Sampras on top 4 and doping in tennis

[Nitish]

http://www.thetennisspace.com/pete-s...-the-big-four/
Pete Sampras talks to The Tennis Space about the Big Four:
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Sampras on Novak Djokovic: “I’ve spent some time with Novak, and he’s a good, solid guy. I had dinner with him in LA last year, and he wanted to know how I was able to stay at the top for so long. He was curious about that. I told him that I kept everything as simple as possible. I didn’t get involved with too many promotional or commercial things. I didn’t say or do much, because I wanted my focus to be on playing. I also didn’t want a big entourage. I just wanted the same good people around him, and didn’t want to waste energy. That was my comfort zone, just keeping it simple and having the same small group around me. I think Novak took that on board. Everyone is different, and different things work for different people, and I know he’s involved with a few things. I came away from that dinner very impressed with him. I came away thinking that Novak isn’t just playing for himself, but he feels as though he’s representing a whole country and trying to bring hope. He saw the war, he’s seen the dirt. He’s going to be in his prime for the next three or four years. He’s in the right place. Mentally, he’s a rock now. Maybe three years ago, he used to let things get to him, but that doesn’t happen anymore. The mental change has been the biggest change, but he’s also improved his serve and other parts of his game.”
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Sampras on Roger Federer: “Roger is going to carry on being Roger this year, trying to get back to No 1 once more and to win another major. He’s going to have another solid year. We keep in touch, checking in with each other every couple of months, going back and forth, and talking about kids. At 31, I had had enough of the travel and the lifestyle, but at 31 Roger loves the lifestyle and being out there on the tour and that’s great.”
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Sampras on Andy Murray: “All the pressure is off now. He beat Roger at the Olympics, and then he won his first slam, which is always the hardest one, and answered all his critics. He’s going to be much more relaxed now. He can just go out there and play. One of the best things you can have in tennis is a short memory, and that’s what Murray has now. He’s still intense, but he used to be more temperamental and to let things bother him, and you would see him getting upset at himself, or at his box, but now he seems to have learnt how to move on after a couple of bad shots. To forget about it. If you lose your cool or your concentration for even five minutes against the top guys, you’re going to lose the set. He seems to have everything in place now, and the coaching set-up with Lendl looks to be working well. He used to be a contender at grand slams, but now he’s more than that, he’s a favourite. He doesn’t turn up to slams now looking to get to the final, he goes there looking to win. I could see him finishing the year as the world No 1. There’s a chance of that. Like Djokovic, he’s going to be in his prime for a few years now. I see him winning multiple majors.”
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Sampras on Rafa Nadal: “He’s missed. He might not be missed by the players, but he’s missed by tennis people and by the fans. He’s going about things the right way by returning at a clay-court tournament in South America, as he knows clay like the back of his hand, and the field in South America probably won’t be that strong so he could win the tournament. But there’s something missing in Melbourne. He’s great for the sport, and everyone wants to see him back at the top again.”
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Sampras on doping: “I think tennis is a clean sport. There have been a handful of players – just a few – who have tested positive, but I believe they have just been exceptions. I just don’t think tennis players will go down that road of trying to get an edge, as it’s not in the culture. It was in the culture of cycling, and Lance Armstrong went along with that, but I just don’t see tennis players doing that. It’s not in their nature trying to get an edge that way. Arsmtrong has disappointed a lot of people and let a lot of people down. I thought he did as well as he could during the interview.”

[nikdom]

That clears it. Come on people, nothing to see here. Sampras has declared tennis a doping-free sport. Go back to your desks.

[RF20Lennon]

Why are there so many doping threads all of a sudden?

[90's Clay]

More proof showed Sampras was just TRIED of the game by 30-31 years old and not because he couldn't still dominate to some degree. Its funny listening to people say here Pete didn't have it anymore. The dude went out with a slam win.. He obviously still had it. Its not like went out with a whimper.. He went out in a blaze of glory.


Disagree about his opinion on doping.. But other then that. solid interview

[Legend of Borg]

Originally Posted by RF20Lennon

Why are there so many doping threads all of a sudden?

After Lance came clean on Oprah and revealed the doping culture in cycling, people got suspicious about other sports.

[Gonzo_style]

Originally Posted by RF20Lennon

Why are there so many doping threads all of a sudden?

Because Federer lost in the semifinal against muscular Murray and Djokovic survived a match with Wawrinka...

[mattennis]

Originally Posted by 90's Clay

More proof showed Sampras was just TRIED of the game by 30-31 years old and not because he couldn't still dominate to some degree. Its funny listening to people say here Pete didn't have it anymore. The dude went out with a slam win.. He obviously still had it. Its not like went out with a whimper.. He went out in a blaze of glory.


Disagree about his opinion on doping.. But other then that. solid interview

He won 2002 US OPEN (beating Rusedski, Haas, Roddick and Agassi along the way), so at 31 he, technically, was still good enough to win majors, but.....mentally he wasn't.

I mean, if your mind doesn't want to put you throughout all the effort to put you in the best physical shape, in the best mental state to fight to the end to win the biggest tournament, then you can not do it (even if technically you still have the game to win them).

This has happened to many other players, when they were even younger (after all Sampras was already 31 ).

Borg at 26 was, technically (and physically), still more than good enough to win more majors, but mentally he was not there, he did not enjoy anymore, and at that point there's nothing you can do.

Wilander won his 7th GS tournament at 24 years and 0 months ( just 24 ), can you imagine?. He was nº1 in the world, and then he felt he didn't want it anymore (the effort, the hard trainning to be at the very top). He still went on playing, but he was not the same player, and at 26 he stopped. Later on, at 29 or 30 he tried to come back, but he did nothing. At 32 he retired again.

