1994
1994 U.S. OPEN
FLUSHING MEADOWS, NEW YORK
September 6, 1994
J. YZAGA/ P. Sampras
3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 7-5
AN INTERVIEW WITH PETE SAMPRAS
Q.
When did you start to feel bad?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, basically in the third
set, I just felt my recovery with the points
was getting a little bit longer and longer.
Played a hard point, took me couple points to
get over it and I just felt like I'm not in
great shape right now and I acknowledge the
fact that I've taken five weeks off and not
really played many matches and I just hit the
wall today. I didn't have anything left and,
lost four, five games I was just going on the
adrenaline from the crowd and that helped me
out, but I got blisters on my feet. My feet
are raw --
Q. Both feet?
PETE SAMPRAS: Both feet. Are just -- just
sore and the whole body is sore. I mean, I
didn't -- kind of just caught up with me, and
today I just didn't have anything left.
Basically, from the fourth and fifth. I was
just trying to get through it somehow and,
you know, it's very simple, I'm just not in
great shape and in order to win a Slam,
you've got to be in good shape and I, you
know, had five weeks off and was doing the
bike and lifting, but it is not the same as
playing long points and it just took its
toll.
Q. Could any of this have been the result
of relatively easy matches before this in
this tournament?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, even when I -- after I
played Vacek, I was sore. I just -- I'm not
used to the pounding on the hardcourts and I
knew going in to today's match it was going
to be a lot of long rallies and I just -- as
I said, each game I was getting worse and
worse shape where I just wasn't recovering
like I usually do. You know, I just -- just
not in great shape.
Q. Did you have a fear that something
like this could happen taking all that time
off?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't think so. I mean, it
wasn't a particularly hot day.
Q. I mean the tournament in general?
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, I knew I might be stiff
after my first couple rounds and I didn't
think it was going to the point where I was
exhausted and that's where I was today, I was
just exhausted, you know, you got to give him
credit, he made me move around quite a bit
and, you know, it's just disappointing. I
wish I was in better shape and --
Q. Did you think about giving up
something the match?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, I was going to go the
distance.
Q. Pete, during the five weeks you took
off, what were you able to do while at the
same time trying not to aggravate anything?
PETE SAMPRAS: I was just doing the bike, bike
and lifting that's all I could do. About four
weeks and I was hitting a little bit, but
nothing like I normally do. So, you know,
doing the bike isn't the same as going out
there and playing all the points.
Q. How long do you think you'll be off
now?
PETE SAMPRAS: At this point I'm really --
haven't given much thought about the Davis
Cup and Sweden, just have to take the next
couple days off and physically get over this,
get the soreness out of me.
Q. There was-- through the
disappointment, are you proud of the way, as
you said, you went the distance?
PETE SAMPRAS: I thought I fought pretty hard
and I wasn't going to give up. I wasn't going
to retire and let him not earn it, and -- you
know, I thought I fought hard and I want to
thank the crowd for really getting behind me
and, you know, I'm able to break him and, you
know, I had some chances, but, if you don't
have your shape, you don't have anything.
Q. One of the doctors said they thought
if you had won today you could have
continued?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yes, with a day off tomorrow
and about 20 hours of massage, maybe.
Q. Have you ever felt worse on a court?
PETE SAMPRAS: I was thinking there in the
match when I was playing Jim in Wimbledon, it
was a hot day and, again, I was pretty
exhausted and fortunately at Wimbledon you
play these quick points, whereas here, I was
probably in worse shape today than I've ever
been in a match.
Q. Pete, did the surface make it
impossible for you to pull it out on your
serve?
PETE SAMPRAS: That's what was keeping me in
the match was my serve, holding pretty easily
just trying to get the first serve in and
basically just kind of going for it and I
just felt the longer the rally went, the
worst chance I had at winning the point and
winning the match. And, you know, looking
back, maybe I should just have gone for more
on his second serves and come in more, make
the points shorter, but, you know, I just
felt that was the most comfortable thing for
me to do, stay back.
Q. Did you get dizzy or lightheaded?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, just tired. My back was
stiffening up and that's when I know when I'm
not in great shape, my back gets stiff and if
you don't have your fitness, you don't have
the energy to really give 100% and I was
trying and I ate food, I'm not dehydrated,
I'm just not in great shape, it's simple.
Q. Like the match against Courier?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, I had food poisoning.
Q. Were you having stomach cramps here?
PETE SAMPRAS: No.
Q. You were bending over --
PETE SAMPRAS: I was just trying to catch some
wind, just couldn't get any oxygen down.
Q. When you say you weren't going to
retire and let him earn it, is that for him
or for you?
PETE SAMPRAS: It's just the pride. I don't
want -- I want him, if he's going to beat me,
he's going to have to go the distance and I
wasn't even thinking about retiring.
Q. What about the last serve, I mean, it
was right in the spot where he could get the
perfect shot over?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, he's got one of the
better backhands on the tour and I just felt
I needed to, come in and, you know, hit a
three quarter speed serve and put the
pressure on him that he -- but he came in
with a good shot.
Q. With him struggling with the serve
there all through the last part, were you
able to even think in terms of hoping to keep
it going and --
PETE SAMPRAS: Well, fortunately it was U.S.
