U.S. OPEN

August 27, 1996

Pete Sampras

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, pretty happy. It was weird. It was about 20 minutes before I went off to play Voinea. The referee came in and said, "You're not playing him; he sprained his ankle." Weird to play someone I've never heard of or seen play. I thought I got off to a good start. I played and hit the ball well. A good match to get through because the first match of the Majors, always a little unsettling sometimes, not sure where your form is.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, try to set the tone early, get off to an early break. That's what I did. Really didn't give him a chance to get into his game. That was my main concern, to kind of set the tone. I did that pretty well.

PETE SAMPRAS: It was one of the practice courts. It's right next to a dumpster, and you can smell it. This Major is so much different than all the rest. You have the crowd that is always moving around, always pretty noisy. You just come in here and try to block it out, play your tennis. This place has been very good to me over the years. I hope it still is. A special place, where my life changed in 1990. When I walk back on this court, when I got here earlier this week, brought back a lot of good memories. It's been very good to me.

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know. I mean, I think that's probably his first time on the center court. I've been on it many times. I kind of know what to expect with the crowd, the court, how it plays. It's a little bit of an advantage.

PETE SAMPRAS: I'm always eager to walk into a Major. This here hasn't been a bad year. I've always measured my year on how I do at the Majors. I have yet to do one. It's not like I have to score them, not like this is my last US Open. I'm 25. It would be great to win this again, like last year. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. I'll try my best and hopefully I can do it.

PETE SAMPRAS: No. I just knew he was from South America, stayed back, played with a lot of spin, pretty good all-around court player. Didn't have a big serve, but I thought he played pretty well. Paul just told me a couple things to expect. It's always nice to kind of go out there knowing.

PETE SAMPRAS: I found out about 20 minutes before I walked on.

PETE SAMPRAS: No. It was, "Wow." I was prepared to play Voinea. I heard he sprained his ankle last week. I was expecting him to be ready to play here. The referee walked in and said, "You're playing this guy, lucky loser." You just have to prepare and do it.

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know, in the late '80s, '88, '89, when I played a top guy, maybe Lendl. A match doesn't really stick out in my mind. I can't think of one.

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know. I'm trying to think. I don't know. A match I played against Chang when he won the French Open, I was embarrassed losing 1, 1 and 1. That was a bit embarrassing. That kind of sticks out like a sore thumb.

PETE SAMPRAS: No.

PETE SAMPRAS: As far as the seeding and all that stuff, I was shocked, I was surprised. I mean, I can accept Wimbledon changing seeds because of the surface, very unique, very fast. When I heard about the seed change, it just opened up a whole can of warms. It's their right, their tournament, they can do what they want. I was surprised. I think at this point in time, we just have to go out and play. What happened with the draw and the seeds is over now.

PETE SAMPRAS: For me it's really the surface. It's hardcourt, it's a fair surface. The guy that plays in Europe on clay can play well on hardcourt. I can accept Wimbledon changing their seeds because of the surface. To change it here is something that I really didn't agree with. If there's a surface that's changed, it should be grass or etch clay. A hardcourt surface is a fair surface. Guys from Europe can play well on it, so I was surprised.

PETE SAMPRAS: I can't hear you.

PETE SAMPRAS: It's a little bit. I've been out there a little bit more than he has. A little bit of an advantage. I don't think he was that intimidated by the situation, maybe a little bit. It's not a big deal.

PETE SAMPRAS: I think it's maybe something the players could have accepted a little better than basically the day of the draw. If they could have forewarned us, maybe we could have swallowed it a little bit better. The way they did it was basically surprising.

PETE SAMPRAS: It was hard. The way I was playing that week, leading up to the Krajicek match I felt pretty good. I felt like I was in shape to do it four in a row. I just ran into a player that was very hot, playing very well, went out to win the tournament. It was hard to accept. A couple points here and there, I could have won it. You can't kill yourself over it, you just have to move on. Fortunately in this game, there's always a big tournament around the corner. Here we are at the Open.

PETE SAMPRAS: If you're looking for a role model for kids, I think he's your guy. He's one of the nicest guys we have on the Tour. He just goes out and plays. I've always looked up to him when I turned pro, the way he presented himself, just a class act on and off the court. You think of him, the way he played in the year he defended his title, won four straight five-setters, beat me in the final, that was a great effort. He'll be missed when he leaves.

PETE SAMPRAS: It didn't surprise me with Stefan. I think he was about 1 or 2 in the world at the time. Didn't surprise me. He's someone that's pretty quiet and not emotional, but deep down I think he's got it. He's won five, six majors, has had a great career.

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