[AUTHENTICITY CERTIFIED: Text version below transcribed directly from audio]
Thanks, Paulie. I’ll never forget that loss in ’89. Its -- It still keeps me up, you know, today -- today. But -- Good afternoon, everyone. I want to -- I’d like to thank you all for being here today to celebrate this day. It’s truly an honor to be officially inducted into the Hall of Fame. I’d also like to congratulate my fellow inductees as well for taking a timeless place in the history of tennis, which is really special.
I must say I’ve always loved the history of the game as much as the game itself. I don’t know how or why I picked up a tennis racquet at seven, but I did and it felt natural. My -- My dad -- I’d rather be playing tennis right now so -- but my dad, he -- he recognized my talent and he got me into lessons and that’s where my love affair with the sport began. I remember as a kid hitting -- hitting balls in our basement. I used to hit at the local park and -- and as I got older I saw old tapes of Rod Laver and Ken Rosewall. Now at the time I was just fascinated by these guys and -- and how they played their attacking games.
But it wouldn’t be until later that I would truly appreciate what it takes to be a great champion. Things like the importance of humility and class, sportsmanship and...dignity, And fortunately -- thanks -- fortunately for me, all these things tapped into my core values and how I was raised. Therefore, I embraced the tradition of the game from the start. In fact, there were times I would think I’m kind of a fifties player living in the nineties. And as a result I felt a bit misunderstood by some; but by many I felt embraced and loved. So, to my fans I -- I want to thank you. Your support and mutual respect we have for this great game has always meant a lot to me.
I come from a very strong and close family. My parents, Sam and Georgia, and my three siblings Gus, Stella, and Marion. My, excuse me, my family had no tradition in tennis. Yet from the get-go my dad gave me every opportunity to play. He did -- did everything in his power to enable me to, you know, to really play this -- this game of mine. I remember as a kid, my dad taking Stella and I to junior tournaments. And as I got older, my mom used to come on the court and -- and hit me balls, so I could hit them and -- she didn’t know what she was doing, but -- but she was great. So they were both involved in my -- my junior game, but they never meddled when it came time for coaches or strategy or strokes.
They were more concerned with me playing well and winning -- you know, than winning. For example when I was fourteen, I had a two-handed backhand. I switched to a one-handed backhand and they -- they encouraged this process. Most people thought I was actually crazy for doing it and I had moments where I thought maybe it was -- it was the wrong thing to do. But it was this big picture thinking like this that would go on to, you know, really define my career. So my dad, he was the provider, my mom the nurturer. Having said that, there’s a toughness my mom swore that few have seen. You know it's -- I believe -- I believe that’s where I got my determination and my competitiveness and my drive from my mom. Those are virtues I inherited from somewhere deep under my mom’s softness.
As for my siblings, throughout my entire life I’ve always felt their support and never once did I feel any jealousy or animosity from any of them, which to me says a lot about our family. They kept -- They kept my -- my life balanced. They kept my life real, and now that we all share a new found role as parents, we continue to grow, and grow closer and closer, and I admire them with a lot of respect. So to Gus, Stella, and Marion and to my parents, thank you for supporting me and -- It’s harder than I thought -- for supporting me, for -- for giving me advice, and reminding me to always have faith. I love you guys and this moment’s a celebration of all you as much at -- as it is for me.
I won my first
U.S. Open at nineteen and the truth is, I wasn’t ready for all that came
with it. For the better part of two years, it went by, you know, in kind
of a fog. And the man who helped me through this time was my coach,
Tim Gullikson. Tim was -- Tim was tough. He had a no nonsense, blue-collar
approach to the game and our personalities couldn’t have been more
different. I was -- I was inward; he was the life of the party. But it was
Tim who instilled in me a work ethic that I never had. My talent had
gotten me to a certain level, but it was Tim who pushed me to practice
hard and -- and to practice with a purpose. He was also the one who got me over
the hump at a tournament where I did pretty well:
Wimbledon. Truth is -- Truth -- Truth
is for the first few years of London, I -- I hated grass court tennis.
But -- But it was Tim who changed my attitude. He made a few changes
technically, and I can honestly say it was Tim who, through his
mentality and his work ethic, that got me to be the best player in the
world.
Our highly productive and wonderful relationship was cut tragically short when Tim was diagnosed with cancer and in early ’95 he was no longer able to travel with me. In one of his last appearances, he -- he attended a Davis Cup tie in Las Vegas.
(Okay, here we go.)
