Grand
Slam No. 7: US Open 1995
Headline
news and press conference
Sizzling
Sampras proves his point
It was only one point, and it
came early in the match. But, oh, what a
point.
"That was a huge
point," Pete Sampras said. "Thank
God I won it."
It was the key point of the
1995 US Open, which completed its two-week
run yesterday with Sampras defeating
defending champion Andre Agassi
6-4,6-3,4-6,7-5 to win the men's singles
title.
Back and forth the ball went,
the two slugging it out at long range, moving
each other from side to side.
Then, on the last of 22 deep,
hard and angled shots, Sampras ripped a
sharply angled backhand crosscourt that
Agassi could only watch sail past.
Thirty-four minutes after play had begun,
Sampras had won the first set.
He raised his arms in triumph
an emotional display that would come again
much later. Agassi could only hang his head.
"Pete knows how to seize
opportunities," Agassi said. "I ran
him from 12 corners. He had to work for it,
but he got it. And to think the wind was
against him there."
After that, Sampras grew
stronger, went for bigger shots. After
serving just one ace in the opening set, he
finished with 24-11 coming in the final set.
Agassi fell behind 3-0 in the
second set, then won the third when Sampras
started missing his first serve. When Agassi
broke Sampras to close the third set, it
seemed that finally he had switched the
momentum.
"I thought I'd sneak my
way into the fifth," Agassi said,
"and roll the dice a little bit. But it
didn't happen."
Instead, Sampras found the
rhythm on his serve again - in the sixth game
blowing four consecutive aces past Agassi.
In his moment of triumph,
Sampras looked into the television cameras
and sent a message to his coach, Tim
Gullikson, watching in Chicago where he is
recovering from brain tumour treatments.
"That was for you,
Timmy," Sampras said. "Wish you
were here."
Gullikson had to leave
Sampras during the Australian Open in
January, when the then-number one wept during
the fifth set of a dramatic semi-final
triumph over Jim Courier, Sampras went on to
lose the final to Agassi.
Sampras lost his top ranking
to Agassi in April and was ousted in the
first round of the French Open. More
important, he was fearful Gullikson might
lose his life.
But his coach's condition
stabilised. Sampras found an interim coach in
friend Paul Annacone. And things turned
around. Sampras won a third straight
Wimbledon crown. Then came the Open and one
of his finest moments.
"My year has been up and
down," Sampras said. "I felt I
could raise my level here as the two weeks
went on and I did that. This was my best
tennis. I just picked the right time."
Agassi found that out the
hard way. He already knew that friendly rival
Sampras had a special mission to win for
Gullikson.
"It's tough to say how
much that has truly affected him,"
Agassi said. " I know it has affected
him on a personal level. But as for his
tennis, Pete has done a great job."
"Maybe the weight of his
coach being ill has affected him day to day.
But in a certain sense, I think he draws a
lot of strength from it, too."
Gullikson has kept in touch
with Sampras and Annacone, talking by
telephone every day during the Open.
"There are a couple of
things Pete needs to continually work on and
be reminded," Annacone said. "He
needs to put more forward pressure on
opponents. He's one of the few guys who can
do everything. But if you don't use it,
there's no sense having it."
"He heard that from Tim
and I think he realised he has to do
that."
Of that magic point, Annacone
said: " That's one of the best points I
ever saw in my life. You saw two superstars
come up with I don't know how many shots I
thought were point-ending. I sat there in awe
as most of the other people did."
Naturally, Agassi saw it
differently: "That point really
sucked."
Article
supplied by Ida Tang
BACK TO TOP
Sampras Rolls,
Agassi Fades in Final
by: Bruce Jenkins
New York (Monday, September
11, 1995)-- THE BIG tennis party had come on
Saturday, raging well into the evening, and
by the time yesterday's men's final came
around, people were a little spent.
Unfortunately for the sport, Andre Agassi was
among them.
Nobody was taking a thing away
from the great Pete Sampras, who wrapped up
his seventh Grand Slam title with a 6-4, 6-3,
4-6, 7-5 victory over Agassi in the blustery
afternoon conditions of the Stadium Court.
Sampras was so sharp, he was
pinpointing celebrities in the crowd at a
moment's glance.
But Agassi had that
watered-down look, like an unfinished
gin-and-tonic that spent the night on the
coffee table. After all that preparation, all
that anticipation for his big match against
Sampras, Agassi took the court in a sluggish
state, full of regret.
