US TENNIS
September 1991
What Sampras Learned From Laver
By David Higdon

Between The Linew / Learning from the best

When I see the pros in action, I try to pick out things that they do and incorporate them into my game. Often -- as my colleagues around here will confirm -- this tennis copying does absolutely nothing for my game. Sometimes, though, I'll hit on something that I think works.

In a strange sort of way, it was comforting to find out that Pete Sampras also has engaged in this kind of copying. Of course, the U.S. Open champ has been a little more successful at it than I have.

"After Sampras won the Open last year, he talked about how Rod Laver was his idol and how he had watched films of Laver's matches and learned from him," says Senior Editor David Higdon. "My first reaction was, what did Sampras learn? Then I thought, if he learned something from Laver, couldn't the rest of us?"

Higdon put those same questions to Sampras' former coach, Pete Fischer. What Higdon found out is detailed in the instruction story that begins on page 33.

"Sampras was able to copy and learn from Laver because Laver had a pretty smooth, simple style," says Higdon. "We can learn from Laver, too, because he's easy to imitate."

Higdon and Art Director Kathleen Burke sorted through black-and-white photos of Laver and compared them to shots of Sampras. "The photos will show you how one player can really learn from watching another player," says Higdon. "Every time Sampras saw films of Laver, he had a picture of what his goal was. Basically, that's what we try to do every month with our instruction stories: Give our readers goals to shoot for."

Sampras attained one of his goals last year when he claimed the U.S. Open title. But how will he fare at this year's tournament? Associate Editor Mark Preston takes a look at the crapshoot for the men's title and the four aces vying for the women's championship in our U.S. Open preview (page 66), which is part of our 60-page special section on this country's premier tennis event.

And speaking of U.S. Open winners, we examine how two past champs --Jimmy Connors and John McEnroe -- seem to have changed their public images from the bad boys of tennis to the good guys of the game. Our story on "Mac & Jimbo: From Sinners to Saints" begins on page 38.

-- Peter Francesconi / Managing Editor

When defending U.S. Open champion Pete Sampras was 11 years old, he hit against the legendary Rod Laver. "Pete was so nervous he couldn't get the ball over the net," recalls Pete Fischer, Sampras' coach at the time.

That's understandable, considering that Sampras was facing a player who had won two Grand Slams (1962 and 1969), 11 Grand Slam titles and had been the model upon which Sampras' entire game would be based.

"Fischer studied Laver's game and he told me, 'This is the type of player I'd like to coach,'" says Sampras. "I watched some tapes of Laver and I liked everything about him. He could win on every surface and I liked his attitude. He was a nice guy playing good tennis, and that's how I'd like to be remembered."

The 16-millimeter films of Rod "The Rocket" Laver became a significant part of Sampras' training regimen. Sampras was not allowed to show signs of frustration on the.court. He was not allowed to berate officials. One day, Fischer told his young student the only words he could say on court were "in, out and the score." Several minutes later, Sampras yelled out: "The score!"

Ah, rebellious youth.

"Laver was one of the last true all-court players," says Fischer. "One of the goals I set for Pete was I wanted him to be able to play baseline tennis better than any serve-and-volleyer, and serve and volley better than any baseliner."

What were some of the tips that Sampras learned from Laver? Turn the page, and you can learn from both of them.

Serve
Toss Out And Snap Up

Laver hit all his serves aggressively; he didn't imbue the second serve with second-class status. Sure, he double-faulted more than many players of his era, but he won more points with strong second serves than he lost double-faulting.

Sampras copied Laver's aggressive service technique by working on two areas: Tossing the ball out into the court and snapping the racquet up hard, even on the second serve.

"You use three criteria [to determine a good server]," says Arthur Ashe. "The first is, how good is your second serve? Second, how deep is it? Third, can you put it where you want it?"

