September 1993
Life after Wimbledon
Tennis World talks to Pete Sampras
TW: How tough is it going to be for you to get ready for the U.S. Open after having won Wimbledon?
PS: I flew home Monday afternoon (after Wimbledon) and the next day I was working out again because I felt I had lost a bit of shape and lost a bet of strength being over in Europe for a month. So immediately after I got home I started working out again. I feel if I'm not working out and someone else is... so, I've been working pretty hard to get myself in shape for the hot, humid weather I'll be facing (in New York). As far as my motivation goes for the U.S. Open, I'm pretty motivated. That's definitely my next major goal -- to win that tournament. I've done it before and came pretty close last year, so that's what I'm really going to try to peak for.
TW: Your Wimbledon final with Courier raised again the question of whether there's too much power in the game. What's your assessment of that situation?
PS: I've been using the same racket since I was 14. You look at the guys in the top 10, and everyone is over six feet tall, and Jim and I are pretty strong guys who hit the ball very hard. The balls feel like they are the same for the last five years, and I'm not using a big wide-body racket. It's just that the grass courts are fast courts and by the last day of the tournament they are like lightning. We had a couple of baseline points. I was disappointed at the way it (the final) came across, but my name is on that trophy forever and you can't take that away. I don't think that there are going to be any changes like one serve, feet on ground while serving, etc., at least while I'm playing this game. I don't see any drastic changing in the game. I'm sure Wimbledon is not going to change. I mean I hope it doesn't.
TW: How do you compare the pressure immediately after winning Wimbledon to what you experienced after winning the U.S. Open in 1990?
PS: As far as the extra pressure, I've been in the top five for the last couple of years and it's something you just get used to, dealing with a little extra pressure. There is a little extra pressure, but it's something you get used to.
TW: Is it important to win another major soon, or are you pretty satisfied with your achievements to date?
PS: Winning Wimbledon made me very satisfied, and to win the two biggest tournaments at a very young age... there aren't too many guys who have done that. My goals are to stay on top of the game and win major titles, and that's what I'm trying to do again at the U.S. Open.
TW: Was it more important to stay No.1 during August or to win the U.S. Open in September?
PS: If I win the U.S. Open, I'll be No.1. But it's more important to me to win major titles than to be No.1. I'm No.1 right now, but it doesn't mean anything until the last day of this year. A major goal after the U.S. Open is to try to be No.1 at the end of this year.
TW: Did the discussion before Wimbledon that you might not really deserve the No.1 ranking bother you, and how important was it for you to settle that?
PS: It didn't bother me because I don't think people really understood the way the rankings work. Jim had a lot of points coming off, while I got a majority of mine coming up over the summer and at the U.S. Open, and he really doesn't. I don't think people really understood the situation as far as the No.1 ranking. The most important thing is being No.1 at the end of the year, not who's No.1 in March or January. The last day of the year is what matters.
TW: How do you think you have handled being No.1?
PS: I think I have handled it reasonably well. Once you've been in that top five or ten for a number of years, you kind of get used to the different kind of lifestyle and extra pressures. When I got to be No.1, I really didn't feel any different on the court or off the court. It's basically the same ball game, it's just you and the ball. You just try not to put too much pressure on yourself, don't make it too complicated, just go out there and play the tennis you've been playing for the last couple of years.
TW: Are you in a position that you can gain a stranglehold on the No.1 ranking and pull away like players 10 years ago, or is that never going to happen again?
PS: It's going to be tough to do that. The last guy to really dominate the game was Lendl. Can I dominate the game? I'm going to try. The competition is much tougher today. There are guys ranked 50 or 60 today who can give you a tough match. It's going to be tough, but I'm going to try my hardest to dominate the game and stay the No.1 player in the world.
TW: Do you feel like you're a contender for every title?
PS: Yes, I expect myself to contend at every tournament I enter and if I don't win it I'll be disappointed.
TW: What have you done since Wimbledon, any celebration?
PS: I got back to Tampa on Monday (after Wimbledon), and have been working out. I had a good greasy Checkers Burger and played the exhibition for the Safe Passage Foundation in Newark, N.J. I've been working out at Saddlebrook to get back in shape. I've done a couple of press conferences and media requests, but I've stayed pretty much low-key. We celebrated in our own way. I just kind of came back and kicked back and let it all sink in.
TW: Are you appreciating now what it means to win a Grand Slam?
PS: To be honest, I've been on cloud nine for a couple of weeks ever since I woke up Monday after winning Wimbledon. Life was great. I was waking up every morning pumped to practice and just really happy. I've achieved something not too many people have and now I'm kind of enjoying it.
TW: Is really setting in now that you have to go out and do it all over again?