``It's like everything caught
up to me,'' he said. ``The long summer,
playing all those matches, then having to
come back today after last night (finishing
his semifinal against Boris Becker around 9
p.m.). I mean, after just one set, I felt
heavy in the legs. That's way too early to
feel like that.''
Sampras, who played the
morning semifinal against Jim Courier,
admitted having an edge -- and when one of
the British writers asked if the Wimbledon
format (a day off before the final) is
better, Sampras said, ``Absolutely. Super
Saturday is great entertainment for the fans,
but when you have to come back after a long
night match. . . . Let's just say that with a
day off, the tennis today would have been
better.''
Shortly before he died,
legendary Pancho Gonzalez said Agassi and
Sampras ``would beat the pants off of anybody
in the past. They're just on another level
from anyone else who has ever played.'' But
from the start of yesterday's Hung-Over
Invitational, something wasn't right.
The first set went quietly,
without a single spectacular moment, until
the two men closed it with a sudden stroke of
collective genius. Out of nowhere, they began
hitting rockets at each other, gaining in
pace, accuracy and angle, until the crowd
began gasping in amazement. ``One of the
greatest points I've ever been a part of,''
said Sampras, who finally closed out the
21-stroke rally with a topspin backhand
cross-court winner.
The wind was a blessing for
the crowd, enjoying a magnificently sunny
afternoon, but it made for tricky and
somewhat tentative tennis. The match's
signature stroke would become Sampras' first
serve, and when he took a 4-1 lead in the
second set with three consecutive aces, the
crowd could have been declared legally dead.
Sampras was in complete command, and Agassi
seemed incapable of mounting a challenge.
Then, in a stunning show of bravado, Sampras
wrapped up the set with a second-serve ace.
It was amazing to watch
Agassi completely out of it. He'd won 26
straight matches going in, the cornerstone of
his No. 1 world ranking, and suddenly it
seemed his fire had been extinguished. To the
crowd's relief, Agassi finally turned up the
heat as the match approached the two-hour
mark. Forging a second set point at 4-5, he
unleashed his trademark first-service return,
put Sampras on the defensive, then ripped a
down-the-line forehand pass.
``If I'm returning well, I've
got news for you,'' said Agassi, ``it doesn't
look like Pete's got that good of a serve.''
Alas, on this day, it was
only an illusion. At one point, Sampras
uncorked an all-ace service game -- ``first
time I've done that against Andre in my
life,'' he said. Sampras held serve with
frightening ease to close out the match. And
just before that, when Sampras scored a
critical service break for 6-5, Agassi
shanked an embarrassing double fault -- at
least five feet long -- to put himself down
0-40.
``The whole year I've had,
the big run I was on, turned out too good to
be true,'' said a sullen Agassi afterward.
``I just didn't have that little extra today.
I fought my way through the tournament and
beat a lot of guys, but Pete was much more on
his game today. I think when I look back, I
might realize I was fried -- mentally and
physically. I mean, yeah, I went 26-1 -- but
I'd give up all 26 to have that one back.''
At 24, Sampras is truly
looking the part of an all-time great. His
seven Grand Slam titles draw him even with
John McEnroe and Mats Wilander, trailing
Jimmy Connors (8), Ivan Lendl (8) and Bjorn
Borg (11) in the Open era. Sampras is only
the fourth player in history to win three
Wimbledons and three U.S. Opens, joining
McEnroe, Bill Tilden and Fred Perry.
Most importantly, in terms of
the world rankings, Sampras won both
Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this year. ``And
I'd kill to have done that,'' said Agassi.
``I'm still No. 1, even after today, but I
think Pete has to feel better about his year,
and I don't blame him.''
It was left to Sampras, the
man of the hour, to provide the party's last
laughs. People were moving around constantly
in the stadium yesterday -- as they did
throughout this and every Open -- and Sampras
couldn't help but notice.
``I hit this one ace,'' said
Sampras, ``and when I look up, and there's
J.F.K. Jr. I'm thinking to myself, `Gosh,
that guy looks familiar.' Another time, I'm
ready to serve, and I hear this noise. I look
over and it's Arnold Schwarzenegger. I mean,
there he was. The Terminator.''
Unlike Saturday, the
anticipation proved more lively than the
execution. This was the day after, and Pete
Sampras was the most sober guy in the room.
