Issue 20 - April 1998
THE PASSION THAT DRIVES PETE SAMPRAS
It's been easy to take for granted Pete Sampras's unprecedented reign as world champion. His swift sweep of the competition over the last decade has often seemed effortless. His stoic demeanour has revealed little about his personal and professional struggles.
His guarded profile at times has made him the game's greatest enigma. Only in his most humbling moment at the Australian Open where he lost to Karol Kucera in the quarter finals did Sampras give a glimpse into the price paid for his five year rule as the World No.1.
Sampras was angry, somewhat indignant about the loss to Kucera. By now he had expected to notch his eleventh Grand Slam championship and hover closer to breaking Roy Emerson's record of 12 major singles titles. He wondered how the soft-spoken Slovak had found his Achilles heel and denied him his rightful crown.
"After that match, I was a wreck for a couple of days," said Sampras, "Some players can blow off a bad loss, but after eight or nine years of playing Grand Slams, it still bothers me. I couldn't believe it, I had rehabbed my knee [injured in December at the Davis Cup final] and was ready for a fresh start to the year."
"I had gone through the first week comfortably. And then I have a bad match against Kucera. I had bad feeling about the match when I started to get the worst calls ever. Could you believe those calls? I didn't shake hands with the umpire."
Sampras's disgust was palpable and somewhat surprising. After nine years on tour, surely one would have expected Sampras to develop a thicker skin for such setbacks, however rare. Who would have expected the World Number One to begrudge a few line calls weeks after the event? Lesser pros would have dismissed the injustices as a bad day at the office. But for Sampras each match seemed personal.
When he warned the umpire, "I'm watching you," after one disputed call in the Kucera match, television analyst John McEnroe picked up on the top seed's agitation and remarked "That's Pete Sampras having a temper tantrum."
Then Sampras's somewhat superhuman accomplishments have made his rare failings and displayed feelings more noteworthy. His career had read like his favourite Tom Cruise movies, Top Gun and All The Right Moves. The personal traumas and professional threats to his top spot usually have had well-tempered endings. But as he has matured and endured life's toils, Sampras has revealed smidgens of the passion that drove him to the top of his profession.
No Pain No Gain
"The biggest misconception about me is that people don't see how hard I compete," he says, "just because they didn't see emotion from me meant that I was boring, that I wasn't trying. They didn't see me struggle. Winning a title didn't seem a big deal to them. Now it's a different situation. They seem to know where my heart and mind are. I compete a little meaner in some matches which I really want to win. I still have that drive."
Typical of many teenage prodigies that have grown up on tour, Sampras has attempted to balance personal needs with his professional perfectionism. Two years ago, he refused to think of life after tennis. Post retirement pursuits were not an issue. Titles and training had to be the sole focus. When asked what would come first, a French Open title or marriage, Sampras was quite sure that the one Grand Slam title that still eludes him would.
"But now, I see marriage in the plan," he confides. "I am still very much a bachelor, but one day I want to have kids and a family. Eventually, I will move to Los Angeles so I can be close to my family. I want to buy a really great home there."
Sampras has not altered his regimen but has changed his attitude since dating actress Kimberly Williams, star of the movie Father of The Bride. His conversations unconsciously drift into a personal domain that he generally terms "deep stuff". His chest-thumping salutes to Williams after his Wimbledon victory last year were uncharacteristic displays of public affection. Recently when one journalist wrote, "Sampras would rather have his heart broken than his serve," Sampras fired back: "That's not true, that's not true at all. I didn't like that [comment]."
Conflicting Demands
Indeed, Sampras has wrestled with the conflicting demands of career priorities and weaving another person into his life. The once lanky teenager, recently voted one the game's sexiest player by one publication, is more comfortable with expressing himself. He can now smile at the days he needed to muster the nerve to ask Williams our for the first time.
They went hiking on their first day and eventually co-ordinated their schedules to fit two high-profile careers. Williams cheered court side at several event and Sampras attended several of her performances in the Broadway play, The Last Night of Ballyhoo.
"To a certain extent, you have to be selfish to be the best," says Sampras "I needed to be with someone who understands that I have to eat and sleep around my tennis, even it that means room service at midnight. I've been to more plays and on more hikes in the last year that I have in the past, but tennis is still my priority."
"The biggest adjustment between the ages of 20-26 is dealing with people. I've been exposed to enough situations now that I have a different perspective."
