07 February 2010
Pete Sampras keeps his racket in the game
By Alex Pavlovic
Seven years after his last professional tournament, Pete Sampras doesn't harbor any secret hopes of making a comeback.
At a time when his old foes are doing TV work and writing tell-all books, and a new generation is quickly surpassing his records, Sampras is at peace. He spends time with his family, plays pickup basketball and spends plenty of days on the golf course.
But the love for tennis remains, and it leads him to grab his racket every once in a while for exhibitions against the world's best. He'll do so again tonight, kicking off the SAP Open with a match against No. 12 Fernando Verdasco.
It's the third straight year Sampras has come to San Jose, a place where he loves to put on a show.
"It's always a good crowd that night --- a great atmosphere. I'm looking forward to it," Sampras said recently. "When I play someone like Fernando, it's a whole new ballgame. It's just a different pace, so I've just got to find my way and get up there and do what I can and have some fun with it."
"(The fans) want me to serve and volley the way I used to. It's not as easy, but I'll do my best."
The serve doesn't quite sizzle as it used to, and it certainly takes longer to prepare for a match, but even at 38, Sampras can still give younger players a run for their money. He split SAP exhibitions with Tommy Haas the past two years and at New York's Madison Square Garden took Roger Federer to a third-set tiebreaker in 2008.
Federer has since broken Sampras' record for most career Grand Slams, but the 14-time Slam champion still proudly holds onto several marks, especially his run of finishing No. 1 from 1993-98.
"The six years in a row at No. 1 is probably something that's going to stay for a little while," Sampras said. "That's one I'm proud of, and I worked hard to get that. That's going to be tough to break."
Federer has become Sampras' historical rival, but his main rival during his playing days was Andre Agassi, who took several shots at Sampras in his recent autobiography. Sampras has said that he doesn't plan to read the book, although he did take the opportunity to respond to Agassi's barbs, saying Agassi was "sort of lost and not sure what he wanted."
By comparison, "I knew exactly where I wanted to go," Sampras added.
That drive led Sampras to 64 career titles, including two SAP Open titles. These days, he says he'd be happy just to take a set off a hard-hitter like Verdasco. "If I happen to win, that's even better," Sampras said. "But I'm not expecting miracles out there."
Those who have seen him in action recently think Sampras might be selling himself short. Devin Britton, the reigning NCAA champion, helped Sampras warm up for an exhibition against Marat Safin last year and came away impressed with how well his idol still hit the ball.
"He said he hadn't hit a ball in a couple of months, and we went out there, and it was unbelievable how well he hit," Britton said. "He's unreal."