That's the guy you never bet against. It was
only one point, and it came early in the
match. But, oh, what a point.
"That was a huge
point," Pete Sampras said. "Thank
God I won it."
BACK TO TOP
Pete dethrones
Agassi to earn 3rd Open title
by: Steve Wilstein
New York
Originally published on 9/11/1995
KEY TO MATCH - One
magnificent rally at the end of the first set
gave Sampras the edge he needed to deflate
top ranked Agassi. - One point, 22 shots, a
championship at stake with every breathtaking
stroke. In that magnificent rally at the end
of the first set Sunday, Pete Sampras imposed
his will on Andre Agassi and broke him,
literally on serve, figuratively in spirit.
It was a point that meant
more than any of the 24 aces Sampras knifed
through the whipping wind, more than the
volley he dived for when he bloodied his
knuckles and skinned his knees on the way to
a third U.S. Open title, 6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5.
That point, even with three
sets yet to play, defined the match and
decided it, showing that Sampras could beat
Agassi at his own baseline game, no matter if
he had to chase every ball from corner to
corner.
``It's probably one of the
best points I've ever been part of,'' Sampras
said. ``I certainly hope that makes the play
of the day.''
That point should be
preserved on videotape in the International
Hall of Fame, with all the gasps and screams
and the final explosive cheers of the 20,000
fans in the background.
``That's one of the best
points I've ever seen in my life,'' Paul
Annacone, Sampras' interim coach, said.
``Before the match I told Pete to try to get
into as many athletic points as he could get
in. I think that (rally) was about as
quintessentially athletic as you could have a
point. You saw two superstars come with I
don't know how many different shots. I sat
there in awe, as many of the other spectators
did.''
With that point and the
eventual victory, Sampras reached No. 1 in
the esteem of his greatest rival, if not yet
once more in the rankings themselves, two
months after taking his third straight
Wimbledon championship.
``Pete knows how to seize
opportunities,'' said Agassi, who had yielded
only two points in his first four service
games. ``I ran him from 12 corners. He had to
work for it, but he got it. And to think, the
wind was against him there.''
The rally came at the end of
a game that revealed the best of Sampras and
the worst of Agassi, with a little luck
thrown in. Sampras reached his first break
point with a forehand return that clipped the
net cord and trickled over out of Agassi's
reach. Agassi's service winner brought it
back to deuce, but he went to break-point
again when he bludgeoned an easy overhead 10
feet long.
Agassi thought he'd even it
up again when he got Sampras scurrying
desperately in a baseline duel. Instead, on
the last of 22 deep and hard and angled
shots, it was Sampras who ended that longest
rally with a backhand crosscourt, and Agassi
who could only hang his head.
``He's so quick,'' Sampras
said. ``I felt if I could keep him moving,
keep him moving, I could get a short ball and
come in. But I never really felt I had a
winner until I hit that backhand. It was an
unbelievable point. Thank God I won it.''
For Agassi, that point made
him realize there was little he was going to
get away with on this day.
Right down to the end, when
Sampras served his 142nd ace of the
tournament at 120 mph, he put on a show of
power, control and resilience that he
dedicated to his absent and ailing coach, Tim
Gullikson.
``That's for you, Timmy,''
Sampras said to the television camera,
knowing Gullikson was watching at home in
suburban Chicago. ``Wish you were here.''
Agassi, who came in with a 26-match winning
streak, faded early in the second set to fall
behind 3-0, then scrambled back in the third
set, capitalizing on Sampras' suddenly more
erratic serves and breaking him for the first
time in the third game.
When Agassi broke Sampras
again to close the set, it seemed for a few
moments that he might finally wear him down,
push him all the way to a fifth and raise
this final to the level of the hype that
preceded it.
``I thought I'd sneak my way
into the fifth,'' Agassi said, ``and roll the
dice a little bit. But it didn't happen.''
This match, for all of their
fine rallies and all of Sampras' aces, never
quite lived up to its potential.
The swirling wind on a cool
afternoon made it harder for Agassi, who
counts on the timing of his groundstrokes.
For Sampras, his serves cut right through the
wind, and his volleys reduced the chances of
the wind tossing his shots around.
Sampras bunched his aces,
dealing out three in one game in the second
set, four in the sixth game of the fourth
set. He had aces on three of his last five
serves.
