AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 15, 2001

Pete Sampras

THE MODERATOR: First question for Pete, please.

PETE SAMPRAS: I thought it was far from stuttering. Last time I played Karol on that court, he beat me up pretty good. He's probably the toughest first-round opponent I've had playing here in Australia. I had to withstand a barrage of great returns, great passing shots. I thought I had a lot of good stuff out there, and I just kept getting passed and passed. If he was going to keep that up, he was going to put it into a fifth set. You know, he's 70 in the world and played like he should be in the Top 10. He made me work hard in every aspect, didn't miss much. But the way he moves and passes on the run is some of the best I've ever seen.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.

PETE SAMPRAS: No, he's hard to come in on. He had that good first serve. As much as I wanted to come in, he was hitting the backhand deep to my backhand. It was hard for me to get control. He doesn't hit the ball with a lot of power but hits it with a lot of placement, and a very tough guy to come in on. When you do come in, you have to be selective because of his wheels and his ability to hit passing shots on the run. I just was stuck from the backcourt and he won a majority of those points. So I was trying to come in, trying to come in and, you know, it worked out at the end.

PETE SAMPRAS: It's good to come out of it. It's not easy on the body, you know. This court's always been pretty tough on my body and my feet, and, you know, I got one day to recover and get back on Wednesday. But when I saw the draw, I saw I played Kucera and I was like, "That's a dog fight for me." He always plays the top guys very well. He's been there, was one of the Top 10, hasn't been playing quite as well. But whenever you face him against one of the top players, he's a threat.

PETE SAMPRAS: It doesn't help when it's 1:30. By the time you get something to eat, get a rubdown it's three in the morning. It screws up your whole sleeping regimen. But I've been in this position before and you just try to take all the right precautions tomorrow, get in a lot of fluids and good food in you to get ready for Wednesday.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. I'll just hit very lightly. Yeah.

PETE SAMPRAS: It was a little bit heavy, cool. It was good playing conditions. It was a little breezy, especially going down from the umpire's left to right. It had some sort of impact on the match. So it was good conditions.

PETE SAMPRAS: I can definitely relate to how he feels. Davis Cup is a big commitment, and it's not just four weeks a year, it can take a lot out of you, especially with the timing of the Davis Cup ties. I'd love for the format to change, to have it, you know, something like the Ryder Cup and do it over a span of a couple weeks. The way it is now, it is, you know, it's tough for Andre and I to commit to each tie. We both have played quite a bit of Davis Cup. He's probably played more than I have. But it definitely is a grind out there.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think the scenario of the format changing would be an indication that I would play one day. I don't foresee it happening, you know. I just think it's a little bit political with the ITF and ATP and the scheduling. You know, I just would love to see it change. I don't think it's going to happen while I'm playing or while Andre's playing, and that's unfortunate. But I'm -- I can be very happy with what I've done in Davis Cup, been a part of two winning teams, had some pretty good epic matches in Davis Cup. So, you know, until the format changes, it's hard to, you know, see me play.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, Karol likes the ball waist-high. I was trying to hit the high rollers, keep it low, give him a change of pace. He likes the ball in his wheel house. It was a bit of strategy to keep it low. It paid off some. He was hitting some great winners. Wouldn't have mattered what I tried, he came up with some great stuff.

PETE SAMPRAS: Very worried. Once I hear Phil Jackson's worried, then I'm worried. He's the man in control. When there's a little friction there, I think we're all a little bit concerned. The last thing we want to see is a trade. And those two guys together, it's a pretty good tandem. I'd hate to see it go away.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it's -- I don't know. I mean, Kobe's considered the best player in the league right now. Shaq is -- he's also the man. So I think they both should stay. Suck it up. Rise above it.