Sampras Quotes & Sayings
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Top Sampras Quotes
I may be a step slower than I was before reaching 30, but I'm doing all the right things. I guess there are some guys who would take it easy in the latter part of their careers, but I'm stepping it up. — Pete Sampras
I feel much more respected in Europe than I do in the States from the press and from the people. Americans expect me to win every match I play. — Pete Sampras
I don't look so much for tips. But when they interview a Nicklaus or a Palmer, I'm all ears. I listen to guys who have done it, been successful for years. — Pete Sampras
Success is walking out of here with the title, and anything less is not good enough in my book. — Pete Sampras
Golfers are forever working on mechanics. My tennis swing hasn't changed in 10 years. — Pete Sampras
I envy Pete Sampras's dullness. I wish I could emulate his spectacular lack of inspiration. — Andre Agassi
The difference of great players is at a certain point in a match they raise their level of play and maintain it. Lesser players play great for a set, but then less. — Pete Sampras
By putting pressure on myself to develop a great game, I had less pressure to win. These days, I tell kids that the way I grew up, it wasn't about winning. It was about playing well, about playing the "right" way. That approach helped me enjoy the game and develop mine to its maximum potential. — Pete Sampras
For so long people have just taken what I do for granted. It is not easy to do year-in, year-out, to win Grand Slams and be No. 1. — Pete Sampras
If Pete's (Sampras) child is a girl, my son will like her; if he's a boy, my son will defeat him. — Andre Agassi
But, then, Sampras won Wimbledon six times and that automatically puts him among the greatest. — Richard Krajicek
When I first started really playing, in '98, I was super excited to see all the people I grew up watching ... I loved Monica Seles, Steffi Graf, and Pete Sampras. — Serena Williams
You see Boris Becker, Mats Wilander, Nadal, Pete Sampras - they were all great when they were young. As a coach, you can see that type of talent at an early age. — Brad Gilbert
I want to end my career on my terms, not on what people think I should do. — Pete Sampras
I am going to hold serve the majority of the time. It is nice to have a little time to return serve. — Pete Sampras
It's one-on-one out there, man. There ain't no hiding. I can't pass the ball. — Pete Sampras
After I went through two years of not winning an event, what kept me going was winning one more major. Once I won that last U.S. Open, I spent the next six months trying to figure out what was next. Slowly my passion for the sport just vanished. I had nothing left to prove. — Pete Sampras
That's not what I'm looking forward to, just being home and just kind of not really sure kind of what to do with myself. — Pete Sampras
Baseball is America's pastime, and that record is absolutely huge in the States. — Pete Sampras
Walking to the net, I'm certain that I've lost to the better man, the Everest of the next generation. I pity the young players who will have to contend with him. I feel for the man who is fated to play Agassi to his Sampras. Though I don't mention Pete by name, I have him uppermost in my mind when I tell reporters: It's real simple. Most people have weaknesses. Federer has none. — Andre Agassi
Anything can happen out there on any court. — Pete Sampras
Where I fall down is my short game. I don't practice enough, and when I have to take a half swing from 50 yards out, that's trouble. — Pete Sampras
If Davis Cup was a little bit less or once every two years, I would be more inclined to play. But the way it is now, it is too much tennis for me. — Pete Sampras
I am here for the goal, and the goal is to try to do it again. — Pete Sampras
Tennis is seen all around the world; if I am home or anywhere in the country, United States, people will stare. — Pete Sampras
I don't know how I do it, I really don't. — Pete Sampras
I let my racket do the talking. That's what I am all about, really. I just go out and win tennis matches. — Pete Sampras
I didn't have a big fat Greek wedding, but I have a lot of fat Greek friends. — Pete Sampras
I guess I get my strength from my legs, which are also important in tennis. — Pete Sampras
My parents wanted me and my siblings to practice some sports outside school. And since we lived next to a tennis club, we decided to play tennis. I didn't have an idol, so to speak, but I always enjoyed watching Pete Sampras and Alex Corretja. — Stanislas Wawrinka
My serve was there, everything was just clicking. Those are the days you dream about, especially in a final. — Pete Sampras
It's not easy to retire at 31. In one respect I was glad I was done. But after a few years of having fun, I got a little restless. When you're 33, 34, and you don't have a focus, you can get kind of lost. As a man, you feel a little bit unfulfilled. — Pete Sampras