``I hit an ace up the middle,
and I saw John F. Kennedy Jr.,'' Sampras
said, drawing laughter. ``I did. Honest to
God. I said, he looks a little familiar.''
Sampras looked around at the
crowd another time and picked out Arnold
Schwarzenegger.
``There he was,'' Sampras
said, ``the Terminator.''
Agassi blamed his own
weariness as much as the wind for the loss,
though he gave Sampras full credit.
"It's been a long
summer,'' Agassi said. ``I had a couple of
days off after Boris, which helped me. In the
first set, I felt my legs. ... It was way too
early in the match to feel that way. I was
lacking a little strength. I guess you could
say I didn't have pep in my step.
``It was tough conditions
today. It didn't lend itself to great tennis.
You couldn't do enough with the ball. I
didn't come near his serve in that fourth
set. The problem is I didn't make him feel
the pressure.'' The official rankings mean
little to either of them. What counts most
are Grand Slam titles, and this year Sampras
has the two biggest and Agassi only the one
he grabbed back in January at the Australian
Open. ``Come December 31st, he'll feel better
about the year than I will,'' Agassi said.
``On the other hand, I'd play him for a
hundred bucks right now.'' They played this
one for much more - $575,000 for the winner,
half that for the runner-up.
``It means a lot to have been
out there to try to defend it,'' Agassi said,
``but it hurts not to win it.''
Agassi will remain No. 1 for
the moment, Sampras No. 2, though that could
change by year's end. Agassi has held the top
ranking since April 10. Sampras and Agassi
have won seven of the last nine Grand Slam
championships, missing out only on the 1993
and 1994 French Opens.
The rivalry between them may
only now be reaching full bloom, and their
best matches may be yet to come. Opposites in
style and temperament, they need each other
to push themselves to their best.
``I enjoy knowing,'' Agassi
said, ``that there's somebody out there that
I worry about, forcing you to come up with
shots, forcing you to hit baselines.''
BACK
TO TOP
UNITED STATES TENNIS
ASSOCIATION
1995 U.S. OPEN
FLUSHING MEADOWS, NEW YORK
September 10, 1995
P. SAMPRAS /A. Agassi
6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
AN INTERVIEW WITH PETE SAMPRAS
Q. What is the money for? Did you cash
your check already?
PETE SAMPRAS: I am ready.
Q. Rankings aside, you are No. 1?
PETE SAMPRAS: You know, it depends how you
look at it. I mean, Andre has been a lot more
consistent than I have this year. He has won
a lot more titles, but, you know, I feel if
you win two of the Majors, there should be a
strong possibility you should be No. 1, but
like I said, he has been a lot more
consistent; won more titles. My year has been
a little up and down, but, you know, it is
the computer, you know, I can't -- I can't
rig it.
Q. What do you think your chances are
of catching him in the points by the end of
the year or whenever?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know. I haven't seen
the points. I am at this point going to go
home and enjoy this and I got a Davis Cup Tie
in another week or so, and so, I hopefully I
can end the year strong, but he has been a
lot more consistent as far as his results.
Q. Would you take the U.S. Open and
Wimbledon over his titles?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yes, I would.
Q. When you play Andre in a big match,
do you not just feel like it is for this
title, but you are sort of playing for the
title, you know, that there is always more at
stake than just, you know, the circumstances;
there is that feeling --
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, you know, walking on
the court today, I could really feel the
electricity -- the electricity just went out
(audience laughter) Would you believe that?
Q. You are good, Pete.
PETE SAMPRAS: And, you know, looking
forward to the new stadium, aren't we? Yeah,
it is different. When Andre and I play each
other, I find that he is the one guy I can go
out and play good tennis; he can still beat
me and I can't say that about a lot of the
guys on the Tour. He has the best return of
serve in the game and, you know, walking out
today I feel like I needed to be at my best,
and that is really the bottom line when I
play Andre, if I am not at my best, the way
he has played this summer this year, you
know, I felt that I was always under a little
bit of pressure today. I was up two sets and
a break and I just-- I really didn't feel at
that point that I had him, you know, and --
but it is always different. This is a rivalry
that I hope gets more and more popular. I
think it is, getting to the final here and
playing pretty good tennis. So, you know, got
a lot of respect for him.
Q. You would have been disappointed if
he lost yesterday, wouldn't you?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, it would have been a
different match playing Boris, but, you know,
when you have a chance to win the U.S. Open
title you want to beat the best player in the
world, and he is -- as far as in my mind one
of the best players in the world.
