MELBOURNE, Australia -- Pete Sampras, winner of the most men's singles Grand Slam titles in tennis history, said on Tuesday that his desire for success still burns brightly.

	Pete Sampras is worrying less about a year-end ranking and more about peaking in time for the Grand Slams.

The American surpassed Roy Emerson's record of major honors when he secured his 13th career grand slam crown with his seventh victory at Wimbledon last year.

Sampras, 29, is preparing for the Australian Open after competing in just one tournament -- the Masters Cup in December -- since losing the final of the US Open to Russian Marat Safin in September.

His voluntary absence gave rise to questions over his future commitment to tennis.

"As you get older, it becomes more difficult to compete at the same rate," said the world No. 3.

"That's why I had a lot of time off towards the end of last year. I got married, did things that normal people do, woke up in the same bed for a change and I think it did me a lot of good.

"These days, it's about peaking four times a year. The pressure is off because nobody is talking about the record any more, but I still want to win.

"There is not a problem with motivation. I have trained very hard through December and I feel in good shape."

Still challenging
Andre Agassi underlined Sampras's feelings.

Agassi, the 30-year-old American ranked six in the world, is the defending champion at the Australian Open.

"The game is still challenging to me," he said. "I will play on so long as I can compete at the highest level and I feel that I am doing myself, and the fans, justice."

Patrick Rafter is hoping to become the first Australian to win the men's singles crown at the Australian Open since John Newcombe in 1975.

Rafter was forced to cut short his participation in the Davis Cup final against Spain in December because of leg cramps, and major shoulder surgery threatened to cut short his career 18 months ago.

The two-time U.S. Open champion is concerned about the heavy schedule in the men's game, which allows approximately four weeks between seasons.

"I have no new injuries and I feel happy at the moment, but there is no question that we have to have a longer break between seasons," Rafter said.

"It is not just a problem for the ITF (International Tennis Federation) or the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals), it's a problem for the whole game.

"There are signs that the tough schedule is being looked at. That is a good thing because otherwise, all these young guys, like Marat, will get burnt out."

Safin, 20, finished last season as world No. 2, 15 points behind No. 1 Gustavo Kuerten in the Champions' Race.