Blake finds Davis Cup inspiration in Sampras
It was oppressively hot. It was stiflingly humid. And, dress code or no dress code at this luxury resort, James Blake was stripping off his shirt for this practice session.
No problem, he was informed by Kevin O’Conner, the director of tennis at Saddlebrook, who said, “The last person to get an exemption to take off his shirt was Pete Sampras.”
In the days leading up to next weekend’s semifinal Davis Cup match in Moscow between the United States and Russia, the name Sampras has very special meaning to Blake.
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“Pete was a real inspiration for me at that time,” Blake said. “He made me rethink my plans because at first he said he didn’t want to play Davis Cup. Then, when he saw what the team did in England [3-2 over Great Britain], he wanted to be part of it. He didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes, so he said he’d just play doubles.”
Sampras teamed with Alex O’Brien to win a five-setter over Sandon Stolle and Mark Woodforde. It was the only U.S. point.
“But to see him playing doubles … since then, I’ve always wanted to be part of Davis Cup, every time,” Blake said. Florida Sun-Sentinel