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from Former Official Website
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| Pete Speaks |
When Pete Speaks...We Listen. We'll be adding new quotes every week. Enjoy the first few to start! |
Q. Still living in Florida? PETE SAMPRAS: I've been living there for the past five, six years. It's good for my tennis and my taxes (laughter). Cincinnati 1997 |
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| Q. Sam Wiche give you any advice? PETE SAMPRAS: Sam Wiche doesn't give me any tips about my tennis, thank God. (Laughter) I've got a few tips for him about coaching, but (Laughter). Cincinnati 1997 |
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| Q. Do you remember the first time you heard criticism that you weren't flamboyant enough or exciting enough? PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. It was over in London at Wimbledon when, you know, I just went out and played and the British media didn't really have a lot to write about me, so they just put the boring label on me. And that was the one time that I was pretty sensitive and didn't really understand it. But over the past number of years as far as my results, you know, as far as the media, I just let my results take care of itself. Q. First time you played in London? PETE SAMPRAS: No. It was like -- I was No. 1 in the world and I think it was -- I won Wimbledon that year -- or the first couple years, and they just didn't really know me so they put the boring label. Q. Were you hurt by it? PETE SAMPRAS: I was crushed. (Laughter). You know, I wasn't hurt, but I was disappointed. I always felt, especially over there in England that someone that just went out there and played kind of like an Edberg or a Borg. But the way things are over there, you need to have a couple tatoos and a couple earrings. Q. Are you a Dennis Rodman fan? PETE SAMPRAS: No. I'll bite my tongue on that one. Q. Do you have charisma? Do you care about charisma? Do you want charisma? What is charisma? PETE SAMPRAS: You tell me. I don't know. I just think the way I can play on the court and some of shots I'm able to hit, you know, that's what I'm all about. I'm not going to do anything different out there to please the media or whatever, to make your jobs easier. I'll make you guys write about the tennis. Q. Do you turn down endorsement offers? PETE SAMPRAS: Uh-huh. Q. Lots? PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. Q. Some even that fit into your personality? You just don't want to do them? PETE SAMPRAS: Well, you know, I'm not too into commercials. You know I play so much and I hardly have any time off and the last thing I want to do is spend 15 hours doing a commercial. I don't need the money. I don't need the fame. I can go out and play golf. Cincinnati 1997 |
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| Q. Is that a high-five you gave a fan after that point in that last game? PETE SAMPRAS: I was trying to, but he was -- he wasn't too energetic, I guess. Q. Was that just getting caught up in the spirit of the tournament? PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it is just a point, and the crowd really responded well so I just-- I saw what Hale Erwin did at the U.S. Open, I think, three, four years ago, he was giving high-fives, so I might as well give it a try. Q. That actually went through your mind? PETE SAMPRAS: No. No. No. I try not to think about golf when I am playing. 1995 US Open |
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| Q. Also an ad campaign right now, you can see it in Nike campaign with you and Andre, with very confident phrases. Do you really -- can you identify with all of these? PETE SAMPRAS: I really don't understand your question. Q. No, there are some phrases like, for example, "tennis is in my blood, cut me open and you will find little furry hemoglobins." Do you like that? PETE SAMPRAS: Are you speaking English or German? I really don't understand what you are saying. Q. There is an ad campaign right now from Nike and there is a picture with you and underneath there is your comment: "Tennis is in my blood. Cut me open and you will find little furry yellow hemoglobins." PETE SAMPRAS: Wow. Q. Do you like that? PETE SAMPRAS: Well... MARY CARILLO: That is not a direct quote? PETE SAMPRAS: That is not a direct quote, no. I wouldn't -- I wouldn't think of something so creative. I don't know where they got that. USOpen 1995 |
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| RICHARD EVANS: Good evening, good morning. PETE SAMPRAS: Good evening, Mr. Media Man. Bud still thinks I am boring. Can you believe that? Q. No, really? PETE SAMPRAS: So disappointed. Q. Who? PETE SAMPRAS: Bud. Someone on this news sports show, he says that I am still boring, so I don't know. It is going to stick with me forever. Q. Winning isn't boring. PETE SAMPRAS: That is what I say. USOpen 1995 |
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| Q. In the scenario making the final do you root for Becker to make it because the way Andre has been playing so well or do you want to play Andre just to say hey, everybody, I can beat him? You should root for Becker. PETE SAMPRAS: If I happen to win my match on Saturday, I will answer that question. USOpen 1995 |
