PACIFIC LIFE OPEN

March 13, 2002

Pete Sampras

MODERATOR: Questions for Pete.

PETE SAMPRAS: Better than I did in my match (smiling). No, that's a joke. You mean after I played?

PETE SAMPRAS: Just hit the ball. I felt a lot better out there today than I did the other day. Felt like I had a better rhythm out there. It was a pretty solid match. Got a little careless at times. But Albert has got very heavy groundies. It's tough to kind of control the point against him. But, I mean, to squeak out this match, the conditions weren't easy, it was pretty windy, gusty out there. So it wasn't easy to play.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, we just kind of said after the match, see how I'm feeling. You know, I always do something after I play. I either get on the bike or go for a little jog, kind of cool down a little bit. I felt okay to go out and hit a few balls. Don't spend a lot of time out there. It's not the most grueling practice. We just hit for 15, 20 minutes, work on a few things here and there. You know, we just weigh it up to see how I feel after the match.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, just kind of cleaning up my groundstrokes a little bit, getting a pretty good pace on my backhand side, you know, working on that a little bit. A lot of it's footwork out there. Just working on that. It's a process. It's not going to happen overnight. It's going to take some time. I'm sure Jose is looking forward to working with me when I'm not playing. He'll grind me out there for a couple hours, which I guess I'm looking forward to, too (laughter).

PETE SAMPRAS: I've got no choice (smiling).

PETE SAMPRAS: Yes. I've worked with Jose before. I was just turning pro at 18 -- 17, 18. I was with Michael Chang here in Palm Springs. We were out there four, five hours a day doing drills. I know what kind of a worker he is. So I knew it.

PETE SAMPRAS: The match?

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, like I said the other day, I never really have done that. Usually play, then do something else. You know, Jose and I have talked about doing some more on-court work. You know, my match today, it was a tough match, but I wasn't out there for three sets, so it was worth going out there and hitting a few more balls, you know, getting back on the center court. It's well worth it. Hopefully when I put in that extra work, you know, I can hopefully get some better results.

PETE SAMPRAS: Pretty good. You know, I felt today was a good test. Albert is an experienced professional that makes you work pretty hard. I've had pretty good results against him over the years. You know, go out and beat him 4-4, I'm pretty happy with that.

PETE SAMPRAS: A little bit, yeah. With my serve and volley, there's not much, you know , not to work on, but to really say much. It's what I know very well. It is, you know, playing from the back court against the young guys that hit the ball very heavy. Trying to hold my own, trying to get my legs in shape, just work on getting a good depth on my ball, just footwork. You know, it's going to take time. It's a process. But, you know, I know what my goal is, is to be aggressive. I'm not going to stay back too much. But in order to come in on good opportunities, I need to kind of get the ball nice and deep and work on my groundies.

PETE SAMPRAS: I think I just had won Wimbledon a couple weeks before, so I wasn't pissed off about anything. If anything, I was still riding on Cloud 9. I didn't watch much of it. I was dealing with my injury a little bit. I heard it didn't go very well. It's a tough tie. But hopefully we'll have a better result in a few weeks' time. I heard it wasn't pretty over there.

PETE SAMPRAS: I think we are the favorites. Not too heavy of a favorite. I think whoever they play plays well. They're going to come out there the underdogs. It will be interesting to see how the grass is playing. I've never played on grass in the US. But I hear, Pat was telling me the court is in good shape, a good bounce. But these guys are going to come out expecting to do well. But it is a good surface for us. We have not only Andy, but Todd Martin, who I think is one of the better grass court players we have in the game. It will be interesting to see who plays. I'm looking forward to the tie. It's kind of nice to play on grass in the US. I've never done that. It's a tie we hopefully should win. I think we're the favorites. You know, on grass, anything can happen.

PETE SAMPRAS: I have a few times at Queen's. Other than that, not really.

PETE SAMPRAS: I'm available. I would be available, sure.

PETE SAMPRAS: Like I've said about being with the young guys, I'm not one to tell them really anything. I like to be asked. Andy's someone that wants to get better. I'm more than happy to share my thoughts about grass, how I dealt with playing on grass early in my career. But I'm not one to kind of, you know, give advice when it's not asked. But when we're there, I'm sure we'll talk about it a little bit. I'll give him my thoughts on the surface. Also Todd Martin has experience. He can shed some light on that.

