Only a few things in sports are as exciting as tales recited by retired players. Some of the finest sporting stories are revealed only after a player calls it a day. We often see yesteryear legends narrating some of their finest memories from playing days in an exclusive or interview. Similarly, many tennis icons have provided us with some of the most thrilling memories of their career.

Among those icons, Pete Sampras’ name is quite prominent. The 14-time major champion has shared quite a few stories from his playing and post-playing days. Talking about the post-playing days, there was one moment where Rafael Nadal had put Pistol Pete on the spot once.

When Rafael Nadal’s withdrawal forced Sampras to roll back the years

During Indian Wells 2019, Nadal was scheduled to lock horns with Roger Federer in the semi-finals. However, the Spaniard pulled out of the encounter last minute, citing right knee pain. Now, the fans had paid a lump sum of money in anticipation of a Federer vs Nadal semi-final. With that matchup not going through, the organizers decided to repay the fans in some other manner.

Pete Sampras was present at Indian Wells on that day, and so was Novak Djokovic for his doubles commitment. Tommy Haas, the tournament director decided to arrange a quick friendly including Djokovic, Sampras, John McEnroe, and himself. Sampras said via Pete Bodo’s book ‘Pete Sampras: Greatness Revisited‘, “I had just ordered some sushi with Christian (elder son) when Tommy sent the text asking if I would be interested in playing with Novak. I looked at Christian and said, ‘Oh my God.’ Christian said, ‘What is it?’ I told him they were asking me to play in this doubles exhibition. I was in jeans and a tee shirt with no rackets. I had not picked up a racket in months and I didn’t have any gear. I was so unprepared. ”

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He then admitted that he did not want to play but went ahead knowing that his son wanted to see him play.

Sampras acknowledged his wife and kids during the match

Exhibition matches usually have their on-court player interviews during the changeovers. When Sampras was asked to speak, he received a loud round of applause from the crowd. He acknowledged his wife and kids in the interview. The 14-time major champion said, “I’m here with my son, my two sons over there (points to them), my beautiful wife, so we’ve had a great time all week“.

Do you think Sampras would step on the court again for an exhibition? Let us know in the comments.

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