Stich, Rafter and other great players retired at 28 or 29 years of age (well, to be fair, these two had injury-related problems when they retired, but some other players retire before 30 y.o. simply because they are mentally tired).

Some other players, like Connors, Rosewall, Pancho, they seem to never lose the fire inside them.

[tennisaddict]

Originally Posted by 90's Clay

More proof showed Sampras was just TRIED of the game by 30-31 years old and not because he couldn't still dominate to some degree. Its funny listening to people say here Pete didn't have it anymore. The dude went out with a slam win.. He obviously still had it. Its not like went out with a whimper.. He went out in a blaze of glory.


Disagree about his opinion on doping.. But other then that. solid interview

At the upper echelons of the game, it is more mental. He is saying himself that he was spent mentally.

Also he didnt annouce USO 2002 was his last tournament and win. If he had done that, it would have been more worthy having had the pressure.

The guy waited for several months after that to annouce formally his retirement. He realized that he can no longer compete.

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/en/doc/...ent_258347.htm

So it is coincidental that his last tournament was a major, not that he planned it.

[JRAJ1988]

90's Clay I reckon it could have been possible for a motivated Sampras to have gone far at Wimbledon in 2003...even a Sampras/Federer final.

[Warmaster]

Originally Posted by JRAJ1988

90's Clay I reckon it could have been possible for a motivated Sampras to have gone far at Wimbledon in 2003...even a Sampras/Federer final.

I think he was tired of losing to the Swiss Guards.

[veroniquem]

I love everything Sampras said, I think it's very accurate and I certainly hope he's right about doping. He's not an active player, so I give more weight to his opinion than current players who would have much more reason to be biassed (either way).

[Relinquis]

Originally Posted by 90's Clay

More proof showed Sampras was just TRIED of the game by 30-31 years old and not because he couldn't still dominate to some degree. Its funny listening to people say here Pete didn't have it anymore. The dude went out with a slam win.. He obviously still had it. Its not like went out with a whimper.. He went out in a blaze of glory.


[...]

I agree with this. It's mildly amusing to read a few posts below this one that he didn't have it in him mentally to win. The guy is known to be one of the toughest competitors in the sport, if he's on the court, he'll want to win.

[mattennis]

Originally Posted by Relinquis

I agree with this. It's mildly amusing to read a few posts below this one that he didn't have it in him mentally to win. The guy is known to be one of the toughest competitors in the sport, if he's on the court, he'll want to win.

What I meant (when I said that) is that, mentally, he was not for it anymore.

He himself said that many times. At first, he thought he would train hard for the 2013 Australian Open, but time went by and he did not train.

Then he said he would come back in 2013 February, but time again went by and he felt he did not want to go out in the morning and train.

He thought Wimbledon would be huge enough for him to motivate him again, to make him go to the courts and train properly, but not even Wimbledon was enough.

He himself has told about it several times. On one hand, in some moments part of his mind still wanted to feel the glory again, but finally he understood that he just didn't want to put him again under the hard work anymore.

It was so difficult (it took him 10 months to decide) precisely because he knew that technically he still could win majors (if properly trained), but mentally the desire, the FIRE (you need to feel to put you under very hard work) was not there anymore.

That is what I meant when I said that he was technically still able to win more majors, but mentally not (the fire, the thrilling inside you mind, was not there anymore).

[librarysteg]

Originally Posted by RF20Lennon

Why are there so many doping threads all of a sudden?

I think for some reason a lot of people around here must want a big doping scandal to break in tennis. For the excitement of it? I don't know. I know it's the last thing I want to see.

[The Bawss]

Originally Posted by nikdom

That clears it. Come on people, nothing to see here. Sampras has declared tennis a doping-free sport. Go back to your desks.

Sampras doesn't want to incriminate himself by alluding to the possibility of doping. That is all.

[tennis_pro]

This is what Sampras really said:

Sampras on Novak Djokovic: “I’ve spent some time with Novak, and he’s a good, solid guy. I had dinner with him in LA last year, and he wanted to know how I was able to stay at the top for so long. He was curious about that. I told him to serve and volley. Then he said that the surfaces are too slow. I responded: serve and volley.

And that's how he dropped out of the top 100."

[sureshs]

Nadal haters are usually Fed and Sampras fans.

Sampras has stabbed them in the back depriving them of the pleasure of accusing Nadal of doping.

It is proving a very difficult week for them.

But I am serious. These baseless accusations against Nadal and Djokovic by irrational Fed fans clinging to a bygone era must stop. Too much bad stuff is being allowed on TW about this, while anything against Fed is being reacted to.

[Crisstti]

Originally Posted by RF20Lennon

Why are there so many doping threads all of a sudden?

Because some people are ridiculously paranoid and they're trying to get everyone on board with them.

Originally Posted by veroniquem

I love everything Sampras said, I think it's very accurate and I certainly hope he's right about doping. He's not an active player, so I give more weight to his opinion than current players who would have much more reason to be biassed (either way).

I'm quite sure Becker and Lendl have said similar things.

[Sid_Vicious]

Originally Posted by tennis_pro

This is what Sampras really said:

Sampras on Novak Djokovic: “I’ve spent some time with Novak, and he’s a good, solid guy. I had dinner with him in LA last year, and he wanted to know how I was able to stay at the top for so long. He was curious about that. I told him to serve and volley. Then he said that the surfaces are too slow. I responded: serve and volley.

And that's how he dropped out of the top 100."

LOL.

I can just imagine:

Olympics 2012 SF Djokovic vs Murray. MP for Murray. Djokovic thinks about the advice his hero Pete Sampras gave him and decides to serve and volley and instantly loses the match.