS and the Metropolitan AIDS Neighborhood Nutrition Alliance.
Sampras' participation came a day after he said he would withdraw from all remaining ATP tournaments this year. That led to speculation that he would retire.
"I'll make a decision in a month or so, whether I will stop," the 31-year-old Sampras said. "Right now, I'm going back and forth whether to stop."
Even though he lost both sets against longtime rival Andre Agassi, 6-5 (2), 6-4, while playing World Team Tennis rules, Sampras displayed a rocket serve that suggested his game wasn't ready for the old tennis players' home. The two also played mixed doubles, with Sampras and Ally Baker defeating Agassi and Sunitha Rao, 6-3.
Sampras' first professional win came in the Philadelphia Indoor Tournament on Feb. 19, 1990, when he defeated Andres Gomez in straight sets at the Spectrum.
"I drove by the Spectrum, and this is when it all began happening for me," Sampras said somewhat nostalgically. "I was 60th in the world and won in Philly, and later I won in New York."
He was referring to the U.S. Open in 1990, when he won his first Grand Slam singles title by beating Agassi.
Sampras, whose wife, Bridgette Wilson, is expecting their first child in December, was asked whether he would contemplate playing in just the four Grand Slam tournaments.
"You can't do that today because you can't turn it on and off like that," he said. "If I play, I will play a full schedule."
When asked whether Thursday night's match could have been his last, King interrupted and said, "It could be, which is why this is such a magical moment."
If he does retire, Sampras said, "I'll be busy, especially having a kid, which I'm looking forward to. But I really don't know right now what I would do."
Agassi, the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion who lost to Sampras in a memorable U.S. Open final last month, hasn't begun to think of his own farewell.
"I have no thoughts of retiring," the 32-year-old Agassi said. "I feel I can keep getting better."
Elton John, scheduled to play in a celebrity mixed doubles match, pulled out with bursitis in his shoulder.
"It's such a blow," John, an avid player, said. 10/3/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Live from WTT |:||:|1033632000|:|The following is a report from a member of Samprasfanz who went to the event [October 3, 2002]:
"Hey all, I haven't posted here in a while, but I just got back about an hour ago from seeing Pete play in the Smash Hits tennis event. It was the first time I got too see him live, and I was so overwhelmed -- it was just awesome. This was a tiny venue (a college basketball stadium) so my seats were right behind the court, and since it is a charity thing, I even got to move down way to the front! I could see the sweat on Pete's arms! He looked very relaxed and was having a lot of fun. He played mixed doubles with an up and coming junior girl against Agassi and another girl. It was funny because Andre kept crushing the ball at the girls when they were at net, and he kept aiming at them time after time until the crowd started booing him! Pete and Elton John were both laughing it up.
Then, after the girls played a set of singles, Pete and Andre came back on for the big show -- two sets -one on one. The first time I see Pete and he is playing Andre! WHAT INCREDIBLE LUCK! The two guys looked really focused, it kinda surprised me -- as if they just turned it on as soon as they had to play each other. There was none of the goofing around which I have seen in past years of this event. Pete was cranking aces, and was even arguing line calls, which I found absolutely absurd and hilarious!!!! Pete was in fine form, which surprised me since he probably hasn't practiced much since the Open. He was attacking Andre and hitting backhand return winners to the oooh's and aawws of the crowd. At 5-3 in the first, he was serving for the set, and it was deuce.
He hit what I thought was a second serve ace, and since in smash hits team tennis they don't play with ads, I thought he had won the set because he started walking to his chair. I guess I didn't hear an out call because of the crowd but next thing I know the scoreboard says 5-4. Andre held and they played a tiebreaker at 5-5 which Pete was kinda sloppy in. He got down 0-3 in the second before coming alive with some beautiful returns and evening it up 3-3. At 4-5, serving to stay in the match, he double faulted to bring up match point and then Andre hit a nice return to win it.
But whatever, it doesn't really matter that he lost. I hope Andre is happy that he got his revenge, though I highly doubt this makes up for the U.S. Open loss! :)
Overall, it was a great night for me.
Oh, and there was one funny moment before the event at the charity auction. They were auctioning off a one-hour hitting session with Pete. It got up to $15,000 and then suddenly stopped. Pete was getting kinda pissed and so he was like "ok, you can come to my house on my private court and I'll even give you some pictures of Bridgette!" Miraculously, that inspired people to bid, and it went to $25,000 before it stopped again. Then Andre said "come on people, this is PETE SAMPRAS, last time I played him it cost me $400,000!" Haha, he was obviously talking about the prize money he lost as a runner up in the Open final. It finally sold at $30,000. Just great stuff and a fun night."
NICK 10/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Is Pete done? |:||:|1033556400|:|[October 2, 2002 Patrick McEnroe, Special to ESPN.com] Pete Sampras never got excited about playing at this time of the year anyway, but he had to before. So it's not entirely surprising that he's pulled out of the rest of this year's tournaments.
The honest truth is that I don't think anybody, including Pete Sampras, knows if this really is it. He still has some desire to go out and play -- especially after what happened at the U.S. Open.
He loves to play and to win. He also realizes that this is the dream-come-true way to go out. What a way to ride off into the sunset: win your 14th Grand Slam and your fifth U.S. Open by beating your main rival, Andre Agassi, who has been playing the better tennis recently, and then go off and live in your mansion in Hawaii.
But what about the competitive side to Pete? He likes to work out. He likes to play golf. He'll get bored. What else can he do to keep him excited when he knows he can go out and win another Grand Slam or two?
I would be surprised if he doesn't come back to give Wimbledon another shot next year. He doesn't want 2002 to be his last memory from there: walking off Court 2 after losing to George Bastl in the second round.
Sampras proved everyone wrong at the U.S. Open, so he's got nothing to lose by coming back. People say he's going to ruin his legacy; I don't buy that. He's
certainly had enough losses the past two years to have done that already if it was a possibility. His legacy is secure no matter what happens. He could go out and play six months next year and win two matches without affecting his legacy.
His future depends totally on what he wants to do -- whether he wants to train hard and play those tournaments he doesn't like. He hasn't been worried about being No. 1 for the past couple of years and could care less about where he's ranked at now.
It's going to be difficult, in my mind, to show up in Australia having not played in four or five months and have a shot there. The court conditions are slower, and he will have just become a daddy. I'd be surprised to see him show up in Australia.
Obviously, he's seriously considering retiring by pulling out of these tournaments. He's not got the itch to train and play. He's earned the chance to take the time off. I hope it doesn't turn into a guessing game for the next four to six months. It would be annoying, for him, if the question just kept coming up. 10/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras hangs up racket for the year (updated with quotes)|:||:|1033552800|:|October 2, 2002 Reuters / Miami Herald - Pete Sampras will not play tennis again this year, the winner of a record 14 grand slam titles said on Wednesday.
Sampras, who won his fifth U.S. Open singles crown last month, has withdrawn from all the remaining ATP tournaments in which he was entered in 2002.
The move fans rumours that the 31-year-old is ready to hang up his racket for good.
"Since winning the U.S. Open on September 8, I have been taking some time to reevaluate where I want to go from here," Sampras said.
"I'm therefore not sufficiently prepared to compete in the upcoming tournaments in Madrid, Basel and Paris."
He also told reporters in Philadelphia where he is scheduled to appear at the Smash Hits charity event that when the day comes, it won't be an easy adjustment for a guy who has spent most of his life playing competitive tennis.
''One day, you'll wake up and you won't be playing anymore and you've got to sort of reinvent yourself,'' said Sampras. ``Having been injured a little bit during my career, without tennis to fill my day, I can understand how that's not going to be easy. Part of me looks forward to not having a schedule, but after a while of going out and playing golf, I think I'll get bored. Nothing lasts forever, but you've got to come to terms with actually stopping.''
Sampras, who has not played since winning the U.S. Open, had been scheduled to play at the Madrid Masters Series from October 14-20, the Swiss Indoors in Basel from October 21-27 and the Paris Masters from October 28-November 3. 10/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Tennis-Sampras may not play again this year, Swiss event says|:||:|1033549200|:|Ossian Shine /LONDON, Oct 2 (Reuters) - U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras will miss this month's Swiss Indoor Championships and may not play again this year, organisers of the Basel event said on Wednesday.
The holder of a record 14 grand slam titles told the Swiss championships of his decision to withdraw through a phone call from his management company, the tournament said.
"The message we got was that he would not be playing here, and probably would not be playing in the European indoor season at all," Juerg Vogel told Reuters.
"We have had a phone call from his agents but nothing on paper yet. We do need confirmation on paper before we can start offering his place in the draw to the next highest-ranked player.
"But we certainly felt that it was our obligation to give full notice to the public that Pete Sampras would not be playing here this year.
"His baby is due at the start of December and the impression we got was that he would not be playing this year ... probably not in the Masters Cup season-ender in Shanghai in November.
"As I say, we are waiting for official confirmation from his management.
STORYBOOK ENDING
"But we still have a very strong field. We have five of the top 10 players in the world in our field. Sampras would have been seeded eighth."
Last month, having defied the odds, age, fatigue and an army of critics to claim an unprecedented 14th career grand slam title with an emotional victory over Andre Agassi at the U.S. Open, Sampras hinted that his most unlikely victory could well be the storybook ending to a brilliant career.
"I'm going to have to weigh it up over the next couple months to see where I'm at," Sampras said at the time. "I still want to play, I love to play.
"But to beat a rival like Andre in a major tournament at the U.S. Open ... a storybook ending, it might be a nice way to stop.
"I'll see where I'm at in the next couple of months, where my hearts at and my mind.
"I feel like all the hard work has paid off. All the adversity this year, I got through it and that means more to me than anything.
"I really don't know where I'm going to go from here. I'm going to take some time to enjoy this and reflect a bit."
Sampras's management company -- the William Morris Agency -- were not immediately contactable for comment on Wednesday.
The Swiss Indoors takes place from October 21 to 27.
The field is led by Germany's world number two Tommy Haas, defending titleholder Tim Henman, Monte Carlo champion Juan-Carlos Ferrero, French Open winner Albert Costa and former world number one Carlos Moya of Spain. 10/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras` Withdrawals Fuel Retirement Speculation|:||:|1033545600|:|October 2, 2002 (AP) BASEL, Switzerland -- U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras has withdrawn from all remaining ATP tournaments this season, organizers of this month's Swiss Indoors event said Wednesday.
The news will add to speculation that the 31-year-old American is planning to retire.
Sampras, who hasn't played since he won a record 14th Grand Slam singles title last month in New York, will not start in the Basel event, which opens Oct. 19, nor in the Masters Series events in Madrid, Spain, and Paris.
That means he will have no chance of qualifying for the eight-player Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai, China, the final event of the season in mid-November. Sampras had a chance of qualifying after his U.S. Open victory moved him from 32nd to 12th place in the ATP Champions Race.
Sampras stoked speculation that he would retire at the end of this year following his victory at Flushing Meadows over old adversary Andre Agassi.
"To beat a rival like Andre, in a storybook ending, it might be nice to stop. But ..." Sampras said at the time.
Sampras' wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, is pregnant with their first child.
9/26/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|WTT-Smash Hits: Pete Sampras Interview |:||:|1033027200|:|WORLD TEAMTENNIS (WTT) SMASH HITS
PETE SAMPRAS CONFERENCE CALL QUOTES - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2002
Pete Sampras talked about his upcoming appearance with Billie Jean King, Elton John and Andre Agassi in the 10th Anniversary of World TeamTennis (WTT) Smash Hits, an annual tennis charity event slated for Thursday, October 3 at The Pavilion at Villanova University beginning at 7 p.m.
On what fans can expect in next week’s WTT Smash Hits event in Philadelphia:
“The event is great. It’s light-hearted, relaxed and a fun atmosphere to be in. The Philly fans are obviously going to see some good tennis, but they’ll also see the lighter side of things…A few trick shots and some mockery of one another. Those are the things that people enjoy watching. There’s always a little competitive edge with Andre and I whether we’re playing after the U.S. Open or in some park. When it comes to hitting a few balls, we still tend to want to punish each other in some way, but the first and foremost goal at this event is to put on a good show and have fun.”
On what playing in WTT Smash Hits means to him:
“I met Elton John a number of years ago and we’ve developed a friendship. His foundation is extremely important to him…And important to me. He asked me to play in the event a while back to help raise money for this worthy cause…And to play some tennis and have some fun. He’s a big sports fan. I’ve played eight out of the ten years the event has been around, and it’s an incredible event that benefits so many. I mean…He was nice enough to play at my wedding!”
On Elton John and Billie Jean King’s tennis game at the WTT Smash Hits event:
“Elton works hard at his tennis game. He really has that competitive drive. Each year he gets a little bit better. He travels with a full time tennis coach when he’s on the road, so he’s really passionate about the sport. I’m sure it’s a little nerve-racking for him to get out on the court since he’s out of his element, but he’s done a great job. Billie Jean has great skill for the ball, which is something you don’t really loose even as you get a little older. She still has a great feel and touch for the game, which is something she’ll have forever.”
On his involvement in charity work:
“I think athletes and people in general have a responsibility to help with charities and to really give back to their community. Some charities have been closer to me than others…Having Tim Gullickson lose his battle with brain cancer…I’ve had breast cancer in my family. You have to give something back. Sports have been very good to me in a lot of ways and gives me the opportunity to be able to help out other causes. Elton’s cause is one of them. I think I have a responsibility, especially when it hits home and is actually something you enjoy being a part of. You can’t do it all…You just have to pick and choose what’s important to you.”
On his future in tennis and plans on retirement:
“At this point I’m still enjoying what happened at the U.S. Open…And I’m still not sure what the future holds. A part of me thinks that winning the U.S. Open title is a great way to end things, but the other part of me loves to have fun again and play at that high level. I’m leaving the door open right now. I’m still really thinking about it. I’ll probably make a decision within the next 3-4 weeks as to the training regimen and my schedule for next year.”
On his future goals in tennis and how that determines his mindset at this point in his career:
“This last major was the toughest title and something I’ve never had to do before…Make a comeback. I feel like I’ve done it all from a tennis standpoint, but this last one was more of a character victory…More of a “how bad do I really want it” mental test, because everyone had been writing me off for so long. To come through that means more to me than say 5 years ago when I was winning a couple majors a year and may have took it for granted. Tennis is something I love to do and once it’s over…it’s over. Besides, I would love to play Wimbledon one more time and say my goodbyes there. I’m weighing my options at this point.” 9/25/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Agassi, Sampras to Take Part in Paris Masters |:||:|1032944400|:|PARIS (Reuters) Sept 25, 2002 - U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras and beaten finalist Andre Agassi will take part in next month's Paris Masters event, organizers said Wednesday.
Sampras's entry into the field means that the American will probably continue his playing career at least till the end of the year as he has also entered the Swiss Indoors in Basel the week before.
The 31-year-old had hinted after his fifth Flushing Meadows triumph earlier this month that he may retire having achieved his objective of winning at least one more grand slam title.
Sampras won his 14th major and first title of any kind in over two years by defeating Agassi in the New York final.
He will have the opportunity to shine again in Paris, an event he won twice in 1995 and 1997, as the best 37 players in the world are expected in the French capital.
Frenchman Sebastien Grosjean, the world No. 9, will defend his title in front of home crowd .
The indoor tournament will be played on carpet from Oct. 28. 9/25/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras, Agassi to play at Villanova |:||:|1032940800|:|[September 25, 2002 Eddie Levin] Less than two months ago in one of the most memorable U.S. Opens in recent memory, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi turned back the clock and squared off in a classic four set match that was won by Sampras 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4.
When the two square off Oct. 3 at Villanova University, they will be playing for a good cause taking place in a more intimate setting.
Next Thursday, Sampras and Agassi will help tennis legend Billie Jean King and music superstar Elton John celebrate the 10th Anniversary of Smash Hits, which will take place at the Pavilion on the Villanova campus.
"It's going to be fun," said Agassi. "Elton has always been good to me when I have charity events. I am glad I have the opportunity to assist him in his charitable efforts."
The tennis side of Smash Hits is played in a team tennis format that includes one set each of men's singles, men's doubles, mixed doubles, women's singles and women's doubles.
"With this format, you get to see a bunch of different match-ups, which is always exciting," said Agassi. "The fans are able to yell and cheer like they are at a hockey or baseball game. It is a great environment. The fans feel like they are a part of the match and not just a spectator."
The format is one set up to five games and no add scoring. Including Agassi and Sampras, other young rising American stars playing in the event include Ashley Harkleroad and Ally Baker.
To accompany his victory at the U.S. Open, Sampras enters this year's Smash Hits holding a 4-1 advantage over Agassi since 1996, including a 5-2 win in last year's event held in Sacramento, Calif.
Smash Hits will be celebrating its 10th anniversary and King and John could not think of a better place than Philadelphia to celebrate.
"Villanova has always hosted the women's Advanta tournament," said King. "It's a great venue and seats a decent amount of people. However, there are two big factors why we chose to have it in Philadelphia.
"One is Advanta CEO Dennis Alter and his role as a sponsor to the women's tournament, along with the Philadelphia Freedoms WTT team.
"Second, when I talked to Elton he thought the 10th Anniversary in Philadelphia would be perfect because of the song Philadelphia Freedom and because we have a WTT team."
King said, "Elton and I have always wanted to do something together. [World TeamTennis CEO Illana] Kloss told us this would be the chance for both of us to do something together.
"We could play tennis in the World Teamtennis format to raise money for his foundation. When he started the foundation, his main purpose was to help those affected with HIV/AIDS, so we devised a night of tennis where his proceeds would benefit his foundation as well as a few prominent local organizations."
In addition to the action on the court, there is plenty of action off the court, as a VIP reception that includes a silent and live auction is held to help raise money that benefits the Elton John AIDS Foundation as well as local charities for the city that the tournament is held in. This year's local charities that have been chosen are Action AIDS and MANNA.
Although it is not widely discussed, the ATP players are known to give back to the community. In addition to helping John and King with Smash Hits, both Agassi and Sampras have their own charities.
Agassi started a charter school in West Las Vegas for kids who need a chance to succeed and Sampras runs a golf tournament to benefit the Tim Gullikson foundation.
"The key word is people," said Agassi. "I don't separate artists, celebrities or athletes. I am shocked when I don't see people get involved.
"I am quite often disappointed by what people don't do, but I am quite often also inspired by what people do."
The honorary Co-Chairs for this year's event will be Alter and wife Gisela.
"Philadelphia is a great tennis town," said Alter, himself a nationally-ranked player. "We try to bring tennis to as many people of all ages and abilities as possible, because it's a great lifelong sport that is enjoyable and can be competitive at any level."
Prizes at the auction include Billie Jean King's personal Centre court Wimbledon tickets with roundtrip tickets to England and five nights accommodations; an autographed Elton John piano bench; and signed racquets from Agassi and Sampras.
A celebrity VIP auction begins at 5 p.m. followed by the matches at 7 p.m.
Match tickets ($25, $50, $75, $100) are available through Ticketmaster at 215-336-2000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com. For tickets to the VIP auction ($250), call 215-981-3311. 9/24/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete Sampras guests on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno Aired: September 24, 2002|:||:|1032854400|:|
Jay: Please welcome a class act, Pete Sampras!
Pete comes in and they shake hands.
Jay: Congratulations!
Pete: Thank you, thank you.
Jay: How many grand slams have you won, is it 14?
Pete: 14
Jay: 14…so what's the biggest
Pete: Uh I think this one was the biggest, this year's been a little bit disappointing and to get through some tough moments after Wimbledon was such a low point, just got through it and worked hard, I just believed I could do it and I did it.
Jay: So what was the lowest point, you say the low point, what would, when was the day you went, you could look back and go that was the day, when was it?
Pete: Well, I think it was after Wimbledon. I just got home and I was really disappointed, the year's been crappy till that point and it just, it just was awful, lots of misery and I just believed that I could still do it. You know everyone's been writing me off for so long and I just had a lot of support from my family, my wife.
Jay: You say that now when I sit back and see a guy like you won all these championships, when you say people would write me off, I kind of smile because you are one of the greatest tennis players of all time, if not the greatest, and I know and at what point (people begin to applaud and Pete looks at audience and smiles) but so when you say oh their writing me off, where does that come from, where do you feel that from?
Pete: I wasn't quite as dominate, you know I was number 1 for so long then I started to slip a little bit, uh Wimbledon was a huge shock to everyone and I think that's when it started happening. I just kind of I started believing it a little bit, you know I'm getting old 30-31 and if it's time for me to stop and I had moments when I was thinking about moving on but I was passionate about the game, still loved to play and still felt I had one more major in me. And here I am having done it! Applause.
Jay: Oh it's a great story, the part that's fascinating for people I mean I always liked you because you are not a loud guy, you don't complain, you don't whine, you just do it and I just wonder what is it in you that says okay this is the turnaround, yesterday was the low point. I mean does the strength come from somewhere?
Pete: Well from myself, my family, my wife. My wife has to live with me every day and it's not easy when you are not doing well. But, she, she was for me, she really kept me together and it was up to me as far as going out and working hard, playing better…
ay: Well I read some things and I thought was really unfair and nasty, well once he got married well that's it, ruined, his game and this kind of nonsense. How did you deal with that?
Pete: Ummm, it was a bunch of crap, really, I mean it really was. Being married is the best thing that ever happened to me, I met the right woman, and I've done a lot in the game and so consumed with the game for so long, it was time for me to get married and have a family and that's what we're doing, and uh this last victory was so huge for me it really was it was such a come back for me and it felt great.
Jay: Well it was great, was great. But look we'll take a little break and talk to Pete more after this.
(commercial break)
Jay: We're back with US Open Champion Pete Sampras. Tell me about the crowd when you were there. How important is their support? Could you feel it?
Pete: It was huge, especially New York and being an American in New York City at a time like this, it was huge. Playing Andre in the finals they were really into it and it was fun to play. But a lot of support always helps.
Jay: Now how fast is your serve, I heard different….
Pete: Uhhh well the top speed is probably 135
Jay: A 135 gee see that's amazing. Now like those machines that you practice with that shoot the balls, do they shoot them that fast?
Pete: No I don't practice with machines
Jay: Well, no but I mean (laughter)
Pete: I practice with people
Jay: Well I know you have those things, cause it's hard to imagine how fast 135 is. I mean most people haven't got…well here take a look we have some tapes, here's some serves coming down. (They show tape of Pete serving to Andre…one after another.) It has to take some kind of toll. You can hardly see it.
Applause
Jay: [says something I cannot hear for the applause.]
Jay: Do you think you could return your own serve?
Pete: Tsk, well yeah, I mean I've played guys that served huge in the 131, 135 down the line. I think I could, it's tough, but I'm still pretty good I think.
Jay: Haha well yeah you're very good. Now your first US Open was what year?
Pete: 1990
Jay: 1990, you did Johnny that year
Pete: Yeah that was tough
Jay: What? (inaudible) we need to do John…same time
Pete: everything, my whole life changed and coming on and doing Johnny Carson, I was a little bit nervous.
Jay: Well Johnny is very gracious, we call him and say hey listen we have somebody on, could I borrow the tape, and he always let us borrow it so this is you and I thought you'd, you don't look that much different, I thought well this will be great he'll look like Howdy Doody (a marionette on tv ages ago) or something Pete says something but can't get it. But actually you look pretty much the same. Here take a look you were 19 years old. They run the tape…..
Johnny C: How important is it for you to be number 1?
Pete: Right now it's not very important. Kinda let this sink
Johnny C: kinda let this sink in??
Pete:Yeah and try to keep on enjoying it which I think is important. And just to keep enjoying and not get too cocky and arrogant. You know especially the ….
Johnny C: that's a good idea…just to enjoy the moment
Pete: I want to remain the same kid I've always been.
Back to Jay: You gonna talk now, gonna handle it? Applause….And your posture hasn't improved an inch!
Pete: Sorry, but these seats are a little uncomfortable.
Jay: Well let me, now you kept your promise and you haven't become cocky. You think a lot of the players are too cocky?
Pete:No, there's some on the ladies tour. (Audience jeers and Pete becomes embarrassed… flushed.) I mean the men's tour the guys are pretty cool, but there are some pretty confident young girls out there.
Jay:You got Andy, Andy Roddick he seems, is he cocky?
Pete: No he is very gracious, good great player, he's gotta good game, he's pretty humble, he'll be fine.
Jay: Which girls are cocky?
Pete: Ohhhhh Jay, you tell me (he's laughing, blushing)
Jay: your honor, he opened this line of questioning, I did not bring it up your honor.
Pete: I don't want to mention any names but there's you know
Jay: Ehhh does it begin with a V (Laughter) EE haha
Pete: Enough said
Jay: there's nothing wrong with being cocky it's alright.
Pete: Well you know
Jay: Hey you're sweating would you like one (hands him Kleenex)
Pete: I think it's you (laughter in audience)
(commercial break)
Jay: So what is your future in tennis, what are you gonna, you're not going to retire (like a plea)
Pete: I don't know I been going back and forth, I'd like to still play, it's fun again, but the other part is that it was a great win…so I, I'm still thinking about it. I'm going to see where I at in about a month.
Jay: One last quick question, I know you are Greek. Did you have a big fat Greek Wedding when you got married?
Pete: Uhhh we didn't have a big fat Greek wedding. But I have a lot of fat Greek friends (Laughter) but uh no it was a —
Jay: I 'm gonna let you hang yourself, go
Pete: (laughs) I know
Jay: Lotta guys named Nick...
Pete: Nick, George, Gus a lot of Gus
Jay: Well God Bless you, you're a true Champion and just a real decent guy. God Bless your…(inaudible audience clapping…) Say hello to Bridgette and Good Luck with the baby….be right back with Maggie….Pete Sampras.
Alrighty, my next guest is a very talented young actress….Maggie Gilenau (Probably spelled last name wrong.) Say hi to Pete.
Now this gal who is in the movie The Secretary is asked about the movie and she says it's about S&M and that the producer gave her a porn film so she could know more about it. The camera goes to Pete and he does a quick raise of the eyebrows with a little grin on his face….I tried to capture that for about a half hour….could not do it.
Then this gal tells about the woman in the movie having mouse traps on her nipples….the camera once again goes to Pete….he laughs and looks at this girl like is 'she for real?'
Okay….well this is as accurate as I can get it. The conversation was very fast. There was a lot of laughter from the audience, Jay and Pete….I think he had a good time.
Special thanks to Joy Parker for the transcript of interview and video captures and to Sonja Stransky for the photo collages.
9/20/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Custom Made: Nate Ferguson Fine-Tunes Sampras` Racquets|:||:|1032512400|:|Custom Made: Nate Ferguson Fine-Tunes Sampras` Racquets"Pete said, 'Nate, I'm out of racquets,' " Ferguson remembers. "I said, "I've been making your racquets since 1990 ?out of your own personal collection ? and today's the day you're going to tell me you're out.' It's ironic, but true."
When the U.S. Open champion has a racquet emergency, Ferguson always answers the call. And when you make your living relying on a racquet as your sole source of support on court as Sampras does, it make sense to hire one of the world's leading racquet customizers in Ferguson to travel the world with you. While Sampras' coach, Paul Annacone, and trainer, Brett Stephens, are familiar faces to tennis fans who see them seated court-side at Sampras matches, most people probably couldn't pick Ferguson's face out of a crowd. Yet he is one of the most important members of Sampras' support team, who helped played a pivotal part in Sampras' sensational run to his 14th Grand Slam championship at the U.S. Open earlier this month.
While Sampras is competing on the court, Ferguson is busy working behind the scenes, rebuilding Sampras' racquets and handles as well as balancing, re-gripping and re-stringing every racquet to suit Sampras' specifications. The married father of two children travels to every tournament with Sampras to ensure his racquets are in a constant state of playing perfection.
"Pete is an absolute a perfectionist," Ferguson said. "He knows exactly what he wants and it's my job to be sure the racquets meet that standard. At the U.S. Open, for instance, I strung nine racquets starting at 8 a.m. to get them ready for Pete's practices and matches. It's my job to make sure I can get racquets strung on site at the same tension. Sometimes that's difficult because stringing machines can vary. That's the whole science and whole reason behind having one guy with one stringing machine traveling everywhere to string your racquets ?because it eliminates the variables you can get from different machines and you know you will get the consistency from one guy with one machine."
Traveling with his own stringing machine and equipment, Ferguson could consider carrying his own "do not disturb" sign with him ?he does much of the stringing in his hotel room as some tournaments will not permit private stringers to use their stringing machines.
"It varies from tournament to tournament: some will allow you to bring your own machine to the site and some won't," Ferguson said. "I am generally invited to string Pete's racquet on their (the tournament's) equipment. Pete's racquet is not the easiest to string. It's very high tension and very thin gut string. Screw it up and it breaks. So if I give it to them with all the tools and extra grommets I have to keep it from breaking, it will take someone else like 40 minutes to string whereas I can be on their machine and out of their hair in 20 minutes. Which are you gonna do? Almost everywhere at every tournament the people are very, very accommodating and very, very nice. That makes it a lot easier for me to work."
His work includes customizing racquets for several top players including Lleyton Hewitt, Tim Henman, Mark Philippoussis, Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Mardy Fish. The list of players Ferguson has worked with in his career is impressive, but from Ferguson's perspective the number of players who don't customize racquets is alarming.
