By Lana Maciel / Friday, January 24, 2014

 

Pete Sampras made the trip to Melbourne on the 20th anniversary of his first title Down Under. He discussed the GOAT, life after tennis, and his emotional memories at the AO.

Photo Credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

MELBOURNE, Australia -- On the 20th anniversary of his first Australian Open win, former world No. 1 Pete Sampras has returned to Melbourne, where he's slated to present the 2014 men's champion with the coveted trophy on Sunday.

For Sampras, making the 18-hour flight down to Australia took him on a colorful trip down memory lane. It was here that he fought past Todd Martin for his first Australian major in 1994, then came back three years later to win a second title over Carlos Moya in 1997. Reflecting on his time spent competing Down Under, Sampras admits he never felt 100 percent comfortable playing at the Australian Open, mostly because of the timing and the unforgiving surface it used to feature.

"It was a tough major for me to win," Sampras recalls. "The Rebound Ace court they had at that time was tough on my body, tough to serve and volley on, a surface that was tough when it got hot. At times when I played Davis Cup, was No. 1, it was over in December. Three weeks later I had to hop on a plane to come down here. At times I felt like I was a little flat coming down here. I feel like I struggled a little bit."

Melbourne is also a place that's ripe with emotion for the two-time champion. Walking about the grounds, he remembers not only his championship titles in 1994 and 1997, but also the emotional moment he had on court while playing Jim Courier in the 1995 quarterfinals, when he broke down in tears mid-match thinking about his coach, Tim Gullikson, who had been diagnosed with cancer.

"When I signed up to come here, [my mind went] back to some of these moments I had with Jim back in the '90s, with my coach taking ill, seeing him struggle a little bit. The emotion in that match was very awkward, revealing for me to show that emotion."

While some players might interpret such nostalgia as a desire to get back into the game, Sampras said without a doubt that he would not plan any return to the tour, much like Pat Rafter did in teaming up with Lleyton Hewitt for this year's doubles event. And who could blame him. At 42, Sampras is happily living a life after tennis, free of all the stress that comes with traveling, competing and heavy training.

"I miss the moment. I miss the last weekend of a major. I miss the excitement," he said. "But I don't miss the stress. I don't miss the pressure, the expectations I put on myself."

Sampras' appearance comes just in time for what's being billed as the most anticipated match of the tournament: Roger Federer versus Rafael Nadal, a match he'll likely take in at Rod Laver Arena. While he agrees that these two players are among the best of their generation, the argument of Greatest of All Time is not something he's quick to take a firm stance on.

"I believe when you look at the history of the game, each decade has their player," he said. "Obviously Rod was the best in his time. I certainly had my moments in the '90s. Rafa and Roger are having their moments now. I mean, there's not one greatest player. Let's just appreciate what we're watching. It's hard to compare the numbers and the eras where we all did our thing. We're all great at what we did. It's just hard to really talk about who is better."

As he takes in the men's semifinal at Rod Laver Arena Friday night, Sampras may look over to Federer's box and see old rival Stefan Edberg, who defeated him at the Australian Open in 1993. But don't think he will be at all envious of the Swede's position. As far as Sampras is concerned, he's not eager to jump on the bandwagon of "celebrity coaches" coming back to the game.

"No, it's not for me. I've been asked by a couple guys. But the travel, to go on the road, do all that they're doing is not something that I'm interested in."

Even so, it's nice to see a legend come back around every once in a while.