The Pistol raps on his comeback and Roger Federer

                    

	In May, Pete Sampras will return to tour action for the first time in three years. Damian Strohmeyer/SI
	MAILBAG Submit a question or comment for Richard. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Last week Sports Illustrated writer Richard Deitsch interviewed Pete Sampras for the magazine's Q&A. The 35-year-old Hall of Fame tennis player will compete in the Outback Champions Series, an over-30 tour, in Boston from May 2-6. In July he will be inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame in Newport, R.I. Here are additional excerpts from their conversation.

SI: What has retirement been like for you?

Sampras: Retirement is a work in progress. It's not like you can read a book and figure it out. But I realized in 2005 that I needed to start doing something. I wasn't structured at all. I was kind of waking up, playing golf, not really doing much. When I committed to playing a little tennis in some exhibitions, it was the best thing for me. It got me in shape. It got me out of the house. It got me doing something I love to do.

SI: You've committed to playing two events on this tour. Why return to competitive tennis?

Sampras: I talked to Jim Courier a lot over the past year. He was picking my brain on where I was mentally and whether I wanted to play. I just wanted to give it a shot. There's something about playing an event. It was a process getting to a point where I could commit to it and be excited about it. I'm playing Jim and John McEnroe and guys I played during my years. I'm looking forward to it but I had to get to a pretty good place to commit to it and see how it feels. John and Jim said it was a fun week, a competitive week, but's it not the competition I'm looking for. It's having something to prepare for. I have something to look forward to. I can hit a little more. I can get in a little better shape. It's a combination of all those things that give you a little focus. I's not anything like it used to be but something like it used to be.

SI: What happens if you play at higher level in Boston than you expect? Would you be tempted to keep playing?

Sampras: That's a good question. I'm curious myself as to what it will feel like. I will tell you that in the last months I have been hitting the ball better today then I did when I was playing. A lot of it has to do with technology. I'm using a bigger racket. Technology is taking the game to a new level and the last year or so I have taken advantage of that. I am serving just as hard. I'm hitting the ball with more control. I think my racket head has a lot to do with that.

SI: Say you were offered a wild card at an ATP tournament in the next 18 months, would you consider it?

Sampras: The offer is not the problem. It's the desire for me to do it and the grind of it all. People have mentioned to me: You should come back. There's not many great players today and it would be exciting, and give the sport a real shot in the arm. But they haven't walked a mile in my shoes. Realistically, I only play one way. That's to win. I won't jeopardize that feeling to come back just to come back. It has to be for a reason. My competitive side and curious side, I have thought about it. Realistically, it's not going to happen.

SI: You played against Roger Federer once at Wimbledon 2001.

Sampras: And lost 7-5 in the fifth.

SI: Federer will top out at how many majors?

Sampras: I see him getting to 17, 18 or 19 majors. I really do. Who knows how far he can go? He's winning these majors with pretty much ease. He's not challenged much. He's obviously playing great. If there were three or four guys who were pushing him to five sets or beating him a few times over the past year, then anything could happen on the day. But I just find him with that extra gear that no one can hang with him for a long period of time. He can win 17, 18 or 19 majors. He's in the middle of his career and I don't see him slowing down or anyone slowing him down.