"I'd say there are about 60 guys who play with custom-made racquets," Ferguson said. "You'd be surprised how many players use stock racquets. As a junior or someone who has to play qualifying just to get into qualifying, they usually get about six racquets (from racquet companies) per year. How would your racquets look if you were limited to six racquets that were limited to 340 grams ?there's almost no graphite to them ?every day? You literally get players going out buying racquets off the shelf. There are players at Masters Series events who have smashed their racquets and wanted to go to the store and buy a racquet off the shelf because they were out. I know that happens for a fact. That shows the ignorance of racquets some players ?even highly ranked players ?can have. Pete is not that way. He approaches his job in a much more professional manner. "
Playing with his classic Wilson Pro Staff frame and using gut string that looks about as thin as dental floss used by fleas, Sampras can can snap stings faster than a guitar player plucking strings with a razor rather than a pick. The ever-present Ferguson is always there to keep Sampras' stings in tune.
"Pete was having problems keeping tight strings in his racquet, which is why he hired me to travel with him full-time in 1998," Ferguson said. "First of all the strings can break with Pete pulling a racquet out of his bag. At the World Championships in Hannover in 1999, I think, he reached in his bag, pulled out a racquet walked out on court and I'm yelling: 'Pete, Pete, the string's broken.' He holds it up, goes like this 'Oh', walks over to his bag, gets a fresh racquet and everyone in the crowd applauds as if he's so powerful he could break a string without swinging the racquet."
Sampras' swing speed combined with his relatively thin strings create the broken strings that can keep Ferguson very busy during tournaments.
"My job is to make his grip, make his handle, make his racquet and do his strings," Ferguson said. "We have changed his strings slightly since I started traveling with Pete in 1998. In those days, he was using 122 gauge string which is 1.22 millimeter thin ?they basically make it for squash. At 75 pounds tension and 122 gauge all it takes is one mis-hit and it breaks. Now, we're actually using 125 except on grass where the points are short we still use 122 gauge.People who have watched Pete throughout his career may notice he's breaking fewer strings now than when he started playing."
It was shortly after Sampras turned pro that he turned to Ferguson for his racquet expertise.
A native of Glastonbury, Connecticut, Ferguson's first contact with the then-unheralded and skinny Sampras came prior to the Los Angeles teenager creating a career-breakthrough by scoring a series of stunning upsets in succession over Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe and Andre Agassi to capture his first U.S. Open championship in 1990 and become the youngest Flushing Meadows men's champion at 19 years, 28 days.
At the time, Sampras was a few years away from reaching No. 1, but Ferguson was already at the top of his field refining racquets for Lendl and Martina Navratilova. The former high school and college tennis player had little indication that his initial phone conversation with the soft-spoken Sampras would prove to be a life-altering even for both of them.
"The company I was with in Connecticut was almost almost strictly custom-building racquets so we had a great list of clients including Lendl and Navratilova and along comes this 19-year-old kid named Pete Sampras," Ferguson said. "He called and had a lot of questions about racquets and I explained to him what the process was of duplicating a favorite racquet. He was very curious and asked a lot of questions. He had a real genuine interest in racquets and how they're customized. I could tell the handle, head and feel of the racquets were very important to him right off the bat."
Since their initial meeting, Sampras and Ferguson have forged a productive partnership with Sampras' actively offering suggestions for his racquets and strings and Ferguson working on turning the suggestions into solutions.
"We've sat up late many nights brainstorming ideas for improvements," Ferguson said. "For example, he used to play with a leather grip underneath the (overgrip) tourna-grip. When he was playing a lot of tournaments and almost never losing his hand was tournament tough, but as he cut back on his schedule and was not playing as much in the offseason we found that come January, when he'd go to Australia where it's hotter than the blazes to start the season, he'd get these big callouses and blisters on the palm of his hand. That's why we went to the sweat-absorbing synthetic grip. He only uses one overgrip, but he'll change it during the course of the match. Which is why sometimes you'll see him put a racquet down and pick up a fresh one ?because the sweat has soaked right through the grip so he'll get a fresh one. Not because the strings are about to break or because he doesn't like the feel, but because he wants a dry grip. The racquet has to feel right in his hand and he can tell right away if it's not right."
The attention to detail Ferguson's work requires is remarkable as Sampras is as in tune with the slightest subtle change to his strings and racquet as a clasically-trained violinist is to any variation in his Stradivarius.
"Pete is very much aware of the slightest changes," Ferguson said. "When I make the but-cap for Pete's racquet, for instance, it could be to within a hundredth of a millimeter to what he wants, but I swear to you if it's the slightest bit off, Pete can tell just by picking up the racquet."
A tennis traditionalist in everything ranging from his classically-constructed strokes to all-white tennis attire, Sampras' values of tradition extends to his equipment, which he has been reluctant to change since he turned pro. Asking Sampras to change his racquet is like asking the All England Club to forgo grass in favor of artificial turf, Statue of Liberty to trade her torch for a Bic lighter, B.B. King to drop "Lucille" his favored guitar for a ukulele or Picasso to pawn his paint brush for a tooth brush,
"Certainly, Pete has had great success with that 85 square-inch head, 27-inch long Pro Staff racquet, weighing just over 390 grams," Ferguson said. "Pete has never changed, length, weight, balance or swing weight in all these years. Pete is aware of the slightest change or difference in a racquet."
In an era were some club players use racquets with string surfaces as broad as butterfly nets and racquets so powerful you feel you can hit through the net, the small size of Sampras' preferred Pro Staff makes it appear about as powerful as a ping pong paddle.
The skill required to excel with Sampras' racquet is substantial. Sampras' style is rooted in wood. The classic Jack Kramer wood model was one of the first racquets Sampras used as a child and the former No. 1 has often said the best advice he can offer kids learning to play tennis is to learn the game playing with a wood racquet, which requires a young player to develop sound strokes, before moving on to the technologically-advanced racquets of today.
"Pete went from the Wilson Jack Kramer, wood, to the Pro Staff 6.0," Ferguson said. "I made him a wood Jack Kramer for his birthday a couple of years ago. If you watched Arthur Ashe Day at the Open a few years ago you saw him serve with it. If tennis ever went back to wood, which they never would, Pete would be almost unbeatable. He would dominate. He's one of the only guys out there playing with a wood-weight racquet. You see guys out there now whipping around 350 gram racquets, but slap 30 more grams on there and see how well they hit. Pete can play with such a heavy racquet with such a small head because he has such classic strokes and such a classic game."
It is a game rooted in ritual refined over years of playing. Tennis fans are familiar with Sampras' stylized movements from the way he lifts his left toe during the start of his serve, to the expressiveness of his running forehand to his swiftly swiping the sweat from his forehead with his index finger to the way he gazes at his strings between points.
The next time you watch a match and see Sampras intently staring at his strings don't automatically assume he's regaining his focus for the next point or a self-hypnotic trance to help him attain victory. In reality, Sampras may just be inspecting his strings to see how much longer he can play with that particular racquet without risking a rupture in the string bed.
"Pete is always paying attention," Ferguson said. "He'll use a racquet until he feels the strings are about to go. There are many ways to get control, but Pete prefers feel as the way to control. The better the feel, the better the control. A freshly-strung racquet is tighter than one that has been played with. As you play, the coating of the gut wears off, which makes the strings grittier and gives better feel. The strings don't slide around as much after they've been played with. The surface of the string has as much to do with the feel ?and therefore control ?as the tension. A lot of guys like the feel of fresh strings. In theory the tension is tighter and should be more control, but I disagree with that concept. I experienced this as a player, the gut felt best right before it broke."
It is that moment when Sampras' strings reach the breaking point that he feels most in control ?walking that tightrope of taut tennis string bordering between near-breakage and complete control is where Sampras sometimes resides.
"The gut string is getting thinner and thinner and unraveling so why does it feel so good?" Ferguson said. "Because you have the fiber right there ?you're into the core of the fiber, there's no coating, there's no oil and that's the purest feeling. That's what it's all about ?that pure feeling of striking the ball with the gut and of course Pete likes that so he will play with it as long as possible. But we've come to an agreement where you've got to put the racquet down before it gets to that point where you risk breakage."
Imagine attempting to drive a Formula I race car at a fast speed without a steering wheel and you begin to get an idea of the sensation Sampras feels while trying to play a point after snapping a string.
"Pete's only got 16 main strings and 18 cross strings ?it's a very dense string pattern ?so when he breaks a string the racquet is entirely uncontrollable," Ferguson said. "And the pressure points he plays can be a very expensive time to snap a string."
While Sampras' stoic concentration on court has been as important to his career as his leaping overhead, Ferguson has seen Sampras snap. Ferguson was courtside when a frustrated and fatigued Sampras snapped the only racquet of his career in a split-second rage that silenced the crowd.
"Not only was I there, I still have the racquet that he smashed," Ferguson said with a smile. "It was in Stockholm, Sweden in 1998. Pete was trying to continued his streak of finishing No. 1, he had played seven straight weeks in Europe and he was just mentally fried. He lost the first set to Jason Stoltenberg and just went 'boom' smashed the racquet to the ground, it landed on the tip and cracked. You don't ever see him do that. He was just tired and frustrated. He's human and he let it out. It was a release."
After more than a decade of working together, Sampras and Ferguson have developed a friendship that transcends their tennis working relationship. It's a friendship with strings always attached and Ferguson wouldn't have it any other way.
"It may sound boring to hear, but Pete is extremely courteous, he's fair, he's generous, he's thoughtful," Ferguson said. "I couldn't imagine working for a better guy. We come over to the U.S. Open in his private car every match. He stays in a hotel where a lot of musicians who were at the MTV music awards stayed so there were hundreds of people out front. Pete would have the car pull around the back because he's just low key and he's not one who wants a lot of attention. His feeling is 'Let's keep it calm and quiet and let's just go do our job. I like that about him. He's a true professional and I have even more respect for him than his fans because I know how seriously he takes it and how hard he prepares." 9/20/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Smash Hits Charity Event |:||:|1032508800|:|SAMPRAS, AGASSI SET FOR U.S. OPEN REMATCH IN PHILLY -Less than a month after their thrilling battle in the men singles final at the 2002 U.S. Open in New York, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi will face off at The Pavilion at Villanova University for their anticipated rematch at the World TeamTennis (WTT) Smash Hits event set for Thursday, October 3 at 7 p.m. With tennis legend Billie Jean King and recording superstar Elton John looking on from the coaches chair, Agassi will look to avenge a 5-2 loss to Sampras in last year Smash Hits event in Sacramento. Since 1996, Sampras has posted a 4-1 record in Smash Hits play, with Agassi lone victory coming in Atlanta in 2000.
Proceeds from Smash Hits will benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation and local charity groups, ActionAIDS and MANNA. As sponsor of the WTT Philadelphia Freedoms, Advanta Championships and other prominent tennis events in Philadelphia, Advanta is proud to present the 10th Anniversary of WTT Smash Hits. 9/17/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|A `Mini-Grand-Slam` in Madrid |:||:|1032249600|:|[September 17 , 2002] Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt, and Marat Safin, lead the 37 best players in the world that, as the ATP confirmed today, will compete in the Tennis Masters Madrid. Among the names confirmed are five Spaniards: Juan Carlos Ferrero, Albert Costa, Carlos Moya, Alex Corretja y Tommy Robredo. The first edition of the Tennis Masters Madrid will take place from October 12th to 20th at the Recinto Ferial of La Casa de Campo.
"We are very happy because all the players have confirmed their participation. We are going to have our own 'Mini Slam' in Madrid", said tennis legend Manolo Santana, tournament director.
The excitement is justified. The quality of the players that will come to Madrid in mid October is impressive. Eight of the 37 ad up a total of 29 Grand
Slam titles. Last week Pete Sampras, from United States, won his 14th title at the US Open. Andre Agassi is second with seven titles, followed by number one in the world Lleyton Hewitt, from Australia, with two. Spaniards Carlos Moya, Albert Costa, Russian Marat Safin and Thomas Johansson, from Sweden, complete the list with one each.
The eighth Masters Series of the season will have special meaning for the top our Spaniards. Juan Carlos Ferrero and Albert Costa as well as Carlos Moya
and Alex Corretja will fight at home to qualify to the Masters Cup - Shanghai 2002. A good performance at the Tennis Masters Madrid would help their expectations to be in Shanghai.
The Tennis Masters Madrid will also be a great opportunity to watch the new generation of tennis players that are already dominating the tour. Australia Lleyton Hewitt is eager to shake off his frustrating performance at last's US Open.
Something very similar most be in Marat Safin's head, whose season hasn't been as good as it looked in the beginning of the year when he reached the final of
the Australian Open. He is defiantly looking to improve his year.
But we can not forget about German star Tommy Haas, British Tim Henman, Swiss star Roger Federer or American Andy Roddick. Their tennis on the fast Green
Set surface built in Madrid plus the altitude will help their tennis.
The Tennis Masters Madrid counts with the support of Ayuntamiento de Madrid, Madrid 2012, Mercedes-Benz, Clarins Men, Pepsi, TourSpain and Sol Meli?Hotels
and Resort.
9/14/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|And baby makes Pete |:||:|1031990400|:|[Sep 14, 2002 Chris McKendry]I was not surprised to find myself getting nervous while watching the Pete Sampras-Sjeng Schalken semifinal match Saturday at the U.S. Open. Understand that I think being nervous during a sporting event is a great feeling, because nerves can mean only one thing: that you care. And I did. I wanted Sampras to win. But unlike those who simply wanted one more Sampras-Andre Agassi showdown, my reason had nothing to do with nostalgia and everything to do with priorities, particularly Sampras' new ones.
Though many critics faulted her for Pete Sampras' decline, Bridgette Wilson was the main source of inspiration for his comeback win at the U.S. Open. Finally, after years of total self-absorption, of being No. 1 in tennis first and everything else tied for second, Sampras has his priorities in order ... wife, family, tennis. (Or maybe it's family, wife, tennis.) If in any other industry, a 31-year-old who, after a decade of world domination in his chosen field, suddenly found some balance in his life, everyone would applaud. But apparently this does not hold true for Sampras, who has been called old, unfocused, washed-up, a "victim" of marriage. And not only has his game been under attack, but so has his wife, the actress Bridgette Wilson, currently six months or so pregnant with their first child. She had been "accused of" -- oh, the horror! -- paying more attention to Sampras' career than her own, as if being concerned with the well- being of your spouse is a negative quality. What's next ... when will someone compare her to Yoko Ono, often given "credit" for breaking up the Beatles?
After hearing the questions ... and even asking a few ... I took a step back and realized how absurd the whole line of questioning was.
Maybe it's just that I can empathize with the transition Sampras is going through, as tough decisions concerning family and career are in my very immediate future, too. Currently pregnant with my first child, I'm also learning that everyone seems to think they "know" exactly what I should do. People are constantly telling me how important it is for a parent -- not a care-giver -- to raise the child. Of course, just as many love to remind me of how hard I've worked to build a career, and that I can't stop now. Unsolicited advice has flown my way by the bushel ... and after each win at the U.S. Open, it flew Sampras' way, too.
Consider, for example, these bits of advice, masquerading as questions, just a small sample from a single Sampras press conference:
If fans could get to see the postmatch Sampras, they'd really like him. The robotic champion who offered very little insight or personality at his peak now chats up pregnant reporters about due dates.
Q: Pete, the stock wisdom is, "Marriage is a distraction. He's thinking about somebody else besides himself (which is why your game has deteriorated)." How to you respond to that?
Pete Sampras: (remarkably politely, considering the circumstances) "There were times, five years ago, where tennis was my life. I was consumed with being No. 1. You know, just being on top for so long, I think I kind of had enough. Getting married and having a child on the way gives me balance.
"But even though the years of dominating are over, I still feel like I can win a major. If I didn't believe that, I would not play."
Q: Pete, this is your first Grand Slam as a family. Is it more satisfying?
Sampras: "Yes. It hasn't been easy. I've had a rough year. Putting in a lot of work and getting nothing in return. It was tough ... and I was tough. I was tough to live with at that time. But my wife ...she was the one to talk to me late into the night and she gave me stability. You know, I heard all the negative things being said. It's been rough on our marriage, to be honest, but she stood by me."
Q: Pete, you've had to answer questions over the past two years about whether finding your wife coincided with losing your game. How did this win affect her?
Sampras: "It wasn't fair ... the timing of my breaking the record and getting married. I just felt like I was at a point in my career that was tough after winning 13 Grand Slams. I got married two months later, and I was happy. I met the woman of my dreams and we are going to have a child. I mean, that's what life's about."
That's what life's about!!!
What? Shame on you, Sampras ... retire!
By now, you get the point. Sampras is OK with being ranked lower than No. 1, No. 10, even No. 15 in the world. In other words, he's grown up and gained perspective. Isn't that something we wish more
athletes, more workaholics, would do?
The past two years haven't been easy for him. He's pulling away from a very regimented schedule and learning to live. Tennis was his identity for so long and, when his skills slipped, he admitted he lost a bit of confidence. But he kept working to find the mix that
worked for him.
If fans could get to see the postmatch Sampras, they'd really like him. The robotic champion who offered very little insight or personality at his peak now chats up pregnant reporters about due dates.
After becoming a bigger winner off the court, Sampras regained his championship form on it. After one late-night match, Sampras was ready to do his press conference and bolt. But he stopped for our interview, looking at pregnant me and saying, "I'd better do this one," so his wife wouldn't be angry with him. (I think he was joking.) The first thing that happened was he asked me a question: When was I due? When I told him -- it's very close to his wife's date -- his face lit up.
I'll never forget that look of pure joy.
Throughout his slump, Sampras asked only for what anyone should have, former world champion or ordinary Joe -- the chance to go out on his terms. He said he deserved the right to say when and how he should retire. After winning the Open on Sunday, he's not promising anything. He told me he wants to play Wimbledon once more because he'd hate to end his legendary career there with a loss in the second round on court two, as was his fate this past June. But then again, as he said, beating Agassi at the U.S. Open is a nice way to go out, too. He's going to think about it for a few months.
Final question: "So can you have a family and career?"
Pete Sampras: "You can do both. Jack Nicklaus was married and had kids and he won 18 majors."
Whether Sampras stops at 14 (Grand Slam wins, not children!) is for him and his wife to decide. Their baby is due just about a month before the next major, the Australian Open. This could be a severe test of his new-found delicate life balance.
But somehow I think the new Pistol Pete will do just fine.
9/14/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|The magic (and talent) of Pete Sampras |:||:|1031994000|:|[Sep 14, 2002 By Matthew Cronin, tennisreporters.net]
When you talk to Pete Sampras, you sometimes think he has turned on on a switch in his head and he becomes a sports clich?automaton, ready to tell you for the zillionth time that the U.S. Open is "our Super Bowl" and that Andre Agassi always "brings out the best in me."
But he really does see and feel life that way and as his coach, Paul Annacone said on Sunday night after Sampras stopped his greatest rival Agassi, 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to win his fifth U.S. Open title, the magic and artistry of the insular 31-year-old is best discovered when you watch him caress a backhand drop volley from the service line that trickles over the net.
"The bottom lime is every time he plays a match like this is going to be fun," Annacone said. "He really loves the occasion. As introverted as he is, this is how he shines. He just plays. That's his emotion."
In a nearly three-hour contest that featured all the ebbs and flows of the Hudson River, 14-time Grand Slam champ Sampras overcame a monumental effort by Agassi in the last two sets, cracking his returns when it counted most and volleying with the utmost confidence under pressure.
FROM RUIN TO RESURRECTION
It was a phenomenal title run for Sampras, who hadn't won a title in more than two years entering the Open and had had a poor summer: pummeled in Paris, crash and burning at Wimbledon and sputtering in hard court warm-up tournaments. He had parted ways with coach Jose Higueras after Wimbledon and then asked Annacone to throw him a lifeline.
"He was down in the dumps," Annacone said. "You get tired, doing it for long time, not winning a lot of matches. You're traveling all the time, lose some tiebreakers. There are a million things that happen when you do it all year for 15 years. It's tiring. Everywhere he goes, it's news. It sounds like this is a life of glory and glamor but it can be exhausting. If you do that and your not winning, it's can all lead to a downward spiral and that leads to not being happy on court. But he was ready to turn it around. ... We communicate well together. I seem to say right things and he believed in that. It was either get back to work and push forward and keep trying to get better, or wallow in mediocrity of fade. Luckily, he chose the first."
Sampras said that although he was as depressed as he ever was at any time in his career after he was shocked at Wimbledon, he never lost the faith.
"Struggling and hearing I should stop, the negative tone of the commentary, to get through that and believe in myself at a very tough time means a lot," Sampras said. "It means more than anything because I had to go through the adversity."
Annacone said that Sampras needed to be convinced that he could still impose his will on a large group of players who were thumping him and still had the ability to turn up the heat so high that all comers would be seared by his shot making.
"It's about his approach and trying to play a certain way," Annacone said. "He needed to put being the competition is at the forefront. Nothing else matters but the desire to compete. If you combine that with his talent, that's a lot. He was changing his practice habits. He had been working hard all year, but his practices were negatively connoted where you are so pissed off that you are going to work harder. When you are driven by that stuff, it's hard to radiate a positive feelings when you play the matches."
BACK TO BASICS: SERVE AND VOLLEY
So Annacone and Sampras sat down and figured out why he won 13 Slams and dominated his sport for six years. He needed to get back to his basics, which was to set the tone with the most fearsome, well struck, high variety of serves ever seen of the planet, close at the net as quickly as possible and play threatening, high risk tennis with his returns and groundstrokes.
"All the negative stuff that was written about him was short sighted because when you are that talented you just don't wake up and can't play," Annacone said. "He got to the final of the U.S. Open last year and he got to the final of three other tournaments. The problem with these guys is the bar is so high they only make news when they lose."
Once he arrived in New York, Sampras got a taste of that U.S Open magic again and served and volleyed as well as he has. He played nearly perfectly in the first two sets, taking Agassi completely out of his return games with wicked slice serves to the deuce court, huge flat serves down the middle and big kickers out wide to the ad court. Sampras was crisp on his hard volleys and showed delicate touch with his drop volleys. Moreover, he was aggressive in his return games, rarely allowing Agassi to exhaust him in long back court rallies.
"I was having a hard time getting on his serve, getting off the mark and making any impact at all," Agassi said. "He sensed that and that allowed him to play loose on his return games."
Agassi fought hard to get himself into the third set and began to get a better read on Sampras' serves.
THE FOURTH SET
He had his chances to snare the fourth set, but couldn't break down Sampras and blew two realistic break opportunities. Then Sampras began to crank it up on his return games and Andre was dust once again.
"Everything clicked today," said Sampras, who nailed 84 winners to only 27 from Agassi. "I played as well as I could. I knew he was going to start playing better in the third. I was in the zone for a while. It was hard to keep up that pace against him. He's great. But you have to match his game and I did."
Andre noted that anyone who believed that Pete would never rise from the ashes has no clue as to how to the stuff that legends are made of.
"His game is to be able to raise himself at the right time," Agassi said. "It's gotten tougher for him, but there's a danger in the way he plays and how good he is. Anybody that says different is really ignorant. They don't understand the game because Pete has a lot of weapons." 9/14/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|The US Open finals |:||:|1031997600|:|[Sep 14, 2002 Zenaida A. Amador] SUNDAY before last, tennis fans witnessed an unprecedented finals game between contenders Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.
That was the kind of finals tennis fans wanted to see. The contest between two champions who had previously met 33 times before. Sampras had beaten Agassi 19 times and lost 14 times. In order to get to the finals both had to defeat the young and very powerful contenders, among them Hewitt of Australia who was the defending champ. Sampras is 31 years and Agassi is 32. To get to the finals they both beat powerful 20-some-year-olds. At around 30, you see, a tennis player is considered old because you can see even by watching only one game how much punishment the body takes during play. Modern tennis players now rely a lot on power and it is beautiful to watch a finals where it is not just power but brains and game plans that are on show.
Ultimately, as the commentator said, the finals were not a question of the game or the power, it boiled down to character. Both Sampras and Agassi are men of character. First off, they are both gentlemen of the sport. They never indulged in tantrums or raucously contested line calls which anyway is a futile exercise. Also both players have tremendous respect for each other and they played their games beautifully. It was a classic tennis game. People stood and cheered for good points whether from Sampras or Agassi. Of course in the end one had to win and one had to lose. Sampras won and Agassi lost the game. But the grace with which Agassi accepted his defeat spoke so well for himself and for the sport of tennis.
In my view both of them won the day.
9/13/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete & Bridgette Interview on Connie Chung|:||:|1031907600|:|September 13, 2002
Transcript of Interview
ANNOUNCER: And now Sampras with his new partner off the court.
CONNIE CHUNG TONIGHT will be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHUNG: With all the talk lately about the Williams sisters, Anna Kournikova and women's tennis, you might have overlooked just one stunning performance at this year's U.S. Open. You're about to meet him.
But first, CNN's Josie Karp recaps just why it was so stunning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOSIE KARP, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Pete Sampras wasn't supposed to win the U.S. Open this year and he wasn't supposed to win it 12 years ago. Upsets now bookend a career built on consistency, a career spent raising expectations so high and leaving them so often that Sampras can be called the best player the game has ever seen.
PETE SAMPRAS, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: When I was dominating, No.
1 in the world, and winning slams easily, it was -- I expected it.
KARP: From Queens to Melbourne to Wimbledon, Sampras followed the trail of vapor left by his powerful serve to six straight years as the world's No. 1 player.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, 2001)
SAMPRAS: To serve 125 up the middle, I'll be able to do that for the rest of my career. And that's a big weapon to have. And that will always give me the belief that I can still play this game.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KARP: The only blemish on his record is his failure to win on the clay courts at the French Open. Everywhere else, he dominated, especially on the grass at Wimbledon, where Sampras has won seven times.
SAMPRAS: It wasn't until I beat Becker here on the third time that people started to appreciate that I didn't really say or do too much and I just let my racket do the talking.
KARP: The Southern Californian rarely lost his West Coast cool. But when he did show emotion, the displays were striking: sobbing during a 1995 win in Australia; vomiting during a 1996 U.S. Open match; searching for his parents in the stands after winning Wimbledon in 2000 for his record-setting 13th grand slam title.
When Sampras arrived at this year's U.S. Open, he'd played in 33 tournaments since that dramatic moment and hadn't won a single time. He heard whispers that he should quit before ruining his legacy.
SAMPRAS: One thing I promised myself, even though I was struggling this year and hearing this and that, I deserved to stop on my own terms.
KARP: Fittingly, Sampras capped his comeback by beating Andre Agassi in their 34th meeting.
SAMPRAS: At the end, he's my rival. Borg had McEnroe. I've had Andre over the years. And he's the best.
KARP: After beating Agassi this time, he was able to share a victory with his wife for the first time.
SAMPRAS: She's a big reason why I've been able to kind of get through this tough period. It just showed me that I met the right woman.
KARP: At just the right time.
Josie Karp, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHUNG: And joining me now from Los Angeles: Pete Sampras and his off- court partner, his wife, Bridgette Wilson-Sampras.
Thank you for being with us. I'm very thrilled to have you. Congratulations, Pete. It's great.
PETE SAMPRAS, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: No problem.
CHUNG: All right, we'll get to tennis.
SAMPRAS: Thank you very much.
CHUNG: All right. And, congratulations, Bridgette.
We'll get to everything in a minute, but tell me how the two of you met.
Go ahead, Bridgette.
BRIDGETTE WILSON-SAMPRAS, ACTRESS: Go ahead, honey.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMPRAS: Go ahead. You take that one. I'll answer the tennis questions.
(LAUGHTER)
WILSON-SAMPRAS: That's no fair.
CHUNG: Come on.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Well, should I tell the real story?
CHUNG: Yes, sure.
(LAUGHTER)
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Pete saw me in a movie. And a friend of his knew a friend of mine, who set us up. And here we are.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: And where did you go? Do you remember your first outing? Where did you go?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: I actually went up to his house.
SAMPRAS: On the first date, she came to my house.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: Uh-oh. Really? That was very good.
Pete, I know that you were -- your friend, what, was he doing P.R. for the Knicks or the Lakers?
SAMPRAS: For the Lakers.
CHUNG: For the Lakers, yes.
SAMPRAS: John Black.
CHUNG: And he set you up, right?
(CROSSTALK)
SAMPRAS: Yes. He helped and I delivered. (LAUGHTER)
SAMPRAS: And nine months later, we were engaged. And a year later, we were married. And now we have our first child coming at the end of the year. And it all happened pretty quickly. So we're very happy and we're looking forward to the future.
CHUNG: That's wonderful. When is the baby due?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: In December.
CHUNG: Great.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: It's soon.
CHUNG: And do you know if it's a boy or a girl? And you don't have to tell us. I'm just curious if you know.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Not yet.
CHUNG: OK.
Now, Pete, you know...
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Not to say we won't find out.
CHUNG: Right.
Bridgette, I want to know one thing that none of us know about Pete Sampras.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Uh-oh.
(LAUGHTER)
SAMPRAS: I hope it's not too personal.
CHUNG: No, you don't have to tell me anything personal, just one little thing that we don't know.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Wow.
CHUNG: Too hard. You want to think about it?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: That's a tough question.
CHUNG: OK, why don't you think about it? And at the end of the
interview, you can...
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Yes, give me a moment. We'll come back to that one.
CHUNG: All right, OK, very good.
