wordt een makkie voor Pete

Sampras Joins the BlackRock Tour of Champions
Pete Sampras has given a huge boost to the BlackRock Tour of Champions by announcing that he is to join the circuit of former World No.1’s, Grand Slam finalists and Davis cup winners in 2008.
Sampras, who won seven Wimbledon titles and ended six successive years as the World No.1, will play two tournaments in his first year - the Grand Champions Brasil in Sao Paulo next month, and the BlackRock Masters Tennis event in December at the Royal Albert Hall in London, England.
The trip to Sao Paulo will be the first time he has visited South America, and the BlackRock Masters Tennis event will mark his first journey to England since his last Wimbledon appearance in 2002.
“It’s still fun for me to compete, it’s still a challenge and I still want to hold that trophy up at the end,” said Sampras.
“Today, or 10 years from now, if I’m on the tennis court, I’ll still want to play well and win. When you’re out there, even though it’s now a different sort of arena, you want to win.”
Nuala Walsh, Head of International Marketing at BlackRock commented:
"We are delighted that Pete Sampras will be joining the BlackRock Masters Tennis at the Royal Albert Hall in December. The Tour of Champions gives tennis fans a wonderful opportunity to see some of the world's greatest tennis legends in action again. With tournaments taking place across so many countries in which BlackRock operates, this is also a great way for us to entertain our clients globally."
Sampras Finds Right Balance
Sampras, 36, retired from the ATP circuit in glorious fashion in 2002, winning the US Open, his 14th and final Grand Slam title. It set a record that still stands today. Upon retirement, the American took a step away from the sport.
“Tennis had been such a big focus in my life and for a while it was great to be away from the sport and I loved it,” he said.
“I was playing golf and having fun, but after two or three years I started to get a little bored and a little bit restless. There’s no book on retirement, especially at 31 years old. Initially you love it but after a while you need something to do. I have two kids - a five-year-old, Christian, and a 2-year-old, Ryan, and it has been a lot of fun to see them grow and spend time with them. But, at the same time I feel like a man should work, maybe I’m a little old-fashioned. It took me a while to get to the realisation that I would like to play again and get back into the sport. When I was 26, I never thought I would want to play Champions tennis. But, as time goes on, when you’re playing golf, taking some trips here and there and maybe putting on a little bit of weight, you just kind of feel a little bit unfulfilled as a man. That’s how I felt.”
It didn’t take long for Sampras to re-discover his fitness, form and desire to play and he is now looking forward to the unique blend of fun and competition to be found on the BlackRock Tour of Champions.
“It’s definitely going to be a lot more relaxed,” said Sampras.
“I used to be so focussed that I would just see the hotel and the courts and that was it. I had the feeling that I was expected to win and then there was all the pressure that I put on myself. Today, I still want to play well and still want to win but if I don’t it’s not the end of the world. It’s a totally different feel. I was pretty serious when I played but now I’m a little more relaxed. At the same time, people do want to see competitive tennis, they want to see the real deal. The crowd still want to see me serve and volley the way I used to and pull off my shots, but with a slightly lighter atmosphere.”
Sao Paulo and London
Having never previously been to South America, Sampras is excited at the prospect of visiting Sao Paulo.
“I’ve heard a lot of good things about Sao Paolo but I’ve never been there, so I’m looking forward to it,” he said.
"It’s a different culture and I was just thinking the other day that I used to go somewhere and not even care about the city or its history but now I’ll go there and maybe have a few days off to see some sights, something I wouldn’t have done back then. I’m still there to win though, and I’ll be focussed to put on a good show.
Sampras hasn’t been to the United Kingdom since his disappointing last Wimbledon in 2002 when he lost to George Bastl in the second round. The chance to go back and play at the Royal Albert Hall is something he couldn’t resist, particularly after sampling the venue for the first time almost 20 years ago in the World Championship Doubles.
“I remember it being a great arena,” he said.
“You could hear the glasses during the points with all the people drinking champagne, and everyone in their tuxedos. They really live it up there, so I’m looking forward to it. I haven’t been back to London since my last Wimbledon, which was a bit of a nightmare. I hear a lot of good things about the event in London and the stadium and the exposure it brings. So I’m excited and pretty pumped up about it. I hear the people there really support it and so I’m excited to go back and play a little tennis for them.”
The next event on the BlackRock Tour of Champions is the Seat Champions Cup which takes place in Barcelona from Thursday until Sunday. The Tour will then move onto the Foro Italico in Rome over the weekend of the 10th and 11th May, and then the BlackRock Tennis Classic at the Rothenbaum Club in Hamburg, 14-18 May.
The Tour opened in Belfast in February with Anders Jarryd successfully defending his title.