Sampras Withdraws Because of Another Injury

Pete Sampras pulled out of the Newsweek Champions Cup here Tuesday with his third injury of the year, saying he is beginning to get concerned.

“My body is breaking down, piece by piece,” Sampras said.

In January, Sampras withdrew from the Australian Open because of shin splints, which he aggravated playing Stefan Edberg in an exhibition in Adelaide.

Two weeks ago at the Volvo-Memphis tournament, Sampras quit during his third-round match when he pulled his left hamstring.

And Saturday afternoon in an exhibition with Andre Agassi at Rancho Bernardo Inn near San Diego, the youngest U.S. Open men’s singles champion injured his right calf muscle.

According to his orthopedist, Jacob Ishkanian of Kaiser Permanente Hospital in the Harbor City Medical Center, Sampras either sprained his right calf muscle or ruptured the portion of the calf muscle closest to the Achilles’ tendon.

“I’m very concerned,” Sampras said. “Especially at the age I am. Nineteen is pretty young. It doesn’t look very positive with my being injured as much as I am at 19.

“Just think about what it will be like when I’m 24 or 25,” he said. “It’s so frustratingmentally. I’m just very disappointed.”

Sampras said he expects to be out for two weeks but would like to return in time for theLipton International Players Championship, which begins March 15.

His problem may be that he has played too much, Sampras said. Last summer, Sampras played 10 consecutive weeks on concrete courts, through the U.S. Open.

So far in 1991, Sampras has completed only one tournament--losing to Ivan Lendl in the final of the U.S. Pro Indoor in Philadelphia.