Now, Pete, you know, we are going to get into tennis a little bit now, because you did have a drought period from about -- for about two years, September 2000. And people were saying that it had to do with your relationship with Bridgette. And I just think that's awful. I think that's very nasty and not nice.
However, I did realize, of course, that Andre Agassi had sort of a drought as well when he was first married to Brooke Shields. So, to what do you attribute your sort of problems that you had for a couple of years there, because I know you don't attribute it to Bridgette?
SAMPRAS: No, it's more -- yes, I broke the record a few years ago, my 13th major. And something came out of me after I did that. I just -- I didn't feel like I had the week-in/week-out dominance that I once had.
It took a lot out of me. And I did struggle for a little bit. And I got to the finals of the last two Opens, so I was still playing fine. I just didn't have it week in, week out. But this year has been a big struggle. Wimbledon was a huge low point. When I got back from that trip, there were moments that I was thinking about stopping. And it wasn't fun anymore. And it was kind of a burden on our marriage a little bit.
But, fortunately, I met the right woman, who supported me through a very tough time, a great family who helped me out. And everything just worked out at the U.S. Open. It was a tough tournament. But I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my wife and my family and all those people that supported me through a very tough time. And that's why this one is the sweetest one. I really worked hard for it. And it all worked out well at the end.
CHUNG: And it's so great. You know, I think all of us were rooting for you in a big way.
Pete, how important was it for you to have a win to show Bridgette -- I mean so that she could be right there?
SAMPRAS: Well, she was -- I was struggling a little bit. And she was not being blamed, but it was about me being married. And it just felt good to kind of really show people wrong. And it just kind of felt good that we did it as a team. And it -- she's a big reason why I'm here today, having won this last major, because, like I said, I did have moments of stopping.
But she supported me and was positive. And those are the moments that you need someone. And so she was my rock that kept me going. And it really is -- it's something special, because I internalize a lot. I don't speak a lot about my marriage. But I will say that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my wife, because she knows how miserable I was this year and the day-in/day-out kind of misery that I was going through.
She was there for me. And that -- it was why I married her. She's very selfless and will do whatever she can for me and has put her career aside for me. And it's really remarkable. And I'm still pretty amazed by it.
CHUNG: Bridgette, it's so great, isn't it?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Going to make me cry over here.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: I know. I know. It is so great when a man loves a woman and feels just free to tell everyone, to tell the world, and is so happy. It even makes me want to cry, too.
Bridgette, you put...
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: You put a little note in your husband's gym bag the day of the finals. What did you say to him?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: What did I say?
SAMPRAS: Well, she -- well, you want to -- just saying that she was proud of me, and I've worked hard to get here, and to take it to him, and enjoy it out there and enjoy the atmosphere playing against someone like Andre. It just -- it was good to read it.
Right before I walked out, I read it and just -- it was nice to step away a little bit from what I was doing and just appreciate my wife and what she was saying. And it's nice having those notes to read before you go out. And it's just always at the right time or the
right place.
CHUNG: Yes.
Bridgette...
WILSON-SAMPRAS: That's the most important thing for me, though, is just that he allows himself to enjoy it. There are so many moments. There's so much pressure. There's so many things going on, that to just to have a little sort of quiet moment that allows our intimate or special relationship to have its place, and then go out there and
do it, but have it be just right there keeps it -- it's nice.
CHUNG: That's so nice.
Pete, I need to actually ask you -- which everybody is asking you -- about retirement. And you said you needed to wait a couple of months before you really kind of decide. You have a full schedule next year. So what do you think?
SAMPRAS: I'm still weighing that up a little bit. I'm still enjoying what happened last week. I will tell you, I love to compete and I love to play. And it's fun again. It's fun playing the way I did last week.
And I plan on being back next year and having a full schedule and enjoying Wimbledon one more time. And I didn't want to end it the way it ended this year. So I plan on being back. It's what I love to do, but still thinking about it. But there's a good chance I'll be back.
CHUNG: Good. Good.
Bridgette, just five seconds left. Did you ever think of anything that we don't know about Pete?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: I knew you were going to ask me.
(LAUGHTER)
(CROSSTALK)
WILSON-SAMPRAS: I knew you were going to remember.
CHUNG: Forget it. I'll call you later and you can tell me.
(LAUGHTER)
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Perfect.
SAMPRAS: I need air-conditioning when I sleep, you know?
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Oh, yes.
CHUNG: Oh, there you go.
WILSON-SAMPRAS: Yes, that's true. He sleeps in a meat locker.
SAMPRAS: Yes, I do.
(LAUGHTER)
CHUNG: All right, good.
Well, our studio will be perfect for you, Pete, because it's really cold here, just the way it is on "David Letterman." And you know how cold his studio his.
All right, thank you so much. Pete Sampras and Bridgette, we appreciate your being with us. 9/13/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras heading for Basel |:||:|1031904000|:|[September 13, 2002] US Open champion Pete Sampras will compete in the Davidoff Swiss Indoors in Basel next month, organisers said on Friday.
The American, who beat Andre Agassi to claim the 14th Grand Slam title of his career, is included in the strongest-ever Swiss Indoors line-up.
Sampras joins defending champion Tim Henman, world number two Tommy Haas, Wimbledon finalist David Nalbandian and home favourite Roger Federer in the tournament, which begins on 21 October.
Spaniards Juan Carlos Ferrero, Albert Costa, Carlos Moya and Alex Corretja have also been confirmed to compete as have Americans Andy Roddick and James Blake. 9/12/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|What Makes a Champion?|:||:|1031821200|:|By Simon Barnes, The Times UK
There are few truly great champions, but Pete Sampras has just proved himself one by conquering his demons to win his 14th Grand Slam event. Our correspondent says genuine sporting greatness defies analysis - but we know it when we see it
Pete Sampras is one of the greatest athletes in history and the most successful tennis player who ever drew breath. He came to Wimbledon this year as a man who had won 13 Grand Slam events, more than anyone in history. He has won Wimbledon seven times. There is nowhere in the world where he plays better, where he feels stronger. It is his place. How could he fall so low, then? How could he be reduced to a morose, hunched, troubled, brooding figure — a sort of Rodin statue entitled Self-Doubt? There he was on Wimbledon’s Court Two — that’s the one they call “the graveyard of champions” — slumped in his chair, like a schoolboy punished for something the other fellow did, a picture of bewilderment, a lost soul.
Icarus without his wings, Samson without his hair, Superman beset by green Kryptonite: a man gelded by self-doubt and by Time. It was but the second round of the tournament, and there, incomprehensibly, Sampras was losing.
He was losing to a chap named George Bastl, who was ranked 145 in the world. It was an afternoon of piercing sadness.
All through the match, Sampras sought to stem the tide and put Time into reverse gear. He did so by means of a piece of paper, which he carried in his pocket like a holy relic. He drew it out at each change of ends to read and re-read. It was nothing less than an act of prayer.
It was a letter from his wife, Bridgette. It was the written version of a full-on marital hug: the kind of hug you need when you wake in the night and the demons come. “My husband, seven times Wimbledon champion Pete . . .” Gill Allen, the Times photographer at the match, took the Picture that Said It All. The letter was plainly legible: full of urgent sweetness and shared trouble, things that are part of every marriage. A good marriage makes every bad day at the office bearable: this was the self-doubt, the despair, of one of the great champions. “Remember this. You are truly the best tennis player ever to pick up a tennis racket.”
The only snag about the letter was that it didn’t actually work. Bastl held his nerve, and Sampras failed to locate his own. Bastl won 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4. It was an epic of despair. And all of us who have a good understanding of these things knew then that Sampras would never be a champion again. With that 13th Grand Slam success he had reached a peak that no one else had climbed: and was sated. Age, marriage, content, achievement: these things had unmanned him. No wonder he needed the letter: no wonder it didn’t work. Goodbye, Pete. It has been a joy and a privilege watching you.
Please don’t hang about too long losing, because those of us who knew you as a champion find it painful. Retire, go gently into that good night, leave the arena of pain. Goodnight, sweet Pete, and flights of Bridgettes sing thee to thy rest.
We didn’t run the picture of the letter in The Times, it being a piece of private correspondence. But Sampras gave us permission to run it today, so thanks, Pete. And why the hell shouldn’t he give us permission to reveal his moment of weakness in such detail? He is a champion again. Remember those 13 Grand Slam successes I mentioned earlier? Erase that from your mind.
Make it 14.
On Sunday evening in New York he won the US Open. He beat the great Andre Agassi in the final, 6-3, 6-4, 7-5, 6-4. It was pretty agonising stuff: Sampras was masterful initially, then Agassi came steaming back in and found Sampras once again a victim of self-doubt. His serve is not just his weapon, it is his fortress: but the walls cracked and crumbled and he began to double-fault on big points: never a good sign.
In the last two sets Agassi was all over him. Sampras was doing his bewildered-bear walk again. No letter: just occasionally mute glances up at the seating where a pretty blonde woman sat nursing a bump and anxiety.
And he won. Just like that. Speaking as someone not inexperienced in watching the pivotal moment of a big sporting occasion, I have simply no idea at all what happened. It was as if Sampras just decided to win: and that decision was irrevocable. Bang: Agassi broken. Double-bang: Pete serving like a tsunami. In an eye blink or two, it was all over, Agassi washed away.
In those two games we saw the Sampras of old: there was music in the air again and all the old powers were there intact. He is not that ancient — at 31 he is a year younger than Agassi — but he has travelled, he has climbed peaks, and he has known little rest. He won his first Grand Slam event at 19 and went into a decline for a full year: he confessed, with an honesty that shocked many, that the “responsibility” of being a champion was too much for him. Old tennis hands scoffed and said he lacked the mettle of a real champion. Being a champion tends to demand that little bit of insensitivity — after all, the only way to become a champion is by destroying lots of other people as you go — but Sampras has always had a touch of sensitivity, a touch of vulnerability. He doesn’t work by naked aggression and demonic, obsessional motivation.
There is something a little mystical about him. His trademark is the second-serve ace: the ultimate piece of high-speed, high-power nerve-holding in tennis’s poker game. It is a shattering ploy when it comes off: showing your greatest strength at the moment of greatest weakness.
Sampras was asked what was going through his mind when he had played such a shot at the turning point of a game. After a moment’s thought, he said: “There was absolutely nothing going through my mind at the time.”
This is nothing less than pure Zen: and it has been recognised as such by the Zen master Sister Elaine McInnes in her book Zen Contemplation: “In action, Sampras lets go, and gives over to that inner momentum . . . in the Orient, not-knowing is highest wisdom.” It is one further mystery in sport’s greatest of all mysteries. All elite athletes are very good, but only some of them are serial winners, champions for all time. Why has Sampras won 14 Grand Slam events and Tim Henman none? Sampras has shown that he is as prone to fits of self-doubt as any of us. Yet he is a champion. What is still greater is that he lost whatever it is that makes people champions, and then found it again.
Muhammad Ali was also washed up and defeated for ever on more than one occasion. He came back not once but twice. In all he won the world heavyweight championship three times. There was always a feeling of destiny about Ali: and it had nothing to do with the civil rights movement, for all that this is an inextricable part of his story. It was about his desire to win: to be the best. “King of the World!” he shouted after he had beaten Sonny Liston for his first championship.
“King of the World!” Steve Redgrave, the oarsman, went into the Sydney Olympics two years ago as the weak link of a defeated crew. He had set off in pursuit of an impossible fifth gold medal, having famously told the world that anyone who saw him in a boat again had full permission to shoot him. He then contracted diabetes. He had more than enough excuses to give up: or at least lose.
But he didn’t. A man with a strange obsession who sought to turn pain into gold, and did it again and again. An aspect of his greatness is that he never got bored. But why? Don’t ask him. That sort of thing is always as much a mystery to the athlete as to the spectator.
Sebastian Coe won his first Olympic medal in Moscow in 1980. Partly he did it for his father, Peter, who was his coach. Four years on and coaching himself, he had been written off for the Los Angeles Olympics after disastrous preparation. In Moscow he won like a gazelle, all pure, beautiful talent and naivety. In Los Angeles he won by means of wild storming aggression that should have got him locked up. “Who says I’m ****ing finished?” he raged at the press afterwards, eyes like organ stops.
Calm down, Seb, you’ve won. “Who says I’m ****ing finished?” Many athletes use hatred, often hatred of the press, as a motivation.
Others use their loyalty to a coach, or even to a marriage partner. Others work some personal mythology of greatness and destiny. Lord knows what Sampras uses: he is pretty close with his secrets (apart from his adoration of his wife) and, Zen-like, avoids too-close analysis.
But all the great champions, the very few for whom the word “great” can be used without embarrassment, have something beyond these common motivational forces. They may use various mental tricks to trigger it — love, hatred, lust for glory — but the real motivation for greatness is subtle and elusive of analysis.
There have been oarsmen as strong as Redgrave, runners as fast as Coe, boxers who punch as hard as Ali. There have been tennis players who hit the ball as hard and as accurately as Sampras: but only one man has won 14 Grand Slam events. It is not because of his tennis — nor even because of his wife — that Sampras is truly the best tennis player ever to pick up a tennis racket. He, like the other few genuine greats, has that within that passes show and defies
analysis.
But we know it when we see it all right: and it is high and rare and beautiful. And terrible.
9/12/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Aging Sampras in a class by himself |:||:|1031817600|:|September 12, 2002 GEORGE GROSS -- Toronto Sun
"He's a step and a half slow coming into the net. He's just not the same player. I lost the match. He didn't win the match tonight. He's not playing that great. I'll be surprised if he wins the next match."
-- Greg Rusedski, Sept. 2, 2002
These prophetic words were spoken by the former Canadian-turned British tennis traitor after Pete Sampras outlasted him in a five-set match in the U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows and went on to win the prestigious tournament for the fifth time. It was Sampras' unprecedented 14th Grand Slam title.
It is painful to have to have to listen to this nouveau-Brit spewing such drivel in front of knowledgeable tennis journalists, who were quite aware that the Sampras at Flushing Meadow wasn't the same Sampras who had failed to win a tournament since capturing the 2000 Wimbledon championship after a virtuoso-like performance in the final against Australia's Patrick Rafter.
It is actually funny to hear Rusedski criticize Sampras since the closest sniff the former ever got of a Grand Slam title was one losing finals appearance in 1997 at the U.S. Open.
Sampras, at 31, is only two years older than the Montreal-born Rusedski and is in a class by himself. He plays the tennis racquet like Paganini used to play the violin. His serve is the most powerful and consistent in the history of the game.
The Californian, soon to become a father, has the most devastating second serve of any player -- present or past. His volleys are, most of the time, out of reach and he can hold his own with such baseliners as Andre Agassi and Lleyton Hewitt.
I don't think I'd be going too much out on a limb to suggest that Pistol Pete Sampras is the best player in modern tennis history. No other player has won as many Grand Slam championships, which includes seven Wimbledons, five U.S. Opens and two Aussie Opens. The only one to escape him is the French Open at Roland Garos with its slow clay courts, ill-suited for a serve and volley player.
Who, then, should follow Sampras on a list of the top 20 tennis players in the modern era? I'm sure that I'll get arguments on that topic, but I've shied away from criticism. If we all were of the same opinion, the world of sport would be a very dull place.
My No. 2 on the list would be the greatest player from Down Under -- Rocket Rod Laver -- whom many consider the best player ever. The left-hander, whose forearm is as large as that of a heavyweight boxer's, excelled at all aspects of the game. He twice completed the Grand Slam sweep -- winning Wimbledon, the French, U.S. and Aussie Opens the same year -- once in 1962 as an amateur and then in 1969 as a pro.
Sliding into third on my list is American Donald Budge, who also won all four Grand Slams in 1938 and dominated tennis in those days on all surfaces.
Following these three is a group of superstars, who ruled the over-the-webbing sport on different occasions: Andre Agassi, who won all four Grand Slam events, albeit not in the same year, is a superb player, even at 32, and just last week gave Sampras a serious run in the U.S. Open final.
Add to that the quartet of Bjorn Borg -- winner of Wimbledon five times in a row -- who retired much too soon from the tennis scene; John McEnroe, probably the best doubles player in history to go with some of his Grand Slam titles in singles; Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Lew Hoad, Stefan Edberg, Ilie Nastase, John Newcombe, Guillermo Vilas, Boris Becker, Roy Emerson, Stan Smith, Ken Rosewall, Arthur Ashe, Fred Perry and Vitas Gerulaitis round out my top 20 list.
Where is Greg Rusedski's name, you may ask? I think he'd make my top 20 list of Canadian tennis players who changed passports to become British tennis players. 9/10/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras and Agassi pass on Davis Cup |:||:|1031648400|:|Source: AP
September 10, 2002 NEW YORK (AP) -- The all-American U.S. Open final between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi took enough out of both players to keep them off the Davis Cup team.
Sampras beat Agassi to win the U.S. Open on Sunday, and told team captain Patrick McEnroe a day later that he wasn't ready to play in next weekend's Davis Cup semifinal match against France in Paris.
``I think Pete needs time to digest what happened and decide what he wants to do,'' McEnroe said Tuesday. ``I think he's just worn out, and I certainly understand that.''
Once the United States' top two players passed on the chance, McEnroe chose Andy Roddick, James Blake, Todd Martin and Mardy Fish to play France on the clay at Ronald Garros, home of the French Open.
Roddick and Blake will play singles, and there is a good chance that Blake and Martin will comprise the doubles team. That pair beat Mahesh Bhupathi and Max Mirnyi, the U.S. Open doubles champions, to win the ATP Tour's event in Cincinnati last month.
Sampras eliminated Roddick in the U.S. Open quarterfinals en route to his first singles title since winning Wimbledon in 2000.
``It's time for the younger guys to take the baton and run with it,'' said McEnroe, whose term as captain was extended by two years on Tuesday. ``This is a big step, we're relying on them.''
Agassi had previously decided that he wasn't going to play, but McEnroe held out hope that he would change his mind.
``I really want the guys who want to be there,'' McEnroe said. ``I've seen too many situations in Davis Cup when the so-called best players were there and didn't want to be there for whatever reason. And that never works.''
McEnroe said that had Agassi won the U.S. Open, he thinks Agassi's Davis Cup decision might have changed.
``I think Andre was devastated with his loss,'' McEnroe said. ``Andre has said all along he is not going to play Davis Cup. I wasn't surprised that he declined.''
Sampras, who has won a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles, has never advanced past the semifinals on the red clay of Roland Garros, losing in the first round this year.
McEnroe noted that, saying that having Sampras on the team didn't guarantee a U.S. victory.
``I had a conversation with Pete that was very honest and very straightforward,'' McEnroe said. ``When he told me that he's exhausted and having lots of emotions, that was pretty much the answer.''
Sebastien Grosjean, Arnaud Clement, Fabrice Santoro and Michael Llodra were chosen last week to represent defending champion France in the semifinal, scheduled for Sept. 20-22.
The United States and France have met 13 times in Davis Cup play, with the Americans holding a 7-6 advantage.
The last match between France and the United States at Roland Garros was the 1932 final, which France won 3-2. France hasn't played there since 1982, when it defeated Czechoslovakia in a quarterfinal.
``I think our chances are excellent,'' McEnroe said. ``Obviously, playing in Paris will be difficult, but we're looking forward to it. The guys really wanted to play at Roland Garros.'' 9/9/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras validates greatness with another Slam |:||:|1031562000|:|NEW YORK — Andre Agassi was beaten and bare-chested as he stuffed his rackets and shirts inside his bag, hanging his head low as Pete Sampras passed him by, looking at Agassi but not speaking to him, moving toward his stall and a place in history his vanquished rival will not touch in this lifetime or next.
Agassi was at locker No. 238, Sampras at locker No. 163, the loser and winner separated by 20 feet and a million miles of achievement. Sampras had his bag slumped over his shoulder, appearing 15 years older than he had four hours back. His thinning hair was frazzled, his hobble was lame, his cold sore was growing from his lip to his nose, but still he was nodding toward a reporter who'd made him swear after his very first match.
Sampras briefly turned profane when told his mentor and former coach, Pete Fischer, had called portions of his straight-sets victory over Albert Portas "sloppy" and "atrocious." As it turned out, Fischer's comments would prove mild when measured against those delivered by Greg Rusedski, a boob who tried to wish away Sampras but unshackled his inner beast instead.
This whole tournament was a referendum on who Sampras is and what he has been. When voices from the present and past called for his retirement, Sampras insisted on a my-way-only goodbye. When Andy Roddick tried to roll into his first Grand Slam semi with a Jimmy Connors style and no Jimmy Connors substance, Sampras made their generational gap tighter than Roddick's throat. When Tommy Haas busied himself making a muscle-head fashion statement, Sampras said, "You know, it is about the tennis," before sending the perspective-challenged Haas into the night.
It is about the tennis, after all, and hallelujah to that. After going winless for 26 months and 33 tournaments, the sport's greatest champion needed four sets to win his 14th major, double Agassi's total, beating his antagonist for the third time in three Open finals and beating him like Serena Williams beat her big sister Saturday night.
Sampras had 84 winners to Agassi's 27, 33 aces to Agassi's 7. This Open was closed the second Rod Laver made the coin toss, right after Laver was introduced to the Arthur Ashe Stadium crowd as "arguably the greatest men's player of all time."
That argument was less convincing at 7:40 p.m., when Sampras finally struck his Louis Armstrong pose on the Ashe court. He had won his fifth Open six years after his fourth. At 31, he had become the oldest Open champ in 32 years, the oldest Grand Slam champ in 27.
The flashbulbs exploded around Sampras as he hugged Agassi at the net and ran up to his private box, climbing his stairway to heaven and high-fiving fans like Hale Irwin did at Medinah in 1990, the year a teenage Sampras seized his first Open. Sampras would hug his pregnant wife, Bridgette Wilson, a first-time winner in the Sampras camp. He would hug his sister, Stella, the UCLA coach, and point to his friend, Rick Fox, who knows where to hitch his wagon in two different sports.
"This one might take the cake," Sampras would say.
He didn't destroy Agassi like he had at Wimbledon in '99, and didn't beat Agassi at his best like he had in their forever quarterfinal here last September. But for most of this match, Sampras was packing Bob Gibson heat and Agassi was flailing away with a broomstick.
The greatest returner couldn't deal with the greatest server. Yes, Sampras looked nearly as washed up as Rusedski claimed he was after taking the first two sets, breathing life into Agassi's legs. But his was a temporary state of distress. In the fourth set, Sampras desperately clung to the seven-deuce fourth game, during which he stared down a lines judge, leaned his exhausted body on the net and, ultimately, stared into the night as the crowd cheered his survival.
Sampras endured a break point in the eighth game, broke Agassi in the ninth, then put him away in the 10th.
"Like Borg and McEnroe," Sampras said. "Those guys needed each other and I needed Andre....He brings out the best in me."
It hasn't always been a two-way street. In the end, the best of Sampras was far better than the best of Agassi. They first played as juniors in Northridge, Calif., the eight-year-old Sampras beating the nine-year-old Agassi. Andre was the giant back then, taller than Pete if not quite as skilled. Nothing changed besides their metabolism.
No matter how often Agassi reinvented himself -- from Barbra Streisand to Brooke Shields to Steffi Graf, from rock star to Zen master to family man, from No. 1 in the world to No. 141 in the world to back on top -- Sampras was always there to hammer him back to Earth.
Image is hardly everything. Inside the locker room last year, before he played Agassi in the quarters, Sampras recalled their classic first-set point in the '95 final - he won it -- and their pivotal four-set result -- he won that, too -- as the moment "the air went out of Andre a bit. That popped his balloon for quite a while."
This result likely popped his balloon for good.
"There's still a danger in the way (Sampras) plays and how good he is," Agassi said. "Anybody that says something different is really ignorant, because Pete has a lot of weapons out there. I'm well aware of that."
Too aware. Agassi had forecast this showdown as a "nice toast to the past....Inside my own mind, I have been pulling for him."
Moral of the day: be careful what you wish for. If Agassi and Sampras wore Nike swooshes and could've been labeled bald and balding, the comparisons died right there.
"A story-book ending," Sampras said. "It might be nice to stop, but...."
He still loves to play, still lives for the moment. Sampras left open the possibility he might retire in the coming weeks, might ride off into the sunset like John Wayne and John Elway. But he wants his last Wimbledon match to be played on the right patch of grass, he said, "not Court 13 or 2."
Either way Sampras will keep a promise to himself and listen to his own heart. The game will be played on his terms, precisely why Sampras refuses to credit Rusedski as his inspiration the way Jack Nicklaus credited a Jack's-washed-up article in Atlanta as his inspiration at the '86 Masters.
It is about the tennis, after all. Sunday night, Pete Sampras earned the right to say hallelujah to that. 9/9/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Fifth title earns Sampras an Open embrace |:||:|1031558400|:|[September 9, 2002 (SF Chronicle) Scott Ostler]
PETE SAMPRAS set us up.
After he won Wimbledon in 2000 for his record-setting 13th Grand Slam title, Sampras must have thought: "They're taking me for granted, those fans.
They say I'm so good that I ruin the game, and that I'm a boring guy." So he purposely (so goes my theory) stopped winning, sunk like a rock in the rankings and started laboring around the court, his aura having left
the building.
When Sampras started swinging his way through the pack at the U.S. Open, he had paid his hard-time dues, and the fans and media were able to accord him all the admiration and affection we withheld when he dominated the game with his boring excellence.
How else to explain Sampras' amazing comeback from Palookaville to the penthouse, capped by Sunday's dramatic yet decisive 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Andre Agassi? How else to explain that Sampras had lost 33 straight tournaments, then showed up at the U.S. Open with that old lightning-bolt serve and matador volley?
Thirty-three aces Sunday against the man who invented the return of serve? Twelve aces in the first set? That's just frightening. For the first hour out there, Agassi must have felt like he was swinging a chopstick against Roger Clemens.
Sampras' 14th Slam was authoritative, and gutsy.
"This one might take the cake," Sampras said, mentally placing the 2002 silver cup onto his groaning shelf of Grand Slam hardware.
"The goods," that's what Sampras told us earlier in the week that he still had. The goods: A package that includes the serve, the volley and the guts to come back when you're sucking wind in the fourth set, the points are stretching out like a bad hamstring and you're facing a world-class battler who has just caught a whiff of opportunity. In the third set, Sampras was serving at 5-6 and Agassi came back from 40-love to break and turn a rout into a match.
The zip on Sampras' serve seemed to be fading, and memories were stirred of the last two Open finals, when Sampras twice showed the strain of the two-week battle by falling to younger foes in straight sets.
This time Sampras worked through the fatigue. In the fourth game of the fourth set, Agassi was starting to look like Rocky, fighting off five Sampras chances to close out the game. But Sampras used his serve and
volley to win the 20-point, seven-deuce classic.
"I was feeling (fatigue), I was definitely feeling a little bit of fatigue, " Sampras said. "I just hung in there the best that I could at the end and got it done."
With the crowd roaring and rooting hard for an Agassi comeback to prolong the drama between their two favorite players, Sampras seized the moment. "I had it in my hands to serve it out," Sampras said. "And 30-love, second serve up the middle (at 119 mph), I hit an ace. That felt really good."
Who'd-a thunk it, besides Sampras? He was seeded 17th here. He has been saying for weeks now, "I know I've got one more in me," but until a few rounds into the serious action, it sounded like he was referring to kidney stones.
Does Sampras now have another one in him? He didn't say Sunday evening, and even left the door slightly open for retirement. He almost surely won't, but if Sampras does walk away now, check out those career bookends! It all started for Pete right here at the Open in '90, when he won it as a 19-year-old nobody. Sunday he won his fifth Open title as a 31- year-old, re-inventing legend and becoming the tournament's oldest winner since 1970.
He said this is the best one, and that might be because of the love and admiration he has finally pried out of the fans as he evolved from boring young fogy to exciting senior citizen. Like Agassi, Sampras learned that there is nothing like growing old and overcoming adversity to win the fans.
And, realizing that the fans can be his allies, Sampras has reached out, let us get to know him. After the semis Saturday, he said he planned to relax that night, have a beer. Several veteran tennis writers dropped their notebooks. Hey, even if it was a nonalcoholic brewski, it's the thought that counts.
Sunday, no doubt nursing the world's tiniest hangover, Sampras came out smoking. Credit an assist to Agassi. Not only did the presence of Pete's foremost foe ratchet up the excitement of the afternoon, but Agassi is a
big part of the reason Sampras is still here. "He's made me a better player," Sampras said. "He's brought moments to my career that are like (Bjorn) Borg and (John) McEnroe. Those guys needed each other. I've needed Andre over the course of my career. He's pushed me. You know, he's forced me to add things to my game. He's the only guy that was able to do that. He's the best I've played.
" So . . . same time next year?
CHART: ALL-TIME MAJOR TITLES -- MEN
14 -- Pete Sampras
12 -- Roy Emerson
11 -- Bjorn Borg, Rod Laver
10 -- Bill Tilden
8 -- Jimmy Connors, Ivan Lendl, Fred Perry, Ken Rosewall
9/8/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras` victory the perfect bookend to his career |:||:|1031490000|:|[Sep 8, 2002 STEVE WILSTEIN] Rivals chided him, friends gave him advice, and his family tried to console him.
Hardly anyone believed Pete Sampras really could win again.
They thought his legs were gone, his serve had lost its sting, his forehand was shot. They thought that at 31 the game had passed him by, that he was chasing rainbows, deluding himself.
