15 April 2008
Sampras will play at Albert Hall
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras will compete in the BlackRock Tour of Champions event at London's Royal Albert Hall in December.
The tour is made up of former Grand Slam champions, world number ones, and Davis Cup winners.
The 36-year-old Sampras, who was world number one for six consecutive years, officially retired in 2003.
But in November 2007, he pushed world number one Roger Federer close in a three-match friendly event in Macau.
And Sampras is looking forward to playing in the UK for the first time since Wimbledon in 2002 and is eager to show he can still produce high-quality tennis.
"It's still fun for me to compete, it's still a challenge and I still want to hold that trophy up at the end," said the American.
"I still want to play well and still want to win. But now I'm a little more relaxed."
"People do want to see competitive tennis. The crowd still want to see me serve and volley the way I used to and pull off my shots, but with a slightly lighter atmosphere."
SAMPRAS GRAND SLAMS
Wimbledon titles: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000
US Open titles: 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002
Australian Open titles: 1994, 1997