Then, after our victory, the team was packed with the usual people and there was a lot going on, but at one point I glanced over at Tim and our eyes briefly met, and we had a moment like there was no one else in the room. We were both thinking, we ought to be here alone together, you know, to savor this. And in a way I guess we were. That expression in Tim’s eyes remains with me to this day. I was with him, and he with me, to the end. I miss him to this day and I know it’s a loss I share with the entire tennis world.
During the time when Tim was no longer able to travel with me, Paul Annacone quietly became the key silent partner on our team. And after Tim passed, Paul -- Paul became my coach. Even though he beat me in ’89, he -- I still hired him. It was clear to me that Paul knew what I was all about. In fact, Paul would get to know me better than anyone else as a tennis player. We had a very unique relationship -- one that I think is very rare to find. Paul he knew how to keep, you know, really keep things simple and how to -- how to downplay things rather than ramp up an occasion. We really clicked that way.
Yet he still quietly pushed
me to play a certain way, pushed me to -- to attack, and to chip and
charge, and...impose my will on my opponents. And Paul wasn’t a big -- big
rah-rah guy. You know, he didn’t say a whole lot, but the things he
said I took to heart. I won a lot of -- a lot of majors with Paul. I won
a lot of tournaments with Paul. But -- But Paul -- Paul, he never got
the credit he deserves. He wasn’t looking for the limelight. He
wasn’t looking for the attention or the credit. But -- But deep down in
me, I know what he meant for my career. So thanks, Paul.
In the late summer of ’99, I had to pull out of the U.S. Open with a back injury. It was the best injury of my life because that’s where I met my wife, Bridget. We’ve been married almost seven years. We have two great kids: Ryan and Christian. When I met Bridget, Bridget was involved in a very successful acting career. But she put everything aside to travel with me and support me. In the final two hardest years of my -- my career, she became my rock and my sounding board. I was struggling with issues that I had never faced before. But through it all, Bridget kept me together with her empathy and compassion, her selflessness and light. She had to live with me in a time when it couldn’t have been fun. Yet her unwavering loyalty and faith in me kept me strong at a time when I was losing faith in myself.
In fact, I remember a conversation we had one night. I just
lost in the second round of Wimbledon. It was the lowest point of my -- my
career and I was thinking about retiring, and maybe it was time for me to
move on. But she said these -- these words that I’ll never forget. She
said, “I will support you in -- in whatever you -- you decide to do, but promise me
one thing: that when you do go out, it will be on your terms.” Those
words resonated deep within me. They stayed with me. They became this
new fuel that I needed to hear to win my record 14th major in
2002. It was -- It was the last official tournament that I ever played.
I remember after winning the match and, I went up to -- to embrace
Bridget, and she was pregnant at the time. And I felt this unbelievable
partnership and it was a team effort. So, you got me through the
toughest time of my career. So I -- I thank you.
But Bridget and I, we’ve been through a lot together in a short amount of time, and I’m constantly reminded why I married Bridget. She is committed and loyal; she’s an amazing mother; and beyond that, she loves me in a way that I’ve never -- I’ve never known. And in through that, she’s opened me up in ways I never thought possible. I’m more comfortable and happier that she is by my side. And I laugh a lot more, but not today. She -- She’s my rock and I hope that I’m hers. I just want to say, thank you for everything -- and I love you.
I guess I bottled up emotion for sixteen years and now you’re seeing it, huh?
But tennis has -- has represented a big part of my life. It’s -- It’s given me a lifetime of memories and lessons, all of which I will carry with me forever. At the end of the day, the thing I’m most proud of is -- is -- is I never strayed from -- from...my core values. From the attitudes and philosophy passed on to me from my parents, and men like Rod Laver, I embraced the quiet way, and I walked the best -- that the high road as best I could. Above all, I wanted to represent myself, my family, and the game in a way which we could all be proud of.
So as I take my place among the greatest players of all time here in the Hall of Fame, I stand before you both humbled and grateful.
I’m a tennis player: nothing more, and nothing less.
It's more than enough for me. It always has been.
I thank you.
Book/CDs by Michael E. Eidenmuller, Published by
McGraw-Hill (2008)
Also in this database: Michael Chang -- International Tennis Hall of Fame Induction Address
Audio Note
1: This audio edited for continuity and pace. All original convent
preserved. Edited moments occur during long gaps in
verbal content, as Sampras was overcome by emotion. Audio Note 2: AR-XE = American Rhetoric Extreme Enhancement
Page Updated: 1/15/21
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