Q. Have you at any time in the last
two weeks thought about how you left here
last year; you were in pain; it was a really
tough loss, and can you contrast that with
how you are going to leave here today?
PETE SAMPRAS: I tried to put what happened
last year behind me. It was a tough, tough
situation not being in shape; came out here
and really was so unprepared that I didn't
have any energy, and this year, I had a good
summer, but not a great summer. I was in good
shape. I felt that I could hopefully raise my
level as the two weeks went on and I did
that. I really did. I mean, yesterday and
today was my best tennis and I just kind of
picked the right time. That is what it takes
sometimes.
Q. What is the most gratifying part of
this one?
PETE SAMPRAS: Beating Andre. I mean, you
know, would have -- it is always -- it would
have been different if I would have played
Boris and beaten him. I would have been just
as happy, but it is always a little bit
different when I can beat Andre 1 and 2 in
the world, both American, and, you know, to
beat him makes me feel a little better than
if I had beaten someone else.
Q. Let us just say for the fun of it
you are the editor of a leading sports
magazine. Would you put the men's champion of
the U.S. Open considering all he has gone
through this year and what he has
accomplished athletically, would you put him
on the cover or Deion Sanders and why?
PETE SAMPRAS: Who is Deion Sanders?
(audience laughter)
Q. Nike client.
PETE SAMPRAS: I really didn't understand
the question.
Q. Do you think you deserve to be on
the cover of Sports Illustrated?
PETE SAMPRAS: I won my third Wimbledon and
I didn't get on there, so hopefully now I
will get on there.
Q. Steffi won her fourth. Pete, how
did you feel about the set point first set,
after the set point in the first set?
PETE SAMPRAS: Probably one of the best
points I have ever been a part of. I mean,
even if I would have lost it, it would have
felt a lot worse, that is for sure. We are
both running each other around and I just
flicked off a good backhand. I was pretty
winded after that, regained my composure and
played a pretty good first game. That was a
huge point. I certainly hope that makes the
play of the day.
Q. How many times, Pete, did you think
you had won that point before you actually
won it two or three times when you'd actually
thought you had hit a winner?
PETE SAMPRAS: On that set point?
Q. Yeah.
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I felt, you know, not
really. I mean, I felt he is quick. I mean,
and I felt if I could just keep him moving;
keep him moving, I could get a short ball and
come in, but I never really felt I had a
winner until I hit that backhand. But it was
an unbelievable point, and, you know, thank
God I won it.
Q. Pete, Paul was just in here. He
talked about how many great all-around gifts
you have; how many things you can do. Is
there anything that you in your own mind
would like more of, or wish to have to a
greater degree?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think I am extremely happy
the way I served and my volleys, but I still
feel like I can return a little bit better. I
still feel like I can improve. I really
believe that. I can be a little bit more
solid from the backcourt. I mean, I don't
think there will be a day where I am
satisfied with my tennis. I always want to
get better, and that is -- that is what gets
me up in the morning to practice is trying to
get even better and playing someone like
Andre, you know, he has beaten me a couple of
times, three times this year; he forces you
to try and change some things, chip and
charge a little bit, serve and volley, my
second serve and try to add a little bit more
to my game, so, that --
Q. Did you cut yourself when you belly
flopped?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.
Q. Oh, I see.
PETE SAMPRAS: Right here.
Q. Did you feel like a great chance
had gone at the end of the third set that
maybe he was ready to go and now all of a
sudden you are in the fourth set, and --
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, when I was up a break
in the third, I was holding my serve pretty
easily, and I just felt, especially that --
one way with the wind going that way, I just
hit a couple of -- hit a couple of bad
doubles, really bad doubles. And then he
started to get some confidence. He won the
third set and the crowd started really
getting behind him. I was -- still felt I was
up a set and he had a long weighed to go to
beat me. And -- but it would have been nicer
to hold on there and maybe get another break
in the third, but he is a tough guy to put
away. I mean, you need to play a high level
for three straight sets; that is tough to do
sometimes. I maintained that for a couple of
sets, but I just got a little bit tight at
that point; maybe saw the trophy in my hand,
but you know, he came up with some good
stuff.