Every time some no-name player beat him in this year of misery on the court, Sampras seemed more and more pathetic. He looked bewildered, admitted he had lost his confidence, yet kept insisting that somehow he would win one more.
Sampras, as it turned out, knew himself better than anyone else did.
His 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 triumph over Andre Agassi on Sunday to win a fifth U.S. Open and capture a 14th Grand Slam title was a tribute to perseverance and resilience in the face of a world of doubt.
Sampras said he wants to play at least one more year. But if he never wins another major, he can walk away satisfied that he defied his critics with the perfect bookend to his career. A dozen years ago at the U.S. Open, he won his first major title by beating Agassi in the final. To close it out with a similar victory would be a fitting symmetry.
Sampras and Agassi have been going at each other for two decades, since they were teenage twigs with championship dreams. They met this time as the oldest pairing in a U.S. Open final, Agassi at 32 and looking for his eighth Grand Slam title.
Yet the message about age in this match is that it didn't matter. Sampras cracked 33 aces, crushed volleys and ran as hard as he always did. Agassi pummeled groundstrokes with all the force of his best years and lost only because Sampras was too good. On this day, with his serve clipping the lines at 130 mph, no one of any age would have beaten Sampras.
"I was having a hard time getting on it and getting off the mark and making any sort of impact at all," Agassi said. "I think he sensed that."
It took Agassi nearly two hours to find even a crack in Sampras' game, to break him with lunging returns and extend the match to a fourth set. But Sampras kept tattooing the lines, pressuring Agassi, and beat him for the 20th time in their 34 career meetings by coming up, once more, with bigger shots on the big points.
"This one might take the cake," Sampras said. "I never thought anything would surpass what happened at Wimbledon a couple of years ago. But the way I've been going this year, to come through this and play the way I did today was, it was awesome. "
That 2000 Wimbledon victory, his seventh on Centre Court, was one of the most emotional of his life. He set the men's record for Grand Slam titles and, for the first time, his parents were there to watch. They all shed tears when they hugged at the end.
This time, his pregnant wife -- actress Bridgette Wilson -- was courtside, and he walked into the stands at the end to hug her. Instead of tears, they shared smiles and a long, meaningful look of love and relief after all they had been through. He had hugs, too, for his sister and his coach, Paul Annacone, who came back to prepare him for this tournament after they broke up last year.
"Those people really are the reason I'm here," Sampras said. "I had that support. There were moments where I was struggling to continue to play. My wife really supported me and kept me positive, kept me upbeat. That support was huge for me at this stage of my career.
"So much of what I was going through this year was mental. It wasn't forehands and backhands and serves. It was kind of my head space. I wasn't real positive, kind of got down on myself extremely quick out there."
The route to the championship couldn't have been much harder for Sampras. Aside from all the problems he had coming in, all the early losses in tournaments this summer, the rained had wrecked the first week of the Open. Sampras had to win five matches in seven days and go through some tough players: Greg Rusedski, Tommy Haas, and the new American hopeful, Andy Roddick.
Sampras beat Rusedski in five sets, only to hear the Brit claim that he wasn't impressed. Sampras was "a step-and-a-half" slower than he used to be, Rusedski said, and wouldn't get past anyone else. Sampras shot back that he didn't have to be faster to beat Rusedski, then he went on to take out Haas in four sets and Roddick in three.
"His game is able to raise itself at the right time," Agassi said. "There's still a danger in the way he plays and how good he is. Anybody that says something different is really ignorant. They don't understand the game of tennis. Pete has a lot of weapons out there."
Sampras knew it all along. He believed in himself and just had to convince everyone else.
BA 9/8/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Super Sampras silences critics |:||:|1031486400|:|
Pete Sampras (US) bt Andre Agassi (US) 6-3 6-4 5-7 6-4
Pete Sampras clinched his fifth US Open men's singles title to hit back at the doubters who claimed his career was coming to an end.
The American defeated old foe and compatriot Andre Agassi in four thrilling sets, much to the delight of the New York crowd.
"I guess I'm back," said an emotional Sampras after the win.
"I played so well today - Andre brings out the best in me every time and I think I deserved to win today because I just seemed to get into the zone."
Gamewatch; Sampras v Agassi
Sampras looked to be heading for a straight-sets victory at Flushing Meadows after winning the first two sets comfortably.
But Agassi, who beat defending champion Lleyton Hewitt in the semi-finals, turned the match around by winning the third.
Sampras then rediscovered his best form to claim his 14th Grand Slam singles crown.
"I've had a great couple of weeks," said Agassi.
After a tight opening spell in which both players held serve with ease, Sampras suddenly found an extra gear at 4-3 in the first set and began producing some crunching forehands.
Agassi had no reply and the player who had been so commanding in his defeat of world number one Lleyton Hewitt a day earlier, looked decidedly ill at ease after Sampras broke and served out the set.
Sampras' serve, so often the key to the rest of his game, was supreme, and Agassi looked to be on his way to an embarrassing defeat when the 17th seed broke again in the opening game of the second set.
And when Agassi found himself 2-5 down, the crowd, who had been cheering both players in equal measures, threw their weight behind the Las Vegan in the hope of seeing a longer match.
Agassi recovered one break but it was a brief respite for the 32-year-old and Sampras duly took a two-set lead.
Sampras continued to apply the pressure in the third set but Agassi proved himself equal to the task and did well to hold off a rampant opponent.
And midway through the set, Agassi began to find the range on his returns and Sampras suddenly looked all of his 31 years.
The 17th seed held off his opponent until 5-6 but the pressure finally told in an incredible game which had the crowd enthralled.
Agassi forced a series of deuces and Sampras' resistance was finally broken when he made a rare volley error on Agassi's second set point.
With Sampras apparently exhausted, Agassi turned up the heat on his returns and what was now the classic encounter it promised to be looked set to go the distance.
The sixth seed had two break points at 2-2 and on the second saw a simple backhand clip the tape and fall on his side of the net.
Sampras staved off that danger with some brave typically brave serving and a further crisis point at 4-4 when he delivered two double faults in the same game.
And the multiple Grand Slam winner showed his incredible mettle by taking advantage of his opponent's disappointment and breaking in the very next game.
A return deep to Agassi's feet did the damage and Sampras made no mistake in serving out the match.
Agassi's last throw of the dice was a stunning forehand winner but a trademark angled volley from Sampras left the 32-year-old looking to the sky in disbelief as he celebrated his first title in over two years. 9/8/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Ends Doubts in Open |:||:|1031482800|:|By SELENA ROBERTS / NY Times / Sept 8, 2002 -
Peel away their history together, and go beneath their past loves, losses and current reincarnations, and what remained was two married guys at a special reunion last night, playing as if nothing ever changes.
They were the same as always, and as different as usual. There was Pete Sampras, methodically popping out aces like a Pez dispenser, deliberately separating his racket strings between points. There was Andre Agassi, trying to find himself on the court, pacing in cat circles between points.
Then Agassi tuned in and Sampras fizzled out. But just when it appeared that Sampras's desperate attempt to soothe two empty years in his career would escape him, when it seemed Agassi's winter of wind sprints would doom his longtime rival, the pattern of the ages continued.
Bent over, with lead in his bones, a weary Sampras left Agassi wondering once again what had just happened as Sampras captured his fifth United States Open title with a 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory.
A moment later, as the crowd in Arthur Ashe Stadium stood in reverent applause, Sampras greeted Agassi at the net with an embrace.
"To beat a rival like Andre in a major at the U.S. Open, it's a storybook ending," said Sampras, who is 4-1 against Agassi in major finals and 20-14 over all. "But I still want to compete. I still love to play. I'll see where I'm at in a couple of months, where my heart is and my mind."
Agassi isn't going anywhere for now. He did not react with melancholy, just disappointment. To many, he was the one expected to win last night. Wasn't Agassi the sharper one the last two weeks? Wasn't he on his way to a fifth set last night?
After their 34th meeting, it was hard to call one a loser. If this was the last major between them, the United States Open final was a fitting dance floor.
All the memories they recreated last night, all the time capsules they opened for the occasion, were all for the public's viewing pleasure. Everyone was invited to watch Agassi and Sampras for old times' sake.
The lead-up never matters with these two. Out of nowhere, Sampras's desire for major No. 14 converted into adrenaline as he went from tired strokes to crisp passing shots, from double faults to aces late in the fourth set.
After struggling to save two break points in the eighth game, he conjured up the critical break point against Agassi, turning the match around in the ninth. At that moment, one forehand into the net by Agassi was all Sampras needed.
He was ready to serve out the match. After his 33rd ace of the day, after a backhand volley touched down for a winner on match point, Sampras smiled at the leftover blue in the evening sky as he raised his arms.
"This one takes the cake," Sampras said. "The way this year was going, the way I had to come through, it was awesome."
His 14th major was more important than the rest, if only to vanquish the issues surrounding Sampras. He should retire before he embarrasses himself. So he won in throwback style. He couldn't win as a married man. And so the father-to-be did.
"She's a big reason why I've been able to kind of get through this tough period," said Sampras, who married Bridgette Wilson after he won his record 13th major title, at Wimbledon in 2000. "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. It just showed me that I met the right woman."
To underscore that, Sampras trotted up the stairs of the stadium and sought out his wife. They hugged.
Bridgette has been by his side, from the 2000 Wimbledon, through the devastating low Sampras felt after losing in the second round at the All England Club in July. A few days later, Sampras called the coach he had split from a year earlier. He wanted Paul Annacone back, and the timing was perfect.
"Whatever is next, it's his choice," Annacone said. "He can continue on the path he started last month and get better, or he could walk off into the sunset."
Agassi and Sampras are as different as two men can be ?Agassi is a CNN man, Sampras is an ESPN junkie ?but they have come to embrace a link that has left them as inseparable as any legendary duo.
"I believe in fate to a point, a little destiny for sure," Sampras said. "I think it went that way at this event, playing Andre in the final, two Americans who have meant a lot to the game in the U.S. It was a fitting way to end it."
Sampras and Agassi emerged as the oldest two players to meet in a United States Open final in 32 years.
"I think a lot of people get support at the end of their careers," Agassi said. "The difference is they thought I'd been at the end of mine for eight years now."
Although Sampras was 31 and Agassi was 32, they seemed to be at different levels of need. It had been two years and 33 tournaments since Sampras won his last event.
Agassi won the 2001 Australian Open and several Tour titles on his journey to the United States Open final. He was less desperate. At first, it showed. Sampras arrived in sync, untouchable through the first two sets, with no sign of wear and tear after five matches in six days.
Agassi was fumbling for the station amid the static. His strokes were fuzzy, his head wasn't clear, and before he knew it, two sets had slipped away in less than an hour.
"Just a tough day for me," Agassi said. "On top of him playing well, I just was flat. I had to work pretty hard to just give myself a chance."
The role reversal began in the sixth game of the third set. On the second point, Agassi rifled a running cross-court passing shot for a winner, a first sign of his revival.
Sampras managed to save three break points that game, but Agassi had inserted some doubt into his old rival's head. Fitness started to separate the two as the third set wore on. All those sprints up the mountain in Las Vegas, all the time spent in the gym, were paying off for Agassi.
Sampras was sagging. His deflated legs finally caught up to him in the 12th game. After four deuces, Agassi finally had a second break point for the third set. Sounding like a symphony warming up for a concert, there was the sweet, chaotic sound of cries for Pete, clashing with the cheers for Andre.
The noise in a cavernous stadium not known for volume reached a peak. On a second break point, Sampras punched a weary forehand volley into the net to hand the third set to Agassi.
The hunched state, the Jell-O in Sampras's legs, it was all camouflage. Frantic to end the match, not wanting to give Agassi a fifth set of momentum, and needing this fifth United States Open title to validate his belief in himself, Sampras reached inside and came up with some magic.
"It was special," Agassi said. "You can't get around that. I take what I can get. Hopefully, it will happen again."
9/8/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Presscon - Finals vs Andre Agassi|:||:|1031479200|:|US Open final Presscon
P. SAMPRAS/A. Agassi
THE MODERATOR: First question for Pete, please.
Q. If I could ask what might be the obvious, you've got 14 of these in hand. How does this one stack up?
PETE SAMPRAS: This one might take the cake. I mean, I never thought anything would surpass what happened at Wimbledon a couple years ago, but the way I've been going this year, to kind of come through this and play, you know, the way I did today, it was awesome.
I peaked at the right time against Andre. You know, had to play five matches in seven days. That was a lot of work. Just glad it's over, you know. I feel really good. Feel like I played extremely well today and I had to against Andre, who's very tough to beat.
It was just a tough second week. It was one of the tougher second weeks, having all the rain delays. Having to get through tough matches, playing back to back Saturday and Sunday, it was a good effort. One of my better ones.
Q. Can you talk about your feelings when you walked on the court with Andre.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, it was -- it made me nervous, you know, just sitting there. The crowd was so electric. It made me kind of pumped up, a little bit nervous. The atmosphere was awesome, it really was. Even though there were points in the third where they were getting pretty loud for him, kind of making a huge roar there when he broke me.
But it was quite a day. It was really -- played extremely well when I had to.
Q. You played two and a half fabulous sets at the start. How did you drag yourself through that period when you were clearly getting tired?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I was feeling it a little bit in the third, end of it. I played a lot of matches. You know, feeling the legs a touch. He started picking it up, especially his return of serve - he made me work real hard, then broke me. I was still up a set, I still felt pretty good out there.
I just hung in there, got through some tough games at 2-1, down a couple break points. 4-3 down a couple break points. Then picked it up there to serve it out. It all happened pretty quick.
But I was feeling it. I was definitely feeling a little bit of fatigue. I just hung in there the best that I could at the end and got it done.
Q. Go into that ninth game in the fourth set where you did break him, did you have an internal monologue with yourself? Talk me through the point in terms of what you saw, what you were thinking.
PETE SAMPRAS: You're not really doing a lot of thinking, it's all reaction. I had a couple break points. He had a couple good serves to my backhand. I chipped it short. He's not gonna miss those shots. The one that I did convert I hit a good return deep and it kind of caught him off guard.
I had it in my hands to serve it out. And 30-love, second serve, up the middle I hit an ace. That felt really good to win that.
Q. Can you talk about the fourth game in that set.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. Huge game.
Q. How important was it to hold your serve?
PETE SAMPRAS: It was a massive game. The momentum definitely switched there in the third. The crowd was getting into it. He had a couple break points there. I managed to squeak it out. It was a huge turning point just to kind of hold on to serve there. I still felt like I was in it. So there's some big points there I got through.
Q. You said all along the serve was going to make the difference for you. Two aces in the first game. Did you know at that moment that you were going to have the serve that you had all day today?
PETE SAMPRAS: I felt pretty good. Had a good warm-up. Serve was definitely clicking today. I felt it in the first couple service games, good rhythm. And, you know, I was hitting it pretty accurate with a lot of speed and mixing it up well.
I was doing everything I wanted to do with my serve and hitting the second serve quite well. It was a good serving day.
Q. If you look back to before the Open, things you changed around, you've had a pretty tumultuous year, what were the key factors that put you in the position you were in to win this?
PETE SAMPRAS: Just a lot of support from my wife, from my family, working with Paul again. That really gave me a lot of peace of mind. Some stability. You know, he knows me better than anyone as a tennis player.
And it all worked out. So much of kind of what I was going through this year was mental. It wasn't forehands and backhands and serves. It was kind of my head space. Wasn't real positive out there, kind of got down on myself extremely quick out there.
We had some heart-to-heart talks about just my mind, where I'm at. All I could do after Wimbledon was start working again, get back to the drawing board. And start doing the running and the practicing, and it paid off this week.
Q. Is this the kind of -- does this make you look forward more to more Slams or does it make you happy to finish?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I'm gonna have to weigh it up in the next couple months to see where I'm at. I still want to play. I love to play. But to beat a rival like Andre in a major tournament at the US Open, a story book ending, it might be nice to stop. But... (Laughter).
But... I still want to compete, you know? I still love to play. You know, see where I'm at in a couple months, where my heart's at and my mind. Right now it's hard to really talk about -- I mean, my head's spinning. But I'm sure the next couple weeks I'll reflect on it and kind of see where I'm at in a few months' time.
Q. When you went into the stands, was that spur of the moment, or was that planned?
PETE SAMPRAS: Spur of the moment. It was to share it with my sister and my wife. You know, those people really are the reason I'm here. I had that support. Because there were moments where I was struggling to continue to play and, you know, my wife really supported me and kept me positive and kept me upbeat. That support was huge for me at this stage of my career.
Q. Could you contrast the emotions of Wimbledon with that of the Open.
PETE SAMPRAS: Night and day. I mean, Wimbledon was the low point. This is the high point. Wimbledon was a shocking loss. It was -- got home and just was kind of down on my career and where I'm at. And I turned it around pretty quickly.
Q. Overall in your career, the seven Wimbledons compared to let's say the five Opens.
PETE SAMPRAS: I think this one might take the cake. Just after winning 13, I was kind of trying to figure out my goals from there - was to try to win another major. This year, struggling and hearing just I should stop, kind of the negative tone from the press or commentary.
To kind of get through it and kind of believe in myself at a very tough time means a lot. It means more than anything probably, because adversity, and to be able to get through the adversity feels great.
Q. The day after Wimbledon did you fly home that Thursday morning or Thursday afternoon and just wondering, a long flight to LA. Did you do a lot of thinking on the plane?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.
Q. Did you have a lot of doubt?
PETE SAMPRAS: Just was empty. It was an empty feeling. 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. Guys are just getting a little bit better today. I got home and was pretty down for a week or so, and I just needed to kind of, you know, 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.
Q. Did you ever, just for a moment perhaps, even think, "Perhaps I ought to stop now?"
PETE SAMPRAS: I wanted to stop on my terms. That was one thing I promised myself, even though I was struggling this year and hearing this and that. I deserved to stop on my own terms. And I've done too much in the game to, you know, 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 and Paul, just keep me positive, and that was huge for me.
You know, because I could step away from the game and feel really good about what I'd done. But I still felt like I had one more moment, maybe a couple more moments. And it happened today.
Q. To be back in New York, did that have any motivational role for you?
PETE SAMPRAS: Competing, not much. But, you know, as far as the ceremony before, yeah, it touched me. And after, the people are into the match, into the tennis.
But as you're in the trenches, you're just focused on what you're doing. New York's been through a battle this past year, and it's nice to see them come out and enjoy the tennis. It was a pleasure to play here.
Q. I wanted to ask, can you tell us something about your game plan for this match. It was nice to see an all-court game, observing it.
PETE SAMPRAS: That's what I wanted to try to do, set the tone, be aggressive on his second serves, take some chances, hopefully serve well and put pressure on him. That was -- kind of go for it. That was kind of my game plan.
The thing I don't want to do against Andre is stay back too much, get into rallies. He's very good at that. Very good at just, you know, kind of moving you around. Just took my chances. I got it done.
Q. Do you remember when Boris met you at the net at Wimbledon and said, "I want my last match here to be against you." Do you think about that ever, who you want your last match here or at Wimbledon to be against?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, I haven't thought about it really.
Q. Greg Rusedski maybe (laughter)?
PETE SAMPRAS: He's got his own issues (laughter). His issues have issues.
Q. There's a left-handed British player...
PETE SAMPRAS: You have a question?
Q. Yeah, I asked who you thought it might be, or the circumstances.
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know. You can't predict these things. Whoever it is, it is. I mean, I don't know. I can't, you know, you wanted a storybook ending, but hopefully my last Wimbledon will be on court - and not Court 13 or 2 (laughter).
Q. There's a left-handed British player who offered some tennis analysis this week. The BBC loves to get former players as their analysts. Do you think he has much of a future as an analyst?
PETE SAMPRAS: We're talking too much about the wrong guy, you know, in Greg. He said what he said. It doesn't faze me. He's got his own issues he's got to deal with.
Q. You've had to answer some questions over the past year or two about whether maybe finding your wife coincided with losing your game a little bit. How did that affect her? Does she share in this victory?
PETE SAMPRAS: Absolutely. It wasn't fair that -- the timing of breaking the record and getting married. 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.
But she's, you know, a big reason why I've been able to kind of get through this tough period. She lives with me every day. Trust me, it's not easy (laughter). When you're struggling, you're not having fun, it's a burden. Just showed me that I met the right woman.
Q. From this point on, regardless of what happens, if you continue playing and it doesn't go well, is everything happy because this has happened?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I feel great. I feel like all the hard work paid off. All the adversity I was up against this year, I was able to get through it. That means more to me than anything.
Just, you know, I don't know where I'm going to go from here; I really don't. Gonna take some time to enjoy it, reflect a little bit and kind of see where I'm at.
Q. Where are you for Davis Cup?
PETE SAMPRAS: I haven't thought much about Davis Cup.
Q. Did you draw much from Andre's example of how he coped with adversity and rose to the top again? What did that do for you dealing with your adversity and getting back to the top?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, not much. You know, Andre, he's got as much talent as anyone. There was points in his career where he was struggling at times and it wasn't anything I thought of when I was going through my slump, or my tough time. I believe when you have talent, you have talent. You know, it's not gonna go anywhere. It's just a matter of mentally being positive.
But he came from 140 to 1 in the world. That's a pretty huge comeback. My comeback, I'm still pretty competitive, came in here 17 seed. Was able to do it here, so felt good.
Q. Knowing what you know now about adversity and coming back, look back now on the easy days when you were a title machine. Does that help put you in perspective?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, those days, it was -- you don't appreciate it as much as when you struggle a little bit. When I was dominating, 1 in the world, winning Slams easily, I expected it. Now the expectations are still pretty high, but it wasn't, you know, kind of where I was at five years ago. You know, when you're struggling with confidence, you're not playing as well, players are better. I dealt with that adversity pretty well these past couple weeks. And this might take the cake. This might be my biggest achievement so far, is to come through a very, very tough time and to win the Open. I mean, that's pretty sweet.
Q. Could you talk about the inner excitement you must have about becoming a father, and what you think your best quality as a father might be.
PETE SAMPRAS: It's hard to say. You know, we're going to experience parenthood, knock on wood, in a few months. Hopefully, I'll be a good father. Hopefully someone that my kid's gonna look up to me and the way I am and I hope I'm a good kind of role model for him or her.
Q. In all the meetings you've had with Andre, where does this one rank with you in terms of quality and drama for you?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, there were points today that remind me a little bit of Wimbledon, the year I kind of got in the zone, you know. Really felt like everything clicked today. And just played as well as I could. You know, really -- I knew he was gonna start playing better in the third, he broke me. I just felt like I kind of was in the zone there for a while. It's hard to keep up that pace against him for three straight sets.
But I played as well as I could, and you have to against him. He's a great player. You have to match his game, and I was able to do that.
Q. That moment at the net at the end, how emotional was that? Did you two speak?
PETE SAMPRAS: Just he's -- no disrespect to anyone I've played over the years, but he's the best I've ever played. He brings out the best in me. I've said that over the years. He has that extra gear that is very tough to play against.
You know, those moments are great moments. You know, win or lose out there, it's about, you know, competing against the best. He still is one of the best. It was a good moment up there.
Q. Andre was asked if he sort of understood, you know, he knew what was going on, whether he was concerned or reflective, and he said basically you're just trying to play tennis. He was concentrating on the balls. Did you at all think of the momentous occasion?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. You know, you're in the trenches, you're just focused on the next point. You're not really thinking about -- obviously it's a huge match, but you're not -- it's still a tennis court with the same dimensions as my court at home.
So it's kind of the mindset I had. You have to keep it simple and not get too overwhelmed with it all. I'm sure serving for the match, you know, I felt it, I'm serving for the title. So you just go out there and compete. You hope it works out. That's my kind of mentality.
Q. Was there any sense of disbelief that, "I am going to win the US Open," as you had hoped and as a lot of us doubted you could?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it hit me when I was serving for the match. Like I had it on my hands to win it. And it all happened pretty quickly. Struggling to hold serve 4-all, hit a couple good shots and I was serving for the match. Went for a point of being down a break in the fourth to coming back serving for the match in a matter of five minutes. Kind of an eerie feeling, but it all happened so quickly at the end. It was a nice way to end it.
Q. Do you ever get tired of winning?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, you never get tired of winning these moments. These moments are why we play. This is the Super Bowl. So that's why I continue to play. 9/8/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras and Agassi are 30-something else|:||:|1031475600|:|Source: Lisa Dillman, LA Times
There were so many unexpected lessons, so many myths shattered in one sun-baked afternoon at the U.S. Open. But, first and foremost, so much for the supposed expiration date of a once-great rivalry.
The shelf life of the always-evolving rivalry between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi was extended Saturday, much to the delight of network executives and to the genuine surprise of the sport. If men's tennis needed a life raft in 2002, better late than not at all.
Finally, a final will feel like a final. Major figures will play for a major title when Sampras and Agassi meet in the U.S. Open final today. Sampras, seeded 17th, has often been one step ahead of Agassi in their careers, and he was again, reaching the final first, beating Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-2, in 2 hours 24 minutes. He had 23 aces and never lost his serve.
Agassi, seeded sixth, had the more difficult assignment, facing defending champion and No. 1-ranked Lleyton Hewitt of Australia, who had beaten him the last three times they'd met. Hitting cleanly and powerfully, Agassi upset Hewitt, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (1), 6-2, in the 2-hour 59-minute second semifinal and looked like a giddy teenager afterward, not a 32-year-old with a wife and child.
"This is New York, baby," Agassi said. "Where else would you rather be? This is it. I've worked all year thinking about this. And Pete. We're both here again. It's going to be a blast."
Together again, naturally.
Agassi blew kisses to the camera. Sampras smiled and shook his fist in jubilation and frequently nodded after hitting a service winner or volley on a big point. He kept the faith in his game, even when many did not after his drought had reached 33 tournaments without a title.
Famous wives, fatherhood, career moves, coaching changes and, well, hair loss have served as more of a link lately between Sampras and Agassi since their last meeting here last year in the quarterfinals, which Sampras won in four sets. This was seen as an outgrowth of aging--Agassi turned 32 in April; Sampras became 31 last month.
When they exited on the same day at Wimbledon in June, in the second round, the thought of Sampras and Agassi meeting in the U.S. Open final would have been inconceivable.
This will be the first U.S. Open final between two thirtysomething men since the open era started in 1968, and the first at any Grand Slam since the 1972 Australian Open when Ken Rosewall, 37, beat 36-year-old Mal Anderson.
"You would have gotten some great odds on making this bet before the tournament," Agassi said.
Said Sampras, who reached his third consecutive Open final: "It would be just a huge moment for both of us, for the game. Two older players, two rivals over the years. He brings out the best in me. To walk out there with him would be pretty unique, very special."
Memories were settling in the corners of Arthur Ashe Stadium. Brett Stephens, the longtime trainer of Sampras, had been hearing the critics long before Greg Rusedski and Yevgeny Kafelnikov took pointed aim this year.
"Every year, everyone writes Pete off," Stephens said. "Every single year and he proves them wrong all the time. It's unbelievable for Pete too. You have everyone saying, 'This is wrong with Pete. That's wrong with Pete.' I get it everywhere. He gets it everywhere."
When Sampras was going out against George Bastl in the second round at Wimbledon, he was spotted reading a letter of inspiration from his wife, actress Bridgette Wilson, during a changeover. In the locker room Saturday, after his semifinal win, Sampras was asked if the letter made its way to New York. "Yes, it's here," he said.
This is the first time Sampras and Agassi will have met in a Grand Slam final since Wimbledon in 1999--Sampras won in straight sets--and the first final at the U.S. Open since 1995. Sampras he leads their overall series, 19-14.
"It's different now," said Perry Rogers, Agassi's close friend and manager. "Andre has won all the Slams. Pete has won more Slams than anybody. In '95 that wasn't the case. They're not playing for a piece of history anymore. They both have history. Now they're playing as a tribute to the game, as a tribute to their rivalry and as a tribute to their endurance."
Said Agassi's trainer, Gil Reyes: "As a tennis fan I think I'm going to really, really relish this one. Because there's no guarantee we'll see this again. I have almost a melancholy feeling, somewhat emotional feeling, what these two have had. You start thinking of Magic Johnson, Larry Bird."
Even Hewitt, pulling himself out of the equation, understood the greater meaning for the sport. The 21-year-old, suffering through a miserable serving day--11 double faults and a first-serve percentage of 40%--fought admirably, rallying from a 4-1 third-set deficit.
"If I'm not allowed to be in the final, then I'd love to see these guys go for a final," Hewitt said. "I think everyone would. I think it's great for men's tennis.
"But sooner or later, when they do retire, the only downside is people are going to keep wanting to see Agassi-Sampras finals and it's not going to be there."
But Sampras and Agassi have shown a remarkable ability for reinvention. Though they've combined for 20 Grand Slam titles, each continued to press forward. Stephens said Sampras has changed his diet and worked harder than ever this past year. Reyes said Agassi wanted to improve his speed, so they went to Houston a few years ago and trained with sprinters Carl Lewis and Leroy Burrell.
"Carl Lewis said something interesting to Andre: 'As you get toward the end of the race, you don't need to speed up, just don't slow down,' " Reyes said.
"It was an inspiration for Andre. Andre is a man of inspiration." 9/7/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras storms into final |:||:|1031407200|:|by John Parsons
Pete Sampras battled past Sjeng Schalken in three tough sets on Saturday to secure a place in the US Open final for the eighth time in his career. The American came through 7-6 (8-6) 7-6 (7-4) 6-2 and will face either Lleyton Hewitt or Andre Agassi in Sunday's final.
