Clash of the Titans: Federer & Sampras Discuss Upcoming Exhibition Matches in October Issue of TENNIS Magazine
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09/18/07 - “Roger [Federer] is not the kind of guy who can lose to me and not care,” says Pete Sampras in the October issue of TENNIS Magazine. Federer, who has been chasing Pete Sampras in the history books (14 singles titles), will take on Sampras, 36, in three highly- anticipated exhibition matches in November in the Far East and again at Madison Square Garden in March 2008 The one and only time the two tennis titans met as pros was in 2001 at Wimbledon, where Federer’s five set upset of Sampras became a milestone along what proved to be a short straight path to stardom for the Swiss.
“We’re both pretty humble, and one reason we’re doing these matches is because we both think it will be a great thing for the game in general,” says Sampras, who concedes that his biggest hurdle will be lack of match toughness. “We want the crowd to have a good time, but what made both of us great players is that we’re competitive and tough.”
The two met briefly in Los Angeles a few months ago for a two-day practice session. For his part, Federer tells TENNIS Magazine, “I wanted to see how good Pete still played. You know, he was one of my favorite players when I was growing up, and beating him in that match at Wimbledon was so special to me. I wanted to try to – I wanted to beat him in his house, you know. It was enjoyable to actually hit with him. He’s playing well and it will be cool to play an exhibition against him.”
Billie Jean King Says She Wants to Play Tennis Until She Dies—Even if that means on the Court: Despite having bad knees, at 63 Billie Jean King plays tennis two to three times a week and continues to work on her game. “My forehand is so much better than when I played during my career,” she tells TENNIS magazine. “I really want to play tennis until I die. In fact, if I died on a tennis court, that would be OK.” During her downtime, King goes to the theater and admits she’s a “TV girl.” She loves British mysteries on BBC America, roots for the “dysfunctional” cooks on Bravo’s Top Chef, and believes Tony Soprano got “wiped out.” In April, she even guest-starred as a judge on Law & Order.
Martina Navratilova Answers Reports on Leaving America: When Martina Navratilova told a Czech reporter in May that she was applying for dual citizenship in her native Czech Republic, she also mentioned her disappointment over the loss of civil liberties in her adopted country, the United States. She says her remarks were taken out of context and interpreted as her wanting to leave America for good. She takes the opportunity to clear up her views in an article she penned for the October issue of TENNIS magazine. “One of the things that drew me to the U.S. was the right to disagree with our government…Whether you speak out, as I do, or do something a little less public, we all need to participate. We need to stay informed, challenge our leaders, and exercise our most sacred of rights – voting. I’m very proud to be an American and have that right. I’m not going anywhere. I love this country, and I want my voice to count.”
Lindsay Davenport Looks Ahead to her New Life as a Working Mom on the Court: Lindsay Davenport is probably not the first player who fans thought would come straight back to competitive tennis after starting a family; she was a laid-back Californian who never seemed to revel in the spotlight or relish the battle. But less than a year after playing what most thought was her final match in Beijing in 2006, and a few months after the birth of her first child, son Jagger with her husband, former USC tennis player Jon Leach, Davenport tells TENNIS magazine she is ready for action again, saying she wants another crack at Olympic gold (she won the 1996 Games). The former No. 1 just won her first singles title after almost a year's absence from the tour, defeating Daniela Hantuchova to capture the Bali Open. “I looked at it as a fun challenge to see if I could come back quickly and give me a little kick in the pants to get back being active,” she tells TENNIS. Davenport, 31, says the tradition runs in the family. “My mom went back to work after she had all of us. Both my sisters work. I feel like I want to be able to do it all, and that’s being a good mother and having some kind of career, hopefully.”
About Miller Publishing Group: MPG publishes TENNIS Magazine, SMASH. Magazine and the photo annual The Year in Pictures. TENNIS, published 10 times annually, is the world’s largest tennis title, with a circulation of more than 600,000. MPG also owns TENNIS.com, the world’s leading tennis website, plus SMASHtennis.com and the blog Peter Bodo’s TennisWorld (peterbodostennisworld.com).
