US OPEN

September 3, 1998

Pete Sampras

Q. Did you feel you were playing the Jewish Corretja -- like it was going to be a long match?

PETE SAMPRAS: I mean, New York, the crowd obviously is rooting for him obviously, being the young, up-and-coming college player. They always like to see the underdog do well. He certainly handled himself very well. I felt I wasn't really at my best, but it is one of those days that he is just going to find a way to get through it and I did. I certainly feel I can play better than I did today.

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't think I was really in risk of losing the match. If anything it was making me work very hard and winning the second set, I got a little bit careless, but it wasn't like he has got a game that is going to serve me off the court. I kind of -- if I put my game together, start putting some good shots together that eventually I would break him and I did that in the third and fourth. But just one of those days where I wasn't playing that great and he just needed to find away. That you are not going to play well everyday, especially in a two-week tournament like we have here and I just, you know, trying to find a way and I did that.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I don't think you can afford to do that, but it might have happened a little bit today. I never really -- I practiced with him, but I have never played him, so wasn't really sure how he was going to play. But I think as the match went on, I started to feel a little bit more comfortable out there. He is a pretty crafty player. He was coming in at certain times, he was coming in on some weak serves, kind of caught me off guard a little bit. He has got a pretty good game, pretty good future.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, in the past after Wimbledon.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it is kind of how the American crowds are, they love to see an underdog do well, but just have to shut it out and it wasn't like they were rooting against me, they were just pulling for him. But it wasn't really any big deal today.

PETE SAMPRAS: That they were rooting for me?

PETE SAMPRAS: Oh, yeah. It is a nice feeling going out there with nothing to lose. I certainly felt that in '90. It has been different ever since. But you swing away and goes in great, if not no big deal. So it has been awhile since I have had that feeling. But maybe when I am 33, I will be the underdog.

PETE SAMPRAS: Sure. It was, you know, obviously I wasn't in the best of shape. It took its toll. I remember feeling a little bit slow and tired in the third and fourth and it took its toll in the fifth. The only thing that saved me in that match was it was the tiebreaker. I just felt it was over soon and that was the only thing that saved me, was that it was going to be over soon that I was going to, you know, win or lose I just wanted to get it over with because I really felt physically I just wanted, you know, I don't -- everyone is probably experienced what you feel like when you throw up. You just want to die. Really I felt like I just wanted to just get off the court as soon as possible. The tiebreaker saved me if we would have played it out like we do at Wimbledon, I had no shot.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, throughout the career probably. I mean, after getting sick and the crowd getting behind me and I went for it because of the situation, because I had nothing left so I wanted -- I kind of just went for it. You just get a little bit lucky at times and I certainly did at that point.

PETE SAMPRAS: That is a good question. One of my main goals was try to end the year No. 1. In order for me to do that, I need to play over in Europe. So plan on doing that. The future, I mean, I am not sure where the motivation will be in a couple of years time if I want to go over to Europe and just play some indoor tournaments. But I plan on playing in Europe end of this year.

PETE SAMPRAS: Hopefully I will qualify, yes.

PETE SAMPRAS: He caught me -- like I said, he caught me off guard a little bit. He was serve and volleying, at times he surprised me coming up to the net. I felt the points really weren't going the way I wanted to go. He was the one coming in, I was being a little bit passive. I knew it was just a matter of time before I was going to put a couple of shots to go -- he didn't really miss much for the first couple of sets. But I wasn't panicking by any means, it is a three out of five set match, so a lot of tennis was yet to be played. It wasn't like I was panicking out there.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, if all the top players said that and really got behind it, it could happen. But I don't see that happening. A lot of young guys that like to play a lot of tennis and to make good bread and so, but I am to the point where I am not sure how much I want to play over in Europe end of the year and in the fall. I mean, it is just for ranking and money, and there is going to come a point in time where that won't be the motivation, the motivation will always be the Grand Slams.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, yeah, I mean, like Scott was saying, playing here in '90, when I played Lendl, the quarterfinals, I was -- it was a different situation. I didn't go to college. I was 12, 13 in the world. But I had nothing to lose. I was kind of a flashy young guy that had some potential and before I knew it I won the Open. So I can kind of relate a little bit. It is fun to go out and have the crowd behind you and you swing away. Certainly that is a good feeling.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it is the game. I mean, certainly with my game with my serve I was able to pull off a good upset. Paul has got a good game, but in today's game you need a certain weapon that stands out, and he has got good wheels and he competes well, but in order to break into the Top-20 or Top-10 which he wants to do, you need to develop a big shot.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I don't think it is anywhere near the same as what he going through and Sosa is going through. They are breaking an American past-time record. They are playing a sport that is obviously much more popular than I am playing unfortunately. But the media attention they are getting -- the whole country is following it. And I think people, the true tennis fans know what I am doing and people know what I am trying to do, but it is not anywhere near the same impact I find. I have been asked quite a bit about it, but the attention they are getting is phenomenal, I mean, it really is when they break it, which I hope they do, I mean, it is going to make news all-around the world, but I am sure if the day comes where I can do something, break the record, I mean, hopefully will have the same impact. But we will see.

