TENNIS / JULIE CART : Time of Setbacks for Sampras

Pete Sampras is regrouping on many levels.

His coach is seriously ill and isn’t likely to be on tour with Sampras again soon. His fragile body took a pounding over two weeks at last month’s Australian Open. He’s getting used to a new coach/hitting partner. His No. 1 ranking, which he has held since Sept. 13, 1993, is in jeopardy after Andre Agassi beat him in the Australian Open final. He lost to Todd Martin in the semifinals of a tournament at Memphis, Tenn., on Saturday after blowing two match points.

Life is now much more complicated for Sampras, who has been smacked in the face with reality. The death of Sampras’ friend Vitas Gerulaitis and the collapse of his coach, Tim Gullikson, during the Australian Open conspired to emotionally ambush Sampras, so much that he cried on court during a match against Jim Courier.

Interestingly, the traumatic events themselves have helped Sampras deal with the stress they caused and leave his narrow and safe tennis shell.

“I’ve gone through a lot with Tim,” Sampras said in a telephone interview from Memphis. “He’s helped me out with my game, but he’s also a close friend, really, about the closest (person) to me. To see him hospitalized, that was tough. I’m an introverted person. I keep my emotions in, pretty much. But on the court, I just couldn’t stop thinking about him. The whole thing broke my heart. I had this mental picture of him lying in the hospital, not knowing what was going to happen to him.”

Gullikson has been hospitalized in Chicago and last week was found to have a small brain tumor. Sampras, who will play in the Newsweek Champions Cup March 6 at Indian Wells, said tests this week will determine the best course of action for Gullikson, who also has suffered two minor strokes.

“The whole thing just put everything in perspective for me,” Sampras said. “Without your health, what else is there? As far as his coming back, we’re going to play that by ear. I told him, ‘You have to do what’s best for your health and your life. If you say you can’t travel for six months, don’t do it.’ But, knowing Tim, he’ll want to travel.”

In the meantime, Sampras has been working with tour veteran Paul Annacone, who hit with Sampras at the Australian Open after Gullikson returned to the United States.

“Paul was one of the first guys who talked to me when I turned pro at 16. He took me under his wing. He gave me advice. He’s just a good guy,” Sampras said. “I really needed someone to hang out with me, I need someone to run interference. We’re hitting together. He’s doing some scouting, but not really coaching. I’m not going to switch to a two-handed backhand or anything. But if he sees something, he’ll tell me.”

If he’s very lucky, Sampras will come out of this period in his life a better person. Even if he becomes No. 2.

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Did the women’s tour do the right thing last week in declining Tampax’s sponsorship offer and its greatly needed $10 million? Tour officials conceded that the deal was rejected, not for business reasons, but because of the “negative image” associated with feminine hygiene products.

It’s incredible that the women’s tennis tour, run by women, would be squeamish about any association with Tampax. By admitting there is a “negative image” associated with the products, didn’t the tour stigmatize its own constituency?

Officials were absolutely correct when they envisioned a future of wisecracks and jokes had they adopted Tampax as a title sponsor. That surely would have happened. But for how long? Wouldn’t everyone eventually find another topic to ridicule?

Interesting how the tour that had no trouble justifying more than a decade of sponsorship by a cigarette manufacturer says Tampax has a bad image.

Notes

State Farm insurance will become the title sponsor for next year’s Evert Cup. This year’s edition will be held at the Hyatt Grand Champions Resort beginning Feb. 27. . . . The Manhattan Beach tournament will become the Acura Classic in time for this year’s tournament, Aug. 7-13 at Manhattan Country Club. . . . L. Straight Clark died last week from complications of Parkinson’s disease at 70. Clark, reared in Pasadena, was the state junior champion and was graduated from USC. Ranked as high as fifth nationally in singles, he played on the Davis Cup team in 1952-1953. After retiring from the tour, he managed the Claremont Tennis Club and was a teaching pro at the Laguna Niguel Racquet Club. . . . Three Southern California junior players--twin brothers Bob and Mike Bryan of Camarillo and Kevin Kim of Fullerton--have been named to the U.S. Tennis Assn. national team.