He was made to work hard for his victory and needed two tie-breaks before Schalken's resistance finally broke.
The Dutchman dropped serve in the fourth game of the third set as Sampras continued to dominate from the net.
And the former world number one duly closed out the match with another break as his volleying overwhelmed Schalken.
It could have been very different for the Dutchman who coped admirably in the face of aggressive tactics from Sampras in the first set.
Schalken was forced to save three break points in his opening service game and then came back from 0-4 down in the tiebreak to engineer a set point.
But Sampras sent a fiercely patriotic crowd into a frenzy when he delivered a 117mph second serve to level the tiebreak and then forced Schalken to hit long on his first set point.
The second set followed a similar pattern, Sampras holding serve with consumate ease and pressurising Schalken on his own delivery.
But again Schalken held firm and again he had his chance to take the set on a tiebreak.
But Sampras, who has played inspirational tennis since beating Tommy Haas in the fourth round, stepped up a gear and charged the net before dispatching a simple volley to secure a two-set lead.
A disheartened Schalken finally allowed Sampras to take control when the 17th seed secured the first break of the match at 2-1 in the final set.
Sampras endured a few moments of anxiety when at 4-2 he delivered three double faults in the same game but Schalken could not take advantage and his challenge was over.
And having reached the final in under two and half hours, Sampras ensured that he will have plenty of rest before facing an even tougher propesct in either Agassi or Hewitt. 9/7/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras an easy target in the twilight of career|:||:|1031403600|:|Source: Hal Bock, AP
So there was Greg Rusedski, armed with a resume that does not include any Grand Slam victories, passing judgment at the U.S. Open on Pete Sampras, the man who has won more majors than any player in history.
Rusedski decided that Sampras was a step too slow -- no, make that a step-and-a-half too slow. Sampras' returns left something to be desired. His movement is not the same. His fitness is not the same. Why it's a wonder poor old Pete doesn't arrive for matches in a wheelchair.
So how come this shell of a man was able to beat Rusedski in five sets at the Open?
``Too much respect,'' Rusedski decided. ``I gave him a little bit too much respect.''
It is a quality in short supply around tennis these days as Sampras weaves his way through the latter part of a Hall of Fame career, ducking the barbs of players who think they know more about his game than he does.
Rusedski said out loud what others whisper. This is not the same Sampras, not the guy who won 13 Grand Slams and was No. 1 in the world for six straight years. It's time for Pistol Pete to pull the trigger on his career and put the rackets away. After all, he hasn't won a Slam in more than two years now.
But, with a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory Saturday over Sjeng Schalken, Sampras advanced to Sunday's finals, where he'll meet the winner of the late match between defending champion Lleyton Hewitt and Andre Agassi.
Still, people who've never won one -- and probably won't -- choose to sit in judgment.
Sampras, a sensible fellow and a realist, knows he's not the player he once was. He also knows he remains better than many of those on the tour. And what's more, he still enjoys playing this demanding sport.
He offered his own analysis of his game, which might be the most meaningful of all. He said his style is the same as it always was.
``I take my chances,'' Sampras said. ``The difference is everyone's a little bit better. I'm not winning on my off days. I'm losing the matches that five years ago I used to find a way to win. Now, when I don't play well, I'm struggling to win those matches. Guys are getting much more powerful rackets, and it's made it a little bit more difficult.
``I'm always looking to come in, always looking to serve big and make something happen.''
And when Sampras takes an objective look at himself, he believes he can still compete with the other top players.
``The game's still there,'' he said. ``I feel that when I practice. I feel it when I play. Week in, week out, yeah, it's tougher to be anywhere near as dominant as I once was. But I've let that go. Being No. 1 is over. But I still feel like I've got it out there.''
And what about Rusedski's crack that he's a step-and-a-half slower?
Sampras, who rarely engages in repartee, had a ready reply.
``Against him,'' he said, ``I don't really need to be a step-and-a-half quicker.''
So he presses on. And he hardly has to apologize for that. He has earned the right to stick around if that's what he wants to do.
Whom is he hurting by continuing to play? Tennis is not a team sport. Wins and losses are individual affairs. And certainly Sampras remains a crowd favorite, urged by many to reach for one more sunrise before the sunset.
``I'm not being told not to play,'' he said. ``I'm going to play as long as I'm enjoying it, as long as I'm in contention or feel like I can still do it.
``It happens in all sports with all athletes. They get older. They're not as dominant. Everyone thinks they're an expert in what I should be doing and how I should leave. I can't listen to all that stuff. Just believe in yourself and go out there and play and keep it simple.''
Martina Navratilova is the latest example of a player who retired perhaps a tad too soon. She walked away from tennis eight years ago, then got the itch last summer at Wimbledon and began playing again. At 45, she remains a competitor and played mixed and women's doubles at the Open, winning matches in both draws
There are other examples. Navratilova rattled them off.
``We say, `Wow, look at this basketball player. He's 38 years old and can still run.' Well, that's Michael Jordan. A 37-year-old hockey player, beating everybody up. That's Mario Lemieux.''
Then there is this 31-year-old tennis player still playing the game, despite advice he didn't ask for and doesn't really need.
That's Pete Sampras.
9/7/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Open season for Uncles Slam |:||:|1031400000|:|Source: Alix Ramsay
IF you want a job done properly, get a professional. After a year of upsets and confusion at the grand slam events – prizes will be awarded to anyone who can name the past three champions – Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi restored a little order and decorum yesterday. Both reached the final of the US Open and will, today, play each other for the 34th time in their careers.
In a world of young whipper snappers with huge egos and bigger bank balances, the old boys were pulling rank. Sampras did away with Sjeng Schalken 7-6, 7-6, 6-2 and Agassi did likewise to Lleyton Hewitt 6-4, 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 and both looked awfully chuffed about it.
Now they have each other to face and that brought a smile to Sampras’s face. He was done and dusted in a little over two hours and was planning a quiet night in with Mrs Sampras and a beer. Agassi, meanwhile, was in the thick of battle with the ATP’s very own road runner. Sampras was going to be a good deal fresher than his old rival when they got up this morning.
Sampras also knows that he has had the edge in his last two matches with Agassi. He has had the most miserable run of his career recently, hitting rock bottom at Wimbledon when he was beaten by George Bastl, a lucky loser, in the second round, but the old man still feels that he has a title or two left in him.
“I’ve never felt like an underdog,” Sampras said. “Even though I’m not seeded very high, I never, ever feel that I’m the underdog. I still feel that when I step out against any of these guys, I’m the favourite to win. Maybe not on paper, maybe not in a lot of people’s minds, but in my heart I still believe I’m the one to beat. I haven’t showed that this year, but that’s OK.”
Against Schalken he was showing exactly what he used to be. He crushed the tall and gentle Dutchman with 23 aces, with 85 forays to the net and with delight. It was the Sampras of old, the arrogant Sampras who has won 13 grand slam trophies, the Sampras who knows that he has what it takes to win. No one has seen that particular Sampras for a long, long time.
Schalken, though, had nothing to lose. He had never reached a grand slam semi-final before so anything that happened yesterday was a bonus.
His game plan was simple: keep the old man running around for as long as possible and wait for him to run out of puff. It sounded logical enough but it did involve getting his racquet on the ball. That was the difficult part.
“In the shape he is now in, everything is one step higher,” Schalken said with a shrug. “Everything goes one step faster. He was just serving so good that I couldn’t get them on my racquet. He was placing the ball so good with 120 mph serves, I couldn’t touch the ball so I was actually only playing in my own service games. He can play from the baseline, too, so I was under pressure the whole match.”
Agassi knows all about pressure – he is the master of match play, knowing just when and how to squeeze an opponent until he squeals. The trouble was that Hewitt wouldn’t squeal. The defending champion took the early lead in the first two sets, but the former champion was having none of that. If Hewitt wanted to chase every ball, Agassi would let him, forcing him this way and that and making him work for every point.
Hewitt made the fatal error of showing the great and balding one a slight hint of weakness –- his first serve was erratic and fallible. Against the best returner in the business, that was not wise. But Hewitt had one ace up his sleeve – he would not give in.
Where Schalken conveniently folded in the third set against Sampras, Hewitt began to claw his way back into the match. He stole the fourth set and was digging in nicely for a long scrap when Agassi decided to finish things. He broke for a 3-2 lead, fended off a break point to make it 4-2 and then struck the final blow to break again and make it 5-2. From then on he was home and dry.
So now he has Sampras to deal with. They first met in a grand slam here back in 1990. It was the final and the spoils went to Sampras, the first of his 13 major trophies. To be back at it again 12 years later is the stuff of dreams.
“It will just be a huge moment for both of us, for the game,” Sampras said. “Two older players, two rivals over the years. He brings out the best in me. To walk out there with him will be unique, very special. And I feel like I’m pretty ready.”
As he sat back and watched Agassi’s match unfold, Sampras would not admit to supporting his old foe, but it was obvious that he had a favourite out there. “I wouldn’t say that I’m rooting for him,” he said, “but it will be special to play him. It’s hard to say how many times we are going to play each other here, let alone in a grand slam final.
“I have a lot of respect for Andre. He’s the best returner in the game. It’s a great clash, it will be one to remember.”
Those were Agassi’s thoughts exactly. “Where else in the world would you rather be?” he said. “I’ve worked all year for this, working towards this match. It’s going to be a blast.”
With 63 years, 20 grand slam titles and not a parting between them, you can trust the old boys to do it properly.
9/7/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Revival has Sampras one step from fifth U.S. Open title |:||:|1031396400|:|Source: Joe Joe Carnicelli SportsTicker
It was at Wimbledon, and Pete Sampras sat with his head in his hands in near disbelief. He had just been beaten by journeyman George Bastl in the second round of a Grand Slam event he had won a record seven times.
Many in the tennis world felt Sampras was through as a force in the game and should seriously consider retirement. The sentiment grew during the remainder of the summer as Sampras' futility streak stretched to 33 consecutive tournaments, dating to his record-setting Wimbledon 2000 title.
"That was the emptiest I've felt in years," Sampras said, recalling the stunning Wimbledon loss. "It was just the accumulation of a bad year and just such a nightmare playing out there on Court Two."
But over the last two weeks, Sampras has staged his career revival. Now he is poised to play long-time rival Andre Agassi on Sunday for a record fifth U.S. Open title after beating Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands in straight sets in Saturday's semifinal.
If Sampras can pull off what he failed to do in the past two finals against Marat Safin and Lleyton Hewitt, he would equal the record of five Open titles held by fellow American Jimmy Connors and stretch his own Grand Slam mark to 14.
The secret to his revival? Sampras turned to those closest to him for support and says he never lost confidence in his ability.
"You need a lot of support. The family, my wife, Paul (coach Paul Annacone). Those are the times you need that stability," Sampras said. "I was at a low point, but you have to get out of it. You can't sulk about it too much. It took a while just to remember I still love to play, I love to compete. And I still want to continue. It's nice to have that stability behind me. It feels good."
Even when struggling against mediocre players, Sampras said he did not lose faith in his ability.
"I never questioned my ability. Even though it's been a struggle through the year at certain times, I never questioned that I could be back here," he said. "As long as I believe in myself, and I do, I believe I can still do it. I got Agassi's four-set semifinal victory over Hewitt lasted three hours and did not end until 5 p.m. EDT, giving Sampras a slight edge in recuperation time.
"I'm just going to do whatever I can to shut it down tonight," said Sampras. "The last couple of years, I went home and just kind of stressed out about eating, sleeping. I never really emotionally shut it down.
"I'm going to do whatever I can tonight to just kind of relax a little bit and go out and play well tomorrow. Having a day off is nice to shut it down but I don't have a ton of time. I'm going to mentally just kind of relax and just have a beer tonight and just kind of chill out a little bit."
9/7/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Playing Like a Star, Sampras Reaches Final |:||:|1031392800|:|Source Christopher Clarey, New York Times
They have played 33 times before, and each time they meet at this advanced stage of their careers, Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi can never sure if it there will be another time.
But if the match they play this afternoon in Arthur Ashe
stadium does indeed turn out to be the last, it will come on the most appropriate stage for the two finest American players of their remarkable generation.
Sampras vs. Agassi has been a dream final for most of the last decade, and it is perhaps more so than ever this year, because few would have dreamed that Sampras was capable of taking part in it.
But he has shaken free from a demoralizing slump, and on a memorable, sunlit afternoon yesterday, first he and then, with more difficulty, Agassi booked their spots in the United States Open men's final.
The 31-year-old Sampras advanced with a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory over Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands; the 32-year-old Agassi then prevailed against the top-seeded player, Lleyton Hewitt, the defending champion, in an often breathtaking semifinal by the score of 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (1), 6-2.
"I've worked all year thinking about tomorrow," Agassi said. `Pete and I are both here again, and it's going to be a blast."
It will be the fifth meeting between Sampras and Agassi in a Grand Slam final. Sampras has won three times. Whoever wins today will be the oldest Open singles champion since 1970, when Ken Rosewall won at 35.
"I think we're both aware of it," Sampras said, when asked if it had crossed his mind that this could be their last meeting in a Grand Slam final. "There was a point five years ago when he and I were so dominant, there was a good chance we were going to get to the finals. Now, it's hard to say."
Pushed to the undercard and a morning start on the signature day for American tennis, Sampras still played like a main attraction yesterday to reach the men's final at the United States Open for the third consecutive year with a 7-6 (6), 7-6 (4), 6-2 victory over Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands.
There was an edge to Sampras's serve and volley from the beginning: when he won the first seven points with controlled aggression and fluid movement inside a cavernous stadium that was not yet half full. And though Sampras was unable to convert his hunger and energy into domination until the third set against the resourceful and deceptively powerful Schalken, he was able to dominate in the critical phases of the first two sets.
"He's serving very well," said Schalken, who never broke Sampras's serve and had no break-point opportunities in the first two sets.
A victory in the final today would give Sampras a 14th Grand Slam singles title and pad his lead in the record books; it would also provide the perfect response to the increasingly insistent questions about whether Sampras was wise to continue playing despite demoralizing results during the past two seasons.
He has not won a tournament since Wimbledon in 2000, when he broke his tie with Roy Emerson by winning his 13th major, and he has often looked weak in spirit and the knees as the losses have accumulated against younger men. This year, he scraped bottom twice, losing to Alex Corretja of Spain in the Davis Cup quarterfinals in Houston and, more shockingly, losing in the second round of his favorite tournament, Wimbledon, to George Bastl, a qualifier from Switzerland.
Both those defeats came on his best surface, grass, and during the match against Bastl, Sampras, a man whose natural ability and confidence under great pressure has often allowed him to make this tricky game look easy, was reduced to reading a motivational letter from his wife on changeovers.
After years of stability, Sampras has changed coaches three times in the past nine months, switched agents and even fiddled with the string tension in his trusty small-headed racket. His search for answers has often been uncomfortable to watch, but after convincing a former coach, Paul Annacone, to help him part time after his collapse at Wimbledon, Sampras arrived in New York looking fresh and eager to get to the net. Most importantly, he had fine rhythm and control on his signature shot: the serve.
"I just couldn't get them on my racket, because he was placing the ball so good," said Schalken, who spent much of the 2 hours 24 minutes of the match guessing incorrectly about the destination of Sampras's serve. "I couldn't touch a ball, so I was only actually playing on my own games, but he can play."
Sampras used to bank on Wimbledon to save his seasons. The last time he won a major somewhere other at the All England Club was here in 1996. But the Open has become his refuge in the last three years. He has not won: being overwhelmed by Marat Safin in the 2000 final and by Hewitt in the final last year. But he has, in general, done a fine impression of his former self.
This year's run was the most unexpected. He came in seeded 17th, and though he needed five sets to get past Greg Rusedski, he lost only one set in his five other matches. That economical approach to this tournament could prove important in the final, and while he had less than 24 hours to recover before the final the last two years, his morning start and relatively early finish gave him slightly more than 24 hours this time.
"It's a pretty tough turnaround emotionally and physically, but I feel I can do it," Sampras said in an interview on the court after the match yesterday.
In the first-set tie breaker yesterday, after rolling to a 4-0 lead, Sampras proceeded to drop the next five points. He then saved a set point at 5-6 with an elegant high backhand volley. Two exchanges later, he took the lead for good by surprising Schalken with a forehand.
When the Dutchman's forehand sailed long, Sampras let go with a scream that was as close to primal as the mild-mannered champion has come. As he marched to his chair, he announced, "That's what I'm talking about."
This was therapeutic, and when he won the second-set tie breaker with another unreadable first serve and another firm-wristed backhand volley, he bellowed again.
The question now is what sort of noises he will be making in Arthur Ashe Stadium late this afternoon. 9/7/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Press conference - SF vs S. Schalken|:||:|1031389200|:|
Pete Sampras/Sjeng Schalken
7-6, 7-6, 6-2
An interview with: PETE SAMPRAS
THE MODERATOR: First question, please.
Q. Pete, the stock wisdom is, "Marriage is a distraction. He's thinking about somebody else besides himself. So that's it." How do you respond to that?
PETE SAMPRAS: As far as being married and playing?
Q. Is your attention divided?
PETE SAMPRAS: I will say, you know, there are times in my life, five years ago, where tennis was my life, consumed with being No. 1. You know, just being on top for so long, I think I kind of had enough. You know, getting married and having a future child gives me some balance. The years of dominating are over, but I still feel like I can win a major. I still
believe that. If I didn't believe it, I wouldn't attempt to play. It's been a good couple weeks here.
Q. 6-all, first-set tiebreaker, second serve.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.
Q. That's the way you play, the way you always play.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. I take my chances. You know, my serve is my weapon. I'm gonna use it whenever I can. You know, I get burned sometimes when I go for too much and throw in some doubles. But, you know, if I'm gonna, you know, lose out there, I want to do it on my terms, not being conservative. I take my chances.
Q. This will be your third final in a row. The perception is that the last one took place like five years ago...
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.
Q. It's treated like it happened a lot longer ago than one year ago. Do you have that sense yourself?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, little bit. I played a very, very tough draw last year to get to the final. I haven't showed much this year, little bit frustrating. You still just got to remember my ability, I never question that. Even though it's been a struggle and I've lost confidence through the
year, at certain times I never questioned that I could be back here. As long as I believe in myself and I do, I believe I can still do it. I got a chance tomorrow.
Q. What kind of treatment were you in?
PETE SAMPRAS: Just getting stretched and rubbed, ready for tomorrow.
Q. No IVs?
PETE SAMPRAS: No.
Q. You said you were working harder than ever before. Up to this point you had less to show for it. How tough was it to stay the course?
PETE SAMPRAS: It was very tough. This year, put a lot of focus, made some changes to just kind of help out my game to see if I can get myself to win a major. It's been frustrating. I worked hard, haven't had much of a year. You know, mentally it's good to come back. Something that I've never had to do before is come back from a, you know, pretty big low point after Wimbledon. Just working hard and being positive, you know, having good support with my family, wife and Paul, it's been good.
Q. Do you feel like an underdog?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. I've never felt like an underdog. I really, even though I'm not seeded very high, never, ever feel like I am an underdog. It's been ten years since I felt that way. I still feel like when I step out against any of these guys, I'm the favorite to win. Maybe not on paper, maybe not in a lot of people's minds, but in my heart I still believe I'm the one to beat. But I haven't showed that this year. But that's okay.
Q. What gives you that belief? Is it your family?
PETE SAMPRAS: Just my game. I just feel like I've got a powerful game, that it can click pretty quickly and I can get confident. It just takes a couple matches here and there. I've been patient all year to kind of wait for that click to happen. And it's happened this week.
Q. You haven't lost a set in the last two matches. Last year you had those tough matches, you had to play at night, come that Sunday you didn't seem to have that much. Are you fresher than you felt last year?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think playing first match helps. It gives me a little bit more time. It was a pretty hot day today, so recovery is important. Emotionally, last year it was very tough playing Rafter, to play Andre, to play Safin. I don't care how fresh I would have been against Lleyton, I think he was playing too well. But, you know, I'll do whatever I can tonight to get enough sleep, eat the right foods, be ready for tomorrow at 4:00.
Q. Anything you think you learned, just about how you got through, anything you've taken away from the last two Saturday nights that you think you can do to better prepare?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I'm going to do whatever I can to shut it down. Really, just last couple years I went home and just kind of stressed out about eating, sleeping. I never really emotionally shut it down. I'm going to do whatever I can tonight to just kind of relax a little bit and just go out and play well tomorrow. Having a day off is nice to shut it down, but I
don't have a ton of time. I'm going to mentally just kind of relax and just have a beer tonight and just kind of chill out a little bit.
Q. How conscious are you of the crowd?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's great. I need all the support I can get. It's nice to have the support of the people. They were -- you know, it was a tough start, 11 o'clock, not a lot of people. But as the match went on, they got into it. It really felt good. Just nice having that support.
Q. How conscious are you of doing it? You're bringing them in more than you have in the past. Are you doing it on purpose?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. You need that support. You need it, it just helps out your game. Sjeng probably -- it's just tough playing against that. Just to show a little emotion, I think people get pumped. I normally don't do very much. When I do, they're kind of shocked, so...
Q. Can you go through the reasoning you went back to Paul.
PETE SAMPRAS: He knows me as a tennis player better than anyone. There were moments this year where I didn't have that coaching stability that you need, and he knows how I should play. He knows what to say, what not to say. And working with him again is a big reason why I've been able to kind of get it going here. So much of this year has been mental. It's not about forehands and backhands, it's about being positive, having a good attitude. It's paying off this week.
Q. Do you think it was a mistake to leave him?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think professionally we needed to take a break from each other. Last year, I think we both felt it kind of ran its course, tried a few different things. Didn't pan out very well. But end of the day, Paul's nice enough to help out. He's a pretty busy now with the USTA. It's been good to kind of get back with him. It's a big reason why I've been able to
do pretty well here.
Q. Can you tell us your thoughts, Lleyton, it's revenge from last year, Andre, a clash of the titans.
PETE SAMPRAS: So if it's Andre, it would be just a huge moment for both of us, for the game. Two older players, two rivals over the years. He brings out the best in me. To walk out there with him would be very unique, very special. If it's him, I feel like I'm pretty ready.
Q. Was there a shot or point or game in this tournament that all of a sudden you found your confidence back?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think the Haas match was a tough match to get through. Played pretty well. Roddick, I peaked there for a while. Just kind of carried on through the weekend.
Q. Do you find yourself rooting for Andre at all during this tournament?
PETE SAMPRAS: I wouldn't say rooting for him. I will say it will be special tomorrow if we face each other. It's hard to say how many times we're going to play each other here, let alone in a Grand Slam final. I have a lot of respect for Andre. He's the best returner in the game. It's a great clash. If it happens, it will be one to remember. Hopefully I can make it pretty
competitive, the last couple years I've been smoked, so...
Q. Yesterday Paul said it's been such a crazy twelve months for you, that anything could happen. He wouldn't discount the possibility of your winning this and walking away. Can you remark on what the future holds?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know the future. I've said that I'm going to play a full schedule next year. That's what I'm planning on doing. It's something I'll just weigh up after the event. But I plan on being back, so it's hard to really predict what's going to happen here.
Q. Everything subject to review at any time?
PETE SAMPRAS: Just -- I'm not making any plans. I'm just going to take it one day at a time after this event and see where I'm at in the fall and plan on playing next year. Kind of see where my heart and mind is at. That's where I'm at.
Q. Wimbledon 2000 and now, what was the low point for you?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think this year at Wimbledon. Just an accumulation of a bad year and just such a nightmare playing out there on Court 2. That was the emptiest I've felt in many, many years.
Q. If it is Hewitt you face in the final, what do you know about Lleyton going out there?
PETE SAMPRAS: I know a lot. I've played him a bunch. He's a very, very tough player. He's competitive. Moves well. He's got a great return and serves pretty well now. So it's a tough match-up.
Q. How similar is his game to Andre's? How similar is the challenge when you play Lleyton?
PETE SAMPRAS: Similar games. I mean, Lleyton might have a little more foot speed. Andre has a little bit more power. Both return very well. It's a similar match-up playing either one.
Q. Would you say you lost your confidence but not your belief? Is that correct?
PETE SAMPRAS: Correct.
Q. After Wimbledon, what did you tell yourself to get yourself out on the court for this, to put yourself in physical discomfort every day, knowing that, you know, to that point it hadn't been paying off for you? How do you talk yourself through that?
PETE SAMPRAS: You need a lot of support. The family, my wife, Paul. Just those are the times where you need that stability. I was at a low point, but you have to get out of it. You can't sulk on it too much. Took a while, but, you know, just got to remember I still love to play, I love to compete. And still want to continue. It's nice to have that stability behind me. It feels good.
Q. How conscious are you when you walk out onto the court tomorrow, it could be Andre, this could be the last time you meet in a Grand Slam final?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think we're both aware of it - I mean, at least I am. The game is so strong today, you're not gonna have -- you know, there's a point five years ago where he and I were so dominant, we were -- good chance we're gonna get to the finals. Now it's hard to say if we're going to meet each other again in a Slam final. It could happen, but the game is tougher today than it was five years ago. So it's something I think we'll both appreciate as we get a little bit older. When we're done playing, look back at these moments and know they're pretty special.
Q. The actual match that just took place, Schalken was serving very, very well, particularly on the deuce court.
PETE SAMPRAS: Struggled a little bit today, my first match during the day. So the ball was flying a little bit. It was playing pretty quick. So I struggled a little bit with my return, but served well at times. Got it going. The breakers were huge and I just picked it up a little bit in the
third and went from there. So it was -- he played well. I thought he served well. Kind of kept me off guard a little through the match. It was a close one. Nice to win in straight, so I'll be ready for tomorrow.
Q. Ten, twenty years from now when your kid's sitting around saying, "Tell me about being a tennis pro," what's the one thing you'll tell him?
PETE SAMPRAS: Playing big matches. Playing the finals of the Open and Wimbledon, those are the moments that I'll remember the most.
Q. Out of one of those?
PETE SAMPRAS: There's a lot to choose from. I mean, not to be arrogant (laughter). That didn't come out right. I mean, I don't -- there are moments that I've had that have been dramatic, that have been tough. Been some great moments. Just the Slam finals, I mean, that's the Super Bowl for us. So those are the moments that I'll share with my children and have those tapes to, you know, take a look at.
Q. At Wimbledon, when you played and won, you've done so - and pretty easily. You were really rolling the guys. Here, you've had very emotional matches, a lot of different dramatics. Why do you think it is? Is it just the end of the season? Is there something about this place?
PETE SAMPRAS: End of the season. You know, grass is a surface that physically is as demanding as playing here at the Open. You know, I've just had moments - Corretja match, getting sick; Yzaga. Just tough moments. I mean, this is a lot of pressure, and I internalize a little bit out there. Combination of everything. The last major of the year, so you want to do
well. I've had, you know, I've done well here. This is my eighth final here, I believe. It takes a lot of work. Playing back-to-back semi and final is tough, so... I got one more in me I think.
End of FastScripts 9/7/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras backs with what works|:||:|1031385600|:|Source: Charles Bricker, South Florida Sun-sentinel
September 7 2002 NEW YORK -- Paul Annacone, the nearly anonymous coach who has been an enormous key in the resurgence of Pete Sampras, leaned back against a hallway wall in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Friday and mused about the possibility of The Pistol calling it quits if he turns this U.S. Open into his 14th Grand Slam triumph.
"Who knows that on Monday morning, if he wins this, Pete could just retire," Annacone said. "Who knows if Pete could just say, `I finished the way I wanted to finish.'"
Sampras retire now? It seems like a long shot because Sampras has said so many times in the past three months that he knows he still has the game to win majors and looks forward to continuing his career.
A wry smile crossed Annacone's face. He has heard that speech many times, but he's not totally convinced. "After what's gone on in the last 12 months, I wouldn't be surprised by anything," Annacone said.
Of all the people that have come in and out of Sampras' life in the past 15 years, Annacone is one of his few confidantes. That's why he's back with Sampras after Pete terminated him at the end of last season.
"To have Paul back is huge, really huge," Sampras said with unconcealed admiration after he beat Andy Roddick in straight sets in Thursday night's quarterfinal. "He knows how I tick as a player. You can't put a price on that."
It is one of the great ironies of this season that after twisting in so many directions in an effort to exorcise the demons that brought his game down in 2001, Sampras is right back where he started, with Annacone, and close to finding the form that took him to the pinnacle of tennis.
From out of nowhere, with a 20-17 record and no titles since he won the 2000 Wimbledon, Sampras is now two matches from stunning those who had him ready for a burial. He'll play Sjeng Schalken today and, if he wins, either Lleyton Hewitt or Andre Agassi in the final.
It was at the end of July that Sampras called Annacone, who is director of the USTA's High Performance development program, to ask him to once again be his coach.
Sampras had worked less than a month with Tom Gullikson, twin brother of his first professional coach, the late Tim Gullikson. He had then gone to Jose Higueras, the clay court expert and taskmaster who helped Jim Courier fight to No. 1.
But after failures at the French Open and Wimbledon, Sampras was more confused about his game than ever.
"He's come full circle. I think he felt he needed some stability," Annacone said. "Ultimately, I think he just lost his way a little bit, and if I'm able to help him regain that focus, that's great."
They had been together seven years when Sampras, frustrated by the decline of his game, told Annacone it was time for them to split. It was so amicable that Annacone and Sampras kept in touch periodically, exchanging views on his game.