Fischer stressed the importance of a strong second serve to Sampras.
"Most players want to be sure to get the second serve in, so they throw the ball back, behind their head, and give it a good kick," says Fischer. "The kick makes it more likely to go in, but it's also fairly easy to return. If you throw the ball forward and snap up, you'll still have a kick motion. There's less margin for error, but there's much more pace on it."

Even at 5-foot-7, Laver delivered a blistering serve, thanks to his aggressive technique. In fact, Sampras copied Laver's serve with no expectations that he would grow to be 6 feet tall. Thus, Sampras can hit a flatter, harder serve than his boyhood idol.

Return
Strike Back With An Attack

To Laver, attacking tennis was not limited to serving or volleying. Laver occasionally hit a defensive stroke, but only when he had no other choice. Lie was always on the attack.

This included the return of serve, and it put tremendous pressure on the server. "If he hit enough return winners, it would force his opponent to take a little off his first serve; nobody wanted to hit a second serve against Laver," says Fischer.

Sampras also looks at the return of serve as an opportunity. He has enough confidence in his ability to hold serve that he might as well take some chances on the return. And, just like Laver, when Sampras sees his opponent miss a first serve, watch out.

"Laver would make your mistakes cost you," says Fischer. "Any sort of mistake, any sort of opening where you did something you shouldn't have or hit a shot weakly, he wouldn't give you a chance to get back."

That's what Sampras did to Andre Agassi in the final of last year's U.S. Open. He jumped all over Agassi's serve from the first point and never let him into the match. "I took advantage of [the fact that Agassi] wasn't being the aggressor; he was letting me dictate the points," says Sampras.

Ground Strokes
Disguise Your Shots

The running joke from Laver's opponents was that they couldn't tell what he was going to do with the ball even after he hit it! Not only was it difficult to tell if Laver was going to hit down the line or crosscourt, but also he didn't show whether he planned on slicing, driving or topspinning his shot until impact.

The key to disguise? An identical backswing for all spins.
"Ken Rosewall would always bring his racquet back at shoulder level because he always sliced the backhand," says Fischer. "Michael Chang will bring his racquet back to waist level or lower because he's always going to drive the ball."

Sampras, just like Laver, brings it back somewhere in between. He drives and slices off the same backswing, and he uses the same grip. This versatility gives Sampras an advantage. His opponents rarely know what he will do with his shots until the last moment.

"Pete certainly can slice and drive off the same preparation," says Fischer. "He can drive flat, he can come over the ball for a topspin forehand and even though he doesn't hit a forehand slice very often, he can hit it."

The versatility in Sampras' backhand traces back to the decision to change from a steady but limited two-hander to a Laver-like one-hander when he was 14 years old. ''It took me a good year, year-and-a-half, to start to feel confident with the one-hander," says Sampras. "But I wanted to develop a more aggressive, more rounded style of play."

Volleys
Use Controlled Aggression

While Sampras may have one of the most overpowering serves on the pro tour, the same can't be said about his volley. Sampras' volley is not a go-for-broke shot; it's a placement shot.

"The style of play that Laver used that I tried to teach Pete was controlled aggression," says Fischer. "The aim is to win the point. You don't win the point by hitting every shot as hard as you can. You don't win the point by hitting the ball deep to the middle of the court and waiting for your opponent to make a mistake. You win the point by seeing when you have the opportunity to be more aggressive, and that's when you become more aggressive."

The volley allows you to be more aggressive than usual. Why? Because it's easier to win the point from the net than from the baseline. You hit the ball back earlier to your opponent and you can hit sharper angles. But it's important to realize that an aggressive volley does not always mean a hard-hit volley. Sampras rarely pounds his volley; he simply uses the pace supplied by his opponent and blocks the ball, hitting to an open spot on the court.

The same was true of Laver. He may have rocketed his serve, but he guided his volleys. "If you faced Laver, you didn't want to see him at the net," says Fischer. ''He seldom missed volleys and he always put them where he wanted them."