Q. Pete, in the fourth set, in the
first game, you had a breakpoint; you missed
the forehand quite easily. What you did you
say to yourself, gosh, maybe I am going to
lose, maybe something is happening; the match
can turn; around; were you afraid a bit?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, that was a great
opportunity to lose the third, come back and
break him first game in the fourth. I had a
pretty easy shot and -- but, you know, you
can't worry about what happened in the last
point. Just have to move ahead, and hopefully
stay on my serve and I served -- I was
surprised myself how well I served today.
Because the conditions were so windy that my
ball toss was going all over the place that
was the one shot that kind of saved me today,
my serve.
Q. Did you ever hit an all ace game
against him?
PETE SAMPRAS: No.
Q. How do you hit an all ace game any
day against anybody? How difficult is that?
Is it difficult even for you?
PETE SAMPRAS: It is just -- you just get
in a great groove. It is like throwing three
strikes or striking out two people. You know,
you just -- everything just clicks, and you
starting to feel that you can, you know, toss
it up there and hit the line and that is what
I have to do against Andre. If I don't hit a
great serve he is going to make me volley and
so, you know, got a little bit lucky and
snapped off a couple of good aces.
Q. Andre said he woke up this morning
feeling a little sluggish; that he played
sort of a step slow. Could you sense that and
how did you wake up feeling this morning?
PETE SAMPRAS: I felt pretty good. I think
the fact that I played first yesterday and he
played second, he got done at 9 o'clock, I
think, you know, he has had a long summer and
maybe was a little bit fatigued at the end. I
felt pretty good. I felt this is a great
opportunity and no time for excuses as far as
being sore or tired. You just need to suck it
up and do whatever you can.
Q. Andre also said that when he will
look back, they may not necessarily really
remember who has been ranked No. 1, but
people will always remember the Slams. Is
that how you see it?
PETE SAMPRAS: Absolutely. Absolutely. I
mean, when you look back at the greatest
players of all time we look at the number of
Slams they have won and the ranking is
something everyone just takes for granted as
far as McEnroe being No. 1 or Connors being
No. 1. In my mind, the major titles is the
most important thing, in my year and the fact
that I have won two, really ends my year on a
great note.
Q. Now, Pete you have won seven Slam
titles now, I think you are four behind Borg
and maybe five behind Emerson. Do you think
about that and is getting the most Slam
titles a goal of yours; breaking the all-time
record?
PETE SAMPRAS: It is something I haven't
really thought about breaking the record. I
just see myself preparing the best I can for
Majors mentally and physically getting ready
and it is not really like a goal I put on my
chalk board; I am going to break Emerson's
record. I still feel that the French is the
one thing that is missing and that is a
pretty tough challenge for me to win there,
so that -- you know, something I haven't
thought about as far as the record.
Q. Ever come up to your mind the final
at the U.S. Open final five years ago?
PETE SAMPRAS: Not really.
Q. Would you like Wimbledon to
introduce Super Saturday, Pete?
PETE SAMPRAS: Super Saturday is great for
the fans and the TV, but as far as the
players are concerned, I think it is very
difficult to play back-to-back three, five
set matches. Andre got done late last night,
and to have a day off in between, you know,
the tennis might have looked -- might have
been a little better, so I kind of like that
day off in between. Super Saturday is, you
know, he got done at 9 o'clock and he played
today at 4; you don't have a lot of time to
recover. I think think that is tough on the
body; especially on this court, but I like to
see Wimbledon stay as it is.
Q. This tournament seems wholly unlike
you, loud, raucous, all those kind of things.
When you come here do you try to assume a
different mindset, say, for a different
tournament so you can get through all of the
--
PETE SAMPRAS: Not really.
Q. -- environment?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, the environment is --,
you know, I am not changing my attitude or
the way I am playing because of the crowd. I
mean, I am just going out and trying to play
good tennis and trying to win and I will show
some emotion, when it is 5-4, set point I
will be playing that great point, you know, I
just prepare as well as I can and hopefully
come out ahead.
Q. Is there a feeling of exhilaration
out there, maybe there is no time for it when
you think, here we are, the two greatest
players in the world, the whole world is
watching us, does that enter into it when you
are out there?
PETE SAMPRAS: Not really. It is me against
him. And, you know, you don't think about the
crowd, or the TV, or who is watching at home.
You just --
Q. You could be on a court alone,
nobody...
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, you are so zoned and
focused in on the match in what you are
trying to do; there is no time to think about
who is watching and whatever.