That is a slight departure from a man who frets over his equipment, diet and attire. Sampras is a creature of habit and scoffs at any deviation from his routine. He often restrings rackets after matches, broken or not. He sticks to a strict diet of low-fat turkey sandwiches and pasta and prefers baggy shirts that hang loosely like an unencumbered hot air balloon. He travels full-time with coach Paul Annacone and trainer Todd Snyder and returns to the sam events each year.
"Pete's a thoroughbred." says US Davis Cup captain Tom Gullikson. "He is fine-tuned and is sensitive to everything from how his rackets are strung to how his shirt tail hangs. He is an artist, and his kinetic strength is truly amazing."
In the last few years, Sampras has learned that he cannot control everything in his life. The death of his coach Tim Gullikson [Tom's twin brother] in 1996 was a cold reminder of life's realities. It took Sampras a few months to hurdle an ugly split with long-time girlfriend Delaina Mulcahy before he began dating Williams in April last year. Only recently, his former coach, Pete Fischer, pleaded guilty to two counts of child molestation after three boys accused him of sexual misconduct.
Sampras stopped working with Fischer in 1989 and had no knowledge or experience of Fischer's proclivities. The 56 year old paediatrician, who freelanced as a tennis mentor in Southern California to many junior stars, reportedly flew to the east coast two years ago to personally alert Sampras to the impending charges. Prior to Fischer's plea bargain agreement with the California court, Sampras had pledged his support and offered to be a character witness had the case gone to trial. Sampras and other Fischer students were stunned by the coach's decision to plead guilty. Fischer was sentenced to six years in jail.
"It's a sad situation," says Sampras. "Pete was a friend and a coach to me when I was growing up. That's all I can say."
But Sampras has plenty to say about his relentless scheduling and plans to temper his fast-paced lifestyle. The novelty of holding the silver cups and million dollar pay checks has worn off a bit. He prefers time at home to the constant travel. The tour's tunnel-vision lifestyle has become somewhat stifling. Retirement looms more vividly and history-breaking records gain great urgency. "I have absolutely no idea of what I will do after tennis," says Sampras who turns 27 on August 12.
Keeping busy
"Retirement is overrated, I'm sure that I would get bored after two or three months. I see John [McEnroe] and Jimmy [Connors] doing something. They had to be active.
After 15 years [of tennis] I will have to find some other interest. I will not be commentating on television or be the Davis Cup captain. I don't want to get into politics. Maybe I'll be an entrepreneur. But I will need some kind of simulus.
"Right now, breaking Roy Emerson's record does mean something to me. I would like to do it. And I still have the time to do it. For now, I'm staying in Tampa and sticking to my routine. Everything's simple there. It's easy to train. It's good for my taxes. It's a simple way of life and relaxing after all the chaos of travelling."
After tearing a calf muscle at last year's Davis Cup final in December, Sampras pledged to reduce his tournament schedule and the risk of further injury. Instead of relaxing on a golf a course, he spent his short December break rehabilitating the leg. The American, who has criticised the Davis Cup scheduling, confirmed that he will not play in the US's first two ties and most likely not at all this year.
"There are many sacrifices I make for my tennis," he says. "It's a 12-month season. Even when I have a week off here and there, I can never let go. I still think about my tennis or training for the next event. My wish would be to have six to eight weeks off so that I could really get away.
"I would go golfing with my buddies and then be with my girlfriend for the first three or four weeks. Then I would spend the other month getting into the best shape of my life. That's what I need at this point in my life. And that's why I am going to create an off-season myself this year."
According to Sampras, his competitive streak is limited to his tennis, although it has surfaced during golf games and casino gambling. He did not hesitate to replace any unlucky golf club and stuck to the poker tables at a casino in Australia despite mounting losses. By the time Petr Korda captured the Australian title and jumped to No.2 in the rankings, Sampras was back in the U.S preparing for his next event.
When Korda issued a challenge for the No.1 spot, Sampras thrived on the threat. As his voice grows noticeably direct and determined, Sampras welcome the opportunity to face his nemesis again.
"I don't plan on seeing his scissors-kick jump one more time on my court," Sampras says "I can't even look at it. I look forward to the day I play Petr Korda again. After I lost to him at the US Open last year, I couldn't wait to play him again at the Australian. I was very angry at what happened in Melbourne. How could I not be? I hope that I always care this much."