"He needed a break from me and I from him. But Pete will always be a friend first, last and always," Annacone said.
What Annacone brought back to Sampras, aside from confidence and trust, was a sense of how Sampras' game had degenerated tactically.
"My philosophy is that you have to understand what you do best and live and die by it. Play on your terms. Walk off the court, win or lose, saying I played the right way," Annacone said.
From the first round of the Open, it was obvious Sampras had changed tactics. He was not only serving-and-volleying, which he always has done, but he had gotten back to chipping-and-charging off his opponents' second serves.
Even in risky situations, Sampras was moving forward, being super-aggressive because it put him in a more positive frame of mind. Nevermind losing points.
It's hard to argue that Sampras isn't on the right track after consecutive wins over Greg Rusedski, Tommy Haas and Roddick.
"Paul knows me. He knows it's not about forehands and backhands," said Sampras, who has won eight Grand Slams with Annacone as coach. "It's very mental. He's been a big reason I have been able to get through this." 9/6/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Annacone's Two-Step Program Saves Sampras |:||:|1031299200|:|Sep 6, 2002 NEW YORK -- "Let's go."
It was that simple, a two-word command from Paul Annacone to Pete Sampras.
"OK," Sampras said.
It was that simple, a one-word acknowledgment that the athlete was happy to have the old coach back.
Sampras—sprightly, bouncy, running on his toes and gliding easily to the net; bouncing serves into every nook and cranny of the box or into the body or off a line; clocking his forehand with verve and power; curling his backhand neatly onto the baseline—knocked brash Andy Roddick out of the U.S. Open Thursday night.
Even though Roddick was seeded No. 11 and Sampras No. 17, even though Roddick is 20 and Sampras 31, even though Roddick had beaten the four-time U.S. Open champion in their only two previous meetings, it would not have been unreasonable for someone to pick Sampras to beat Roddick in the last of the men's quarterfinals.
But no one predicted this, a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 clubbing. Not in 1 hour 30 minutes. Not with Roddick getting only one break-point chance (which wasn't converted). Not with Sampras running the young gun to distraction, to snarling chats with the chair umpire and moody monologues with himself.
This was, as Jim Courier said, a butt-kicking, a lesson in tennis nuance. Roddick can serve hard. Sampras can serve hard and smart. Roddick can hit a big forehand. Sampras can hit a forehand big, medium and soft plus a one-handed backhand that moves. Roddick can't get his feet to do the quick-step dance to the net. Sampras scampered always forward and drove his volleys deep or dropped them short and angled.
We didn't see this coming.
Annacone did.
Too many thought Sampras was two steps slow and one step from the tennis grave.
Annacone didn't.
"I think sometimes we believe everything we read and see," Annacone said. "What Pete showed tonight is that he doesn't believe everything he reads and sees. Pete is a terrific talent and that talent wasn't gone. It needed to be reawakened."
For nearly seven years Sampras and Annacone had been the perfect pair. Annacone pushed, but not too much; tinkered, but only when necessary.
It was a delicate place for Annacone at the beginning. Sampras had been devoted to Tim Gullikson, who had helped create Sampras' belief in his ability to win on Wimbledon's grass. When Gullikson was diagnosed with the brain cancer that would kill him, Sampras turned to Annacone, a quiet man, which suited Sampras, and a good friend, which suited Annacone.
ut at the end of the 2001 season, after Sampras had gone 15 months without a tournament win, with the losses making Sampras grumpy and Annacone frustrated, Sampras called his coach and asked him to be only a friend. That was fine with Annacone.
"I think Paul and I, professionally, probably hit a point where we needed to take a break from each other," Sampras said.
"I'd agree with that," Annacone said. "It is important to take breaks from people. Then sometimes you appreciate what you have after you don't have it. I did. I think maybe Pete did a little bit too."
After Sampras had his second-round flameout at Wimbledon, a bad, stumbling loss to George Bastl, Annacone was sad and Sampras was distraught.
"It was painful to see," Annacone said. "And really bad for Pete. It is hard to watch someone that great, such a great athlete, be in that place. So I asked Pete, 'Do you want to wallow around in mediocrity or use this to motivate yourself to becoming Pete again?' "
When Greg Rusedski, after losing to Sampras in five sets last week, suggested Sampras had lost a step and a half, the timing might have been bad for Rusedski but the thought had been expressed by many other players.
"His speed looked fine to me tonight," Annacone said. "Jim Courier said to me after this match that Pete's speed is all about his confidence and if his confidence is there, Pete moves great. Believe me, Pete still has the wheels when he needs to use them."
For a night, Sampras did move with more purpose than he has in the year since he beat Andre Agassi on the same court in the same round of the Open. But the first step isn't as explosive as it used to be, and Sampras can't always get that rocket burst after his serve, that athletic push to the net that always left him in perfect position to strike the perfect volley.
As Sampras and Roddick came onto the Arthur Ashe Stadium court, and "Glory Days," the Bruce Springsteen song, was piped in loud, it seemed to be an anthem of what had been for Sampras and what was to come for Roddick.
Except that Sampras has summoned, over these last 10 days, the athlete within himself. With Annacone back in his corner, Sampras has pulled back the covers and found his confidence.
"I'm not the reason Pete is doing well now," Annacone said. "And I wasn't the reason he was doing poorly. All I've done is help trigger what was inside him."
In Thursday night's first game, Sampras held his serve at love, hitting an ace and a forehand winner. And in the second game, Sampras broke Roddick from the baseline, with a backhand winner.
After two games, Sampras had exposed Roddick as a young man who, on this night, seemed awestruck by the occasion and by the opponent. By the end, Roddick was grunting in anguish as he lunged for Sampras' corner-driven shots and pulling at his spiky hair. There were no dives into the crowd to accept high-fives, no dramatic exclamations of joy.
After the last point, a cruel drop volley by Sampras, Roddick came to the net, gave Sampras a hug and whispered "Too good."
"I got beat. By Pete," Roddick said. By Pete, by a sore foot that may have hampered his movement, by the occasion, and most of all by the ghost of Pete past, which has been summoned to the present by Annacone.
"Andy seemed a little bit low," Sampras said. That was kind. Mostly what happened to Roddick was that he had to play the old Pete, new again. For another night. 9/5/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Youth outserved: Sampras hammers Roddick|:||:|1031223600|:|Source: AP
As Pete Sampras pumped his fist to celebrate a volley winner that closed the second set, Andy Roddick flashed an admiring thumb's up and then bowed, acknowledging that his idol still has what it takes.
This cross-generational matchup was no match at all.
Smacking aces at over 130 mph, covering every inch of the net, Sampras looked like the younger man Thursday night and dominated an apparently awestruck Roddick 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 to reach the U.S. Open semifinals.
The differences between the players were obvious when they walked out: the 20-year-old Roddick in his shiny blue T-shirt, his spiky hair peering out from above a visor, and the 31-year-old Sampras in his proper tennis whites, nothing covering his receding hairline.
It was Sampras' 29th Grand Slam quarterfinal, and Roddick's second. Sampras came in with 200 career match victories in majors, Roddick with 15.
Sampras is seeking his fifth U.S. Open championship and will be a big favorite in Saturday's semifinals against No. 24 Sjeng Schalken, who never before had been so far in a Grand Slam tournament.
Arthur Ashe Stadium was a sea of empty blue seats for Schalken-Gonzalez. It was packed for Sampras-Roddick, which didn't quite live up to the billing
To put it simply: Youth was outserved. And outvolleyed, outhit and out-just-about-everything-elsed.
Sampras had 13 aces and a total of 43 winners. Roddick had just 18 winners.
Roddick, who was seeded 11th to Sampras' 17th, looked tight right from the start. He lost the first seven points of the match en route to getting broken immediately and falling behind 3-0.
Sampras was popping serves by Roddick, and not just with pure power. Sampras closed the first set with a spinning offering at 101 mph that Roddick barely got to, his forehand return bouncing before it reached the net.
Roddick handed Sampras a 2-1 second-set edge by double faulting twice in a row to get broken at love. At the changeover, Roddick chewed on a towel, then tried to rip it.
Then, Sampras broke again to get to 5-2 in the second set, helped by Roddick's backhand into the net. Roddick -- as emotive on the court as Sampras is stoic -- dropped his racket, twisted at the hips, and yelled, ``Awww, come on!''
Sampras wasn't shaken at all by the setting, of course. He's now 20-0 in night matches at the Open and insists he has one more major title in him.
The past two years have been trying. He hasn't won a tournament at any level since July 2000, and came into the Open with a 20-17 match record in 2002, including a stunning second-round exit at Wimbledon.
Searching for an answer, Sampras has switched coaches the way some players change rackets during a match. Since December, he's gone from Paul Annacone to Tom Gullikson to Jose Higueras and back to Annacone.
``There's more adversity this year. It's looking at it as an opportunity and challenge,'' Annacone said before Thursday's match. ``He's accepted that in the last month or so and turned things around. His approach is where he wants it to be.''
How bad have things been for Sampras?
When he went to a tuneup event the week before the Open, he lost his first match to 77th-ranked Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu (which is not pronounced ``Mat-who,'' but might as well be).
Wimbledon, of course, would rank as Sampras' favorite tournament: Seven of his record 13 Grand Slam titles came on the grass of the All England Club.
But he's had plenty of success at the U.S. Open, including his first major victory. Sampras had just turned 19 when he beat Agassi in the 1990 Open final, and he still ranks as the tournament's youngest male champion.
In the semifinals that year, a bushy-haired Sampras beat 31-year-old John McEnroe.
There was no such upstart-over-veteran result Thursday. Not even close. 9/5/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras has the look of a champ again |:||:|1031220000|:|Source: AP
Pete Sampras is a washed-up, step-and-a-half-too-slow, one-foot-in-the-grave old codger who just might win the U.S. Open again.
For all the loose locker-room talk from losers who never had half his talent, for all the dimwitted suggestions that he should have retired by now, Sampras showed Thursday night he's not ready to roll over.
If anyone was too slow on this balmy, breezy night it was 20-year-old Andy Roddick, the overhyped, underwhelming "future of American men's tennis."
At 31, Sampras was quicker to the net, steadier on his serves, crisper in his volleys, and deeper with his groundstrokes. He moved with a sense of ease and purpose while Roddick looked harried and lost and oddly enervated.
Sampras carved out a 6-3, 6-2, 6-4 victory in a neat 1 hour, 30 minutes, playing Roddick like a puppet all the way.
He delivered a message with his first serve -- 131 mph down the middle -- and though it barely missed, Roddick realized right away just how serious Sampras was about dispelling all that over-the-hill nonsense. Sampras won the first seven points of the match, broke Roddick's serve and held for a 3-0 lead. The rout was on.
Roddick's bruised left foot had been bothering him since Monday, but that's not why Sampras bullied him around the court. To Roddick's credit, he didn't even offer the slightest excuse.
Roddick simply didn't have the game or the strategy to win. He made the mistake of staking out his territory five yards behind the baseline, yielding the net to Sampras and delivering few passing shots or lobs that could thwart him.
Sampras, whose record 13 Grand Slam titles include four at the U.S. Open from the first in 1990 to the last in 1996, should have been saying "thank you" after every game that Roddick stayed back. Sampras makes his living at the net, and Roddick let him live large. If Sampras wasn't drilling volleys and overheads, he was dropping them softly, far out of Roddick's reach.
Roddick, who grew up idolizing Sampras, looked too respectful, too cautious, too stiff. He cracked serves at up to 133 mph, but he never strung together a bunch of big serves. Sampras bunted them back, chipped and charged and sliced his way through Roddick's power, confusing and frustrating the younger player.
Roddick looked mesmerized.
"He is very graceful and fluid when he plays," Roddick said. "That makes it easy on the eyes to watch."
Sampras, 20-0 in night matches over the years at the Open, served as hard as ever, hitting one at 132 mph, many others in the high 120s, and some, just for variety, slower but with beguiling angles and spins.
"This is what I play for," said Sampras, who will meet Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands in the semifinals on Saturday. "These are the big moments. He's the young up-and-comer that has a great future. I'm pumped up. I kind of feed off the energy of playing at night here."
There were a few older champions watching -- Boris Becker, Ilie Nastase, John McEnroe, Jim Courier -- and the sight of Sampras toying with Roddick and sometimes outslugging him had to warm them. It was an exhibition of power and finesse, experience triumphing over youth.
Any chance Roddick might have had evaporated when he double-faulted twice in a row to drop his serve early in the second set. Sampras took the gift and served for a 3-1 lead, delivering the eighth of his 13 aces and a 132 mph service winner before Roddick sailed a lob long.
Never broken, Sampras faced only one break point, and quickly erased that.
Fittingly, Sampras closed the match with a drop volley that caught Roddick out of position at the baseline. Roddick sprinted in but never had a chance.
It was vintage Sampras, the same style that allowed him to rule these courts for so many years and reach the last two finals. He has been struggling through the worst slump of his career, losing to nobodies in the early rounds, failing to win a title since Wimbledon two years ago, but on this night he was Pistol Pete once more.
Greg Rusedski should have been there, bowing to him. So, too, Yevgeny Kafelnikov.
Rusedski, who is 13 majors behind Sampras, lost to him in the third round and observed, inaccurately and with little grace, that Sampras was a step and a half slower.
Quipped Sampras: "Against him, I don't really need to be a step and a half quicker."
Kafelnikov had suggested on a couple of occasions that Sampras ought to retire. Not that Sampras sought or needed Kafelnikov's advice. Sampras' reply was that he would retire when he's good and ready.
"I feel like I can still do it," Sampras said. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be here."
He's one old geezer no one should doubt. 9/5/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras Isn`t Ready to Bow to Youth Just Yet |:||:|1031216400|:|By Lynn Zinser, NY Times
Up to his baby whiskers in frustration, with his moment to validate his hype quickly becoming a legend's chance to reclaim his, Andy Roddick unleashed his anger on a third-set shot that dived at Pete Sampras's shoelaces.
Somehow, the aging, slumping, fading Sampras responded with the flexibility of a Slinky, bending his knees into a full squat to flick a half-volley over the tape for a winner and toying with Roddick's despair.
At age 20, Roddick wasn't ready for this. He wasn't prepared for the buzz inside Arthur Ashe Stadium last night, the pressure of facing an idol in a major tournament or the resolve Sampras was about to reveal.
At age 31, Sampras was in his comfort zone. He thrived on the amped-up atmosphere, funneled the energy into his legs and discovered yet another way to expose Greg Rusedski's ignorance.
"Greg thought he was over the hill," said Sampras's coach, Paul Annacone. "But we see what Pete can do when his mind is set on it."
What he did was so easy, it left fans numb. Over 90 minutes, Sampras refused to depart so that Roddick could arrive, winning by 6-3, 6-2, 6-4, advancing to the semifinals at the United States Open and acting anything but his age.
"Trust me, I'm 31," Sampras said. "These are big moments, playing Andy in a night match. He's the young up-and-comer that has a great future. I'm pumped up. No question, I kind of feed off the energy at play here.
"Everything combined, I got off to a great start, kind of set the tone early. Andy wasn't quite at the top of his game. He seemed a bit low. I've seen him more upbeat."
Two nights ago, the class clown in Roddick spilled onto the court in an energized, entertaining display against Juan Ignacio Chela. Roddick, the young star who had let expectations squeeze the fun out of tennis for him this year, was back to loving the game. He high-fived the crowd after pulling off a video-game-style shot, made cartoon faces as he strutted around the court and proclaimed, "This is my house."
He couldn't do that against Sampras. This was the old man's house. But Roddick did not appear to suppress his antics in reverence to Sampras. He just never got the good vibe going. Before he knew it, he was down by two sets on his way to losing his serve early in the third set.
"Disappointing, yes," Roddick said. "But it's a learning experience. It's still a learning experience. I'll try my best to soak it up. I think I'll have my moment here someday."
It is not his time, not yet. Sampras is still kicking, but he is not into moral victories. He is desperate to vanquish the most recited statistic in tennis: Sampras has not won a major since his record 13th at the 2000 Wimbledon, or taken any title in 33 tournaments.
Two more matches, and that statistic dies. Before he can play a final, Sampras will have to get by Sjeng Schalken of the Netherlands tomorrow in one semifinal, while top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt plays sixth-seeded Andre Agassi in the other.
The 24th-seeded Schalken is the unknown in the mix of big stars, but he earned his way into his first major semifinal by outlasting the batteries in the explosive forehand of Chile's Fernando González, with a 6-7 (5), 6-3, 6-3, 6-7 (5), 7-6 (2) victory after 3 hours 43 minutes in Ashe Stadium.
"It's still not settled in my mind, because my name is between three very good players," Schalken said. "It feels very good."
He exited his match under the hot sun and left the cool night air for the big-ticket item: Sampras vs. Roddick. To some, it was now vs. then.
Long before the first serve, there was an image of the young Sampras on the jumbo screen inside the stadium, a vision of a bushy-haired kid with the physique of a ball boy and a serve that deserved a patent. Minutes later, Roddick came through the stadium tunnel arriving as America's current phenom, trailed by Sampras, the symbol of days gone by.
"You guys say Pete is washed up," Roddick said. "I've never said it. I don't think many players doubt his capabilities. He's had maybe some subpar performances, but I don't think anybody doubts the fact that he's capable of great tennis still."
Except for Rusedski. Moments after his loss to Sampras on Monday, he suggested that Sampras would not win another match this week, questioning what was left in his body.
Resilience was not an issue last night. Sampras didn't have to find out how his body would handle a fifth set. He didn't let it get that far.
Sampras sent that message in the second game of the match. He put pressure on Roddick by handling his 130-mile-an-hour serve with a timeless wrist snap. On break point against Roddick, Sampras's reflexes were almost gaudy. As Roddick rifled a shot down the line, Sampras turned his back, stabbed at a drop volley and looked over his shoulder as it landed for a winner.
"It's just confidence out there," Sampras said. "I'm just going for shots, making them. It's clicking. I've been waiting all year for it to click."
It was bad timing for Roddick, who played with a bruised left foot but said it did not limit his mobility. He did not know how to react to Sampras's precision, which resulted in 43 winners to only 22 errors.
Humiliation is not easy to handle. In the second set, upset with an overrule on a Sampras serve, Roddick told the chair umpire, Tony Nimmons: "Stop it. Let's not let this get personal. This is out of control."
In truth, Roddick was the one out of control. He could not keep his misguided backhand in the court or maintain his patience during rallies. Sampras was methodical, hardly looking up in between his 13 aces, reaching back to uncork winners with exact timing.
One hour into the match, Sampras was up by two sets to none, stunning everyone looking on, including Boris Becker. His advice to Roddick? "Get out of the stadium," he said in a cameo as a television analyst.
Roddick simply could not take the expectations. In his opening service game of the third set, Roddick ripped a horrible backhand into the net on break point. At least the agony didn't last long. Class was over after 90 minutes.
"Look at Pete's record in night matches," Roddick said, referring to Sampras's 20-0 night mark. "Look at the way he plays the U.S. Open. He has come in the last two years with people saying, `What if, what if, what if?' But Pete always backs it up."
Sampras had the answer to youth last night: wisdom. 9/5/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Press conference -QF vs Andy Roddick|:||:|1031212800|:|
Pete Sampras/A. Roddick
6-3, 6-2, 6-4
An interview with: PETE SAMPRAS
THE MODERATOR: Questions.
Q. When you walk out there and they're playing a song by Springsteen...
PETE SAMPRAS: I didn't pay attention to it.
Q. Really?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. I was hoping for Pearl Jam, but they didn't go for it.
Q. Did you just turn 31 or 26, 27 maybe?
PETE SAMPRAS: Trust me, I'm 31. I feel it at times. But played like -- played really well tonight. Really no complaints the way it went. Felt pretty strong out there.
Q. It used to have been said that center court was your house. Have you changed your address?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. Still LA resident and pay my taxes, so...
Q. Are you getting in a real comfort zone once again here with these whole surroundings, the US Open, where you got your first big win?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, this is what I play for. I mean, these are big moments, playing Andy in a night match. You know, he's the young up-and-comer that has a great future. I'm pumped up. There's no question, I kind of feed off the energy at playing at night here. Had good results here at night. So everything combined, I got off to a great start tonight, kind of set the tone early. Andy wasn't quite at the top of his game. He seemed a little bit low, just because he's a lot more upbeat the times I've seen him play. Tonight he seemed a little bit -- not quite as emotional as he usually is.
Q. Any message for Greg Rusedski tonight?
PETE SAMPRAS: I got more important things to talk about than Greg.
Q. Do you think that was a little bit of reverence from him?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know. I heard he hurt his foot in the other match. I don't know if he was struggling out there with his foot. You know, I just think a big part was the early stages of the match when I broke him that first game, played a good game. The conditions weren't easy tonight. It was pretty breezy. And, you know, he just wasn't on top of his game. He just was
struggling a little bit. I think I played pretty well. Put the pressure on him and made him pass me. He just seemed a little bit off tonight. I don't know if it was the occasion or what happened, but it was a good night for me.
Q. You not only broke him in his first service game, but the way you broke him, winning the long rally, winners, rushing the net, can you talk about the importance of that.
PETE SAMPRAS: I wanted to mix it up against Andy. Wanted to come in off his second, you know, win or lose the points, just to put a little pressure on him. Even when we got into some baseline exchanges, I felt pretty good out there. I was hitting the ball clean and deep. So I felt like I was doing everything pretty well.
Q. The two set points in the first two sets, spectacular volleys. Did it feel like 1995, 1996?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I don't think in those terms when I'm playing, like, "I did this five years ago." I really don't. It's fun to be out there. You know, even though I'm not quite at the level I once was, I feel like when it comes to a big occasion, I still have the goods. I'm into it, my energy's good at night. I feel pretty good out there.
Q. Two sets in a row like that with spectacular shots, what's the feeling like?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's a great feeling. This is why I'm playing, for these big matches. Night time at the US Open, playing against Andy. I was pumped up, pretty focused out there, and it showed. But, you know, you go out and it's all instinct out there. I play my best when I'm not thinking. I just go out there and do it.
Q. As breezy as it was, do you think this is as good a serving night as you've had for a while?
PETE SAMPRAS: To be honest with you, that's one of the first things I said when I got off the court. I don't think I served that well. My percentage was pretty low. But I hit my second serve pretty big, giving him problems.
Q. On purpose, did you go for...
PETE SAMPRAS: I always go for my second. Sometimes I get burned and miss them, but that's the way I play. I go for it and feel like I've got a lot of confidence on my second serve. It just kind of -- under the conditions, it -- I served pretty well. It was tough going one way. Second serve on the wind going down, it's -- you know, you miss it a little bit, it's going to
go long. It's pretty touchy at times.
Q. You have a kid coming, you're married, you're still in the lead. How much motivation have you had from hearing comments from Greg Rusedski or hearing people say you're done?
PETE SAMPRAS: That doesn't get me going. I mean, it really doesn't. I mean, things that Greg says, it doesn't faze me. I know what I can do out there. It doesn't motivate me. I don't want to prove people wrong. That's not why I'm playing. I'm playing for myself, to challenge myself to see if I can do it again. That's the way I look at it. I'm not here to shut up Greg or
whatever. I got more important things to worry about than what he's saying, what the press is saying. It's my ability against someone else's ability. I feel like I can still do it. If I didn't, I wouldn't be here.
Q. Monica Seles said she plays because it's fun. She loves to play tennis. Is tennis fun for you?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it's fun playing tonight against the atmosphere, the big match. I still -- it's a rush. It's a rush for me. It's not quite a rush, week in, week out on the tour. But when it comes to majors and a night like tonight, this is why I'm playing. 17,000 people here to watch you, it feels good.
Q. Is there any danger that the rush might not be there when you're playing Schalken in the semis?
PETE SAMPRAS: I've got my hands full against Sjeng. He's an experienced pro, does everything well. I'm focused. I'm not looking ahead at all. I have my work cut out for me on Saturday.
Q. Would you say your feeling the joy of tennis is the key to your performance?
PETE SAMPRAS: I just feel like I - you know, I'm going to say it again - I still feel like I can do it out there against anybody. I still have the goods. I believe in myself, and that's the key for me. You know, it's been a tough year, mentally it's been tough. But, you know, I'm not dwelling on what's happened this year. I'm looking forward to play here, I was looking
forward to playing at the Open. It gets my juices going, and it's showing.
Q. Any thoughts on having your rivals here, playing in front of John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Boris Becker?
PETE SAMPRAS: Not when I'm on playing out there, not really.
Q. In retrospect, that they were watching.
PETE SAMPRAS: I mean, no. I mean... I know John's there. I saw Boris in the locker room. So, you know, these are some rivals that I've had over the years. Jim is someone I have a lot of respect for. But it's not my focus out there when I'm playing.
Q. Are you feeling the ball as well as you have in a long time, especially on the volleys? You seem to be striking the forehand now more cleanly.
PETE SAMPRAS: I just feel like I'm in a good rhythm, serve and volley. It's just confidence out there. I'm just going for my shots and making them. It's clicking. You know, I've been waiting all year for it to click. Now I feel like it's finally there.
Q. Was there a moment in one of the opening matches when you sort of knew it clicked from there?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I played my first two matches pretty solid. I felt like my game was pretty solid. Struggled against Greg. Haas was a tough match. Felt like I played pretty well. But it's gotten a little bit better. I think tonight was -- I think under the circumstances with the wind, it was a pretty good night.
Q. Two questions about Paul. Number one, is he going to get some credit for what's going on here this week?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, absolutely.
Q. Two, does it seem ironic that back at the start of the year when you were contemplating how you were going to work this year, that Paul was out of your plans? Now he's suddenly back in, and your game is the way it is.
PETE SAMPRAS: A big reason why I'm able to -- the way I'm playing is because of Paul and just the stability and the confidence that we have in each other. Tried a few things this year that didn't pan out. I think Paul and I professionally probably hit a point last year where we needed to take a break from each other. To have him back was huge - really huge. I mean, he knows how I tick as a tennis player. That's , you know, you can't put a price on that. It's nice to have him, you know, there and helping me out through obviously a big event. You know, he knows my game, he knows what I should do out there, and I'm doing it. That's a big reason why I'm able to get it going here.
Q. Was he the one who suggested to you you were thinking too much?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. He has been watching this year. He's seen me play. He knows what I'm going through. It's a little bit of confidence. A lot of it is mental. Not so much physical , forehands or backhands; it's my state of mind. Not getting down on myself. He knows me. He knows it's not about forehands and backhands at this point in my tennis. It is very mental. He's
been a big reason I have been able to get through this.
Q. With all that said, how special is it to be back in the semis?
PETE SAMPRAS: Feels great. This is where it boils down to, the weekend. Feel like I worked hard to get here. Hopefully I can get through Saturday. I feel good. Everything is -- you know, the body is feeling pretty strong so...
Q. You talked last year about it doing you in having to play those two days in a row. You felt you didn't come out strong on Sunday after playing on Saturday. Now that you're about to go into another weekend like this, are you going to do anything differently?
PETE SAMPRAS: I'm not worried about the weekend, I'm worried about Saturday. I'm not looking ahead to Sunday. You get through that match and worry about Sunday and how you're going to prepare. It's a tough turnaround, but it's not really my concern at the moment.
Q. Do you feel fresher than at this point last year?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, maybe a little bit. I think playing Rafter then Agassi back-to-back, the Agassi match took a lot out of me emotionally and physically. It took its toll over the weekend. But playing a match tonight, an hour and a half, having a day off tomorrow, I should be pretty fresh on Saturday.
Q. How do you look at Andre and Lleyton?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's gonna be a classic. I really believe they're going to have a lot of great rallies. It's going to be some good tennis out there.
Q. Will you practice tomorrow?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I'll practice tomorrow.
Q. Did you have any inkling during the course of your day that you had something special in you for tonight?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, you don't. You really don't. I mean, you practice, you hit the ball fine. You just -- only time you know is when you play, when you go out there, and first couple games you kind of are, "Okay, it's kind of there now, it's clicking." But it's not something I felt today any different than yesterday or the day before.
Q. Early in the year when you were struggling, did you find yourself second-guessing a lot of your shots, strategies, whereas now it's just fluid?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. There was points this year where I was second-guessing and not -- just not that confident. You know, it showed at times. And, you know, guys are getting a little bit better, they don't have that fear factor. It just accumulated. Now I feel like I'm in a pretty good rhythm, everything's clicking. You kind of wait for it. I've been pretty patient all year, finally for it to kind of click. It's nice that it's happening here.
Q. This is one of the sweet moments of the year, obviously. Could you tell us what one or two of the low points were.
PETE SAMPRAS: Wimbledon. You know, Wimbledon, getting back home, that was one of the ultimate low points of my career I think. Such a shocker, the way it went. Accumulation of the whole year. And that kind of -- that was a tough moment.
Q. During this run and after tonight, do you feel that your stamina, strength and agility is anywhere close to where you were at five years ago?
PETE SAMPRAS: Pretty close. You know, it was a good night to, like I said, win in straight sets. When you play some five-setters early on, it can take its toll. But I feel like I'm in good shape here and ready to go over the weekend.
End of FastScripts 9/4/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Past and Future taking it easy before they play|:||:|1031126400|:|Source: NY Times
[NY Times, Sept 4, 2002] - The day before his 28th major quarterfinal, Pete Sampras rested in Manhattan, working out on an exercise machine for a quick sweat.
