16 April 2008
Pete Sampras keen to hold court again
By Mark Hodgkinson
Retirement in sunny California, with a Hollywood actress for a wife, and two young sons, has left Pete Sampras feeling "kind of a little bit unfulfilled as a man". Sampras believes a man should work, and he announced last night that he is hoping to recapture some of the competitive zing of yesteryear by returning to London for the BlackRock Masters Tennis, at the Royal Albert Hall, in December.
Sampras, a winner of a record 14 grand slam titles, has been taking to the tennis stage again in recent months, with a series of exhibition matches with Roger Federer across Asia late last year, and then another showpiece with the world No.1 at New York's Madison Square Garden last month. But this will be his first trip to England since the seven-time Wimbledon champion lost at the 2002 grasscourt slam in the second round, away from the two main show courts and to a Swiss journeyman, George Bastl.
Sampras finished off his career proper by taking the 2002 US Open title, and playing on the seniors' tour was a long way from his thoughts at that point. "Tennis had been such a big focus in my life and for a while it was great to be away from the sport and I loved it. I was playing golf and having fun, but after two or three years I started to get a little bored and a little bit restless. Initially you love it but after a while you need something to do. I have two kids --- a five-year-old, Christian, and a two-year-old, Ryan --- and it has been a lot of fun to see them grow and spend time with them. But, at the same time I feel like a man should work, maybe I'm a little old-fashioned," said the American, who will be 37 in August.
"It took me a while to get to the realisation that I would like to play again and get back into the sport. When I was 26, I never thought I would want to play Champions tennis. But, as time goes on, when you're playing golf, taking some trips here and there and maybe putting on a little bit of weight, you kind of feel a little bit unfulfilled as a man. That's how I felt."
16 April 2008
Capital gain as Sampras shakes off the cobwebs
By Paul Newman
Pete Sampras is to play in London for the first time since his last appearance at Wimbledon six years ago. The seven-times Wimbledon champion has agreed to play in the BlackRock Masters at the Royal Albert Hall in December.
The 36-year-old retired in 2002 after winning the last of his record 14 Grand Slam titles at the US Open. However, he has played a number of exhibitions over the last year, including a series of matches against Roger Federer.
Sampras will play two tournaments in his first year on the Champions tour, the Nossa Caixa Grand Champions Brasil in Sao Paulo next month and the BlackRock Masters Tennis event. He last played at the Royal Albert Hall in 1989, when he took part in the Doubles World Championship.
"I've heard a lot of good things about the event at the Royal Albert Hall and that it's really well supported, so I'm excited and pretty pumped up to go back and play a little tennis for them," said Sampras. "When you're playing golf, taking some trips here and there and maybe putting on a little bit of weight, you kind of feel a little bit unfulfilled as a man."