Pete Sampras interview


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?’’