TENNIS in DEPTH.

“I felt a little old,” the 38-year-old tennis great said.

Sampras’ serve is still explosive — he had nine aces — but his return game was no match for the younger and more polished Fernando Verdasco in a charity exhibition that kicked off the SAP Open at HP Pavilion.

Making his third straight appearance at the San Jose tournament, Sampras lost 6-3, 7-6 (7-2) to the 11th-ranked player in the world. The match was over in just under an hour.

“It was a little frustrating, because I was obviously having a hard time getting to his service games,” Sampras said. “His serve is tricky for me to get a hold of. Sometimes he’d spin it in. Sometimes he’d crack the whip pretty flat, so I was sort of off balance.”

Verdasco is 12 years younger than Sampras and at an entirely different stage in his career. Verdasco, seeded second in the main draw this week, has steadily climbed the rankings, reaching No. 7 last spring after reaching the 2009 Australian Open semifinals.

Sampras, meanwhile, spends much of his time at home in Los Angeles, raising his two boys (ages 7 and 4) and trying to find something to take the place of pro tennis.

Playing exhibitions “gives me focus at home, which is great,” Sampras said. “I don’t like to not do anything. Playing someone like Fernando makes me want to practice hard. It makes me want to work and do the things Ineed to do to play well.”

Like Sampras’ visits to San Jose the previous two years, the tennis Monday was more show than high drama. When one call went against Sampras, the 14-time Grand Slam champion jokingly noted the age difference between himself and Verdasco, drawing laughs from those seated near the court.

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