SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Following a feel-good exo match against Gael Monfils at the HP Pavilion (he fell to the Frenchman 7-6(4), 6-4), a pushing-40 Pete Sampras chatted with reporters about the Rafa-Roger-Nole triumvirate, tennis technology and the death of the serve-and-volley game.
QUESTION: As wildly athletic as Gael is, are you a little surprised that he hasn’t broken through at the Slams?
PETE SAMPRAS: Winning Slams, they’re tough. You look at Roger, Nadal, Djokovic, you can tell that they can play at that level a little bit easier, with a little less effort, whereas Gael, I think, just to get there is a lot of work. But he has the talent. It’s just a matter of putting it all together. He has the game, he serves big, he comes in when he has to, he returns quite well. But to win these majors, you’ve got to be very, very special. He has the talent; it’s just going to take some time. He’s still a very young kid. He’s 22, 23…
Q: Twenty-four.
PS: Twenty-four? He still has a lot of time to get it. Look at the Djokovic-Murray [Australian Open] final. You can tell Djokovic is one of those special players now. Gael is a level behind that. He just has to figure some stuff out. But he’s the real deal. I’ve played a lot of good movers in my day, but not only does he move well, he slides, which really helps cover the court.
Q: You mention Novak — talk about his performance in Melbourne. What makes him special?
PS: Great mover. He can go from defense to offense better than anyone in the game.
Q: Better than Nadal?
PS: I think he does more. He hits the ball a little flatter. He hits those flat backhands and he just sort of slides and is able to get that ball deep. It’s hard to compete with Nadal when it comes to defense, but Djokovic is right there with him. He seemed very inspired down there. He had a lot of support from his homeland. And Novak is an emotional player. When he’s feeling great and is in a good mood and the crowd is pulling for him, he’s a very tough player to beat. I always felt that he’s a little bit temperamental at times, but when he has it all together, he’s right there with Roger and Nadal.
Q: You were No. 1 for a record six straight years. Is he capable of getting to the top spot?
PS: I don’t know where the points stand, but sure. He started off winning the Australian and he’s going to be a threat for the rest of the year. He believes in himself a little bit more. He’s beaten Roger twice in majors. He could very well do it. He’s still got a lot of work ahead of him. Nadal’s got a tough year to defend. I wouldn’t count out Roger at all. It will be interesting to see. Novak has now arrived, and the way he played and beat Roger in straight sets, and Murray in straight sets, is pretty impressive.
Q: What are you seeing in the game today?
PS: The game has changed. Serve-and-volley tennis is no longer around. Players today are just very, very big. Big servers, big hitters. The serve-and-volley style of play — it takes time to be good at it. A lot of the young kids growing up are just hitting the crap out of the ball, just teeing off from the backcourt. That’s the way the game is being played. Look at Wimbledon the last few years — it’s all baseline tennis. That’s okay. That’s where the sport’s at. Technology has a lot to do with that. I don’t see it changing any time soon. Guys are content to stay back and just hit it hard. You look at Djokovic and Murray, those top four are so much better than everyone else at the same game, like Roddick or Soderling. You can just tell they just move better and do more on the run.
Q: Do you think Juan Martin Del Potro has a chance to get back in the mix?
PS: He’s got great talent, a big game. He serves well. He beat Roger at the [U.S.] Open. He’s had some bad luck with some injuries. He’s a player who’s going to take some time to get back into the swing of things. We were all thinking he was going to be in the top four, but, unfortunately, he had that wrist problem. That’s knocked him out for a while.
Q: What would you tell people who say, “I want to be an anecdote to these baseline guys. I want to play like you?”
PS: Start young. The younger you start to serve and volley the better chance you’ll have to really get used to it. It’s not something you start at 19 or 20 — you start at 12 or 13. That’s when you get the feel of it. It’s timing, it’s an athletic move, it’s a lot of work. It takes time and a willingness to sacrifice. It’s a lot easier to stay back. You’re going to go through your lumps as a kid. I was willing to do that. Not a lot of people are. But that’s okay. The game is very strong and deep. But I think we’d all like to see a little serve-and-volley tennis out there. The contrast is always fun to watch.
Q: You struggled near the very end of your career before the great win in New York. In that context, what’s your read on Roger. He’s 29 years old. He’s had a couple of losses now deep into the Slams.