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| Q. When you were on the TV and you see those commercials
come up, don't you got to laugh at them? PETE SAMPRAS: Sometimes, yeah. I am not a very good actor. USOpen 1995 |
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| Q. Let us just say for the fun of it you are the editor of a leading sports magazine. Would you put the men's champion of the U.S. Open considering all he has gone through this year and what he has accomplished athletically, would you put him on the cover or Deion Sanders and why? PETE SAMPRAS: Who's Deion Sanders? (audience laughter) USOpen 1995 |
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| Q. Is this a nice birthday present? How do you celebrate? PETE SAMPRAS: Well, what am I doing tonight? You tell me, what should I do in Cincinnati (laughter)? Go to the Waffle House, which I've been at. Q. What did you have? PETE SAMPRAS: Waffles. ATP Cincy 1998 |
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| Q. Did you do anything special to celebrate your
birthday yesterday? PETE SAMPRAS: No, not really. Q. Go down to the beach or anything? PETE SAMPRAS: No, I didn't do that. I went to -- I don't do that. Actually, I went to Riverdance last night. I liked it a lot. I was very impressed. That was a big step for me to actually do something during a tournament. Q. Can you do some of the movements? PETE SAMPRAS: Sure. (laughter). ATP Cincy 1998 |
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| Q. Who does the most talking at dinner when you guys are
out? PETE SAMPRAS: I have been at the black jack table most of the time; haven't really been to dinner. Q. Did you win or lose money? PETE SAMPRAS: I won a little bit. CAPTAIN GULLIKSON: It is not over yet. PETE SAMPRAS: Still have one more night to play. Davis Cup 1995 |
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| Q. Pete, can we call you Petey or you don't like that? PETE SAMPRAS: Petey, Peter. Just Pete. Q. Courier said you hate it when he calls you Petey. He said you hate -- PETE SAMPRAS: I won't answer your question if you call me Peter or Petey. Lipton 1994 |
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| Q. Do you need someone to push you to do that? PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, there are times when I need someone. Q. Are you lazy in that area? PETE SAMPRAS: I can -- if there -- I don't mind watching NCAA tournament versus going for a bike ride, but you have to. So, yeah, I do need to be pushed a little bit, you know. But I have become more disciplined in the past couple of years because in order to stay on top, you need to keep on working hard. Q. Is there a major dietary change? PETE SAMPRAS: No. Q. Over the last few years. PETE SAMPRAS: I am just doing whatever I can to keep my hair on my head. Lipton 1995 |
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| KEVIN O'KEEFE: Pete wants to come in here with you too. ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Sometimes the journalists ask me for the interview. He says, please, rush and come here because my newspaper is closing; now they have to print the story, I mean, I found it out from you guys. PETE SAMPRAS: I brought my dirty laundry for him to do. ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I think you should do mine as a present. PETE SAMPRAS: Thank you. I needed that. KEVIN O'KEEFE: Questions for either player. PETE SAMPRAS: This is a first. KEVIN O'KEEFE: It is Andrei's idea. He thinks we should do it everywhere. You think we should do this everywhere? ANDREI MEDVEDEV: Yeah. You shouldn't perhaps ask the Tour's enemies on the court to come together and talk, say, he is an ass hole; he beat me today. PETE SAMPRAS: This vulgarity these kids use. ANDREI MEDVEDEV: I learned it from you, Pete. Q. I saw your girlfriend, she was watching Andrei; she tries to analyze your opponent's game or just having fun? PETE SAMPRAS: She was watching him play? Q. Yes. ANDREI MEDVEDEV: There were five spectators. She was No. 5. PETE SAMPRAS: She likes tall good looking guys. Andrei is a pretty good looking guy, don't you think? Lipton 1995 |
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| Q. There was that joking remark he made after the final in Indian Wells about telling his dad he was going to kick your rear end. PETE SAMPRAS: You can say it, ass. Q. How about some comment on that. PETE SAMPRAS: Well, he was just having some fun. Andre likes to have some fun every now and again. It wasn't anything malicious. I am sure he wants to date me and you guys know I want to beat him. Lipton 1995 |
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| Q. Do you have anything to do with thinking up the words for that milk commercial? PETE SAMPRAS: No. I'm not that smart, so..... Q. Agassi, what was his reaction to that? PETE SAMPRAS: I haven't talked to him about it really. Q. How long has it been out? PETE SAMPRAS: Since January, I believe. Q. Did you have fun doing it? PETE SAMPRAS: It was quick. Only took a couple hours to do it. Just drank some ice cream. They put some concoction together and I had a moustache. Q. Was that real milk or something else? PETE SAMPRAS: I'm trying to remember. It's like a combination of cheese and ice cream. It's true. (laughter). Didn't taste too bad, actually. |
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