University of North Carolina Athletics
Q & A with Coach Sam Paul
October 4, 2001 | Men's Tennis
Oct. 4, 2001
Coach Sam Paul Interview
Tar Heel Blue (THB): What are your goals for the year?
Coach Paul (CP): We have a lot of different goals. Academically we want the guys who are here to do well. We want them to graduate or be on the path to graduate. Secondly, we are trying to be the best we can be in tennis and through that learn about life. That is always our mission and what we are trying to do.
THB: What is your outlook for the ACC this coming season?
CP: I think it will be very competitive as usual. You look at Duke ... they'll be strong again. Georgia Tech, I think they lost one player on a team that finished #25 in the country. I think they'll be very competitive and very tough. Typically there are five or six teams that are pretty strong and I expect the same thing for this season.
THB: How has the team looked thus far in practice?
CP: We have our senior, Marcio Petrone, coming back and he's looked good. We have a couple juniors, Greg (Archer) and Trystan (Meniane) -- they've grown up and really matured. Our new players have a lot of intensity ... we are excited. I like this teams work ethic so far and the team spirit.
THB: How were your experiences at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open this past summer?
CP: It was incredible to be at Wimbledon for the first time. You could see all of the tradition ... you watch this your entire life on TV and now here you are live on grass and it was pretty neat. The first couple of days I was like "am I really here?" and then obviously being around Don (Johnson) and Jared (Palmer) was great. ...
Don was able to stay in the champions' locker room and that was interesting because we were able to watch the whole tournament. ... We were able to see how the champions get prepared mentally for their matches. It was a great experience.
THB: How influential has Don Johnson been as an assistant coach to this team?
CP: It's been tremendous. He is ranked #2 in the world right now and that's one thing I've enjoyed here at Carolina. My first year here was 1990 and that was Don's senior year. We've been together now for 11 years as friends and coaches. I've seen the entire process from where he's gone from just being happy to go to the U.S. Open to being seeded in the draw to having expectations of winning the tournament.
It's a great thing because you can also paint a picture for your team when you have hands on experience. It's been wonderful. There is not a bigger arena to be in than Wimbledon. It doesn't get much bigger than winning a Grand Slam.
Players Mentioned
