ATP TOUR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

November 17, 1992

Pete Sampras

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I thought I was very pleased, the way I played, especially the way I served. I thought the serving level was very high today. The match was basically determined on a couple of points here and there. He was going for a lot on the second serve. And fortunately, for my sake, he missed a couple of big ones in the tiebreaker, especially in the second set. Match like this playing Boris depends on a couple of points here and there. Fortunately, I got those points today. Overall, I thought I was very consistent and very strong mentally, as far as my concentration was concerned, and, you know, I was pretty fortunate I had won that set. The crowd was getting into it. I managed to pull through.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. I have always had a hard time playing Boris, especially indoors. I don't know, I mean I am very used to the court; I played really well here last year, and coming into today's match I felt pretty good about the way I was playing even though I really didn't play all that well the last two, three weeks, but, you know, I got off to a pretty good start, was serving very well. Like I said, I just happen to win the big points today, that is all it took.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I am definitely, you know, there is some pros and cons with the system now. I think I could speak for 20 minutes about the ranking system, but I don't think it is going to -- I do not think it is going to change; I really don't know. That is something that I just have to talk to the ATP about before I talk to the press about it.

PETE SAMPRAS: No. I mean, I have kind of talked among the Davis Cup team in Minnesota with McEnroe, Agassi, Courier and I don't think they were too happy about the ranking system now. Myself, I really don't complain too much about anything. I don't have any problem with the ranking system. I think there is some things that maybe need to be changed, but I don't have any really big complaints about it.

PETE SAMPRAS: I mean, I thought coming into this match, obviously I was very concerned. He has been playing very well. Winning Paris, indoor, and playing in front of his hometown people, you know, obviously, he is going to be very keen to beat me. He has beaten me here in the past, and I just got the big points today. But I thought he served really well, and hit his second serve especially as well. He missed a couple of second serves on the big points and that was the difference.

PETE SAMPRAS: My return?

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, basically, he stands pretty close, you know, on the baseline and I felt like if I hit the ball in the corner, I feel my chances of winning the point are pretty good. Boris stands so close in putting a lot of pressure on you that if you don't make your first serve, second serving he is going to crack it. He might make it or miss it. It is important to make high percentage of first serves in. That is what I did.

PETE SAMPRAS: I feel like I am hitting the ball pretty well. This was a good match for me. I can't really emotionally kind of be on a high like now. I have to get ready against my match against Edberg. He is playing very well. I have to put this match out of my mind for tomorrow. And hopefully play as well as I did today.

PETE SAMPRAS: Say again.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, in every match, you know, we play it is as hard as I am hitting ball and Boris is hitting the ball, there are going to be some mistakes. I think over the course of a match everything about evens out. I got some bad calls; he got some. That is the way the sport is being played now. It is very fast and it is tough, you know, for someone to see the ball going 120 miles an hour. It is something that you have to deal with it. It is part of the sport. It is the way it is going to be.

PETE SAMPRAS: That was definitely a very good "get" and a very big point being up one on the breaker. I kind of got a little momentum there, that was definitely probably the biggest point for me in the match.