PS: Right. I have to get into shape and start practicing on the hard courts again. I enjoyed it for a couple of weeks, but now it's back to work to get ready for the U.S. Open. It's not going to wear away (the feeling of winning Wimbledon), but it's definitely more business now.
TW: Do you see yourself as a guy everyone's going to try to be knocking off at the U.S. Open?
PS: Myself, Courier, Edberg, Becker; those are the guys everyone is trying to knock off. That's the way it's been for the last couple of years and that's the way it's going to be and I'm prepared.
TW: I suspect you expect to be the top seed?
PS: I'm hoping, but like I said about the rankings, I had a very good summer last year. I won Cincinnati and Indianapolis and Courier's summer wasn't really that great, so that is where he can gain some points. Going into the U.S. Open No.1 or No.2 doesn't really matter. The bottom line is winning the U.S. Open and that's my next goal, being No.1 at the end of the year means much more to me than being No.1 right now.
TW: How do you see Andre Agassi handling his split with Nick Bollettieri in the short term. What kind of challenge do you expect him to be this summer?
PS: I saw Andre up in New Jersey and I asked him what happened with Nick and they basically just went their separate ways, which can be good in a way. He's now working with Pancho Segura and maybe Pancho can show him a different outlook on the game, give him a new way of looking at things. Andre to me has got as much talent as anyone in the world and there is no reason he shouldn't be among the top two or three players in the world. He's got the game and the talent and he's a great player. He can return my serve about as well as anyone and he's very dangerous.
TW: You've been getting the best of Jim Courier on a variety of surfaces lately. What's been the difference for you?
PS: I don't know why. I've practiced with Jim for a lot of years and I know his game real well, and vice versa. It seems like I serve pretty well against him, especially my second serve, which I move around a lot. I don't give him much consistency. I kind of mix it up as much as I can. I feel I can stay back with Jim and rally with him for at least some time, though I'm not going to go toe-to-toe with him from the backcourt. I try to put pressure on him and he's a player I've always had good success against.
TW: Do you think you have an edge over Courier?
PS: Going into a match against Jim is a little different to going into a match against, say, Boris. I know Jim real well and we're pretty good friends, but I go into the matches against Jim and I like my chances. I like my chances against anyone in the world. I haven't played Jim on the clay court, and he's proven to be the best clay court player in the world. I feel like I can hit with him from the back and put the pressure on that I need to and I've had good results from him.
TW: When did you start relishing the thought of being No.1 rather than thinking of it as a burden?
PS: It was definitely a big goal of mine to be No.1. I did it, but like I said, it's more important to me to be No.1 at the end of the year. I don't feel it's much of a burden. It's something I've been struggling for, for a lot of years. I don't really feel any different on the court being No.1 in the world or No.3 in the world or No.5 in the world. Basically it's the same ball game. I try not to put too much pressure on myself and go out there and enjoy it.
TW: Are you and Courier still good friends or are you not friends at all now?
PS: We are still good friends. Our relationship three years ago was very close. We played doubles together and went out a lot. Now we're No.1 and No.2 in the world and pretty good competitors, so it's tough to really have a strong relationship. We kind of have different lifestyles now. We're still good friends, but we're not quite as close as we once were. It's a tough situation for both of us, especially where we are in the game right now.
TW: How tough is it technically to adjust to hardcourts?
PS: Going from clay to grass is the biggest drastic change a player can go through. It's a different mentality, different strokes and different bounces. Going from grass to hardcourts is a little different, but it's not quite such a drastic change. I've been on the hardcourts for the last couple of weeks and I'm pretty used to it. I've played on hardcourts all my life.
TW: Have you made any decision on the Davis Cup and were you taken aback with Andre Agassi saying that he was disappointed that you opted not to play against the Bahamas?
PS: I feel there are a number of guys that can win that tie and I've told Tom (Gorman) that I'm not really up for playing. He can pick a number of guys -- Lendl, who can play, Chang, Courier, Agassi -- that's a time of year when I really take a lot of time off. I think we'll get through this next match and as far as next year, I'll take each individual tie and make my decision from there. Like I decided not to play in Australia, to concentrate on trying to be No.1, and that worked out pretty well. This is a tie where a number of guys can win it.
TW: Did you feel any remorse for not playing in Australia?
PS: Well, sure, I was disappointed that we couldn't pull that match through. On the other hand, I knew that I would be criticized for not playing. Davis Cup was such a big deal last year with McEnroe playing and winning the tie in the States and getting a lot of press. The fact that we (Sampras and Courier) didn't play and we ended up losing, sure I felt real bad. But I wanted to concentrate on trying to be No.1 and trying to do the best I could in the Grand Slams, that was basically my decision.