PS: I still see him as the favorite. When he played Novak at last year’s Open and this year’s Australian, I figured he was going to find a way to win. Djokovic beating him in straight sets [in Melbourne] was surprising to me. I think Roger is going to win more majors. He’s very motivated. Talking to Paul [Annacone] the last few days, he still practices hard, he still does all the right things. He’s lost a few matches here and there, but that’s going to happen. He’s raised the bar so high for so long. You can’t expect him to maintain that year in, year out. He’s going to go through some tough losses. It’s the nature of the sport. He’s a little older, but he’s still very eager, versus when I was 29. I was burned down. I was beat down. He’s a little fresher. He likes to travel. He likes to play a lot of tennis. It’s just a different mentality than I felt at 29.
Q: Has there been any change in his inner belief?
PS: I don’t think so. I still think Roger hits it great. He’s up against a couple of guys who are getting better. Talking to Paul, he’d like to see Roger come in a little more, but at the same time, that’s Roger’s game — to stay back and rally. But against some of the top guys you could do some things that could change it up a little bit. But Roger’s a great player. He’s won 16 majors playing his way. I don’t think he really needs to change anything. It just gets tougher to maintain that level.
Q: Did you find it difficult when you got to the later stages of your career to be open-minded to input, to change?
PS: It’s tough. Great players believe in themselves and their game. You can hear input, but when it comes down to it, when you’re out there competing and it’s pressure time, you’re going to resort to what you’ve done over the years. I think Roger sees himself coming in or serving and volleying as a sign of weakness. I don’t think he has to do it. Against some of the top players, when things aren’t working, maybe try something different. But I think we’re — I don’t want to say stubborn — but resilient in a way that we feel like we’ve won a number of majors this way and I’m going to stick with it. If I lose, I lose. It’s an interesting topic to deal with great players and their mentalities, when they start losing matches what they’ll try and not try. Paul is trying to work his way into Roger’s head and maybe try a few things, but I know when I felt nervous I just resorted to what I was comfortable doing.
Q: If you could go back and change one or two things in your own run…
PS: I would have tried some technology. I really would have — especially for the clay. Put the Wilson away, use the Babolat, use the string, give me some margin for error, but I was close-minded and mentally felt like it was the only racket I could play with. Listen — when you’re in it, you believe in what got you there. But I wish I were a little more open-minded to it. I remember at the time, talking to a few players about trying something, I was so against it. When I won that last Open, the next six, eight months I did try some bigger rackets in practice. I ended up retiring, but it was on my mind. It was getting to where Roddick was starting to come on, using the big racket. All these guys were using the strings. If I had continued, I would have succumbed to a bigger racket.
Q: Does not winning Roland Garros still hang over you?
PS: I’ve been through that. Sure, I had my one year when I had a run, but that doesn’t annoy me. I wish I could have won one, but I wasn’t good enough.
Q: You must be intrigued that your former coach is working with Roger.
PS: We talk about it. We stay in contact during the majors. Paul lives in L.A., so we get together and play golf. We talk about Roger. Roger’s a great guy and he loves working with him. He’s trying to help him. It’s a different situation for Paul. With me, it was just one-on-one. Obviously, Roger has his wife, his kids. He’s got a lot more around him. Paul is just trying to help him, give him some experience, maybe shed a little light on my stuff. Paul’s very smart. He deals with different personalities. He knows what I went through later in my career. He knows what Roger’s going through a little bit. He’s trying to slowly add some things. But tennis is a very straightforward game when you’re at the top of the game. There’s not any magic formula Paul has. It’s just a matter of Roger going out there and playing great tennis. There’s only so much Paul can do. He’s won 16 majors playing his way and I don’t think he needs to change.
Q: What do you see that’s lacking in Andy Murray’s game in Slam finals? It seems like he’s a different guy in those matches.
PS: I saw a little bit of the Australian final. It just seems like Andy is pretty content just rallying. To win a major, you have to make it happen. You look at Novak — he’s aggressive, he’s pounding his forehand. Murray seems a little bit passive. I just think he’s got to be more aggressive. To win against Djokovic, Federer — these guys aren’t going to miss. He needs to find a way to be more aggressive. He can beat all the guys playing a certain way, but when he gets to a major final, he needs to go for it. He’s a little bit to passive. That’s how he played to get there, but to win it you need to step on the gas a little harder and kind of go down swinging. But he will win majors. I really believe he will. He’s a great athlete and he moves well. He’s going to win some majors.
Q: What’s your opinion on Kei Nishikori?
PS: Who’s Nishikori?
Q: The young Japanese player.
PS: I don’t know him.
Q: He’s coached by Brad Gilbert.
PS: Enough said.
