Thursday, August 09, 2001
Sampras blames ball for loss
By Neil Schmidt
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Pete Sampras loses to Alberto Martin of Spain.
(AP photo)
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MASON — New balls, please. And, apparently, not Penn.
Tennis Masters Series Cincinnati has a controversy, now that several players — including Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi — have complained about the balls. Sampras blamed his 6-4, 6-4 second-round upset loss Wednesday to Alberto Martin in part on the extra-lively Penn balls.
“I'm sorry, but it's a (bleep) ball,” Sampras told tournament chairman Paul Flory.
Flory said his event has always used Penn, with the exception of using Wilson last year.
“We assumed this was Penn's top ball,” Flory said. “Penn has always been fine in the past.”
Sampras committed 29 unforced errors Wednesday, to just 12 by Martin, a 22-year-old Spaniard ranked 38th in the world.
“The ball seems hard, and it has been flying on me all week,” Sampras said. “It's nice to hear other players suffering as well.”
The loss continues a season of futility for Sampras, who is 23-13 in 2001 and has fallen to 12th in the world rankings.
Martin celebrates.
(Jeff Swinger photo)
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He hasn't won an event in 13 months. This was his earliest exit since 1988, his rookie year on tour.
“I don't want to give excuses; the conditions are the same for everyone out here,” Sampras said. “I just never got my game going. It was a disappointing performance.”
Said Martin: “I knew he wasn't playing his best. That wasn't the Pete Sampras I've watched on TV.”
Sampras' early exit may bode ill for the U.S. Open, an event he must win to avoid his first season without a Grand Slam title since 1992.
“You need to do well throughout the summer to do well in New York,” Sampras said. “And tonight doesn't help. I need some more matches. I need to get my game a little bit sharper.”
Sampras must regroup for the U.S. Open
(Jeff Swinger photo)
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Sampras pulled out of Tennis Masters Series Montreal last week to rest a thigh injury. He planned to play a tournament in Indianapolis next week, but his management company accidentally entered him instead in Washington, D.C. He won't play the week after, a traditional week to rest before the Open.
“I don't know if I'm playing Washington,” he said. “I don't know what I'm doing. But I need to play something.”
Sampras didn't express any long-term concerns about his defeat Wednesday.
“Physically and mentally, I feel fine,” he said. “It's just one of those bad nights. This was a match I feel I should dominate. But give him credit. He responded pretty well to what I had.”
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Sampras blames ball for loss
