Tuesday, June 2, 1998
Stellar Sampras
FEATURE: The UCLA women’s
tennis coach hasn’t
let her brother
cast a shadow
on her career
By Jeff Kmiotek
Daily Bruin Staff
What’s in a name?
The name Sampras conveys a tradition of tennis excellence,
achievement and admiration.
But don’t be quick to give all the credit to Pete. His big sis
has racked up quite an impressive resume of her own.
Stella Sampras recently completed her second season as the UCLA
women’s tennis head coach. In her inaugural campaign, she led the
Bruins to a fifth-place tie in the NCAA Championships and a No. 5
final national ranking. This season, the team overcame a plethora
of injuries to make it to the championships again, but lost in the
opening round.
"This year, we were hit with a lot of injuries, which made it
difficult in the beginning, as we lost to some teams we should have
beat with a healthy team," said Sampras. "Every year presents
different problems and different decisions a coach needs to make,
and this year we were just hit with a lot."
The Bruins compiled a 17-11 record this season and are currently
ranked No. 14 in the nation. They had some players step up,
including Pac-10 Player of the Year Annica Cooper and freshman
Christina Popescu. They even beat undefeated Stanford.
"That win was huge," Sampras said. "Beating the No. 1 team in
the country showed that we do have a lot of talent on our team, and
our players can compete against anyone in the country."
And Sampras knows firsthand about competing with the top players
in the country. In fact, she held that honor herself while playing
tennis for UCLA from 1987-1991. Sampras, a four-time All-American,
captured the 1988 NCAA Doubles Championship her freshman year. She
led her team to the semifinals for two years and the finals the
following two years, but never fulfilled her primary goal.
"We had a lot of success, but never won it all and that’s
something I really want to do," she said. "I never got to do it as
a player and now I want to do it as a coach."
After graduating from UCLA in 1991 with a degree in psychology,
Sampras competed on the pro circuit for a year. She played her way
to No. 115 in doubles and No. 250 in singles during her short stint
on the tour.
"I got to compete at the U.S. Open and travel around the world,
but I wanted a more stable life where I could be at one place,
start a career and build relationships," Sampras said. "It’s a
lonely life on the tour, and it just wasn’t for me."
Sampras received an opportunity to be the assistant coach at
UCLA and took the job without hesitation. She spent four years as
assistant before taking over for longtime coach Bill Zaima.
"I just couldn’t pass up a chance to coach at UCLA," Sampras
said. "It was a great opportunity that doesn’t come every day, so I
went for it and I am very happy I did."
And the rest of the UCLA women’s tennis squad has expressed
those same sentiments.
"Stella fingerprints are definitely on this team, in the sense
that it’s her team," said assistant coach Rance Brown. "And the
type of young lady academically and tennis-wise she recruits speaks
well. We have had some really good student-athletes."
The fact that Sampras has been in her players’ sneakers and
understands what they’re going through is definitely an added
bonus.
"She really listens to what we have to say because she’s really
interested in what we think, so everybody on the team feels good
talking to her," said Cooper.
"It’s been nothing but a positive thing having Stella take over
as coach," added Brown. "This program is on the rise."
And Stella has been on the rise herself, achieving enough to
finally shake the title of "Pete Sampras’ sister."
She began playing tennis at the age of 8 with Pete, who was 6 at
the time. After moving from Maryland to Los Angeles, they joined a
very competitive tennis club and their love for the sport took off
from there.
"We got to play each other, plus a ton of other juniors, so it
made us hungrier for more and made us work harder," Stella said.
"Neither Pete or I wanted to lose, so that made us work very hard
every day because we were playing each other every day."
Pete also helped Stella make the transition to the pro tour.
"It was nice having him to talk to, because he knows exactly
what I’m going through and I know what he’s going through," Stella
said.
"We can definitely relate to each other."
But has Stella ever wished that Pete wasn’t her brother, as some
people tend to overlook her accomplishments and see her solely as a
famous sibling?
"No, because I am so proud of him," she responded. "He has been
such a great role model for young players. Of course, there are
times I may lose my identity, but it doesn’t bother me at all to
have that last name.
"Pete is a reflection of me and my family and he’s been very
positive, so I wouldn’t trade it for anything."
Yes, Sampras – Stella, of course – has won at every level and
has earned the respect of everyone in the tennis world. Her trophy
case has been filling up since her days as a junior, when she
claimed the CIF singles title in 1987 and was named her high
school’s Athlete of the Year. She’s earned the hardware at UCLA and
on the pro circuit. But that NCAA team championship is still
missing. So how much longer is she going to go for it?
"I really enjoy coaching, and I’ll stop when I stop enjoying
it," Sampras said.
"I definitely want to get married and have a family. If I can do
that while I’m coaching, I will."
Whether or not Sampras picks up an NCAA team championship, one
thing’s for sure. Stella has certainly made a name for herself.
Daily Bruin File Photo
Stella Sampras played tennis while attending UCLA and is now
coach of the women’s team.
Daily Bruin File Photo
Stella Sampras’ famous brother Pete Sampras speaks to the UCLA
women’s tennis team last year.