Courier’s message: Pete’s ready for comeback

Pete Sampras, the seven-times Wimbledon champion, is considering a return to competitive tennis. Sampras, who formally announced his retirem...

Pete Sampras, the seven-times Wimbledon champion, is considering a return to competitive tennis. Sampras, who formally announced his retirement last year, has been sounding out friends about the possibility of making a comeback on the seniors tour.

The 33-year-old American last played a competitive match at the 2002 US Open, when he beat Andre Agassi to win the last of his 14 Grand Slam titles, and is believed to spend most of his days on the golf course. But Sampras is growing ‘‘restless’’ in California, his old friend and rival, Jim Courier, revealed yesterday.

Courier had an unexpected phone call from Sampras, who is intrigued by this week’s seniors event at the Albert Hall. ‘‘I spoke to Pete this week. He was curious to see how I’m enjoying doing this. I sense a little bit of restlessness there. Pete has been playing a lot of golf, but he was curious to know what this seniors tour is all about’’, Courier said.

Story continues below this ad

Sampras was given an emotional send-off at the US Open last year, and has previously said that any retirement would be final, that he ‘‘did not want to come back 17 times like retired boxers’’. It is not known whether Sampras, who is married to Hollywood actress Bridgette Wilson, is practising again.

Courier hinted that, though Sampras is a private man, he may be lured back by his ‘‘love’’ of tennis. ‘‘It’s been two years since Pete played and I think that’s about the time when people start to feel how much they love the game of tennis and creep back into it with a few exhibitions here and there, and test the water’’, Courier said.

Courier, 34, is himself a recent convert to the seniors tour, making his first appearance this year. ‘‘What you soon realise is that tennis is a core part of your being’’, he said. ‘‘It would certainly be a boon for the tour if Pete came out of retirement.’’

(The Daily Telegraph)

EXCLUSIVE: EC brings in feature to check misuse of identity to seek voter list deletions

Political Pulse36 min ago

The Election Commission has launched a new 'e-sign' feature on its portal and app to prevent fraud. This comes after allegations of misuse of online voter deletion forms in Karnataka. The feature requires voters to verify their identity using their Aadhaar-linked phone numbers, reducing the possibility of fraud.

View all shorts

Live Blog