"Sickening that someone down-to-earth, polite has to apologize for the way he is": When Ivan Lendl rejected the criticism of Pete Sampras' personality
Ivan Lendl once pushed back against the criticism Pete Sampras received for his personality. Although the American won 14 Grand Slam titles and achieved monumental success throughout his illustrious career, he faced scrutiny over his personality both on and off the court.
Sampras's calm and composed demeanor set him apart from his compatriots like Jimmy Connors, John McEnroe, and Andre Agassi, who were known for their fiery on-court conduct. This earned the former World No. 1 a reputation for being dull and boring in comparison.
McEnroe even once argued that Pete Sampras' "personality was not going to win any awards" and asserted that it would be "helpful to tennis" if he showcased more intensity.
However, Ivan Lendl defended his rival against such criticisms, describing the backlash against Sampras as "sickening." In a 1994 interview with Sports Illustrated, Lendl expressed his annoyance that the American was being judged simply because he was well-behaved, polite, and down-to-earth.
"It is sickening that someone who is down-to-earth, polite, behaves well, is reasonably clever and wears nice clothes almost has to apologize for being the way he is," Lendl said.
Pete Sampras has addressed the criticism himself, admitting that being called "dull" made him angry. The American also emphasized that he could've adopted a more controversial persona and received more publicity, but insisted that it wouldn't be true to who he was.
"To be criticized for being dull, it really pissed me off. I'm puzzled by it. What do these people want? Do they want someone to act like a jerk out there? I could have been a jerk and gotten a lot more publicity, but that's not who I am," Pete Sampras said on ESPN's SportsCentury Show.
Pete Sampras on John McEnroe's criticism of his personality: "To have someone tell me that I ought to act differently is the biggest load of garbage"
Pete Sampras did not take kindly to John McEnroe asserting that he needed to change his natural personality. In a 2000 interview with Ace Tennis, Sampras denounced his compatriot's criticism as the "biggest load of garbage."
"To have someone tell me that I ought to act differently from how I am, or to make an effort to be exciting, is just the biggest load of garbage. We're all different. It's baffling that anyone would presume to tell someone else to depart from their natural self," Sampras said.
The 14-time Grand Slam champion also emphasized that he made no apologies for how he presented himself, expressing his desire to be a positive role model for the children watching.
"I have no apologies to make for the way I play or what I project. I feel no shame in knowing kids are watching me play and maybe even taking their cues from it. And I think that my own quiet way has taken me to places I wouldn't have dreamed of ever reaching," she added.
Pete Sampras further suggested that, unlike him, John McEnroe "thrived on controversy," which often caused miscommunication between them due to their drastically different personalities.