Q. Andre said he would play you again
tomorrow for $100. Would you play him
tomorrow?
PETE SAMPRAS: Absolutely.
Q. Didn't you look up there? There was
one interruption when Arnold Schwarznegger
arrived. Did you realize that?
PETE SAMPRAS: I realized that.
Q. Did you know who it was or
anything?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, yeah, well, I was
ready to serve; the crowd was doing something
and...
Q. Is that distracting?
PETE SAMPRAS: A little bit. A little bit.
I saw -- I hit an ace up the middle and I saw
John F. Kennedy Jr. - honest to God. I said,
"God, he looked a little familiar."
Q. Does that put any kind of new
perspective when you realize people of this
magnitude are present and have you raised
tennis to such a level that now these guys
are here?
PETE SAMPRAS: No.
Q. Doesn't mean anything to you?
PETE SAMPRAS: No. Really doesn't.
Q. When did you see Arnold?
PETE SAMPRAS: I was ready to serve; the
crowd was doing something. I looked over and
there he was, "the Terminator."
Q. What was with the shirt today?
PETE SAMPRAS: It is too long.
End of
FastScripts....
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UNITED STATES TENNIS
ASSOCIATION
1995 U.S. OPEN
FLUSHING MEADOWS, NEW YORK
September 10, 1995
P. SAMPRAS /A. Agassi
6-4, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5
AN INTERVIEW WITH PAUL ANNACONE
PAUL ANNACONE: I never had this many
people when I played. Except when I beat John
here.
Q. What did you do to help?
PAUL ANNACONE: I wish I could take a lot
of credit, but, you know, Pete is a great
athlete, and Andre has had a terrific summer.
I just thought that Pete had a good chance
because he has had a good tournament, hasn't
been on the court a lot of hours and I think
that he has worked really hard to prepare for
this event, although he didn't have great
results for him this summer, and I thought
that if he turned it into more of an athletic
match where they were both moving around a
lot and kind of stayed away from getting into
pattern play then we'd have a good chance.
Obviously, he has to serve well to eliminate
Andre's returning strength.
Q. Did you speak with Gully at all
during the course of this tournament?
PAUL ANNACONE: Yeah.
Q. Before today's match?
PAUL ANNACONE: Yeah.
Q. What did you discuss?
PAUL ANNACONE: Well, same thing we
basically discuss in all the conversations,
you know, you can make it complicated or as
simple as you want. It is not really rocket
science. I think that, you know, you are
dealing with someone who is an elite athlete.
You are not constructing a lot of things.
There is a couple of things that Pete needs
to continually needs to work on and be
reminded. He is a great athlete. I don't
think he takes advantage of that. Tim agrees.
He needs to put more forward pressure on his
opponents. Needs to use his ability up at the
net and use a variety in his groundstrokes.
He is one of the few guys that can do just
about everything. I always tell him that if
you don't use it, there is no sense in having
it. And, you know, today, he used it a bit
more, and I think that, you know, it is
always a bit of a grind when those two play.
I just think Pete might have been a little
mentally fresher today.
Q. Paul, he is playing the guy who is
ranked No. 1 in the world. He gave the sense
of overwhelming him today. Does Pete just do
more things better than anybody else out
there?
PAUL ANNACONE: I am a little bit biased,
obviously, but, you know, I think -- I think
Pete, when he is playing his best tennis, is
a dominating player. I think he is one of the
few guys that when he plays well, it doesn't
matter who he is playing. And I think that
most of the people who are tennis aficionados
have that same type of sense about his
ability. But I think at some point, so much
talent can be a liability, in that when you
play guys like Andre, and certain players,
you don't know when to use what; what weapon.
I think that all comes with time, and the
maturation process and Pete obviously has a
relatively successful record against Andre
and I think that whenever you can win a match
like that, like he did today, I think you
just want to sit back and enjoy it.
Q. Today you felt that he was using --
PAUL ANNACONE: First two sets he did. I
thought the first two sets he was pretty good
about moving the ball around, and using
different variety, although he chipped and
came in a couple of times and was passed. I
think you cannot beat Andre Agassi doing one
thing. He is just too good. You have to be
able to do everything. And it sounds easy and
it is easy to sit here and say that, but
there are very few human beings that can do
that at the level that Pete -- I think that
is what makes him difficult for Andre to play
when he is playing well.