The day before his second major quarterfinal, Andy Roddick made an appearance in street clothes at the National Tennis Center in the late afternoon to receive a two-hour treatment from the trainer Doug Spreen.
A night before their match, and a night after their tense four-set victories in the Round of 16, neither picked up a racket. That would come soon enough in their intergenerational showdown.
"It's going to be fun," the 20-year-old Roddick said with a grin, ducking into the locker room.
Roddick was 6 when Sampras turned professional. But Sampras, now 31 and seeded 17th, is not saying the past is prologue quite yet.
"I think the days of me dominating are over, but I still feel like I have a major in me," he said after his four-set victory over third-seeded Tommy Haas on Tuesday night. "We know Andy is the future."
The effect of Sampras's run could catch up to him. It is the first time since April, when he lost to Roddick in the final of the United States Men's Clay Court Championship in Houston, that Sampras has advanced to a quarterfinal.
He has played nine sets of tennis in 24 hours, starting with a five-set, serve-and-volley victory over Greg Rusedski on Monday night.
"I think last night was more tiring for him than Greg's match," Paul Annacone, Sampras's coach, said of the Haas match. "In the match with Greg, there were not too many tennis shots. But he said he feels good today."
Roddick, seeded 11th, was more banged up. He charged over Juan Ignacio Chela despite playing with a bruised left toe that he sustained in the middle of his third-round match against Alex Corretja.
"He felt a little bit better today," Spreen said. "We're doing everything to calm it down, but there was no reason to go out and reaggravate it today. He should be close to 100 percent."
Roddick would not dare give up his dream to play Sampras. "I hope it's a nightmare for him," Sampras said with a laugh.
Sampras and Roddick have met just twice, both of which Roddick won in two sets after a first-set tie breaker. Both players seem to be playing with a renewed vigor.
For the first time in a while, Roddick seems to be having fun. "I am — and this is the place to do it," he said yesterday.
Roddick has not won a tournament since beating Sampras in Houston, at times growing quieter and more intense on the court.
While Roddick can crank his serve past 140 miles an hour, Sampras has been hitting them in the range of 130 m.p.h. at the United States Open — and with more accuracy.
As Sampras predicted after losing his opening match of the warm-up tournament at the Hamlet Golf and Country Club two weeks ago, he has become a different player at the Open.
"This past week and a half, I feel like I have kind of got my game going," Sampras said. "I'm comfortable playing here, the conditions. This is our Super Bowl. I'm pretty pumped, ready to go." 9/3/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras downs Tommy Haas|:||:|1031050800|:|Source" BBC Online
Pete Sampras played some vintage shots to dispatch third seed Tommy Haas at the US Open. 7-5 6-4 6-7 7-5
The American superstar, who has suffered a loss of form for much of this season, turned back time and came up with some of his very tennis to reach the quarter-finals.
And he will now face compatriot Andy Roddick in what promises to be an intriguing and fast-paced match.
Sampras lit up Arthur Ashe court for two-and-a-half sets in front of a vocal and partsian New York crowd on Tuesday night.
His serve was at its imperious best and he showed ample aggression when faced with the deliveries of the world number two.
An impressive spell took Sampras two sets clear when he earned and converted a pair of break points.
But the former US Open champion was forced to dig very deep in the latter stages of a gruelling match after surrendering a third-set tie-break.
As Sampras visibly tired, Hass started to look like the more likely winner, forcing his first break point of the match in the fourth set.
Crucially, though, the German missed his chance, and Sampras collected all of his vast experience to make a final push.
In the 12th game at nearly midnight local time, he earned a match point, which Haas gifted with a double fault.
It sealed a sensational victory for the resurgent Sampras, but the 31-year-old will need every minute of his rest day on Wednesday if he is to progress further. 9/3/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras, Roddick set for US Open quarterfinals|:||:|1031047200|:|Source: AP
At the end, Pete Sampras felt the humidity, the three hours of hitting balls back and forth, the weariness of three straight nights on the court at the U.S. Open.
And still he won.
Sampras, hidden in the seedings at No. 17, reached deep for a 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5), 7-5 victory over third-seeded Tommy Haas on Tuesday night that put him in the quarterfinals of the season's final Grand Slam.
There he will play No. 11 Andy Roddick, who showed the same kind of resolve for a 7-5, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Juan Ignacio Chela.
Roddick called playing his idol in the Open quarters a dream.
``I hope,'' Sampras said, ``it's a nightmare for him.''
Sampras, the Grand Slam record holder with 13 major titles, recognizes the significance of this pairing.
``He's the future of the game,'' the 31-year-old Sampras said. ``He's got a big game, a lot of power. It's kind of an older vet playing against the young guy. So it's a good matchup. I look forward to it.''
After a lethargic summer that left him as an afterthought at the start of this event, Sampras has geared up his game for the Open. He put it all on display against Haas.
There was a feeling, though, that this match ended just in time for him. He had frittered away a 2-0 lead in the third-set tiebreaker and was forced to a fourth set, something he hardly needed after finishing a five-setter the night before against Greg Rusedski.
``I was pretty frustrated but I hung in there,'' Sampras said. ``It would have been nice to win in straight sets.
``It was a long night. I was feeling it at the end. My legs were a little heavy. But it's the U.S. Open. You do what you can to win. You dig deep.''
Roddick could relate to that.
Playing with his left foot heavily taped, he dropped the first set to Chela. In the second set, the 20-year-old Roddick was hobbling when Cela sent him on a merry chase, from one end of the court to the other and back to the baseline. Roddick somehow saved shot after shot and then won the point with a passing shot that left Cela glued in place.
The Open crowd went wild, and when Roddick's momentum left him near the side of the court, he skipped over a bench and exchanged high fives with the fans.
This in the middle of a game.
``I don't really remember it too well because it was all reaction,'' Roddick said. ``It wasn't like I was in control of anything out there. I was really reacting to what he was doing. At first, it was tough. I kind of hobbled toward the first ball a little bit. The crowd grew more and more. They were giving me everything so I have to give it my all.
``I think it helped turn things around. Definitely, I think it was one of the turning points out there.''
Someone asked if the dive into the crowd was spontaneous.
``No,'' Roddick said, a playful smile creasing his face. ``I planned to hit a between-the-legs shot, run down a ball, run into the crowd. That was all in the works from the beginning.''
Now Roddick prepares for Sampras in Thursday's quarterfinal.
``I'm excited about the prospect,'' he said. ``I'm assuming it will be a nighttime match. That's what you play for. That's what you put the work in for, for matches like that.'' 9/3/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras answers Greg's taunt|:||:|1031043600|:|
The sky was clear for a change at the U.S. Open, but the men who played in Tuesday night's fourth-round matches left drenched anyway. Drenched in sweat. Four-time Open champion Pete Sampras, who advanced to a quarterfinal against younger American star Andy Roddick, was perspiring so much he dripped puddles onto the court and required a new delivery of shirts in the fourth set.
And with every drop of sweat, every ace, and every winner during his four-set win over No. 3 Tommy Haas, Sampras seemed to be saying: Take that, Greggie!
Greg Rusedski, after losing to him in five sets Monday night, questioned Sampras' resilience.
''I would be surprised if he wins his next match against Haas,'' Rusedski said. ``To be honest with you, I'd be very surprised. . . . I just think his movement is not the same, the fitness is not the same.
``He's not the same player.''
Maybe not, but he was good enough to win the first two sets off Haas 7-5, 6-4. Haas came back to win the third set 7-6 after a 7-5 tiebreaker. Sampras held on to win the deciding set 7-5.
Asked to respond to Rusedski saying he was a step and a half slow, Sampras replied, ``Against him, I don't need to be a step and a half quicker. I don't care what he thinks.''
Earlier, on the Louis Armstrong Stadium court, Roddick looked like he had just taken a shower after a come-from-behind win over Juan Ignacio Chela of Argentina 5-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4.
Roddick said after his match it would be a dream come true to play Sampras.
But Sampras said: ``I hope it's a nightmare for him. He is the future of the game. He has a big game, a lot of power.
``It's going to be the older veteran playing the young gun, and I'm really looking forward to it.''
Playing on a heavily taped ankle, and inspired by a rowdy pro-American crowd, Roddick spared no energy against Chela.
On a point late in the second set, Chela ran Roddick side to side, and Roddick got to five hard-to-reach balls, landing a tricky between-the-legs shot.
He celebrated by jumping into the crowd and slapping high fives with three fans.
Asked whether leaping into the audience was a spontaneous act, Roddick deadpanned and replied: ``No, I planned to hit a between-the-leg shot, run down a ball and run into the crowd. That was all in the works from the beginning.''
On another point, near the end of the match, Roddick did a Boris Becker impersonation, diving for a serve and leaving a sweaty imprint of his body on the court.
''I was really feeling the crowd,'' Roddick said. ``They pumped me up so much. My foot was hurting at first, but adrenaline's an amazing thing. I was definitely feeding off it. The crowd was giving me everything, so I had to give them my all.''
Roddick said his left ankle remains inflamed, but he has all of today to receive treatment and rest.
Roddick watched the end of the Sampras-Haas match from a television monitor, rooting for Sampras. He is 2-0 against Sampras and 0-3 against Haas, and he said given a choice, he preferred to face his American mentor.
''It would be very special for me to play Pete,'' Roddick said. ``He is one of my idols. So from a little kid dreaming about playing his idol angle, that would be a really cool situation.
``Pete is still Pete. No one can take anything away from the guy. And this is his house, the U.S. Open. He's a different player here.''
In today's men's quarterfinals, No. 1 Lleyton Hewitt of Australia plays No. 20 Younes El Aynaoui of Morocco, and No. 6 Andre Agassi plays No. 32 Max Mirnyi of Belarus. 9/3/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Press conference - R4 vs Tommy Haas|:||:|1031040000|:|
Pete Sampras/Tommy Haas
7-5, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5
An interview with: PETE SAMPRAS
MODERATOR: Questions for Pete.
Q. Can you talk about the tiebreak, early leads, how frustrating that must have been to start the fourth when you were so close to putting him away?
PETE SAMPRAS: I was frustrated. I had that Love-40 game there in the third. Got in the breaker, up 2-Love, had a mini break, missed a few shots. He came up with some pretty good stuff there. I was pretty frustrated, but I hung in there. I was still upset, so I still liked my position. Would have been nice to win it in straights.
Q. Andy Roddick said it would be a dream come true. What is it for you?
PETE SAMPRAS: I hope it's a nightmare for him (laughter). He is the future of the game, especially in the US. He's got a big game, a lot of power. It's kind of an older veteran playing against the young guy. So it's a good match-up. I'm looking forward to it.
Q. Is this going to decide who is the best player in America?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, not one match. Accumulation of years will do that. We know
Andy is the future.
Q. Any thoughts on Greg Rusedski's comments, things he said?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't really worry about what he says.
Q. Do you think you're a step and a half slower?
PETE SAMPRAS: Against him, I don't really need to be a step and a half quicker.
Q. There's no doubt it takes talent out here. To win a match like this, come back from last night, what else does it take to really win out here?
PETE SAMPRAS: It took stamina. It's been a long three days, hanging around. I was feeling it at the end. This is the US Open. You dig deep. You do whatever you can to win. I played well. Tommy Haas a great future himself. It was a good win to get through that in four.
Q. This place is a comfort zone for you. Been to the final seven times. That might help explain why suddenly you're having a great tournament. You've always done well at Wimbledon. You've struggled there. How do you explain we're here in September, your game is finally arriving?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it's confidence. It's being comfortable. It's getting into kind of a rhythm. I haven't really felt like I've settled into the year. This past week and a half, I feel like I have kind of got my game going. I'm comfortable playing here, the conditions. This is our Super Bowl. I'm pretty pumped, ready to go. I think the days of me dominating are over,
but I still feel like I have a major in me. I'm going to give it my best shot here.
Q. Any reason why it's coming together now as opposed to Wimbledon?
PETE SAMPRAS: Wimbledon was a fluke. It happened. It was kind of a shocking loss, but it happened. Didn't play very well. It's over. You've got to move on. You can't dwell on Wimbledon. Get ready for The Open and do the best you can.
Q. Comments from Greg appeared to be from a player who is circling around, looking to pick off the bones of an old player. The message you send out tonight is pretty loud?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, beating Tommy, the No. 3 seed, to beat him in four, play pretty well, I'm not really worried about what Greg says or thinks. You know, I can't waste my energy on stuff like that.
Q. The message you send out is pretty powerful to the rest of the guys.
PETE SAMPRAS: I'm playing well. Served well. Any time you can serve 130 on the line, you're going to be a threat.
Q. Do you feel you're getting better as each match goes on?
PETE SAMPRAS: I feel I played pretty well tonight. I feel I got my game going, played at a pretty high level. I struggled against Greg last night, but today I kind of clicked. It was a good win.
Q. You don't feel like you need to send out any messages, do you?
PETE SAMPRAS: No.
Q. How proud are you to get the 200th win in a Grand Slam?
PETE SAMPRAS: Numbers don't really mean much. When it comes to stuff like that... I'm in the quarters against Roddick. That's my main concern.
Q. Are there any tactical concerns you've been talking about since you got back together with Paul?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.
Q. Do you want to tell us about it?
PETE SAMPRAS: Being aggressive, playing on my own terms, taking chances, coming in, using my athletic ability.
Q. How big of a change has it been, the coaching change?
PETE SAMPRAS: It gives me some stability. Paul knows me better than anyone as a tennis player. He knows what to say, what not to say. There's a lot of comfort there. It's been kind of a sporadic year with my coaching. Paul is nice enough to help out. It's really paid off quite well for me.
Q. Davis Cup question. If in his wisdom Patrick McEnroe decides he wants to play James Blake and Andy Roddick in singles, calls you and asks you if you would play doubles for the Davis Cup team, backup singles player, what is your response?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, Pat has to put out the best team. If he wants to put James, I have no problem with that. For me to go over and play doubles, I don't know. I mean, not really my first choice (smiling). But I committed to the year. I don't think we're really worried about that now. We'll just see how this week goes. I don't know. I haven't really thought about it much.
Q. What is the biggest challenge when you face Roddick? How different a player is he now than, say, a year ago?
PETE SAMPRAS: He's a little more well-rounded. His serve is devastating, especially the power that he gets. You know, his second serve is huge. He's got a lot of heat. He moves well, is competitive. He's got all those intangibles to be a great player.
Q. How much more confidence do you have in your game at this point than when you started this tournament?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's gotten a little better. I thought I played pretty well my first two matches. The serve and volley is there. I feel like I've got a pretty good rhythm. I feel like my game's there.
End of FastScripts 9/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete wins over Greg Rusedski |:||:|1030969800|:|Source: BBC online
Pete Sampras survived a five-set tussle with Greg Rusedski to reach the fourth round of the US Open 7-6 (7-4) 4-6 7-6 (7-3) 3-6 6-4
Last year's finalist looked to be heading towards defeat and the possibilty of dropping out of the world's top 50 when he lost the fourth set to a rampant Rusedski.
However, the American survived a rocky patch at the beginning of the fifth set and broke Rusedski in the very last game to seal victory.
Sampras, who had been unusually animated throughout the match, raised his arms and looked to the sky as a partisan crowd rose to applaud the 13-times Grand Slam champion.
He next faces Germany's Tommy Haas for a spot in the quarter-finals, and after a brave display will have nothing to fear from the third seed.
Rusedski and Sampras had first stepped on court on Sunday evening but only managed nine games before torrential rain forced them off for the night.
The tension and suspense survived the overnight break and, when the players finally got back on court on Monday evening after another day of rain, the action was fast and furious.
Resuming at 5-4 down, Sampras immediately held to love to level the set with some sharp serving and the pair headed into a tiebreak, which was clinched by the American with a pair of aces.
Rusedski, a finalist at Flushing Meadows in 1997 and seeded 33rd, hit right back, however, winning the second set 6-4 despite allowing his own mighty serve to be broken.
Two breaks of the Sampras serve made amends.
The next two sets mirrored the opening two - Sampras winning the third on a tiebreak and Rusedski pegging him back in the fourth, an early break enough to level the match.
The strain was showing on Sampras' face and even those at the back of the stands were left in no doubt how much this match meant to the 17th seed.
For years the most silent of assassins, Sampras' volleys, smashes and piledriver groundstrokes were now being delivered with an unfamiliar grunt of effort.
As roars of "Let's go Pete" rang around the floodlit arena, Sampras held serve with some weighty deliveries and smartly-placed volleys.
Rusedski looked no more fragile, though, whipping his left-handed deliveries down from his full 6 ft 4 ins frame.
It was not until the 10th game of the deciding set that the Briton wavered and that scrap of doubt was all Sampras needed to punish him.
Three rifled forehand passes gave the American match point and he clinched it on the first when Rusedski miscued. 9/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras edges Rusedski at US Open|:||:|1030966200|:|Source: AP
NEW YORK (AP, Sept 2, 2002)- Pete Sampras unfurled a backhand return winner down the line and let out an excited yell: "Aaahhh!" The fans responded, applauding and chanting support.
It was tough to tell who was more pleased to see Sampras hit that type of shot again.
Playing in the tournament that's brought out his best during the past two difficult years, Sampras powered into the fourth round by beating Greg Rusedski 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4 Monday night at a U.S. Open disrupted heavily by rain.
"I hung in there. The crowd was great. It got me going at the end," said Sampras, who had 81 winners and broke 1997 Open runner-up Rusedski's serve in the final game. "It made it a little sweeter with the win. As you get older, those are moments you cherish a little more."
Not since 1988, his first season as a pro, has Sampras failed to make it at least to the fourth round at the U.S. Open. He's won the title four times and been the runner-up three others, including in 2000 and 2001. But the current edition of Sampras isn't the one that captured a record 13 Grand Slam titles. He came into the Open with a 20-17 match record this year and hasn't won a title since July 2000.
"He's a step and a half slow coming into the net. He's just not the same player," Rusedski said. "I lost the match. He didn't win the match tonight. He's not playing that great. I'll be surprised if he wins his next match, to be honest with you."
Sampras, seeded just 17th, now plays No. 3 Tommy Haas _ the man who wasn't allowed to wear his muscle shirt at the Open _ for a quarterfinal berth.
Haas finished his 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory over Thomas Enqvist, then looked ahead.
"You can never underestimate a player like Pete Sampras. The guy really knows what he wants. The will and the power," the German said. "Maybe he doesn't have the quickness. But if he serves well, it will be tough to beat him."
On Monday, the 31-year-old Sampras made the types of mistakes he has been for a while, following errant shots by rubbing his forehead or shuffling his feet along the baseline. But Rusedski was often his own undoing. Most damaging: he double faulted twice in the first-set tiebreaker.
The third-set tiebreaker showcased Sampras' best and worst. He took a 4-0 lead with that backhand that elicited his own shout and those of spectators. "It was a big, big point," Sampras said.
At 4-1, though, he tried one of his trademark overhead slams and dumped the ball into the net. He shook his head and smiled.
"I was a little embarrassed. I kind of got overanxious," Sampras said. "You miss a bad shot like that one and you just have to move on."
Both players served brilliantly for stretches, each topping 130 mph. Sampras finished with 17 aces. Rusedski had 19, eroded partly by 10 double faults.
Sampras lost just five points on his serve during the third set and hit one serve so hard it got lodged in the net's webbing. But he had problems handling the speed and movement that serves generate off the racket of Rusedski, who owns the fastest serve in ATP Tour history at 149 mph.
Rusedski, who usually plays quickly, seemed to make a conscious attempt to disrupt Sampras' rhythm. Sampras bristled at the gamesmanship, complaining to the chair umpire.
Rusedski plucked his racket strings, yanked up his sagging socks, tugged on his sweat-soaked shirt, even changed rackets for no apparent reason. In sum, he was a human rain delay, as though there weren't enough of the natural kind.
Not surprisingly, Sampras - who entered with an 18-0 record in night matches at the Open- had the spectators firmly behind him, with nearly all chanting, "Let's go, Pete!" during a fifth-set changeover.
One fan took a jab at Rusedski's midcareer country change, shouting: "All right, Canada! I mean, England!"
The chair umpire asked fans not to yell between serves.
Sampras had break point while leading 3-2 in the fifth set - a game marked by call-questioning on serves by both players - but wasted it when he sent a second-serve return long. Sampras doubled over in anguish.
He kept it together, though, and two winners off his trademark forehand got him to match point. When Rusedski's forehand went wide, Sampras raised both arms in the air, then pumped his fist, while spectators regaled him: "Pete! Pete! Pete!" 9/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras stays calm to outlast Rusedski|:||:|1030964400|:|Source: Selena Roberts, NY Times
Suddenly, Greg Rusedski had a lot of nerve. Sure, he had unraveled during a first-set tie breaker with two double faults and came undone in a third-set tie breaker, too.
Of course, Rusedski had reacted to match point against him by swiping a serve that he failed to follow to the net. And true, on that same point, he took two steps in and took a step back, doing a hokeypokey of sorts as Pete Sampras punched a return that left Rusedski out of position as he flailed at a passing shot that fell wide to end it.
Never mind that Rusedski had just lost to the legendary Sampras last night at the United States Open, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4, sending Sampras to the Round of 16 for the 13th time in 14 years.
Whatever, Sampras is done. Rusedski boldly stated that opinion after his summer of sizzle died in Louis Armstrong Stadium in front of a rowdy crowd that had been barking at the Canadian-turned-Briton all night long. If Rusedski was out, Sampras was sure to follow.
"I'd be surprised if he wins his next match," said Rusedski, who entered the Open with three victories against top-10 players under his belt. "I think the movement is not the same and the fitness is not the same.
"He's just not the same player from the past. You're used to seeing Pete Sampras, 13 Grand Slam champion. He's not the same player."
Few have stated the obvious with such unvarnished flair. It is no secret that Sampras has been struggling for two years, not having won a major since Wimbledon in 2000. And after getting his third-round match in after the rain ended yesterday, Sampras will be in a physical bind to be fresh today for his next opponent, another five-set winner last night, Tommy Haas.
"My first thought is to get back to my hotel room," Sampras said.
He had already left the building when Rusedski began his unabashed inspection of Sampras's form. Although Sampras is just a year removed from being a finalist at the United States Open, Rusedski doesn't believe he has another run in his 31-year-old body.
"I wouldn't put any money on it, let's put it like that," Rusedski said. "I think Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick are the top two Americans who have a chance right now."
Agassi and Roddick provided some credence to Rusedski's theory on a night when the rains ended and a shotgun start began a revolving door of matches that left the fans unsure of where to turn next.
Fans were at the top of one stadium, craning their necks trying to catch the play in another. In the span of 15 minutes near 10 p.m., Sampras won; the third-seeded Haas completed a 6-4, 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 third-round victory against Thomas Enqvist; and Daniela Hantuchova upset the eighth-seeded Justine Henin in three sets to advance to the women's quarterfinals.
Later, playing a round ahead of Sampras, Agassi put away Jan-Michael Gambill and top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt beat Jiri Novak, both in straight sets. Just after midnight, Roddick finished off a 30-stroke rally with a cathartic forehand winner in the third-set tiebreaker to get by Alex Corretja in a third-round match.
It was wild, match madness. And it all began with the unassuming Lindsay Davenport. She finished off a victory in the first match after a seven-hour rain delay ended around 6 p.m.
One minute, Davenport was roaming through a players' lounge that resembled a bus terminal on a snow day. Racket bags were scattered on the floor, a few players napped and others dealt cards on a drizzly afternoon meant for hot chocolate and old movies.
The next minute, Davenport was hustled into Arthur Ashe Stadium with little warning after officials told her she was first when the drops stopped.
The sudden notice and her body alarm were not in sync last night. Sluggish at the start, in need of coffee, Davenport allowed her game to eventually catch up with her talent as she shook off an early service break to advance to the quarterfinals, with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Silvia Farina Elia.
"They gave me a time thing where if it's after 5:45 p.m., we won't put you out there," said Davenport, who went on the court just after 6 p.m. "I looked at the clock. It's 5:40 p.m., and the court is not dry. Everybody in the referee's office has locked themselves in. I was trying to open the door. They said, `You're still on in 10 minutes."'
Normally, a player has time to hit on an outside court before a match to loosen up. "We went on a wet court and I hit serves on the wettest court I've ever seen, but that was it," Davenport said. As if to make up for this time pinch, officials gave Davenport and Elia 10 minutes to warm up against each other inside the stadium instead of five.
"I started slow because of it, but I expected to," the fourth-seeded Davenport said of her brief prematch preparation. "I'm happy now that it's over. In those few minutes, it was a little bit stressful. No one knew what was happening."
The third-seeded Jennifer Capriati had more time to prepare as the second match in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Early on, Capriati muscled her way past unseeded American Amy Frazier before experiencing a slight mental lapse in the second set. It was only temporary. Capriati moved onto the quarterfinals after a 6-1, 6-3 victory against Frazier in 53 minutes.
About the same time, Nicolas Massu retired with a right hamstring and groin injury against Gustavo Kuerten, who was leading, 6-1, 5-4, in the third-round match.
Watching the rain outside the lounge window made for a tedious day for the players. Several times during the day, players were told that the rain was within an hour of ending. Several times, officials were wrong.
Sampras left the grounds with less than 24 hours before his next match. Although he didn't look his sharpest, Sampras was able to come up with the kind of pressure points that escaped Rusedski. In the first-set tiebreaker, Sampras punctuated set point with an ace. In the fifth set, Sampras manufactured a match point on Rusedski's serve by crushing a forehand passing shot behind his slow-footed opponent.
Sampras resisted the chance to poke at Rusedski's history of tightening up on big points or his lackluster record in five-set matches.
"I didn't see any nerves in Greg," Sampras said. The real nerve by Rusedski was after the match 9/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|It's not the same old, same old, as Sampras soaks in victory|:||:|1030962600|:|Source: Diana Pucin, LA Times
The sound came from deep within Pete Sampras. It was a howling, yowling bellow of fear, of excitement, of desperate need, of astounding conviction.
Sampras had seen the tennis ball as it used to be, as larger than life, approaching slowly, so slowly. Sampras was able to line up his old friend, the one-handed backhand, plot a course for a return of Greg Rusedski's second serve, make the ball curve and spin under Rusedski's racket and then drop safely inside the line, a resounding winner on a crucial point in the third-set tiebreaker of a five-set, third-round victory Monday night at the U.S. Open.
Before the ball landed, Sampras shook the tin walls of the main stage here, Louis Armstrong Stadium, with a scream we've never heard from the stoic champion.
Sampras has vomited on this court, has wept in victory and in exhausted defeat, has held up trophies and stood stone-faced as the runner-up but never had he screamed like this, as if this single shot validated him, validated his refusal to retire as a 31-year-old winner of 13 Grand Slam titles, validated his inability to accept that the whispers he hears are true, that he is slower, weaker, less intimidating.
A little later the beaten opponent, Rusedski, said: "He's not playing great. I'd be surprised if he wins his next match against [Tommy] Haas. To be honest with you, I'd be very surprised."
But Sampras played great enough to beat Rusedski, 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4, and advance to the fourth round. He played well enough to bring the wet, shivering fans to the point of chanting his name.
All around the grounds there were astounding matches, night matches everywhere after nearly two days of rain. But on every changeover, the Armstrong aisles would be crowded with fans scrambling up the wet steps. They'd heard the screams, the rumble of an epic percolating, and they wanted to see. Would Sampras, the great champion, walk away with his head buried in a towel, or his fists pumping in triumph?
For all his adult life, Sampras has defined himself by what he did with a racket and a ball at this court, at Wimbledon's Centre Court and at the big, covered stadium in Melbourne, Australia. For a decade, Sampras ruled with supreme confidence and a game both elegant and elemental.
"He's a step-and-a-half slow coming to the net," Rusedski said. "You can get the ball down. He's just not the same player. I mean, he's a great player from the past."
Sports are cruel and so are sportsmen, and that's what they say when a man such as Sampras hasn't won a title in more than two years.
Rusedski, once a U.S. Open finalist, tried to present his own resume as something special—"It's not like I haven't been to a U.S. Open finals, it's not like I haven't won 12 titles, it's not like I haven't beaten [Andre] Agassi, Sampras, [Andy] Roddick, players of that stature, it's not that I haven't been able to do it."
But Rusedski hasn't been able to do it when it matters, when the pressure is the greatest. Nobody has done it as often as Sampras, 13 times a winner in the finals of Grand Slams, and because of that Sampras has seemed puzzled that so many seem so eager to have him walk away from the game on someone else's terms, rather than his own.
Why is Sampras demeaning himself? That's what other players wonder quietly in the locker room. Why is he diminishing the memories, leaving us with the fresh impression of a balding, hunched-over, sad-eyed loser instead of the greatest player ever?
This is why:
"Let's go Pete. Let's go Pete. Let's go Pete."
It is what the people want. Pete winning one more Slam title.
It was that backhand service return winner, the one where Sampras just let go, just swung with his heart and the ball whipped by Rusedski. And it was the slam-dunk overheads, three of them, which made the crowd roar.
"The people and the atmosphere out on Louis was something I was enjoying," Sampras said. "Those are moments that as you get a little bit older, you kind of cherish a little bit more. The people were really, really pulling for me."
Sampras is slower. Rusedski is correct. Sampras arrives at the net too late sometimes to crack the angular, unhittable volleys that made him the king of Wimbledon. Rusedski also said Sampras offers up too many second serves, and that someone young and strong such as Haas will feast on those easy balls.