Open, tiebreaker in the fifth set, I'm not a
big fan, but that would have helped me out. I
just felt the last four games I felt okay
because the adrenaline was extremely high and
I was just kind of trying to get through it.
Q. Does this take the -- Fourth set
tiebreaker you got a mini break up to get up
2-0 and didn't hit a first serve the rest of
the tiebreaker --
PETE SAMPRAS: The serve wasn't there all day
from the first game on to the whole match.
The serve-- wasn't using it to my advantage
and didn't serve well.
Q. Does this sort of take any of the
luster or shine off of what has been a great
year for you, to lose in this championships
like this?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, absolutely. On the other
hand I can look back at this year and once
you win a Grand Slam title, it is a good year
and if you win two it is a great year and you
know, I'm so disappointed being out the whole
summer and not preparing well, and that kind
of just haltered a great year being injured
and it is not that fun. I'll get over this, I
mean, I'm wanted to come down and talk to you
guys and tell you guys how I'm feeling,
that's important to me.
Q. You thanked the crowd. Do you think
this is as well as you've ever connected with
the crowd because of how much they
appreciated how you fought?
PETE SAMPRAS: I hope so I hope -- I hope they
appreciated that I was trying to do
everything I could, even though I was pretty
much exhausted and I appreciate that. I mean,
really it got me going, especially in the
last three or four games I felt -- I was
feeling okay and the crowd was I was sum.
Q. How tough was it to set up to hit your
backhand?
PETE SAMPRAS: I just fell the more he was
moving me the more sore I was getting. It was
-- my feet are just really raw. It's just all
the skin is coming off and my feet aren't
used to the pounding of the hardcourt, and
it's just -- you know I'll have to go from
here and get over this experience.
Q. Couple times -- was it more so than
any other Grand Slam final that you felt more
pumped up because of the situation and
everything?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, I didn't hear the beginning
of the question.
Q. You were talking couple times about
the adrenaline and how that was really
keeping you through. You felt that more so
today?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yes, I was felt when I was down
a break in the fifth and the crowd really
makes a noise and you got a little tired and
missed some shots and it was nice to have
everyone behind me. I think they appreciated
that I was giving everything I had and not
feeling all that great and, so, I wish I
could have pulled out a win for them.
Q. The original condition that caused all
this the tendonitis; where is that?
PETE SAMPRAS: That's fine. My ankle feels
fine.
Q. Held up throughout the whole thing
after all?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yes.
Q. -- were you thinking to yourself,
"They don't know I'm actually feeling
worse and worse"?
PETE SAMPRAS: I didn't realize how I was
feeling until I got into the situation to
push hard and work hard and that's when I was
thinking, on the changeovers I'm just not
recovering and I need to recover and I didn't
think about it once until I actually was
tired. Yeah.
Q. Did you first call the trainer out for
your feet?
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, my feet -- my skin was
coming off my feet and in order to get injury
time you've got to show blood and I didn't
have any blood. It's true. You've got to show
blood and I was just -- it was real raw and
just not enough time to tape it up, so I
decided not to tape it.
Q. Pete, 3-0 in the fourth set, did you
feel safe?
PETE SAMPRAS: I just -- he was giving it to
me. He was really missing a lot of shots,
wasn't making me move as much and just making
errors and then he just tightened up his game
a little bit and moved me around even more
and broke me back and there you have it.
Q. Pete, have you ever been thinking
about your first round match against
Kafelnikov?
PETE SAMPRAS: No, I didn't think about it.
Q. Can't compare?
PETE SAMPRAS: No.
Q. The skin is peeling at the bottom?
Q. Pete, you're exhausted, your feet are
burning, going into the fifth set, why didn't
you go for a winner on almost every shot to
--
PETE SAMPRAS: I felt -- it was weird, I felt
like I could still outrally him when we got
into a groundstroke rally. I thought I could
outrally him and looking back now, I would
have attacked his second serve a little more,
make the points shorter that way, but, you
know, just made a decision that I felt most
comfortable with and it might have cost me
the match.
Q. Do you consider your year over? The
four Slams are done --
PETE SAMPRAS: This is the last major and it's
disappointing to lose like this, but I got --
I got Davis Cup for the rest of the year and
couple events in Europe and ATP finals, but
the way I'm feeling right now, I feel like I
could not pick up a racket for the next four
months.
Q. How about the way Andre is playing?
PETE SAMPRAS: I think he's got a really good
shot to win it.
Q. Do you pick him?
PETE SAMPRAS: The way he's playing, I think
he's got as good a chance as anyone.
Q. Pete, are you ruling out Davis Cup
against --
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know.
Q. Nothing?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know.
Q. Will you watch the final on television
or will you just not care?
PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know. I haven't really
thought about it. I've been in most of the
Grand Slam finals. So, I don't know, probably
not. I feel like I should be there. I
probably won't watch it.
Q. Would you have to say this guy held up
pretty well the way the fans were for you --
PETE SAMPRAS: You have to give him credit,
yeah, he played well, the crowd was against
him and he -- huge match point, you have to
give him credit. He's a consistent player and
he's good.
Q. Is there any sort of irony or anything
to the fact that he's the first player that
beat -- you lost to him here --
PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, first round. I guess you
could call that bit of irony.
End
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