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By Lana Maciel / Friday, January 24, 2014
Pete Sampras made the trip to Melbourne on the 20th
anniversary of his first title Down Under. He discussed the
GOAT, life after tennis, and his emotional memories at the
AO.
Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve
MELBOURNE, Australia — On
the 20th anniversary of his first Australian Open win, former
world No. 1 Pete Sampras has returned to
Melbourne, where he’s slated to present the 2014 men’s champion
with the coveted trophy on Sunday.
For Sampras, making the 18-hour flight down to Australia took
him on a colorful trip down memory lane. It was here that he
fought past Todd Martin for his first
Australian major in 1994, then came back three years later to
win a second title over Carlos Moya in 1997.
Reflecting on his time spent competing Down Under, Sampras
admits he never felt 100 percent comfortable playing at the
Australian Open, mostly because of the timing and the
unforgiving surface it used to feature.
“It was a tough major for me to win,” Sampras recalls. “The
Rebound Ace court they had at that time was tough on my body,
tough to serve and volley on, a surface that was tough when it
got hot. At times when I played Davis Cup, was No. 1, it was
over in December. Three weeks later I had to hop on a plane to
come down here. At times I felt like I was a little flat coming
down here. I feel like I struggled a little bit.”
Melbourne is also a place that’s ripe with emotion for the
two-time champion. Walking about the grounds, he remembers not
only his championship titles in 1994 and 1997, but also the
emotional moment he had on court while playing Jim Courier in
the 1995 quarterfinals, when he broke down in tears mid-match
thinking about his coach, Tim Gullikson, who had been diagnosed
with cancer.
“When I signed up to come here, [my mind went] back to some of
these moments I had with Jim back in the ’90s, with my coach
taking ill, seeing him struggle a little bit. The emotion in
that match was very awkward, revealing for me to show that
emotion.”
While some players might interpret such nostalgia as a desire
to get back into the game, Sampras said without a doubt that he
would not plan any return to the tour, much like Pat Rafter did
in teaming up with Lleyton Hewitt for this year’s doubles
event. And who could blame him. At 42, Sampras is happily
living a life after tennis, free of all the stress that comes
with traveling, competing and heavy training.
“I miss the moment. I miss the last weekend of a major. I miss
the excitement,” he said. “But I don’t miss the stress. I don’t
miss the pressure, the expectations I put on myself.”
Sampras’ appearance comes just in time for what’s being billed
as the most anticipated match of the tournament: Roger
Federer versus Rafael Nadal, a match
he’ll likely take in at Rod Laver Arena. While he agrees that
these two players are among the best of their generation, the
argument of Greatest of All Time is not something he’s quick to
take a firm stance on.
“I believe when you look at the history of the game, each
decade has their player,” he said. “Obviously Rod was the best
in his time. I certainly had my moments in the ’90s. Rafa and
Roger are having their moments now. I mean, there’s not one
greatest player. Let’s just appreciate what we’re watching.
It’s hard to compare the numbers and the eras where we all did
our thing. We’re all great at what we did. It’s just hard to
really talk about who is better.”
As he takes in the men’s semifinal at Rod Laver Arena Friday
night, Sampras may look over to Federer’s box and see old rival
Stefan Edberg, who defeated him at the
Australian Open in 1993. But don’t think he will be at all
envious of the Swede’s position. As far as Sampras is
concerned, he’s not eager to jump on the bandwagon of
“celebrity coaches” coming back to the game.
“No, it’s not for me. I’ve been asked by a couple guys. But the
travel, to go on the road, do all that they’re doing is not
something that I’m interested in.”
Even so, it’s nice to see a legend come back around every once
in a while.
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