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January 2001 - New Season Begins Down Under
The year
unfolds Down Under and Pete is set to compete at Kooyong and the Australian
Open. Having achieved his record breaking 13th Grand Slam title at
last year's Wimbledon and now pushing 30, he revealed his plans for the
year.
"I won't play a ton of events," Sampras said. "But I'll
play enough - the Slams and some of the other important events."
"These days, it's about peaking four times a year. The pressure
is off because nobody is talking about the record any more, but I still
want to win."
Will Pete be able to put his plan to work?
| Date |
Details |
| Jan 1, 2001 |
The Pete Sampras Revolution |
| Jan 9, 2001 |
Articles: Pete's plan for the new season |
| Jan 10, 2001 |
Colonial Classic begins
RR: Pete loses to Juan Carlos Ferrero
2-6, 4-6 |
| Jan 11, 2001 |
RR: Pete loses to Pat Rafter 4-6, 6-7(5) |
| Jan 12, 2001 |
RR: Pete def Nicolas Kiefer 6-2, 7-6(5)
Australian Open Draw comes out. |
| Jan 14, 2001 |
Article: Pete - the man to beat |
| Jan 15, 2001 |
Australian Open begins
R1: Pete def Karol Kucera 7-6, 3-6, 6-4,
7-6 |
| Jan 17, 2001 |
R2: Pete def Bohdan Ulihrach 7-6, 7-6,
4-6, 7-5 |
| Jan 19, 2001 |
R3: Pete def Juan Ignacio Chela 6-4,
4-6, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2 |
| Jan 21, 2001 |
R4: Pete loses to Todd Martin 7-6,
3-6, 4-6, 4-6 |
| Jan 23, 2001 |
Pete & Bridgette attend
the movie premiere of "The Wedding Planner" |
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February 2001 - The ESPY Awards
Congratulations to Pete on winning the awards in both categories he was
nominated for: Male Tennis Performer of the Year and Record Breaking Performance
of the Year. An emotional Pete accepted the awards on February 12, 2001
in Las Vegas. He now has nine ESPY awards and is ranked third all-time,
behind Tiger Woods and Micheal Jordan.
"He had long made Wimbledon his home.. and with his 7th win there
he made HISTORY. With resounding skills and quiet dignity sustained over
time, Pete Sampras broke Roy Emerson's all time record with his 13TH GRAND
SLAM SINGLES TITLE".
Pete said as he arrived on the stage: "I think Tiger is next to be
getting this award. He's on his way. I'd like to thank every at ESPN for
this award. It's a great honor for me to be here. Obviously, Wimbledon was
a huge moment for me and my life and really this year, with my parents who
were able to.. be.. with.. me.. " Choking with emotions, Pete went
on to thank his coach Paul Annacone for helping him for the past 6 years,
and then he thanked a tearful Bridgette for marrying him.
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March 2001 - Indian Wells & Ericsson Open
Tennis
ranking is not as important for Pete as it used to be. "Now it's
about getting a good schedule to do well at the Slams."
It has been a disappointing start of the year for Sampras ecause of his
4th round loss at the Australian Open and early exit at Memphis. "I
feel like I kind of need to get my year going. I haven't really played that
many matches in the past five or six months," said Sampras.
| Date |
Details |
| Mar 5, 2001 |
Franklin Templeton Classic in Scottsdale
begins
|
| Mar 6, 2001 |
Sampras' top goal: Grand Slam events
Pete loses to Andrew Ilie 6-3, 6-7,
4-6 |
| Mar 12, 2001 |
Tennis Masters - Indian Wells begins
R1: Pete def. David Prinosil 6-4, 6-4 |
| Mar 14, 2001 |
R2: Pete def. Fabrice Santoro 6-3,
3-6, 6-0 |
| Mar 15, 2001 |
R3: Pete def. Sebastian Grosjean 6-1,
7-6 |
| Mar 16, 2001 |
QF: Pete def. Pat Rafter 4-6, 7-6,
6-4 |
| Mar 17, 2001 |
SF: Pete def. Yevgeny Kafelnikov 7-5,
6-4 |
| Mar 18, 2001 |
F: Pete loses to Andre Agassi 7-6,
7-5, 6-1 |
| Mar 19, 2001 |
Reuters reported that "Sampras planning major assault in the
French Open". In preparation for the French Open, Sampras
announced that he will be playing in the Monte Carlo Masters (April
16), Hamburg Masters (May 14) and at the World Team Cup in Dusseldorf
(May 20). |
| Mar 21, 2001 |
Tennis Masters - Ericsson Open begins
R1: Bye |
| Mar 23, 2001 |
R2: Pete def. Nicholas Kiefer 6-3,
3-6, 6-3 |
| Mar 25, 2001 |
R3: Pete loses to Andy Roddick 6-7,
3-6 |
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April 2001 - No Action
A quiet month for the Samprasfanz... Pete's early exit from the Ericsson
Open and withdrawal from Monte Carlo leaves us with no news to report for
April. But don't worry! He'll be back next month.
