Child’s Play With New Kids on the Block : Tennis: Youngsters Sampras, Wheaton to face veterans Lendl, McEnroe in U.S. Open quarterfinals

It’s the kids against the superstars in the U.S. Open quarterfinals, where all the pressure is on the old guys . . . according to the young guys.

On the morning before the biggest U.S. Open match of his career, Pete Sampras was so nervous, he seemed to be having trouble staying awake.

Sampras, of Rancho Palos Verdes, walked several paces ahead of his coach, Joe Brandi, and strode into the men’s locker room. Sampras put down his red canvas racket bag, plopped into a chair in the trainer’s room and revealed his plan for today’s quarterfinal match against Ivan Lendl.

“I’m going to go out there and swing away,” Sampras said.

It’s probably sound strategy. Just take some big swings and see what he can cut down.

One of Sampras’ contemporaries, David Wheaton, probably will use the same tactic against John McEnroe.

“The crowds are not going to bother me,” Wheaton said. “I’m not out there counting heads.”

The U.S. Open, always on the lookout for trends, may find one today when two of tennis’ youngest male stars--Sampras, 19, and Wheaton, 21,--play two of the sport’s older stars--Lendl, 30, and McEnroe, 31.

“I’m going to put a lot of pressure on him, chip and charge, attack his backhand,” Sampras said. “All the pressure is on him, none on me. I’ve got nothing to lose.”

And as far as experience goes, it’s a mismatch. Lendl is a three-time U.S. Open champion trying to add to his record of eight consecutive appearances in the final.

When Sampras walks on the court and plays his Grand Slam quarterfinal match, it will be his first.

“To play Lendl at this stage, well, this is what tennis is all about,” Sampras said.

Wheaton may be facing a more daunting prospect in McEnroe than Sampras has with Lendl. The main story line of the Open so far has been McEnroe’s staying power: mainly the fact that he is still here.

Wheaton finds himself cast in a role something like a sacrificial lamb. Not only is this McEnroe’s first U.S. Open quarterfinal in three years, but Wheaton is facing the most popular U.S. player of the decade, before his hometown fans, in an event he has won four times.

McEnroe, who had won three U.S. Open titles by the time Wheaton was 12 and Sampras 10, said he must be ready to combat “a big hitter” such as Wheaton.

“Hopefully, I will be able to take advantage of my experience and use it, and he will try to use his youth and excitement with being in that position,” McEnroe said.

Wheaton, the 1987 U.S. Open junior champion, reached his first Grand Slam quarterfinals at the Australian Open, where he lost to Stefan Edberg.

A 6-foot-3 serve-and-volley specialist, Wheaton played on Stanford’s 1988 NCAA championship team. He lives in Lake Minnetonka, Minn., where the area’s most famous athlete lives across the lake from him--cyclist Greg LeMond.

The youngest of four children, Wheaton’s eldest brother, Mark, is a doctor. Another brother, John, is a lawyer.

“I’m just a tennis player,” Wheaton said.

Wheaton began playing tennis at 4 and has moved up in the rankings from No. 441 in 1988 to No. 44. He has never played McEnroe.

“I’ve seen him play on TV a lot more times than he’s seen me on TV,” said Wheaton, who also corrected an entry in the media guide that said he idolized McEnroe while growing up.

“That’s kind of been blown out of proportion,” Wheaton said. “I remember when I was about 17, I was in a tournament and they said ‘Who did you admire growing up?’ I said (Guillermo) Vilas, (Bjorn) Borg and McEnroe.

“Suddenly, it turned admiring into idolization,” he said. “The next thing it’s going to be is worship.”

Maybe not, but it’s probably fairly close to how the crowd will treat McEnroe during the match. Wheaton said he won’t let a partisan crowd affect him.

“I’m not playing the crowd,” Wheaton said. “I’m playing McEnroe. Most of the people will be for him. That’s understandable since he’s from New York, and obviously he’s had a sterling career.

“Hopefully when I’m that age and I’ve done as well as he does, they’ll be for me, too.”

Like Sampras, Wheaton assigned the pressure factor to his elder. But unlike Sampras, Wheaton attached little significance to playing McEnroe, outside of its importance as a U.S. Open quarterfinal.

“It’s just a tennis match,” Wheaton said. “There’s no reason to get all excited about it, really. The buildup is something for the press.”

Sampras, relaxing in shorts and a T-shirt, did not look bothered by any buildup over his match against Lendl. In fact, Sampras said there has been no pressure on him at all since February when he won his first tournament, the U.S. Pro Indoor at Philadelphia.

“After that tournament, my year is just gravy,” Sampras said.

There have been disappointments, notably his first-round loss to Christo van Rensburg at Wimbledon. But Sampras believes he might be catching Lendl at the right time.

“I think he was distracted by Wimbledon, and he didn’t prepare as well as he wanted for this tournament,” Sampras said. “I saw him play (Michael) Stich, and he didn’t seem that overpowering.

“In a way, that’s good for me because he might not be at the top of his game. But we’ll see what happens.”