US OPEN

August 30, 2002

Pete Sampras

THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yes.

PETE SAMPRAS: Pretty happy. Pretty happy the way it went. Wasn't really serving too well in the beginning. Finally clicked a little bit in the second. I put the pressure on him, kind of set the tone early. And it's pretty smooth.

PETE SAMPRAS: Just, you know, the energy from the people. It's always -- you're just a little more keen at night than you are during the day - at least I am. My body's awake, I feel pretty good out there. The energy's good. So it was a good night.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. Well, when it's a little cool like it was tonight, I've had my share of injuries when I'm not completely warmed up. If you go out there, you know, with a broken sweat, I just feel that much better. You know, I start off a little bit better. It's something I've been doing for a while.

PETE SAMPRAS: Just putting pressure on the guys. You know, even though I might not win every point, just as long as I'm setting the tone on my terms. You know, I'm tough to pass, tough to lob. If he hits a great passing shot, too good. I'm going to play him my way. That's to be aggressive. Chip and charge is a great play out there. The courts are not that quick. It still stays pretty low if you get a good slice. It's something I've been trying to do in these first couple matches.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I don't know. I mean, I don't know. I mean, I was ready to get married.

PETE SAMPRAS: Sure.

PETE SAMPRAS: Let's -- when I broke the record at Wimbledon a couple years ago, I was -- it took a lot out of me. You know, after that, you know, victory, I didn't have that steel will week in, week out. I just feel like I hit the pinnacle. Ever since then, it's, you know, it's been tough to kind of get going in certain places. I happened to get married a couple months later. It was the best thing that happened to me. You know, it's what life's all about. You meet the woman of your dreams, you have a family. That's nice. It's nice to have that balance.

PETE SAMPRAS: No.

PETE SAMPRAS: You just kind of go along and hopefully get through your matches. You know, you can't turn it on and off, get ready for majors and all of a sudden start playing well. So it's the US Open. This is what I play for. It's been a struggle this year. You know, I know where I'm at here as far as how important this tournament is to me, and hopefully I can get it going here.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. I feel really comfortable playing here. I like the conditions. First couple matches, I have no complaints the way it's going, pretty smooth. The summer wasn't great, but, you know, I feel like I'm pretty confident right now. Feel like it kind of clicked tonight. So it's been a good start.

PETE SAMPRAS: Sure, blow-outs and winning straight sets help the confidence. As long as I'm hitting the ball well, feel good out there, that's really all I can ask for. Competition does get tougher as we go, as each match comes along. But I feel pretty good out there. The game's still there. I mean, I feel that when I practice. I feel it when I play. Week in, week out, yeah, it's tougher to be anywhere near as dominant as I once was. But I've let that go. I'm going to try to do what I can here in the next year or so to win a major. That's my goal. Being No. 1 is over. You know, still feel like I've got it out there.

PETE SAMPRAS: It's been a little while. I felt decent in Toronto, lost a tough match. Cincinnati, didn't play too well. But I feel pretty good. I mean, I'm practicing hard. That's all you can do when you're struggling a little bit, is to go out there and practice with purpose. You know, it's kind of where it all starts. Hopefully, you can transfer that on to the tennis court when you play matches, and I've been able to do that here.

PETE SAMPRAS: Serve a little better. I mean, served well. Hit the second serve well. But didn't really have the rhythm early on. But felt like I returned well, put the pressure on him. Was pretty solid.

PETE SAMPRAS: No, not really. You're so focused on what you're doing out there, doesn't really faze me. I mean, you kind of expect it. You go out, been out here for quite a while, so it's nothing new.

PETE SAMPRAS: Really no -- it's nice to have that support. You can feel it from the people. You're focused on what you're trying to do and not thinking about any comments or noise. So it's always nice playing at night here.

PETE SAMPRAS: What happened last year is over. I'm sure from a media standpoint it's something you can feed off of. But Lleyton and James are just going to go out and play, play another tennis match. It's a big match, two young guys breaking through. Should be good.

PETE SAMPRAS: Completely different than my first two matches. It's gonna come down to my return. Hopefully, I can get a hold of his serve. He's obviously -- can be very dominating. But should be a tough match.

PETE SAMPRAS: Good energy. Feel like I'm ready from the first point. You know, this is what I play for. It's different than playing a tour event, and, you know, I feel like my energy's been good, moving well.