Winning is about taking your opponent's heart out and squeezing it until all the blood has come out, even the very last drop. There are no prizes for a funny loser. — Pete Sampras
Retirement is a work in progress. I try to figure out my day, and what I know about myself is that I need structure. — Pete Sampras
I never suspected that we or any one person or program can create Serena Williams or John McEnroe or Pete Sampras. — Patrick McEnroe
I'm enjoying my retirement, enjoying my life. I have two kids and a lot of my time is spent chasing these two animals. — Pete Sampras
I admire the way golfers handle themselves. But tennis players are a lot younger, as a rule. There aren't many teenagers on the golf tour. — Pete Sampras
People watched the Masters. It was a huge event. It was at The Garden. Now that it is over here in Europe, it has lost a little bit of popularity in the States. — Pete Sampras
I could be a jerk and get a lot more publicity, but that's not who I am. — Pete Sampras
The way I look at the top five, (Rod) Laver, (Roger) Federer, myself, Borg and (Ivan) Lendl. I think those five guys dominated their generations better than anyone. Maybe Roger will dominate better than any one of the other four. Maybe I put Andre (Agassi) as kind of six through 10 with, you know, (John) McEnroe and (Jimmy) Connors, kind of those guys. That's kind of how I see it. — Pete Sampras
I don't look at myself as a historical icon, but the reality of it is, yeah, I am playing for history now. — Pete Sampras
I'm staying in shape, working out. — Pete Sampras
The way I hold the club, I've got my hand way over, like I'm driving a motorcycle. My Kawasaki grip. — Pete Sampras
I hate to lose, and I do whatever I can to win, and if it is ugly, it is ugly. — Pete Sampras
When I tied the record five years in a row, even over in Europe, it wasn't really talked about. It is disap-pointing because it is one of the toughest things to do in sports. — Pete Sampras
In tennis, you can make a couple of mistakes and still win. Not in golf. I played three rounds in that Tahoe event, and I was drained. Mentally, not physically. — Pete Sampras
Players aren't quite as intimidated by my name. — Pete Sampras
As long as I feel like I can win majors and contend, I'll continue to play. — Pete Sampras
All I cared about in tennis was winning. — Pete Sampras
First of all, in any sport where you can measure distance, height speed and all of that, you see how athletes have changed their sport and made it better. I believe, with every generation, the sport has improved. Certainly, in the men's game, that has been the case. I think that I played Pete [Sampras] at his best, I played Roger [Federer] at his best.. I believe wholeheartedly that Roger and [Rafael] Nadal have pushed the game much further than myself or Pete ever did. Their options on the tennis court are considerably more than ours. — Andre Agassi
Many say that (Pete) Sampras is the greatest player. But I say with all due respect to the rest, that he (Roger Federer) is the most complete player in the world so far. — Marat Safin
Choking is being in a position to win, and then experiencing some critical failure of nerve or spirit. That never happened to me. And I can't help but think it was because I was never afraid to lose. — Pete Sampras
The future is flying home. That's the immediate future. But long-distance future, I plan on being back. I'm not going to end my time here with that loss. — Pete Sampras
I'm not worried about the weekend, I'm worried about Saturday. — Pete Sampras
People know me. I'm not going to produce any cartwheels out there. I'm not going to belong on Comedy Central. I'll always be a tennis player, not a celebrity. — Pete Sampras
I think Pete Sampras has really reached his peak. About the only thing he doesn't do is cook. — Michael Chang
This time last year I would have said Federer would beat Sampras's record. Now I'm not so sure. His aura has gone. He's not as dominant as he was, and since I beat him in Australia he's looked frustrated. Players are beginning to challenge him now, especially myself and Rafa. He's got 12 Grand Slams to his name and maybe he will beat Sampras, but now I'm here it will be tough for him. — Novak Djokovic
I did it my way, and I have no regrets when I look back on my career that it was just a big focus for me. — Pete Sampras
If I win and play well, then the ranking will take care of itself. Defending points is really not a problem. Just go out and play and not worry about it. — Pete Sampras
A champion is suppose to hate to lose, and it wasn't like I was ever crazy about the idea. But I learned to deal with losing without having my spirit or confidence broken, which would help immensely over time, not just in the big picture but even in specific matches when I found myself in a jam. Fear of losing is a terrible thing. — Pete Sampras
