Pete Sampras hopes to resurrect his game by reuniting with coach Paul Annacone. And Annacone hopes the 13-time Grand Slam winner can help him develop the players of the future.

Sampras has switched coaches for the third time in eight months, getting back together with Annacone, who guided him from 1995 until December.

The part-time arrangement starting this week at the $2.95 million Toronto Masters Series tournament includes Sampras' working with the U.S. Tennis Association High Performance program.

Annacone is the managing director of the program, which aims to nurture potential tennis stars.

"Pete's agreed to do a number of things to build our program, including practicing with some of our players,'' Annacone said by telephone Wednesday from Toronto. "For those guys to be in that environment around Pete is a great asset.''

He said Sampras practiced recently with top college players from Duke and California.

Sampras has seen major changes in his personal life and career. He and wife actress Bridgette Wilson are expecting a child, he told ESPN analyst Patrick McEnroe last week. Sampras is currently ranked 15th, but he hasn't finished a season out of the top 10 since 1989, his second year as a pro -- and hasn't won a title since Wimbledon in 2000. That's a 30-tournament drought.

"We've had some heart-to-hearts,'' Sampras said, referring to Annacone. "He knows the things to say. We're a great team and I'm happy we're back together.''

Sampras beat Wayne Ferreira 7-6 (6), 5-7, 6-4 Tuesday in the first round at the Toronto Masters Series event, a hard-court tuneup for the U.S. Open, which starts Aug. 26.

That improved Sampras' match record in 2002 to 18-14. He lost in the second round of Wimbledon in June and in the first round of the French Open in May.

He dumped Annacone as coach at the end of 2001 in favor of Tom Gullikson -- the twin brother of Tim Gullikson, Sampras' former coach who died of cancer at age 44 in 1996.

In late February, Sampras dropped Tom Gullikson for Jose Higueras. Now he's teaming again with Annacone, Sampras' coach for eight of his record 13 major singles titles.

"He's just trying to get back on track as quickly as he can,'' Annacone said. "At the end of the year we can re-evaluate.''

Annacone's USTA duties won't allow him to travel with Sampras all the time. The coach won't be at Sampras' next tournament, a Masters Series event in Cincinnati that starts Monday, for example.

"Pete needs some continuity and he needs a little bit of stability. Knowing each other as long as we have will be helpful in that regard,'' Annacone said. "He feels comfortable with me and trusts my analysis.''