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May 2001 - the Red Clay
We see
Pete Sampras back in action this month as the clay season unfolds.
Although Pete has always struggled on clay, he remains confident of his
chances in Paris.
"The biggest battle on clay is the movement, things like sliding to
the ball. You can't cover as much ground, it's hard for those who grew up
on hard courts like I did in California," Sampras said. "You can
work on a few things out there and I add things to my game on clay...It's
all about fine-tuning now, I think it's kind of coming around this week,"
| Date |
Details |
| May 7, 2001 |
Tennis Masters - Rome begins
Pete vs. Harel Levy match suspended due to rainy weather |
| May 8, 2001 |
R1: Pete loses to Harel Levy 5-7,
6-2, 4-6 |
| May 14, 2001 |
Tennis Masters - Hamburg begins
R1: Pete loses to Alex Calatrava 7-6,
4-6, 3-6 |
| May 20, 2001 |
World Team Cup - Dusseldorf
Pete def. Franco Squillari 4-6, 6-3,
7-6 |
| May 22, 2001 |
Pete loses to Marat Safin 6-7, 5-7
French Open seedings announced. Pete is 5th seed. |
| May 23, 2001 |
Summary of Pete's interview on the
Stern, Germany |
| May 24, 2001 |
Pete def. Sebastian Grosjean 6-3,
3-6, 6-3 |
| May 25, 2001 |
French Open Draw |
| May 28, 2001 |
French Open begins |
| May 29, 2001 |
R1: Pete def. Cedric Kauffmann 6-3,
4-6, 6-2, 3-6, 8-6 |
| May 31, 2001 |
R2: Pete loses to Galo Blanco 6-7,
3-6, 2-6 |
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June 2001 - Pete's Love for Wimbledon
Pete talks
about his love for Wimbledon, "Over the years, I've been out there
so many times, it's a comfortable court that I have grown to love. It's
almost like a calming effect because I'm so comfortable out there, I feel
like, just as I said before, I'm at my court at home."
"Yeah, it's a bit like coming home," he enthusiastically says.
"It's nice to be back on the grass, which I love. Winning at Wimbledon
is the best feeling for any tennis player. It's the ultimate for me, as
good as it gets because of the history and what the event means to the sport."
| Date |
Details |
| Jun 3, 2001 |
The grass is always greener for Sampras
(UK Telegraph) |
| Jun 6, 2001 |
Pete accepts wildcard to Stella Artois |
| Jun 10, 2001 |
Summary of Pete's interview in ACE
magazine |
| Jun 11, 2001 |
Pete interview on the Guardian
Wimbledon to have 32 seeds
Stella Artois begins. Pete is seeded no. 2
R1: bye |
| Jun 13, 2001 |
R2: Pete def. Olivier Rochus 6-1,
6-2 |
| Jun 14, 2001 |
R3: Pete's match vs. Jan Siemerink suspended due to rain |
| Jun 15, 2001 |
Pete played two matches!
R3: Pete def. Jan Siemerink 6-3, 6-4
QF: Pete def. Jan Michael Gambill 7-6, 7-5 |
| Jun 16, 2001 |
Pete's semifinal match vs. Lleyton Hewitt postponed due to rain
|
| Jun 17, 2001 |
SF: Pete loses to Lleyton Hewitt 6-3,
3-6, 2-6
Courtside report by Samprasfanz Joy and
Cyn
Wimbledon Preview:
Confident Pete is ready to defend his title |
| Jun 18, 2001 |
Wimbledon seeds Pete as no. 1
Pete visits school to teach tennis to
kids |
| Jun 19, 2001 |
Wimbledon draw |
| Jun 21, 2001 |
Pete Interview |
| Jun 25, 2001 |
Wimbledon starts
R1: Pete def. Francisco Clavet 6-4,7-5,6-4 |
| Jun 27, 2001 |
R2: Pete def. Barry Cowan 6-3, 6-2,
6-7, 4-6, 6-3 |
| Jun 29, 2001 |
R3: Pete def. Sargis Sargsian 6-4,
6-4, 7-5 |
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July 2001 - Wimbledon continues
Excerpts
from Pete's Interview in the ACE Magazine.