PETE SAMPRAS: Ferrero I think, you know, is a very talented player that can play well everywhere. Grass, sure, is a tough surface for him. He serves well, he returns well. Moya, you know, serves big enough where he can hold serve. You know, hit a couple good returns, anything can happen on grass. It is a surface you have to be careful. You can't play too many loose games. You know, as soon as Miami is over, we'll focus on the grass. It's going to change the whole mindset for me anyway. It's turning it from playing on hard court to grass. You only have about four, five days to get ready. It's a tricky tie. Anything can happen out there. It's Davis Cup, and that's what makes it pretty unique. With that being said, I think we're going to do okay.

PETE SAMPRAS: I would think so. I mean, Todd is experienced on grass. I still see Todd as one of the best grass court players we have in the game. He has the big serve, returns very well. He knows all the little ins and outs on grass. I think we should utilize him, you know, playing singles or doubles. It's not up to me. You know, you can't -- you look at Andy and his game. He has the big serve. It's a tricky, tricky one to pick. It's a tricky one to pick.

PETE SAMPRAS: Fabrice is a very crafty player. He's someone that will serve and volley some. He'll stay back. He will try a lot of different tricks. He returns very well. You know, he's got, you know, kind of an interesting -- not interesting, but a tough forehand because he kind of slices it and stays low on the court. Good backhand. He's a smart player. He knows what he has. He kind of utilizes it to his advantage. You know, he's just one of those awkward type of players where he'll throw in some dropshots, serve and volley some, kind of mix it up. It's a tricky match.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yes, it's definitely given me problems. You know, he isn't a player that's going to, you know, blow you off the court with power, but he's going to beat you with his speed and his spin. He mixes it up very well. Like I said, he'll serve and volley some, he'll come in a lot. It is a match where I feel if can I hold on to serve pretty easily, I can take some chances on my return game and go from there.

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't mind facing him. I played pretty well against him here last year. But he's a tricky player. He's crafty, just experienced. He's been out here for many years. He knows my game pretty well. It's a tricky match. You know, if I play well, hit the ball solid, I think I should be okay.

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't think we've finalized exactly what I'll be doing, more of a spokesman role. What exactly that means, I don't know. I think they're still trying to figure it out. I'm sure some interviews, doing some personality pieces, you know, trying to grow the sport, have a little kind of unity to the sport. But we haven't really discussed exactly what I'll be doing. I'll be doing some promotional stuff for them. We'll see what happens with it. It's kind of a risk. Have to take a little risk in life, you know, when dealing with tennis.

PETE SAMPRAS: Sure. Or Sunday. I like Sundays, if I'm playing.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, over the years, probably, you know, knowing the score, knowing when I need to raise my game, just having some options out there, I think, being able to serve and volley and come in, but also being able to stay back, with the best players in the world. Just knowing, like I said, when I need to raise my level, you know. Sometimes I do it, sometimes I don't. You know, knowing when I have a chance to utilize it and take advantage of it. But I've always been pretty secure about my tennis. Even though I don't hit the ball well or play well, I've never gone out there thinking that I'm going to lose or lose confidence. You know, just believing I should beat everybody. I don't care if I'm, you know, not playing as well in the last year or so. It's still how I feel when I walk out on the court.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, the '92 Open loss to Edberg kind of showed that to me. I didn't feel like I belonged at that point. I felt like the arena, I was a little intimidated by that, didn't believe in myself in those moments. It was good enough to get there. That loss changed my whole kind of outlook, that I do belong, I do belong to win majors, beat an Edberg or whoever it is. That match definitely changed my outlook on the whole sport.

PETE SAMPRAS: Who (laughter)? Say it again.

PETE SAMPRAS: Jose.

PETE SAMPRAS: We've talked about it, and he's tough on me. He's on me when I'm not moving. He's very honest with me, which is nice. You know, he's not a sugar-coating type of guy. He'll tell you how he feels. He's honest. I'll be honest right back with him. You know, that's how we started this whole thing. That's what we talked about a couple months ago. You know, like I said, having someone more separate, having that type of relationship, is something I felt like I needed at this point in my tennis.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it was part of the USTA junior -- young pro. I worked with him here in Palm Springs, but it wasn't anything really one on one. You know, he was -- it was only about six months. I just remember working very hard, spending a lot of time on the court, four or five hours a day, with Chang. I felt like I needed some more one on one. That's when I moved to Florida and started working with Joe Brandi. It was just a lot of hard work. I know what Jose is all about, the effort he puts into whoever he's working with. But it's a different place in my tennis, a different place in my life. Definitely he wants to find that enthusiasm and get me to work hard even though I've done a few things in the game, still trying to maintain it and get better.

PETE SAMPRAS: It feels good. We've patched it up. I'm happy to be with Nike for the next number of years. Hopefully I can do a lifetime deal with them. I don't know if they're into that. I feel good about it. We've kissed and made up.