TMS - THE ERICSSON OPEN

March 26, 2000

Pete Sampras

MIKI SINGH: Questions.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I'd been on some medication for my back that obviously didn't sit too well, and I just got sick.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yes, it came on me.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, when I did it, when I threw up (laughter). Good time for it to come on. But I actually felt a little better once it got out of my system. I played all right. He definitely made me work exceptionally hard today. I mean, he really, you know, made me do a lot of running, a lot more than I would have liked to have done. But I got through it. You know, it wasn't the best of tennis. I managed to squeak it out.

PETE SAMPRAS: At 4-3 in the third.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I make it a habit to make sure I throw up (laughter). I'm 2-0 in those matches. It's all a ploy.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I felt fine. Just kind of came on in the third set. You know, it wasn't a big deal. It's something that I've become pretty good at, throwing up (laughter).

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I was in much worse condition when it happened at The Open. Today I felt fine. You know, after I threw up, I felt fine. I was struggling quite a bit against Corretja. Today I just felt I needed to just hang in there for a couple more service games and I'd get off the court.

PETE SAMPRAS: It's always difficult playing someone that I've never seen play, to kind of feel his game out a little bit. I got off to a very bad start, losing my first service game. I really struggled to find my form throughout the match. Especially in the first set, I was pressing a little bit. He's a very quick guy. I was overhitting at times. By the time the second set came around, I settled down a little bit, played a bit better. Played a good breaker, and played pretty well in the third. Have to give him credit. He didn't miss too many first serves. He made me, you know, stay back. I had a hard time coming in against him. You know, it was a hard-fought match. I competed well and got through it.

PETE SAMPRAS: His wheels and his competitiveness are his strengths. He's got a good game. I mean, he's got a good forehand. I was serving big, I thought, and he was hitting some great returns. His wheels, he's about as quick as anyone I've played. He's a smart player, he's a crafty player. He doesn't overhit much. He takes a little bit off that first serve, gets it in, and kind of works his way into getting to the net or doing his strength, which is kind of being a counter-puncher.

PETE SAMPRAS: Sure, it's possible. I mean, he's beat some good players here. He came close to beating me. I think a match like this will give him confidence. He'll go from here. I don't know exactly what he's ranked now. I see him getting better and better. He's a young kid that certainly has the game. It's just a matter of putting it all together. He came out today, wasn't intimidated by any means. He came out swinging away. He's going to have a good future.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, that's a good question. I look at someone like Philippoussis, who has the biggest game out of any of the young guys coming up. He's not young young. I look at his game. I look at Tim's game. That's going to be around for many years. Lleyton Hewitt, who is a very good counter-puncher, competes well, will always be consistent. It's hard to pinpoint one guy that's going to dominate. When it's all said and done, when I'm 40 and looking back, I think the game will be dominated by a lot of the Europeans and South Americans, a few English guys (laughter).

PETE SAMPRAS: There's only two.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah (laughter).

PETE SAMPRAS: You said it, I didn't.

PETE SAMPRAS: I haven't seen Roddick play. Certainly with Gimelstob and Gambill, they're good players that are going to get better. It's hard to say if they're going to be at the top of the game or winning Grand Slams. I think it is looking a little thin after the generation we've had with myself and Andre and Jim and Michael. Like I said, a look at a lot of the South Americans, Europeans, a couple Australians that will be in the top of the game pretty soon.

PETE SAMPRAS: I do still have a tendency to get down on myself. I'm hard on myself when I play. When I'm missing shots, I'm a perfectionist sometimes. If things aren't going well, I can be hard on myself. When things aren't going well, you just have to remember who you are, the fact that whoever I'm playing, it's a big win for him, so he's going to be nervous. These are the type of things I think about when I play. I take a lot of pride out there. I do whatever I can to win. Like today, I didn't play great, but you just kind of find a way, remember I still have a great serve, I can still volley and hopefully win some of these matches.

PETE SAMPRAS: Oh, yeah. I'm still trying to prove myself. That's the attitude I have, even today. Even though I've won what I've won, my philosophy has always been, you know, I didn't play well in Palm Springs, I'm here in Miami to play well, to try to win here. I don't care how many Wimbledons I've won, I'm still trying to get better and improve.

PETE SAMPRAS: At that point I was just kind of -- not really. I just felt I needed to kind of tighten up my game a little bit. I felt I was playing a little bit loose, just to tighten it up a little bit. I just needed to find my game a little bit today. I don't think I was telling myself anything; just to hang in there and hopefully get my game going at the right time.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I felt that was a shot I had been missing all day, and I got one to go in. He kind of leaves that side open because he likes to run around the backhand to hit a forehand. I hit it pretty good. He was nowhere near it. Good time to hit it.

PETE SAMPRAS: And Scottsdale.

PETE SAMPRAS: I feel good. It will be a different match than today. Greg has one of the bigger serves in the world. Whenever you face Greg, it's kind of a crapshoot. He serves that big that he can kind of overwhelm you with his power. But the conditions here aren't that fast. I mean, I'm going to have some time to get ahold of his serve, hopefully make him play. Ut he's, you know, one of the better serve-and-volleyers we have in the game. He won't be easy to beat.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I think I have a tendency when I'm not playing well, that's when I really rush things, when I don't take my time. I'm just making an effort when things aren't going well to take my time and get ready when I'm ready to play. That's kind of why I do take my time. I do tend to play fast.

PETE SAMPRAS: Oh, yeah. It's both. I mean, it's nice on a humid day like today, you want to make sure you're ready to go for the point, mentally just make sure I'm ready to play.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it should be interesting. We've had our miscommunications so far this year. I think we kind of cleared the air, which needed to have happened. I'm looking forward to it. I think John will do a great job. I think he knows me well enough to know that our personalities are a little bit different. I think it will be fun. Playing in LA, it should be a good tie, should be a fun tie. I'm looking forward to playing. I'm sure through the week, we'll feel each other out a little bit. I'm not a screamer out there. I'm pretty low-key. Through the captains I've played for over the years, they don't say much over the changeover. Certainly John is a lot more expressive. I'm sure we'll sit and talk about it before I play. I'm sure it will be fine.

PETE SAMPRAS: It should be the other way around, I think I'm going to calm him down (laughter). I don't plan on losing my emotions out there. Hopefully it won't be an issue. If it happens, I'm sure he will calm me down.

PETE SAMPRAS: I'm not tentative. It hasn't been there. The shot hasn't been there, so I have yet to hit it. If it happens in my next match, sure, I'd love to do it. So far it hasn't been there yet.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.

PETE SAMPRAS: I have to find something. I have to take something for my back. I've just been taking some stuff that didn't sit too well.

PETE SAMPRAS: It's an antiinflammatory.

PETE SAMPRAS: No.

PETE SAMPRAS: Just trying to figure out if I'm going to play Monte-Carlo -- I'm not sure on what I want to do yet. Money is my last issue when it comes to preparing for majors. As of right now, I don't know what I'm going to do. I would love to play Monte-Carlo, but it's not enough time for me to get ready after Davis Cup. Orlando is my only other choice. I'll just probably end up playing that, but it's nothing financial.

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