Samprasfanz

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”

Source: 2theadvocate.com

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

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.”

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.”

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.”

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

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!”

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.”

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.”

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.

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Source: Independent, UK

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.”

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.”

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.”

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