Those second serves still huddle in the corners of the service box or kick cruelly into the body of the receiver. They are not easy to return, and when Sampras finds his rhythm, and he can, then the rest of his game becomes smoother.
Haas, seeded No. 3, has beaten Sampras three consecutive times. It has been four years since Sampras beat the German. If Sampras loses today, what happened Monday will be forgotten by everyone except Sampras. He will hear, again, how he should quit, how he shouldn't return to this stage.
Yet Sampras will remember the cheers. He will still feel the passion from the stands, and his hand will still tingle from the feel of the two sparkling passing shots he hit in the final game Monday. And that's still enough for Sampras. For now. 9/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete turns back open clock|:||:|1030960800|:|Source: Mark Hale, NY Post
They had been with him all match. And now, as Pete Sampras shuffled his feet, gathering himself to receive for match point deep into the fifth set, the roar at Louis Armstrong Stadium reached a crescendo.
Oh, part of it was because of the situation - Sampras hadn't broken England's Greg Rusedski since midway through the second set. But most of it was a tribute simply to Sampras himself, almost a toast to what the fans hoped was one more inspired Grand Slam run.
Moments later, Rusedski's forehand flew wide and both Sampras and the crowd had their wish. Sampras thrust both hands skyward, screaming "Thank you" before flashing an enormous grin on his face as he basked in the cheers.
"There are moments when you get older that you kind of cherish a little more," Sampras said after his 7-6 (7-4), 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 6-4 third-round win. "The people were kind of pulling for me, and it was nice to carry it out."
Coming into the Open, many doubted the 17th-seeded Sampras' chances for a possible 14th Grand Slam. In fact, many were urging him to retire altogether after what they expected to be an early-round loss.
But in case you had doubts, the man is not going to be vanquished easily, nor is he about to fade quietly into the night. It would be hyperbolic to call last night's encounter with the 33rd-seeded Rusedski an instant classic, but a three-hour-and-15-minute heavyweight fight? Go right ahead.
Rusedski, the hard-hitting Brit, gave Sampras all he could handle. His booming serve - which reached breakneck speeds of 132 mph - gave Sampras fits, its power and pace jamming him into repeated mis-hits and errant shots off his frame. Play was even throughout and Rusedski, in fact, actually captured more games than Sampras, 28-27.
But on big points, Sampras showed more poise, especially in the tiebreakers when Rusedski struggled with double faults and erratic play.
"I lost the match. He didn't win," Rusedski said. "When it counted, I gave him a little too much respect."
It's true that Sampras committed an unsightly 42 unforced errors, one of the reasons why he admitted that he played "solid, not great." Still, he had plenty of umph on his serve, racking up 17 aces, and he recorded a remarkable 81 winners.
"I enjoy playing," Sampras said. "That's why I'm still here, because I look forward to the challenge."
How far Sampras can go in the Open? It's anyone's guess. He is, after all, seeded 17th, meaning his draw the rest of the way could be a murderer's row that includes Tommy Haas (his fourth-round opponent), Andy Roddick, Gustavo Kuerten and Lleyton Hewitt.
"I'll be surprised if he wins his next match against Haas," Rusedski said. "He's just not the same player."
Maybe not. But he's still playing. 9/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras proves all too human|:||:|1030959000|:|Source: Steve Wilstein, AP
These days, Pete Sampras is more like the rest of us _ serves suddenly shaky, volleys capricious, mechanics off, mind wallowing in self-doubt. What tennis player hasn't felt that way at times? A match is going smoothly, rallies taking on a satisfying rhythm, then, mysteriously, everything is out of whack.
All those lessons and magazine tips we've diligently memorized come flooding back in a frenzy of self-analysis. Is the elbow properly skyward, the racket head downward in the back-scratch position on serve? Is the toss high enough, forward enough? Should the serve be flatter or have more slice? Is the arm following through? Are the knees bent? Is the body turned 90-degrees for groundstrokes, the front foot stepping toward the net, the point of contact low, the finish high to impart peak top spin? The easy flow of movement gives way to herky-jerky motions. There is so much to remember and so little time to figure it out before another game is lost, and then one more, and then the match. We walk off shaking our heads or tossing our rackets, victims of too much thinking.
For Sampras, tennis has always been so effortless. Or at least that's how he made it seem since he won the first of his record 13 Grand Slam titles at the U.S. Open in 1990. Certainly he had his struggles _ playing through sickness and tears and injuries _ but his game, itself, has always been so elegant, so fluid, so simple.
Now he looks as if he's thinking way too much, like the rest of us, and in his misery we see ourselves. We recognize his vulnerability and empathize with him, rooting for him rather than merely marveling at him.
Sampras and the Open fans were in wet limbo Monday until evening, the rain as incessant as it had been Sunday when Sampras and Greg Rusedski had to wait all day to play. Rusedski led 5-4 on serve when play was suspended. After waiting all day once more, they came back on court at 6:18 p.m., looking as if they both needed a shave. More than three hours later, Sampras secured a 7-6 (4), 4-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-4 third-round victory, helped by fans who encouraged him with more affection than he had known in the years when he won so easily. ``Shake it off, Pete,'' one fan shouted after he clunked an overhead. ``You're a champion,'' another reminded him when he seemed to be sagging. ``Let's go, Pete,'' they all chanted to lift him for the last few games.
Sampras looked around, taking it all in, riding their emotion and responding with uncharacteristic roars of his own. He needed the crowd. Brilliant one moment, inept the next, he alternated powerful passing shots with misses on the easiest of volleys. In the end, staying true to his style, forcing the action by coming forward, he broke Rusedski for the first time since the second set, crushing three passing shots and watching the Brit send a final forehand wide.
For one fatiguing match against a dangerous player, Sampras showed he is still a threat to beat anyone. ``I'm enjoying winning these close matches,'' Sampras said, though he acknowledged that he's ``not quite as dominant as I once was.''
He knows it was the third round and it takes seven victories to win the Open. Next up is No. 3 Tommy Haas on Tuesday. Sampras, the four-time champion and the runner-up the past two years, would have to win five matches in seven days to capture the title again. That's hard at any age and harder still at 31, as Sampras is. To do it at this tender moment in his career, when his confidence is down and his game is in disarray, would be almost inconceivable.
``It's more difficult to recover from tough matches and be ready to go the next day,'' Martina Navratilova was saying during the afternoon, talking about her own modest comeback attempts at 45 but adding that it applied to other aging players. Just like weekend hackers, the best pros crumble inexplicably and get into trouble trying to figure out what went wrong. ``You lose twice serving for the match, it becomes a pattern,'' she said. ``Next time you're serving for the match _ 'Oh, my God, can I serve it?' That's not just me, that's anybody that's been out there playing for a while. Then you start playing carefully. You have the shot, but you just want to make it instead of going for it.'' Does she see that in Sampras? ``Yup,'' she said. ``Definitely.'' 9/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Sampras is respected but not feared|:||:|1030957200|:|Source: John Gustafson, ESPN
NEW YORK -- He may not put the fear of God into opponents anymore, but in his five-set victory over Canadian-turned-Brit Greg Rusedski on Monday evening, Pete Sampras proved why he still draws the comparison to the almighty.
The winless tournament streak stands at 33, but that hasn't stopped Pistol Pete's opponents from singing his praises even as they beat him up on the court.
Roger Federer, who ended Sampras' Wimbledon streak in 2001, still calls that win over his hero one of his most emotional. And just last week, Marat Safin, who beat Sampras in the 2000 U.S. Open before losing to him in last year's semis, felt uncomfortable when he was asked to discuss if Sampras was on his way out.
"He's the best player of all-time," Safin said. "For me, the way he controls tennis for last six years, is amazing. Six years No. 1 in the world, 13 Grand Slams. I cannot even talk about him. It's like talking about God."
Of course, there are the unbelievers. Case in point, the 33rd-seeded Rusedski, who pushed Sampras to the brink Monday night.
"I'd be surprised if he wins his next match against Haas," Rusedski said following his 6-7 (4), 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-3, 4-6 loss to Sampras on Louis Armstrong Stadium court. "He's just not the same player."
If Jan-Michael Gambill is, as he stated following his upset of Carlos Moya, "a real Gemini," then Rusedski, who turns 29 on Sept. 6, is the quintessential Virgo. With bananas placed neatly on the chair next to him and bottles of Evian equidistant from each other near his feet, the left-handed serve-and-volley specialist is the Nomar Garciaparra of men's tennis, a perfectionist who constantly fidgets on the court. He spends so much time straightening his shoe tongues and pulling up his socks that during the match with Sampras one fan finally admonished him saying, "Hey Greg. Leave the socks alone."
Rusedski, a 1997 finalist here, doesn't care. He just keeps serving aces. Heading into his third-round match with Sampras, he had won eight straight matches dating back to his tournament crown at Indianapolis. And despite a 1-8 record against Pete, Rusedski seemed poised to take out 31-year-old Sampras after emerging from a tumultuous second-round match against Thailand's Paradorn Srichaphan that included wild crowd theatrics and Bronx cheers. Even after Monday night's loss, he maintained that Sampras hadn't so much as beaten him as he had lost by giving his opponent too much respect and squandering key points.
The first came Sunday night when he blew a set point before the rain returned, postponing the match with Rusedski leading 5-4. Then, after posting a couple of mini-breaks in the tiebreaker, Rusedski gave it back with two double faults. Tied at a set apiece, Rusedski seemed to right himself by heading into the third set tiebreaker with booming aces of 128, 128 and 126 mph. Sampras rebounded in the breaker, finishing with a down-the-line winner (one of 81 for Pete on the night) that left Rusedski staring in disbelief. In the fourth set, the Brit rebounded to break Sampras and win 6-3, but with Sampras serving 4-5 in the fifth, the 13-time Grand Slam champ came up big with three forehand passing shots before Rusedski missed long to close out the match.
Yet, despite the loss and his history against Sampras, the word "choke" was not bantered about in the postmatch. In fact, Sampras had nothing but praise for Rusedski, who had just 25 unforced errors. "I didn't see many nerves by Greg," Sampras said. "I thought he played pretty flawless."
Rusedski, who noted before the match that the sense of Sampras' invincibility isn't there anymore, was equally blunt following the loss. Asked to break down where the former No. 1 is lacking, Rusedski said: "You've got to look at the returns, for one. A lot of second serves. Guys who return better will really punish him for that. I just think the movement is not the same and the fitness is not the same. He's still a good player, no question about it. But he's not a great player."
And not God. Still, as the men's game searches for its next big name, the accomplishments of Sampras come into focus. He may not be a great player anymore, but the fact that he still chases that elusive 14th Slam, that he believes in himself even when no one else does, says a lot. The guy still loves the competition and like it or not, he's going out on his own terms. And he's still alive.
"You know, I'm not quite as dominant as I once was," he said, running a hand through his thinning hair. "But I enjoy playing. That's why I'm still here. I look forward to the challenge and each match gets a little tougher. I'm looking forward to tomorrow." 9/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Press conference - R3 vs Greg Rusedski|:||:|1030955400|:|
Pete Sampras/Greg Rusedski
7-6, 4-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4
An interview with: PETE SAMPRAS
MODERATOR: First question, please.
Q. You say that you are playing to win majors, but on a night like tonight, do you play just for a night like tonight?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, it was very exciting. The people and the atmosphere out on Louis was something that I was enjoying. Made it a little bit sweeter with the win. But those are moments that as you get a little bit older, you kind of cherish a little bit more. The people were really, really pulling for me. It was nice to get through it.
Q. Did you feel that Greg was trying to stall you on a return of serve? A couple of times you looked over.
PETE SAMPRAS: He was slowing me down at certain times.
Q. Were you asking the umpire to try to speed him up?
PETE SAMPRAS: He said that some people were behind him or something. There's always someone moving behind you at this event. He was definitely taking his time.
Q. On the racquet exchange, did you see that as a legit replacement of the racquet?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't have a problem with that. The rules, you can do that, so it's fine.
Q. On the third point of the third-set tiebreak when you hit the backhand passing shot, the return, you let out quite a bellow. Was that just effort, or did you hit the ball wide?
PETE SAMPRAS: It was a big, big point. That gave me a mini break, a double mini break, which was a big point. Finally hit a good couple returns there in the breaker. It was more of, you know, the crowd got into it. Hit it good. Finally made one. It was a big point.
Q. On TV, Jim and McEnroe were talking about some of the strategy Courier had, he may get nerves a bit, you hang in there, hang in there, see some of the nervous shots that may come from Greg.
PETE SAMPRAS: I didn't see many nerves by Greg. He maybe missed the one volley at 30-All. I thought he played pretty flawless. Really mixed up his serves, first and second. He kind of had me guessing a lot of the match. I thought Greg played well. I thought he really handled the nerves fine. It is a battle of nerves in the fifth set when you have two big serve and
volleyers. It's a couple points here and there. I managed to hit a couple good returns there and a couple good passes at the end.
Q. Why is Tommy Haas giving you trouble the last couple times?
PETE SAMPRAS: In Toronto he served unbelievably well. He served about 30 aces. I had some chances to maybe pull that match out. Tommy Haas improved quite a bit the last couple years. He's developed a big first serve. He backs it up with good groundies. He's moving well. He's a good player.
Q. What is your thought now, you're in the Round of 16. What's your thought about your tennis?
PETE SAMPRAS: My first thought is to get back to my hotel room and get ready for tomorrow.
Q. And overall?
PETE SAMPRAS: I feel pretty good. I feel like it's a tough match. Playing Greg is very difficult. You don't get a ton of rhythm. It's kind of hit-and-miss tennis. You kind of hang in there against Greg. Tomorrow's match will be different, a lot more baseline rallies. I feel like my game is pretty good. I didn't really return all that well tonight, but I got through it.
Q. In the past against Greg it seemed like when you would swing him wide to your backhand, you could control your service games comfortably. He made some good low awkward returns. Did that make it tough to decide to stay behind the second serve?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yes, it's tough. If you go there too much against Greg, he actually hits it pretty well. On the second, I don't mind staying back, usually that chip will go short so I can come in or do something. If you go to a spot too often, you're going to pay the price. I did. I got my serve broken three or four times.
Q. In the fifth it seemed like you tried to get in behind the second serve.
PETE SAMPRAS: I wanted to get in, period. I didn't want to hit too many passing shots. He was chipping and charging on me. If I want to go out and play, it's going to be on my terms. If I throw in a few doubles and lose the match, that's on my terms. I managed to kind of squeak it out.
Q. Can you talk us through your experiences late yesterday afternoon when the schedule was changing every five minutes.
PETE SAMPRAS: It's rough, rough, rough couple days for everybody, especially if -- you know, Greg and I were just hanging around all day, waiting to play. Nothing you can do. You don't know when to eat, when to practice. It's just a very, very tough day for everyone. It was good we got it done.
Q. Yesterday, there was some speculation you were still in the city.
PETE SAMPRAS: I was in the city. They changed it to 6:00. I thought I was second after 5:30. I got here at 5:40, told I was going to play at 6:00. I was a little bit frazzled. It showed a little bit when I went out there. But they gave me a little bit more time.
Q. How important was it to get the break and not lose the first set yesterday before you went home?
PETE SAMPRAS: Huge, huge. Being down 6-3. Went to sleep a little easier. Got into a breaker today. Not easy, play two games, play a breaker against Greg. Scary moments. Big break to get back right before the rain.
Q. It used to be in early summer conventional wisdom, Wimbledon is coming, Pete is going to step up his game. Sort of in recent years it's been like your game has taken a bit of an edge here, been energized. Has there been a shift?
PETE SAMPRAS: I enjoy playing here. Usually when I have subpar years, Wimbledon is a tournament that gets me going. Hasn't happened the last couple years. But the US Open the past two years I've gotten it going. I just love playing here. I enjoy this facility, the courts, the crowd. It's our Super Bowl here in the US so I'm pretty pumped.
Q. Do you feel more at home on Louis Armstrong than Arthur Ashe?
PETE SAMPRAS: Louis, he's been pretty good to me over the years. Arthur has been pretty good. I enjoy playing both stadiums. Louis is a little more intimate. You can feel the people a lot more. I tend to like that. The court's a little smaller. Arthur Ashe court, it's a great court. I mean, it's so big, you don't really feel the people as much. But when it gets packed, it's a pretty impressive stadium. But Louis, I'm won my fair share of matches out there.
Q. What did you show yourself by what you did tonight?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, just hanging in there, maybe not playing great, but playing pretty solid. Just hang in there. Hopefully you get a little fortunate. Playing someone like Greg, it's a couple points here and there. I just hung in there when I wasn't really on top of my game. You know, I was just going to keep on fighting. Playing a breaker, which I thought we were
going to go to, it's a little bit roll the dice. It was nice I broke him there.
Q. What does it say about your emotional state of mind when you can laugh at a gaffed overhead?
PETE SAMPRAS: 4-Love breaker. I was a little embarrassed. Kind of got overanxious.
Q. You didn't look irritated by it.
PETE SAMPRAS: You can't be. You've got to move on. You miss a shot, a bad shot like that was, you just have to shut it out and move to the next point. You can't dwell on it too much. It was a bad miss at a bad time.
Q. Given the difficulties you've had in the last few tournaments, are you enjoying the early rounds here more than you might have in previous years?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, enjoy winning, enjoy winning these close matches. You know, not quite as dominant as I once was. But the first two matches, I feel like I played pretty well. Today, a tough match-up against Greg. I enjoyed playing. That's why I'm still here, is because I look forward to the challenge, and each match gets a little bit tougher. I'm looking forward to
tomorrow.
Q. You hit a couple of your signature overheads tonight that did go in. Can you talk about what kind of weapon that's been for you over the years, that shot?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's a high-percentage shot because it's an overhead. It gets the crowd going. It gets me pretty pumped. It's a fun shot to hit when it's there and the timing is there. I enjoy doing it.
Q. Are you available to show Mark Philippoussis how to hit that ball?
PETE SAMPRAS: I'll show anyone how to hit it (smiling). It takes a little timing. He's got to worry about his knee at the moment. 9/2/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Classy Sampras forever a Champ|:||:|1030953600|:|Source: USA Today
NEW YORK — Pete Sampras is sitting there with his headset on, nodding and smiling and waiting out the rain, reminding you there is at least one place in sports offering refuge from the divas and louts. His U.S. Open locker is No. 163 if you're scoring at home. No brooding, ranting or preening allowed, just ordinary grace from an extraordinary champion who has every right now to abuse a racket or three.
He should be raving mad, Ilie Nastase mad, over this question posed by writers and fans who should know better: How dare Sampras win 13 majors and then stumble about his sport the way a failing Muhammad Ali stumbled about the Bahamas while Trevor Berbick rearranged his pretty face?
Excuse me, but can Andy Roddick advance to one Grand Slam semi before we ask Sampras to quit committing unforced errors against his own legacy?
No, this five-set victory against Greg Rusedski wasn't a work of art and, no, the odds of Sampras winning five matches in seven days aren't good. But the man just turned 31, not 41. Phil Mickelson is older than Sampras, for goodness sake, and nobody's telling him to surrender his hopeless pursuit of Major No. 1. Jack Nicklaus endured five years without a Grand Slam title before taking his 18th at 46, an Augusta National triumph that defines him like no other Sunday.
In his heart of hearts, Sampras believes he has an '86 Masters coming his way. "Yes I do," he said. "That's why I'm still here. I think I've got one or two moments left in me, one more big bang."
As he spoke inside the locker room, Sampras was oblivious to the rain-delay testimonial playing on the overhead monitors. He was beating Andre Agassi all over again in last year's quarterfinal classic, a reminder that his best days and nights aren't the distant flickers many claim them to be.
Sampras was in the final here the last two years. Fatherhood beckons, but Sampras will still be a threat to win Wimbledon when his first grandchild's on the way; he is to grass what Anna Kournikova is to tan lines.
He shouldn't be escorted to the door now as if he were some dockworker getting ugly in a bar, not after peacefully making history while being told he wasn't making it with enough flair. "From Grand Slam 2 to 10," Sampras said, "people felt I was boring. It wasn't until Grand Slam 10 and 11 that people said, 'Let's appreciate what we're seeing here.' "
With the champion laboring on labor day the Louis Armstrong fans chanted, "Let's go Pete," before the decisive game in the fifth set.
Too little, too late. Sampras was convicted of being a vanilla scoop of serenity when he should've been celebrated for refusing to join the riotous band of village idiots headlined by Connors and McEnroe. "I never sold out," Sampras said. He remained true to himself, broke Roy Emerson's record with Arthur Ashe's class, and couldn't stir the public's imagination until his game and hair thinned. "That will always baffle me," he said.
It's not like he lived a humdrum life. Sampras suffered through the deaths of two friends (Vitas Gerulaitis and Tim Gullikson), married an actress, and cramped and puked his way through a few Shakespearean dramas.
He became the Tiger Woods of his sport, somehow without securing a fraction of Woods' mass appeal, before age and perspective conspired to keep him title-free since his historic Wimbledon two years back.
"I see a lot of similarities between Tiger and I," Sampras said. "It's that single-minded focus. It's his life, just like my life was being the world's best player. But now it's tough for me to be who I was five years ago. ... I've had enough of being No. 1 and looking over my shoulder."
That doesn't mean Sampras is Arnold Palmer trying to break 90 at The Masters, or Willie Mays trying to look able in the Shea Stadium outfield. It only means Sampras is a family man with fresh priorities, a forever champion who's earned the right to go out, as he said, "on my terms only."
Remember, boring isn't watching the greatest player ever chase his 14th major title, not when the alternative is watching Roger Federer chase his first.
9/1/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Don't give up on Pete yet!|:||:|1030867200|:|Source: Tennis Magazine - September 2002
By George Vecsey -- Pete Sampras may be in the twilight of his career. But for Pete's (and his fans') sake, he should stick around.
We all know Pete Sampras hasn't won a major since Wimbledon in 2000. He got bumped in the first round of the French this year and the second round at the All England Club. He's even had to suffer voluntary career guidance from a career quarterfinalist like Yevgeny Kafelnikov, who suggested that Pete contemplate the dreaded R word. But where is the rule that he should jump on a funeral pyre?
Rather crankily, Sampras asserts his intention of playing until he's good and ready to call it quits. I have one word for him: Bravo! Unless there's something wrong with his health, and there isn't, he should keep doing what he does best. I guess this is a selfish reaction, because great players are hard to find (don't we all still miss Chris, Martina, Jimbo, and Mac?). And the guy is only 31, after all. Why should we be in a rush to feel nostalgic about him?
Retirement is serious. Some regular civilians who pick up their pensions reinvent themselves, but others keel over from sheer boredom. It's even trickier for athletes, who retire at an age when they have half their lives ahead of them. Pete has some general post-tennis plans--he'll host an instructional show on the soon-to-be-launched Tennis Channel, for example--but it's not as if he has a place waiting for him in med school. It could be that retiring at this stage would be a way of avoiding a bigger challenge than he has ever faced, namely, reinventing himself as a formidable tennis player in his twilight years.
Many superb athletes experience a trough in their careers. Baseball pitchers who rely on power in their youth often have a losing season before they learn to mix up their pitches and keep batters off balance. Pete hired a new coach, Jose Higueras, and is actually practicing after matches, so maybe he's on to something. Let's give him a chance to find out.
It's true that young sharpshooters come along, looking like Billy the Kid, eager to knock off the old gunslingers. At the U.S. Open last September, Lleyton Hewitt was fresh in every sense of the word when he defeated Pete. But while Sampras still has that serve and springy extension he should push himself to fight these squirts off for as long as he can.
Pete might also want to look at the athletes who missed the buzz and then tried to come back--Magic Johnson, Guy Lafleur, Michael Jordan. Unless you've been at the top of a sport and experienced the adrenaline rush, it's unreasonable to ask these athletes to walk away from the Big Show. Pete should remember the roar of the crowd when he and Andre Agassi played their wonderful quarterfinal at last year's Open. The thrill that comes from competing in a match like that can't be duplicated in retirement.
Granted, it's hard to cope with slipping from the top. Chris Evert couldn't stomach the losses, but more importantly she also wanted to start a family. Pete insists he could be Mr. Mom for his wife, Bridgette Wilson, but I suggest he take a look at Agassi, whose professional attention span seems to have grown now that he's both husband and father.
Before Pete mothballs himself, he may have discovered that grueling practices, fear of losing, challenges from opponents, travel, critical press, and adoring fans have helped make up the best years of his life. As part of his own life experience, he should see what more he can accomplish, not out of desperation but out of joy. One major title in his early 30s, when he's a bit creaky, might just be more fun than any of the 13 Slams he won when he was young and bouncy and didn't know any better.
8/01/02|:|petepage|:|petepagewriters@hotmail.com|:||:|Pete Sampras- A Class Act: WatchTime magazine August 2002|:||:|1028203200|:|
With a world record 13 Grand Slams to his credit, Pete Sampras is arguably the greatest tennis player in history. MATTHEW MORSE interviewing the legend concerning Formula 1 racing, Movado watches, golf, and, of course, the game of tennis.
Pete Sampras started getting noticed on the tennis circuit in 1988 as a 16-years-old qualifier. Although he played a game they called "dangerous" it took him two years to reach the top tem. His first Grand Slam title was the U.S. Open, which he won in September of 1990 with a power serve that blew the other player's hair back, including Andre Agassi, Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe. At age 19, Pete became the youngest player to ever win the U.S. Open Cup.
Since then he went on to become the #1 ranked player for a record six consecutive years (1993-1998) and in 2000 he became the first man ever to win 13 Grand Slam titles. With a smooth demeanor that belies his unquestionable talent the only feather missing from his cap has been the French Open - where his full-blooded serve gets absorbed by the clay court.
In the last 12 years the 31-years-old has racked up over $40 million in prize money but the truth is that he's been in it for something more than the money...or the fame. Call him bland all you want, his inspired playing - and his record - speaks for itself. The following telephone interview took place while Pete was in Rome for the Italian Open.
WatchTime (WT): I read somewhere that you're a fan of Formula 1 racing. How did that come about?
Sampras: For the last 14 years I've spent a lot of time on the tour in Europe. I don't know why but it seems like when you're in Italy, France or Germany that the only things on TV are the Grand Prix races, and somehow I got caught up in the rivalry between Michael Schmacher and Damon Hill. The sheer speed of the cars is pretty incredible. The sound...the color...it's addictive.
WT: They do seem to go a little nuts for motor sports in Europe. Have you ever had a chance to drive a Formula 1 car?
Sampras: No, but I did get to meet Damon Hill once. I actually sat in his car and watched him test it a bit. It was pretty awesome to see his car zip by so close.
WT: Is Damon Hill your favorite driver, or are you more of a Schmacher fan?
Sampras: I don't really have a favorite driver. I just happened to meet Damon Hill because he was in London during Wimbledon one year.
WT: What kind of cars do you personally drive?
Sampras: I like sports cars, so I have a Porshe Turbo S and I just got a BMW Z8.
WT: How fast do you like to take these machines?
Sampras: You know I live in Los Angeles and there's quite a bit of traffic, but there are a few spots I know of in Beverly Hills where I can give it a good push.
WT: What do you look for in a car? The styling? The handling?
Sampras: Speed. I like speed and handling. Obviously, when it comes to sports cars you usually sacrifice a bit of physical comfort...but my Z8 is very comfortable and it's a convertible, which is nice to have in LA.
My Porshe Turbo is pure speed. It just gives you a really good rush. I also like the fact that they only make cars like these in limited series. It makes them a little more special, and I plan to keep them as long as they're running.
WT: And when it comes to watches what do you like?
Sampras: Of course Movado has sponsored me since 1990, so that's pretty much all I wear. They've been extremely loyal to me, and I've been with them longer than I've been with anyone else, including Nike, Wilson and Giorgio Armani.
WT: What kind of watch did you wear before you were sponsored by Movado?
Sampras: Just a Timex.
WT: Of course you're in Movado's magazine advertisements, but is there any other work that you do for them?
Sampras: I did a television commercial with them once, and of course I also show up at autograph sessions before the U.S. Open gets into full gear.
WT: Do you wear a watch when you play tennis?
Sampras: No, never...not even when I'm training. It would feel completely foreign to me. I mean most tennis players don't wear watches when they're on the court because you want your skin to fully breathe. But when I'm off the court I wear a watch practically all of the time. I'm one of these people that needs to know what time it is.
WT: Which Movados do you own?
Sampras: You name it, I have it. The Museum watch, the Eliro Chronograph, the Vizio, the Elliptica, the Sports Edition, the SE Chrono....
WT: Do you prefer bracelets or leather bands?
Sampras: To be honest, I usually prefer leather bands. I'm a little on the hairy side and a leather band doesn't pull...but there are some bracelets that are tight enough that they don't give me any problems.
WT: Do you also get watches to give to your wife and family?
Sampras: Tons. My family, my wife, her family...Movado has been very generous to me. Christmas shopping is pretty easy.
WT: What's your relationship with time during a tennis match?
Sampras: During competitive play I'm so focused on the match that everything seems to go by pretty quickly. But sometimes I like to know how long a match lasts, because they can go anywhere from an hour and fifteen minutes to four hours.
WT: I understand that when you're under a lot of stress you're actually pretty aware of having an accelerated heart rate. What do you do when you're feeling nervous and want to dial it down a bit.
Sampras: You know, it's not something I really think about too much. Sometimes I take a few deep breaths. Nerves ar