SAN JOSE, CALIF. — Not long after Andre Agassi‘s tell-all book “Open” hit the shelves, Pete Sampras began to hear whispers that his name was liberally tossed about throughout the best-selling autobiography. And not always in a positive light.
Pistol Pete’s immediate reaction? “I’d like to sit with him man to man and ask him about it.”
Well Sampras got his wish when the two recently hooked up for a meeting-of-the-minds powwow, albeit via telephone.
“He talked and I listened,” said Sampras, who admitted that he has yet to read the book, co-authored by J.R. Moehringer. “It was positive. It was cordial. He said what he had to say, and I told him where I was at.”
“It’s not a big deal. Andre likes to push the envelope a lot in what he says and does. But with me, I always thought we were above all that, taking shots. I certainly could have taken my shots at Andre over the years and in my book, but I chose not to,” said Sampras, who penned “A Champion’s Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis” (with Peter Bodo) in ’08. “He chose to be open and honest about a lot of different things — and that’s his choice. But I was a little surprised.”
While Sampras insists he doesn’t harbor any ill will toward Andre, it’s clear that Agassi’s jabs (among them that Sampras was a cheap tipper, and “I envy Pete’s dullness. I wish I could emulate his spectacular lack of inspiration.”) still reverberate.
“I think it freaked him out the way I did my thing,” said Sampras of the singular, at times icy resolve that became his trademark during an unparalleled six-year run at No. 1 in the ‘90s. “It sort of messed with his head that I was able to maintain my focus, which to me wasn’t a big deal. But he was amazed by it. The fact that I was a little on the quiet side — he couldn’t understand that. And I think, ‘Why can’t you understand that?’ That’s what Borg did. That’s what Roger does. It’s something that’s very normal to me.”
And then there’s the revelation that Agassi hated tennis.
For his part, Sampras went the way of comedian Garrett Morris and his old SNL alter ego, New York Met Chico Escuela.
“Tennis has been pretty good to me,” said Pistol Pete, who looked every bit his 38 years in an unspectacular 6-3, 7-6(2) loss to 24-year-old Spaniard Fernando Verdasco in an SAP Open exo on Monday night. “I’m flying home in a private jet, so I’m not going to complain about it. Those are strong comments. I think they came from his childhood and his father. But at the same time, it’s hard to hear someone complain about being world famous and making a lot of money. It’s a good life. I wouldn’t trade it.”
If he could write his book all over again, would Sampras strike back?
“No. It’s not my style,” he said. “I didn’t want to offend anyone in my book. I was sensitive to my family’s feelings. I was sensitive to other players. I could have gone down that road with some different situations, but I chose not to. It wasn’t about that for me, doing the book. It was about how I did it, how I became a champion, my mind, what I went through in my career. The publisher wanted me to talk about that stuff, but I wanted a book that my kids are going to read, and their kids are going to read, something I’m proud of, not about shocking people. That was my choice. I didn’t make a lot of money doing it, and I didn’t really care about the money.”
Speaking of money, Sampras makes it sound as if that’s all that’s standing between himself and the USTA when it comes to helping co-develop the next generation of American champions.
“I talked to the USTA about trying to help out a little bit,” Sampras explained. “We’re sort of on different pages with that. If I’m going to do some things, I want to be compensated…I’m into helping some kids, helping some young juniors or pros. I mean, I do know what I’m doing out there. I talked to [USTA Player Development GM] Pat McEnroe a few times, [but] he’s just on a different page.”
“I have time on my hands. If the USTA wants to step up a little bit, I’ll make a champion,” Sampras grinned, all but serving up a dare to the powers that be in White Plains.
While he made it clear that he has no plans to travel, the father of two says he would be willing to get involved with the USTA Training Center in Carson, Calif., a stone’s throw from his L.A. home.
“I’m available for services. And when the phone doesn’t ring, I know it’s them,” he quipped. “It’s not about the money…I’m not asking for the moon here. It’s just the principle and the way I operate. I’m willing to give back if it works for me.”
It’s hard to imagine that PMac & Co. wouldn’t extend a nice offer to Sampras. With only eight American men in the top 100 (and only three inside the top 50), it would certainly be a feather in the USTA Player Development cap to have America’s greatest-ever player among their troops. But if an offer was made, it apparently wasn’t big enough for Sampras. Which means, of course, it is about the money after all.
