Pete Sampras is not gaining any friends on the ATP men’s tour. He has come to a point in his career where he only cares about adding to his Grand Slam record, no longer willing to play enough ATP tournaments to put him contention for a No. 1 ranking.
The ATP men’s tour hates to hear Sampras dismiss the smaller events so it’s not surprising its new slogan is not singing the praises of the player who in July broke Roy Emerson’s record for all-time Grand Slam singles titles at Wimbledon. The new ad campaign with the double entendre is aimed at promoting the “young guns” on the men’s tour such as Marat Safin. It’s called “New Balls, please.”
Despite his fourth seeding at the U.S. Open, lowest since 1991, Sampras is out to prove during this fortnight there’s nothing wrong with the old balls. “‘New balls,’ interesting slogan,” Sampras said after winning his first-rounder yesterday 7-6 (3), 7-5, 6-4 over Martin Damm in his first Open match in two years at Ashe Stadium. “I’m still trying to figure out what it means. Double meaning, I guess.”
When asked what’s wrong with the “old balls”, Sampras said “They’re still healthy.”
If the ATP is trying to force Sampras into a rocking chair, he’s not ready yet at age 29. “Andre (Agassi) and I, we’re not going to play for the next five, 10 years but I think for the next two, three years, we’ll be at the top of the game,” Sampras said. “We’ll be contending for majors, two of the best players in the world.
“It’s not any insult to me, pushing me out,” Sampras said of the slogan. “I’m above that. It’s just an effort to give young Europeans a push.”
Sampras, who pulled out of the Open last year with a back injury and hasn’t won here since ’96, has only played two tournaments and seven matches since breaking Roy Emerson’s record and winning his 13th Grand Slam singles title at Wimbledon.
Because of Sampras’ light schedule, his ranking dropped to fourth, thus the No. 4 seeding. The USTA generally bases its seedings on the ATP computer rankings and did not deem Sampras’ slight significant enough to make a change like it did in 1996. Brad Gilbert, Andre Agassi’s coach, called the USTA “narrow-minded” for not re-seeding Sampras.
“Because I’m four, it doesn’t mean I’m less of a favorite,” Sampras said. “I still feel I could win here easily. Seeded fourth or eighth, I like my chances.”
All seeds survived during the opening day session yesterday that was interrupted by rain at about noon, delaying matches for nearly two hours. Fifth-seeded Yevgeny Kafelnikov came closest to exiting, but rallied after going down 0-2 to win 6-7 (5), 1-6, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3.
On today’s schedule, Serena Williams and Lindsay Davenport will play their first-round matches. On the night card, Post Sportsweek covergirl Anna Kournikova, seeded 12th, graces Ashe Stadium when she takes on Holly Parkinson.
Sampras, who came out of Wimbledon with a sore foot, took it easy this summer after the pressure of breaking Emerson’s record was off. “I feel breaking the record was definitely a big weight off my shoulders,” Sampras said. “Wimbledon took a lot out of me emotionally, definitely. It took a lot out of me over the summer. I feel fresh now.
“At Wimbledon I won the Super Bowl. They have four months to enjoy it. I had two weeks.”
Sampras got a warm ovation from the Ashe Stadium crowd during introductions that cited his recent milestone. Sampras has not set a Grand Slam number in his head he’d like to retire with. “I’m just trying to add to it, just see if I can make it 14 or 15,” he said.
Sampras watched last year’s Open from his California home after suffering a back injury. “I’ve been kind of a bit more aware of my body, trying to get myself in good shape,” Sampras said. “If anything, I appreciate it more playing this year.”
Sampras will face Jersey’s Justin Gimelstob in the second round. As yesterday’s match wore on, the stadium began to empty. Because of the rain delay, the match finished at close to 7 p.m.
Neither player broke serve in the first set. As it went to a tiebreaker, Sampras kicked off the first point with an ace.