Sampras to return to competition

BOSTON – The last time Pete Sampras played competitive tennis in Boston, his doubles team notched the only victory for the United States in the Davis Cup quarterfinals against Australia in 1999.

The winner of a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles returns in three months for his first tournament since 2002 when he participates in the Outback Champions Series at Boston University from May 2-6. He wants to see how he feels there before committing to any of the other five tournaments in the series for players older than 30.

“I just want to see how it goes,” Sampras said in a telephone interview Monday. “I don’t want to commit to a bunch of them, just see how I enjoy the week, the playing. I didn’t want to commit to something I wasn’t 100 percent sure about.”

His participation in the event was announced last Tuesday.

Boston is the second stop on the tour and Sampras prefers the hard court on which it will be played to other surfaces in the series. He said he enjoyed the city when he played in the Davis Cup where he teamed with Alex O’Brien for a five-set victory. Australia won the quarterfinal 4-1 and beat France in the final.

The 35-year-old Sampras retired after winning the U.S. Open in September 2002 over Andre Agassi.