London - Former great Pete Sampras will be insisting on
'quiet please,' as he plays starting on Tuesday in the BlackRock
Masters, his first appearance in London since losing in the Wimbledon
second round six years ago.
Now well into his retirement in Los Angeles, the record 14-time
Grand Slam champion will participate in the wrapup to the senior
season this week, drawn into a group match with hot-headed John
McEnroe.
Seven-time Wimbledon champion Sampras, 37, is keep to make sure
that the Royal Albert Hall venue does not distract as it did when he
once participated in a doubles event at the venue well over a decade
ago.
'You could hear the glasses during the points with all the people
drinking champagne, and everyone in their tuxedoes,' he said. 'They
really live it up there, so I'm looking forward to it.'
The American is part of a round-robin group along with Britain's
Jeremy Bates and France's Cedric Pioline and the McEnroe, fresh from
Asian paydays this month alongside Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg.
The other section is equally talent-rich, with Sweden's former
Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg, Pat Cash replacing in injured Goran
Ivanisevic, plus Brit Greg Rusedski and Guy Forget.
Sampras and McEnroe faced each other three times during their
competitive careers in 1990-1991 with Sampras winning all three. Mac,
49, has laid down a challenge to the younger men in the field.
'This is a message for Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg and all of you
other guys: I'm not coming to London to lose,' he said.
Sampras, living the quiet life in LA with his former actress wife
and two young sons, insists that's exactly the way he's always liked
it.
'I've always tried to be an ordinary person,' said Sampras after
beating old Slovak friend Dominik Hrbaty in a weekend exhibition in
Bratislava.
'I used to be introvert who didn't show his emotions and
I'm still that way today.'
He added that he does not regret not counting the French Open
among his 64 career titles.
'I'm satisfied with what I have accomplished,' he said.
USA
Your Talkback on this Story