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't plan on that happening.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, that and schedule.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, the problem -- the main problem I have with Davis Cup is the schedule. It is played such a long season and to play the final the last week of November you have a little bit of time off; then you get ready for Australia. That is my biggest gripe about Davis Cup. It is not really where it is played. It is the schedule. I mean, if Davis Cup final was two weeks after the Open, okay, I would be more inclined to play. But after what happened last year and the fact that I want to have some breaks in my schedule, that is my biggest complaint. If they had it, you know, earlier in the year or maybe played Davis Cup once every two years, you know, I will be more inclined to play. Davis Cup just needs -- less is more, that is my philosophy. If they just had it less, it would get more attention. You look at the Ryder Cup in golf, you know it is the biggest thing in the world right now. But I don't have a problem with Andre is saying problem I have is the schedule.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I have never -- as far as where it is?

PETE SAMPRAS: The schedule --

PETE SAMPRAS: Absolutely. I mean, and we do. We wanted Gully and Gully is the captain. I am not sure what your first question was.

PETE SAMPRAS: What I know, Jim is -- he is hurt. He has got a bad arm and that is really all I am going to say.

PETE SAMPRAS: Not really. I mean, he is obviously not playing here. I mean, that is a big tournament, but Jim is going to figure things out and do what is best for him.

PETE SAMPRAS: With -- let me give you my feelings on Davis Cup. The way I feel about Davis Cup is what happened a couple of years ago in Moscow was one of the best efforts I have put in tennis. I guess I felt this country really didn't or got unnoticed, like I felt unless you follow tennis you knew about it. But it was one of the best efforts and I felt it went unnoticed in this country and, you know, if people in this country aren't crazy about Davis Cup and don't understand it, it is hard to really get behind it. But I want to be a part of it. But it is a lot of tennis to be played. It is a lot of tennis to play Davis Cup and I just wish it was, you know, maybe have three rounds a year or do it once every two years or something, just to minimize it a little bit. I mean, it just gets lost in the shuffle especially in the US.

PETE SAMPRAS: I am a little confused.

PETE SAMPRAS: It is hard to follow. I mean, Davis Cup is hard to follow for a sports fan in the US. You are playing in all certain parts of the year in different countries, you know, and for instance, after we beat Australia last year people thought we won it. It was like we have one more match to go. It feels like it gets lost in the shuffle I find. Baseball, football, you have the season, that is it. Tennis, there are so many tournaments and so much going on that I think it hurts the game. But when Grand Slams come around, everything stops. People know when Wimbledon is at and US Open, but Davis Cup, it is a no-win situation for me. I get criticized for not playing, whatever, but it has taken its toll on me - I definitely felt that the end of last year.

PETE SAMPRAS: I have experienced that, yeah, in Russia putting in one of the -- you know, it was one of my best efforts of my career and I felt, you know, it is not like I wanted a parade or something. But just some sort of appreciation which I just felt it really wasn't there. But --

PETE SAMPRAS: Got us into Augusta. We were able to play Augusta National. (laughter). That was it, I swear to God. That was my reward.

PETE SAMPRAS: It is close, but --

PETE SAMPRAS: I just bring one. But a lot of it. I am not that confident.

PETE SAMPRAS: I feel pretty good about my game. Certainly I got off to a great start against Goellner. Today I felt I really didn't play that well. Like I said, it is one of those matches you have to just try find a way to win. But I feel like I am hitting the ball pretty well. It is going to be nice to get back on the stadium court, playing on grandstand is a little bit different, but I am more -- I am still in the tournament, I can't complain. But I feel like I can play a little bit better.

PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I can't give you a good reason. I mean, Korda going down is a substantial upset. It is just each Slam has its different matches. Some Slams you see a lot of upsets. Some Slams you don't. This one, it has been pretty much according to ranking. I really don't have a real good explanation.

PETE SAMPRAS: No. No, I mean, you know, you don't think that far ahead. These guys are good. He came out -- Petr goes up and down in his game at times. If he is a little off, he is going to lose. It wasn't like I had any sort of relief or anything.

PETE SAMPRAS: No, I didn't request it. But I certainly made my point on the court. We just haven't hit it off, you know, we have -- he is -- just bad karma. He probably won't be doing many of my matches in the future.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, obviously I have had a lot of good matches and memories playing on that court. The people, you know, little bit more of an intimate setting. The people are a little bit more into the tennis. On this court over here, it is so big you can kind of get a little bit lost there. But it is nice to get back out there. It is different without the top tier, but it is what all happened for me in 1990.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, totally. I think there is always a certain breeze in there and it is always going one direction and it is a little uncomfortable. It is. I always found that court and Australia always has a nice little downwind going one direction. You know, it is just the way it goes. Nothing you can do about it.

PETE SAMPRAS: It varies.

PETE SAMPRAS: No, it just bounces off the stadium and goes down to the court and one day it is going this way; other day it is going the other way. You just have to figure it out during the warmup.

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't have any idea, to be honest with you. It is a good -- I need to be active and busy. I have been like that since I was born, always playing tennis, so it is an adjustment when you retire. I am sure you need to find something that interests you and keep yourself busy and you can only play so much golf. But I am sure in the next number of years I will find something.

PETE SAMPRAS: Slim to none. And, Slim just left town.