14-time Grand Slam champion Pete Sampras has signaled his interest in coaching young players in the future, especially the likes of Nick Kyrgios and Grigor Dimitrov.
In an interview with The Champions Tour, the former world number one revealed that he felt he could benefit the talented, yet troubled young stars, as well as also revealing that, despite being pleased with his coaches during his career, he would pick Ivan Lendl if looking for a so-called ‘Supercoach’.
Sampras highlights Kyrgios and Dimitrov as stars he could ‘help’
Since his retirement from the sport in 2002, Sampras has largely stayed away from the public eye, whether as a pundit or a coach, occasionally appearing on the Champions Tour, and though he has no plans at the moment to become a coach, he signaled his interested in both Kyrgios and Dimitrov.
“He {Kyrgios} would be a challenge and you’d have to try and get through to him, but he’s one of the most talented players on the tour. He’s someone I’d be curious to talk to. Grigor Dimitrov is also another talented player who I feel I could help.”
With very few people doubting either of the two’s talent, it will be interesting to see whether the young Australian, who was arguably having the best year of his career before being caught up in yet more controversy, or the now-experienced Bulgarian, who has fallen back after his breakthrough 2013, approach someone like Sampras heading into the 2017 season.
“Lendl would have been a good super coach”
Also in the interview, the American, arguably the dominant figure of the ATP tour in the 1990’s, addressed the role of super coaches and whether he would have considered hiring one.
Commenting that he was “happy” with both his main coaches, Tim Gullickson and later Paul Annacone, Sampras highlighted Ivan Lendl, who has is currently in his second successful spell with Andy Murray, as someone he would have been interested in working with, “Our careers were ending and starting respectively at the same time and he was always pretty smart.”
