SAMPRAS & SPORTS’ LIFE LESSONS: “NOTHING IS GIVEN TO YOU, YOU HAVE TO GO OUT THERE AND EARN IT”

Written by: Staff on 9th January 2014

SAMPRAS & SPORTS' LIFE LESSONS: "NOTHING IS GIVEN TO YOU, YOU HAVE TO GO OUT THERE AND EARN IT”

WIM07-20000709-WIMBLEDON, UNITED KINGDOM: US player Pete Sampras returns a forehand during his Men's Singles final at the Wimbledon 2000 tennis tournament against Australian Patrick Rafter on Sunday, 09 July 2000. (ELECTRONIC IMAGE) EPA PHOTO EPA/YURI KADOBNOV/mb/kr |

Pete Sampras spoke of the life lessons of sports – saying “Nothing is given to you, you have to go out there and earn it” – this week in a radio interview with Grant Napear of KHTK Radio in Sacramento, Calif., where he will be competing in the PowerShares Series tennis circuit event February 26 at the Sleep Train Arena.

“In life, in a lot of ways, you see a lot of people get breaks when they don’t deserve them,” Sampras, the 14-time major singles champion, said to Napear. “I just feel that with sports, nothing is given to you, you have to go out there and earn it. There are a lot of good life lessons that you can learn from sports and it’s something I am trying to instill in my kids.”

Sampras is playing two events on the PowerShares Series in 2014, in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 25 at the Energy Solutions Arena and in Sacramento on February 26.

“I love sports,” Sampras said. “I love watching anything from the NFL to golf to college football. I think sports is the real deal. There are great stories. There are emotional stories. It’s very real. I love tennis because it is the ultimate one on one sport. It’s one will against another will. You put it all out there. If you don’t play well, you are going to lose. That’s the way I kind of like it.”

In his appearance on Napear’s show, Sampras discussed other topics outlined and excerpted below:

On Why American Tennis Has Lost Its Dominance In Global Tennis:

“I don’t know if it is really us, but I think the world has gotten a little bit better. Through television and the internet, it seems like there are just more people playing tennis. You look at the top players in the world, you got Rafa (Nadal) being from Mallorca and (Novak) Djokovic being from Serbia and Roger (Federer) from Switzerland. Twenty years ago, maybe tennis wasn’t popular in those countries, now they are and the best athletes from these countries are playing tennis and not just playing soccer. So it’s a combination of those things. The American players today are doing as well as they can and it’s just they are a level or two behind. I just think the world has gotten better. Maybe they start younger. Maybe college tennis in this country isn’t quite what the satellite tour might be in Europe. There are a lot of different reasons. At the end of the day, I think the world has gotten a little bit more into tennis and all these great athletes are playing tennis and

they are not just playing soccer.”

On Novak Djokovic Rebounding From Tough Losses In 2013:

“For Djokovic, he’s going to be right there. It’s really the top three or four guys. We will see what Roger does, if he can come back from where he’s at, but I see Djokovic and Rafa being the best two players. I think they will compete for all the majors. I’m not saying they are going to get to every final, but I just think that those two guys, they are truly the best players. Djokovic did have some tough losses. He got to the Wimbledon final and ran into (Andy) Murray which was a great story for him. He lost a tough French and lost a tough US Open so Djokovic will bounce back. He’s a great player and I just think he and Rafa are just a level above everyone else. They have developed a pretty good rivalry”

On The 12-City 2014 PowerShares Series Tour and Playing in Sacramento:

“It’s a fun tour. Sacramento, we’ve never been there so I’m looking forward to playing. John (McEnroe) and Jim (Courier) and James (Blake), they are obviously great players and good friends. It’s fun night but at the same time, it’s competitive. We just hope people come out and support it and watch it like and feel like they enjoyed their night. I’m looking forward to it and excited that Sacramento got it this year. I’ve been there a few times, played there a couple times. It’s a good town.”

On Still Playing Tennis Competitively On The PowerShares Series:

“I still enjoy playing. I really do. I love hitting the ball and just getting a good workout in and going out and competing against some of these old friends of mine. It’s fun and I get to catch up with some friends, some old stories. And for whatever reason, these people still want to see us play, so I’m excited. It keeps me busy, keeps me involved in the sport and the sport has been good to me. I’m looking forward to hitting a few balls, getting in tennis shape and having some fun.”

To listen to the full interview, go here: http://m1e.net/c?136915875-ZXwKgmwY1.JrA%4067958266-5.iyshEa8SF26

Tickets for all PowerShares Series events start at $25 and can be purchased at www.PowerSharesSeries.com. VIP packages for all events are also available at PowerSharesSeries.com, by email to VIP@insideoutse.com, or by phone at 253.315.4299.

The full 2014 Power Shares Series schedule with field of players are as follows:

Wednesday, February 5, Kansas City, Sprint Center – Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Michael Chang

Thursday, February 6, Oklahoma City, Chesapeake Energy Arena – Ivan Lendl, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, Michael Chang

Thursday, February 13, Birmingham, Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex – John McEnroe, Andy Roddick, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis

Friday, February 14, Indianapolis, Bankers Life Fieldhouse – John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis

Wednesday, February 19, Denver, Pepsi Center – Andy Roddick, James Blake, Jim Courier, Mark Philippoussis

Thursday, February 20, Houston, Toyota Center – Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Andy Roddick, James Blake

Tuesday, February 25, Salt Lake City, Energy Solutions Arena – Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake

Wednesday, February 26, Sacramento, Sleep Train Arena – Pete Sampras, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake

Thursday, February 27, Portland, Oregon, Moda Center – Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Jim Courier, James Blake

Wednesday, March 12 Nashville, Bridgestone Arena – John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Pat Cash

Thursday, March 13, Charlotte, Time Warner Arena – John McEnroe, Ivan Lendl, Jimmy Connors, Pat Cash

Friday, March 21, Surprise, Ariz., Surprise Stadium – Pete Sampras, Jim Courier, Todd Martin, Michael Chang

Topics: 10sballs, Nova Djokovic, Pete Sampras, PowerShares, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News

Follow 10SBALLS.COM on:

Facebook:

Twitter:

10sBalls Top Stories

In Case You Missed It

Комета Казино Онлайн

“Виртуальный мир казино Комета – как

Kometa Casino Зеркало – Рабочие Зеркало На Сегодня Комета Казино

Рабочие зеркала Комета казино на сегодняшний

Игровые Автоматы Бесплатно Лягушка Комета Казино

Бесплатные игровые автоматы с лягушкой от

Как Сменить Почту Комета Казино?

Как изменить электронную почту в Комета

No Key Biscayne, No Problem; New Site, Same Great Miami Open Tennis Event

It was the end of an era at Crandon Park for the Miami Open last year. From the Lipton, to the Nasdaq 100, to the Sony Ericsson, to the Sony, to the Miami Open presented by Itau, Key Biscayne saw it all.