THE SCOOP: WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 2

Sampras cuts schedule, still undecided about retirement

By Matthew Cronin
tennisreporters.net

Susan Mullane Camerawork USA, Inc.

While fourteen-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras' decision to skip the rest of the fall is a clear indication that he is undecided about his future in the sport, a friend of his told tennisreporters.net that he has not already made the decision to retire.

On Wednesday, Sampras pulled out of the three European tournaments he was scheduled to play, all but killing his chances of qualifying for the year-end Tennis Masters Series Shanghai. Because of Sampras' decision not play in Europe, it is more than likely that either Aussie Open champ Thomas Johansson or Roland Garros champ Albert Costa will get the eighth and final spot that is reserved for Grand Slam winners not among the top seven point earners.

Sampras has a 27-17 record on the season, and is 12th in the ATP Champions Race.

"Since winning the U.S. Open I have been taking some time to reevaluate were to go from here," Sampras said in a statement. "I'm therefore not sufficiently prepared to play in upcoming tournaments in Madrid, Basil and Paris."

The book on Sampras is that he wants to take the fall off to prepare for the upcoming birth of his first child in December.

AUSSIE OPEN APPEARANCE DEBATED
Australian Open chief executive Paul McNamee told The Australian yesterday, "I had feedback this morning from Pete and, although he's still enjoying his Open win, he still intends to come down."

While Sampras traveling Down Under in January is not considered a lock by U.S. sources, many believe that he will at least begin playing in February when the winter/spring U.S. indoor/hardcourt season begins. He is scheduled to play the Siebel Open in San Jose in February.

A likely scenario for the 31-year-old is playing San Jose through Key Biscayne – which ends in late March – and then possibly playing a couple of clay court warm-up tournaments in preparation for Roland Garros, the one Grand Slam he hasn't won. It is possible that he will skip the clay court season entirely, because there's little question that seven-time Wimbledon Sampras' main goal will be to rectify his '02 Wimbledon disaster, where he was stunned in the second round by George Bastl.

If Sampras wins '03 Wimbledon, he may then choose to retire, but it more likely that the patriotic Sampras will choose to end his career in New York at the '03 US Open, the tournament where he revived his career just three weeks ago.

Sampras is scheduled to play an exhibition fund-raiser on Thursday against Andre Agassi in Philadelphia.