The only person that I have met, that I have ever been in awe of, is Eddie Vedder. — Pete Sampras
I can't just wake up and watch TV and do nothing. I need a day off working out, seeing the wife, play a little golf, see my kids. — Pete Sampras
Andre Agassi was my rival in the '90s, and I think as we got older we sort of transcended the game. He was probably the best player I ever played over my career. There's a list of players that were tough, but Andre, certainly, he was the most unique. — Pete Sampras
Tennis obviously isn't as popular as baseball in the States. — Pete Sampras
There should be more of an off-season in the game. I think you need to have less tournaments, more of a break at the end of the year so guys can recover. — Pete Sampras
I've worked hard my whole life, since I was a little kid. But now it's a point in my life now where I can just enjoy it, but at the same time I still need to work. — Pete Sampras
When you retire you want to get as far away as possible from the game for a couple of years. — Pete Sampras
There's always one shot that I can rely on when I'm not hitting the ball that well, is my serve. — Pete Sampras
There is no doubt about how hard it is to stay on top in any sport, but to do it in an individual sport for the majority of your career, it is not easy. — Pete Sampras
My goal one day is to be in the same sentence as Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. If I can match them for 10 years, I'd be in their company. They were class acts. That's what I'd like to be. — Pete Sampras
When you struggle winning matches all year and you don't really get into a groove or rhythm, you just can't expect to just come in here and have it click. — Pete Sampras
Once the fifth set comes, it's a matter of nerves. — Pete Sampras
Media access to us is more regulated than in golf. — Pete Sampras
I've always led a pretty simple life, with few extravagances. The money in tennis never drove me. — Pete Sampras
When you go through certain moments of your career and you're struggling, it just takes time. Time heals, when you're a little bit down. — Pete Sampras
People wrote me off, but I believed in myself. I got the confidence back, and it grew and grew. I won my first major and my last at the place that changed my life. — Pete Sampras
It's not my place to tell you whom to vote for, to take any political stand, to tell you what religion to believe in. I'm an athlete. I can influence certain things, but when I see other athletes and celebrities telling you whom to vote for, I actually get a bit offended. — Pete Sampras
When you come back strong, you are going to have little nagging things that you can usually play through, but every now and again, it is to the point where you can't play. — Pete Sampras
With this ranking system, the more you play, the better off you are. — Pete Sampras
I'm maybe not quite as sharp as I used to be. — Pete Sampras
When I committed to playing a little tennis in some exhibitions, it was the best thing for me. It got me in shape. It got me out of the house. It got me doing something I love to do. — Pete Sampras
Andre always seemed bent on asserting his individuality and independence, while I tried to submerge my individuality and accepted the loss of some personal freedoms. Andre was Joe Frazier to my Muhammad Ali, although the personalities were kind of flipped around because Andre was the showman and I was the craftsman. Wherever you lived, we were your neighbors: I was the nice, quiet kid next door on one side, and Andre was the rebellious teenager on the other. — Pete Sampras
Throughout my career, my mind rarely wandered, and I was never sidetracked by distractions, no matter what I was going through off the court. — Pete Sampras
I loved Wimbledon and what it meant, but the surface felt uncomfortable. I just didn't like it, I was a hard-court guy, a Californian kid. — Pete Sampras
I made it look so easy on court all those years. No one realized how hard I had to work. No one realized how much I had to put into it. They underestimated my intensity. — Pete Sampras
I don't think it really matters, who plays first. Whatever they do, they do. — Pete Sampras
It is nice to walk out on a court to have it packed. — Pete Sampras
I never wanted to be the great guy or the colorful guy or the interesting guy. I wanted to be the guy who won titles. — Pete Sampras
Once the US Open is over in the States, mainstream America doesn't really follow tennis, unless you are a true tennis fan. — Pete Sampras
What I've done in the game is always going to stick, no matter what happens. — Pete Sampras
I've been into golf, trying to get into the gym to stay somewhat fit. I've got two boys now, they're active kids. — Pete Sampras