USA: PETE SAMPRAS REACTS AFTER WINNING HIS FIFTH US OPEN MEN'S SINGLES TENNIS TITLE

Record ID: 648566

  • Title: USA: PETE SAMPRAS REACTS AFTER WINNING HIS FIFTH US OPEN MEN'S SINGLES TENNIS TITLE
  • Date: 8th September 2002
  • Summary: FLUSHING MEADOWS, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 8, 2002) (REUTERS) 1. PETE SAMPRAS WALKING INTO PRESS CONFERENCE 2. U.S. OPEN WINNER'S TROPHY 3. SOUNDBITE (English) PETE SAMPRAS, U.S. OPEN WINNER, SAYING "Well I'm going to have to weigh it up in the next couple months to see where I'm at. I still want to play. I love to play. But to beat a rival like Andre in a major tournament at the U.S. Open in a story book ending, it might be nice to stop but but I still want to compete." 4. SAMPRAS AT PRESS CONFERENCE 5. SOUNDBITE (English) SAMPRAS SAYING: "Well that's one thing I wanted to do was set the tone, be aggressive on his second serves and take some chances, hopefully serve well and put pressure on him and kind of go for it.. That was kind of my game plan. The thing I don't want to do against Andre is stay back too much and get into rallies that, you know he's very good at that, you know, just kind of moving you around, and just kind of took my chances and got it done." 6. PHOTOGRAPHERS 7. SOUNDBITE (English) SAMPRAS SAYING "I could step away from the game and feel really good about what I've done but I still feel like I had one more moment, maybe a couple more moments and it happened today." 8. PHOTOGRAPHER 9. ANDRE AGASSI AT PRESS CONFERENCE 10. SOUNDBITE (English) ANDRE AGASSI, U.S. OPEN 2ND PLACE, SAYING "I don't think happy for Pete is quite the way to put it. I think I have a lot of respect for the work he's put into himself getting this opportunity and in the way he went about it today is great for him. I think it's a great thing for him. If I were him I'd feel better." 11. PHOTOGRAPHERS 12. SOUNDBITE (English) AGASSI SAYING "I was thinking a lot more about the X's and O's today, what I needed to do and how I felt personally and what I was trying to accomplish out there, but it was special, you can't get around that." 13. AGASSI AT PRESS CONFERENCE Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 23rd September 2002 13:00
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  • Location: FLUSHING MEADOWS, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES
  • City:
  • Country: USA
  • Reuters ID: LVADFLIWV1K4GON55JLKWIPWO50T
  • Story Text: From the moment an unshaven Pete Sampras stepped out of
    the tunnel onto an electric Arthur Ashe stadium court, he
    appeared to be soaking up every moment of the U.S. Open final
    experience, storing it in his memory banks as if it might be
    his last.


    Pete Sampras, having defied the odds, age, fatigue and
    an army of critics battled to claim an unprecedented 14th
    career grand slam title with a stirring 6-3 6-4 5-7 6-4 win
    over Andre Agassi, the 31-year-old hinted on Sunday that his
    most unlikely victory could well be the storybook ending to a
    brilliant career.

    "Well I'm going to have to weigh it up in the next couple
    months to see where I'm at. I still want to play. I love to
    play. But to beat a rival like Andre in a major tournament at
    the U.S. Open in a story book ending, it might be nice to stop
    but, but I still want to compete."
    Early in the tournament, Greg Rusedski drew the wrath of
    the American tennis public for saying out loud what everyone
    had been whispering, that Sampras was a step-and-a-half
    slower, no longer the intimidating, dominant force he once
    was.

    But despite the furor generated by the Briton's ill-timed
    comments and an outpouring of support, there were few
    wandering the Flushing Meadows sprawling grounds as the slam
    turned into its second week who would have bet Sampras would
    be standing on centre court on Sunday. He had a plan from the
    beginning of the match with his elder contender.

    "Well that's one thing I wanted to do was set the tone, be
    aggressive on his second serves and take some chances,
    hopefully serve well and put pressure on him and kind of go
    for it. That was kind of my game plan. The thing I don't
    want to do against Andre is stay back too much and get into
    rallies that, you know he's very good at that, you know,
    just kind of moving you around and just kind of took my
    chances and got it done," Sampras said.

    Sampras's fifth U.S. Open crown ended an anguishing title
    drought that had extended back 33 tournaments and two years to
    the 2000 Wimbledon but did little to defuse speculation about
    his future in the sport.

    Even as Sampras's brilliant smile reflected in the trophy
    he raised to kiss, commentators wonder if it was the last time
    he might experience the thrill of victory. Sampras says he
    shouldn't be counted out as a future contender and that this
    may not be the last time he plays in "Center Court."
    "I could step away from the game and feel really good
    about what I've done but I still feel like I had one more
    moment, maybe a couple more moments and it happened today."
    Before arriving at Flushing Meadows, Sampras had gone
    record saying he had one remaining goal, to go out on top by
    winning one more major.

    It has also been reported that Sampras has been driven by
    a desire to allow his actress wife Bridgette Wilson to witness
    his greatness from the stands first hand.

    Andre Agassi played valiantly against the California
    native but the Sampras serve was hard to beat on Sunday.

    While Agassi says he appreciates the level of play during the
    finals, the victory that eluded him leaves him disappointed.

    "I don't think happy for Pete is quite the way to put it.

    I think I have a lot of respect for the work he's put into
    himself getting this opportunity and in the way he went about
    it today is great for him. I think it's a great thing for
    him. If I were him I'd feel better."
    Agassi was looking to gain the title at this year's Open
    but he said even second place was an honor, especially after
    the events of last September.

    "I was thinking a lot more about the X's and O's today,
    what I needed to do and how I felt personally and what I was
    trying to accomplish out there, but it was special, you can't
    get around that."
    Both men say in the coming months they'll assess their
    prospective careers, but for now they'll revel in the fact
    that they've gone so far when many critics counted them out of
    the game.


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