Q. What is your title, are you
co-coach?
PAUL ANNACONE: Human being.
Q. Well, that too.
PAUL ANNACONE: Well, I have been a friend
of Pete since he was 17, and when Tim became
ill, we all just kind of decided that I
should help out for a while, and the quotes
have been "interim coach" which has
been flattering. That is fine as long as I
help and Tim starts feeling better and Pete
is winning matches, that is what is
important.
Q. We will call you interim coach.
PAUL ANNACONE: Whatever you'd like, as
long as it is not derogatory.
Q. Watching the last point of the
first set, did you go through various
emotions as you went through watching that 22
stroke rally?
PAUL ANNACONE: That is one of the best
points I have ever seen in my life. I mean,
before the match I told Pete to try to get
into as many athletic points as he could get
in. And I think that was about as
quintessentially athletic as you could have a
point. You saw two superstars come up with, I
don't know, how many different shots, I
thought, were point ending, until ultimately,
Pete came up with the one that did win the
point. So I kind of sat there in awe, as many
of the other spectators did, after that one.
Q. Were you at all concerned that Pete
was tiring in the latter stages of the third,
early fourth?
PAUL ANNACONE: No, he was a little bit
stiff but I think it was because it was cold.
I actually think it was kind of hard to play.
I know from past experience, when I played,
when it is cold like this, you actually get
stiffer, and physically, I think he felt
okay. He was just a little stiff because of
the cold weather.
Q. Have you ever coached anybody
before?
PAUL ANNACONE: I have helped a young New
Jersey boy a little bit by the name of Justin
Gimbelstob (phonetic), who I have spent a
little time with him, but not on a permanent
or regular basis.
Q. What is coaching Pete like?
PAUL ANNACONE: Like I said, it is not
major construction. I think that at this
level, you don't -- I have never been a
person -- my brother coached me; helped me a
lot when I played, but I knew that, you know,
inevitably, it is up to the person on the
court and I am very fortunate, especially in
this situation, when the person on the court
is one of the best players that ever played
tennis. So I think there is little things,
that no matter how good you are, you cannot
pick up when you play. And Pete knows that
and realized that if he has, hopefully,
someone that knows a little bit about the
game, that has got an easy going personality
around, and that can help fill the void a
little bit while Timmy is gone, then it can
make it easier for him to improve.That is
what struck me most from the beginning of my
relationship with Pete, even since he was 17,
and specifically, in the last nine months, is
this guy wants to get better. He wants to win
as many of these Majors as he can, but he
wants to improve.
Q. Do you have to be Gullikson's
shadow or are you Annacone?
PAUL ANNACONE: I hope I am my own person.
I have been playing for 12 years on the Tour.
I have won a few tournaments. I have been
ranked 11 in the world. I think most of the
players know me as my own person. I think Tim
and I have a good relationship and I have
with Tom, his brother and with Pete have had
good relationship. I think it was a mutually
beneficial situation. I think that it was the
easiest way to get something positive out of
a very difficult situation and I think that
there is no egos involved. I think no one
feels threatened and I think that, you know,
Tim and I talk about it all the time, the
biggest guy is for Timmy to get healthy and
for Pete to continue winning tennis matches.
If I can play some type of role, however
small it will be, I think I will feel happy
going to sleep at night.
Q. Pete and Agassi seem to genuinely
appreciate this rivalry and that it brings
the best out each of them. How unusual is
that?
PAUL ANNACONE: I think it is very unusual.
I think people in the states are used to
everybody hating each other and I think that
when you get two rivals that respect each
other, but have very different personalities,
I think it is a little difficult for people
to grasp on to. But Pete and Andre are very
different. They realize that, but they both
respect the talent levels that each of them
possesses. I think that they know on any
given day it can be a flip of a coin. So I
think that brings out the best in both of
them.
Q. Some people said that Pete doesn't
have the confidence to attack a lot of times.
How come he had that confidence today? What
is the difference?
PAUL ANNACONE: We spoke a lot about it and
I think he heard it from Tim as well and I
think he realizes he has to do that. Andre
beat him three out of four times this year.
There has to be a reason for that. And I
think Pete realized that he had to do
something a little bit different and
fortunately for him today, he was able to put
the pieces together.
Q. Could you just comment --
PAGE CROSLAND: Pete is here.
PAUL ANNACONE: Big man. Show time.
End of
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