Pete describes the mental challenge of being a champion, "The most
difficult thing is conquering your own weaker self. You always have to be
fresh in your own mind, always find your inner concentration, and always
keep cool at the important moments of the important games. Compared to that,
the physical exertion pales into insignificance."
Pete has always been criticized for his "lack of personality".
To this he replies, "I don’t want to be remembered as
a comedian or an entertainer, but as the man who won the most Grand Slams
in tennis. The best show is tennis itself… a spectacular stroke, a great
victory."
| Date |
Details |
| Jul 2, 2001 |
Article: What Keeps Sampras Playing
Wimbledon continues
R4: Pete loses to Roger Federer 6-7,
7-5, 4-6, 7-6, 5-7 |
| Jul 23, 2001 |
Mercedes-Benz Cup starts
A Disappointing Loss at Wimbledon Reminded
Him How Much He Wants to Play |
| Jul 24, 2001 |
R1: Pete def Chris Woodruff 7-5, 6-2 |
| Jul 26, 2001 |
R2: Pete def Michael Chang 7-6, 7-6 |
| Jul 27, 2001 |
R3: Pete def Magnus Norman 7-5, 7-5 |
| Jul 28, 2001 |
QF: Pete def Xavier Malisse 7-6, 6-4 |
| Jul 29, 2001 |
Final will be an old story
Final: Pete lost to Andre Agassi 4-6,
2-6
Pete withdrew from next week's Tennis Masters Series Canada due to
thigh injury. |
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August 2001 - The Desire to Win Slams
"I've
won a major every year for many years, and, you know, it's hard to keep
up that pace for eight, nine years. If I didn't win here [US Open], it would
be a disappointing year. But I'm not that worried about it. I feel like
I've got many years left. All this retirement talk has gotten a little bit
carried away. You know, I've got many, many years left. I'm going to contend
for every Grand Slam for the rest of my career.So there's no reason to panic
if I don't win this year's US Open. I could go out and win three next year,
so... It can be done, even when you hit 30.
"I still have the desire to win Grand Slams. When that disappears,
it's time to quit, but that's a long way off.''
| Date |
Details |
| Aug 6, 2001 |
Tennis Masters Series-Cincinnati Starts |
| Aug 7, 2001 |
R1: Pete def Nicolas Lapentti 6-3,
6-2
|
| Aug 8, 2001 |
R2: Pete lost to Alberto Martin 4-6,
4-6 |
| Aug 12, 2001 |
Pete withdraws from the Legg Mason Tennis Classic due to hand injury
suffered during practise. |
| Aug 17, 2001 |
Pete accepts wild card to Hamlet Cup, NY
in preparation for the US Open. |
| Aug 20, 2001 |
Hamlet Cup begins |
| Aug 21, 2001 |
R1: Pete def. Olivier Rochus 6-4,
6-7(3), 7-6(4) |
| Aug 22, 2001 |
R2: Pete def. Alexander Peya 6-3,
6-2
US Open draw |
| Aug 24, 2001 |
QF: Pete def. Felix Mantilla 7-5,
6-3 |
| Aug 25, 2001 |
SF: Pete def. Thomas Johansson 7-6,
6-3 |
| Aug 26, 2001 |
F: Pete loses to Tommy Haas 3-6, 6-2,
3-6 |
| Aug 27, 2001 |
US Open begins
|
| Aug 28, 2001 |
R1: Pete def. Julien Boutter 6-4,
7-6, 7-6 |
| Aug 30, 2001 |
R2: Pete def. Andre Sa 7-6, 6-4, 6-3 |
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September 2001 - a classic Match at the US
Open
In the
quarterfinals of the US Open, Pete faced his rival Andre Agassi and they
produced a classic match that will go down as one of the most memorable
matches in tennis history.
