PREVIEW: Sampras hoping for "quiet" return to the London courts

Dec 1, 2008, 8:36 GMT

London - Former great Pete Sampras will be insisting on 'quiet please,' as he plays starting on Tuesday in the BlackRock Masters, his first appearance in London since losing in the Wimbledon second round six years ago.

Now well into his retirement in Los Angeles, the record 14-time Grand Slam champion will participate in the wrapup to the senior season this week, drawn into a group match with hot-headed John McEnroe.

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Sampras, 37, is keep to make sure that the Royal Albert Hall venue does not distract as it did when he once participated in a doubles event at the venue well over a decade ago.

'You could hear the glasses during the points with all the people drinking champagne, and everyone in their tuxedoes,' he said. 'They really live it up there, so I'm looking forward to it.'

The American is part of a round-robin group along with Britain's Jeremy Bates and France's Cedric Pioline and the McEnroe, fresh from Asian paydays this month alongside Roger Federer and Bjorn Borg.

The other section is equally talent-rich, with Sweden's former Wimbledon champion Stefan Edberg, Pat Cash replacing in injured Goran Ivanisevic, plus Brit Greg Rusedski and Guy Forget.

Sampras and McEnroe faced each other three times during their competitive careers in 1990-1991 with Sampras winning all three. Mac, 49, has laid down a challenge to the younger men in the field.

'This is a message for Pete Sampras, Stefan Edberg and all of you other guys: I'm not coming to London to lose,' he said.

Sampras, living the quiet life in LA with his former actress wife and two young sons, insists that's exactly the way he's always liked it.

'I've always tried to be an ordinary person,' said Sampras after beating old Slovak friend Dominik Hrbaty in a weekend exhibition in Bratislava.

'I used to be introvert who didn't show his emotions and I'm still that way today.'

He added that he does not regret not counting the French Open among his 64 career titles.

'I'm satisfied with what I have accomplished,' he said.