Pete Sampras Quotes - Page 3

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.

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.

The way I hold the club, I've got my hand way over, like I'm driving a motorcycle. My Kawasaki grip.

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.

I'm not going to give in to the critics. I'm going to stop on my own terms, not on when someone else thinks I should.

Most of the time after the US Open, it is kind of like you are trying to finish strong. But to do it five years and maybe six is something that has never been done before, so it is a huge challenge.

Media access to us is more regulated than in golf.

Once the US Open is over in the States, mainstream America doesn't really follow tennis, unless you are a true tennis fan.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tennis obviously isn't as popular as baseball in the States.

I'm maybe not quite as sharp as I used to be.

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.

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.

My serve was there, everything was just clicking. Those are the days you dream about, especially in a final.

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.

There's always one shot that I can rely on when I'm not hitting the ball that well, is my serve.

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.

I am going to hold serve the majority of the time. It is nice to have a little time to return serve.

Tennis is seen all around the world; if I am home or anywhere in the country, United States, people will stare.

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.