Both players did not lose serve throughout the match and the score tells
just how close a match it was: 6-7, 7-6, 7-6, 7-6. All four sets were
decided on a tiebreak with Sampras prevailing in the end.
Andre described the evening as a memory he would never forget. "Quite
a powerful evening in many respects," said Agassi.
When the fourth set led to another tiebreak, the US Open crowd gave both
players a standing ovation. Pete describes the feeling, "I knew
it was going to be a tough match. Very memorable match for me. I'm sure
I'll appreciate this a lot more when it's all said and done. But just the
ovation that the crowd gave us there at the end and when we got into that
fourth breaker was, I just kind of, you know, stood there and kind of looked
around, kind of enjoyed it for a minute."
| Date |
Details |
| Sept 1, 2001 |
US Open Continues
R3: Pete def. Mikhail Youzhny 6-3, 6-2,
6-2 |
| Sept 3, 2001 |
R4 : Pete def Pat Rafter 6-3, 6-2,
6-7, 6-4 |
| Sept 5, 2001 |
QF : Pete def Andre Agassi 6-7 (7-9),
7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5) |
| Sept 8, 2001 |
SF : Pete def Marat Safin 6-3, 7-6,
6-3 |
| Sept 9, 2001 |
F : Pete loses to Lleyton Hewitt 7-6,
6-1, 6-1 |
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October 2001 - Pete's Disappointing Year
Pete ended
the disappointing year at Stuttgart. After a quarterfinals loss to
Max Mirnyi, Pete decided to skip the tourneys in Basel and Paris.
For the first time in 12 years, he will not be participating in the season
ender Tennis Masters Cup.
"I've raised the bar so high and when I don't win titles every couple
months I'm probably judged much tougher than anyone in the game."
"Being so dominant over the years, it obviously gets a lot more difficult
as the years go on to keep staying dominant."
| Date |
Details |
| Oct 1, 2001 |
A summary of Pete's interview on Ace
mag |
| Oct 7, 2001 |
Pete @ Schick Xtreme III Tennis Charity |
| Oct 15, 2001 |
Tennis Masters-Stuttgart begins
R1: bye |
| Oct 17, 2001 |
R2: Pete def. Stefan Koubek 6-3, 7-6(5) |
| Oct 18, 2001 |
R3: Pete def. Marcelo Rios 4-6, 7-6(3),
6-4 |
| Oct 19, 2001 |
QF: Pete loses to Max Mirnyi 4-6,
2-6 |
| Oct 20, 2001 |
Pete to skip the Swiss Indoor tourney,
Ends 2001 Season |
| Oct 24, 2001 |
2001 - A year to forget |
| Oct 27, 2001 |
Year 2000 - A year to remember; Year
2001 "The annus horribulis"
Sampras ready for Davis Cup |
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November 2001 - Pete's Ranked no. 10
Pete ends
the disappointing year at no. 10.
“This year was a bit of a crossroads for Pete and he just never seemed
to get into a rhythm,” Paul Annacone revealed in an interview. “What normally
happens is that winning breeds winning. Pete experienced a few setbacks
at the beginning of the year and it didn’t propel him to be successful the
rest of the year.
"“We have to go about it the right way to find the energy and motivation
for 2002."
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December 2001- "A Year to Forget"
At the
start of 2001, Pete was considered "the man to beat". He was riding
on the crest, having just achieved his 13th grand slam title in Wimbledon
and reaching the finals of the US Open. Though he took a two month break
for his honeymoon and missed the indoor season of 2000, Pete came back and
ended the year on a high note -- reaching the semifinals of the season ending
Master's Cup in Lisbon. But this year end is different. Pete did not win
a single tournament in 2001. He ended the year ranked no. 10, the
lowest since 1989. During press interviews, one word constantly came up:
retirement.
But Pete made it clear that he was not ready to hang up his rackets. It
was just time for a change. He announced his split with Paul Annacone, his
coach of 7 years. Taking over the position is Tom Gullikson, twin brother
of his former mentor who died of brain cancer. Pete also confirmed his commitment
to Davis Cup in 2002. And to jumpstart his preparation for the
first Grand Slam, Pete is heading to Australia before the end of the year
to participate in the AAPT tournament.
With no crystal ball to foresee the future, we will just have to wait and
see what the year 2002 will bring...
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