Tennis: French title still tempts Sampras

PARIS - Declining form and advancing years will not stop Pete Sampras from coming back to Roland Garros and making a 14th bid to win the elusive French Open crown next year.

Sampras, 30, still yearns to add the Paris trophy to his record 13 Grand Slam titles, despite being at the twilight of his glittering career.

"Over the course of my career, it just hasn't clicked here, but all you can do is keep trying and that's what I'm planning on doing," the American said following his 6-3, 4-6, 2-6, 6-7 (3-7) loss in the first round to Italy's Andrea Gaudenzi yesterday.

"I think over the years I have played with a little anxiety and put pressure on myself which affects me to a certain point.

"If Paris never happens in my career, life will go on, but I will come back and try again."

Sampras' frustration with his early demise at the tournament was clearly evident during the post-match media conference after he managed to convert only three of his 17 break-point opportunities against Gaudenzi.

While the seven-time Wimbledon champion admitted he would usually be expected to grab those chances on any other surface, playing on clay was a different story altogether.

"I had so many chances today and when I couldn't put the ball away, I became anxious," said Sampras, who has suffered a title drought since his Wimbledon triumph in 2000.

"When you win a lot of matches it's easier to play those break points and those big points. But when you are trying to find your game you get more frustrated and the only place you can then go is down.

"When it came to the crunch, I simply didn't come up with the goods."

In a few days, Sampras is expected to turn his attention to his favourite grasscourt season and take stock of his chances of winning an eighth Wimbledon crown.

But for the time being, an emotional Sampras was left to lick his wounds after yet another French Open campaign came to a grinding halt in the first round, his third such exit in Paris.

"It's a pretty empty feeling right now because I put so much effort and energy into my preparations and it's really frustrating not to even get into the second round," Sampras said.

"Once again I came up with nothing to show for my efforts and the next few days are going to be very tough to get over this."

Apart from Sampras' demise, the biggest upset of the day was the unseasonable chilly weather and showers which halted proceedings three times, with just over three hours of play lost throughout the day.

Top seed Lleyton Hewitt and the defending champion, Gustavo Kuerten, advanced comfortably.

Hewitt kicked off his campaign with a 7-5, 6-4, 7-5 win over Brazilian Andre Sa. The 21-year-old goes on to meet Russian qualifier Andrei Stoliarov, who shocked experienced Swede Jonas Bjorkman 1-6, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5.

Brazilian Kuerten, the No 7 seed, sealed a 7-5, 6-2, 6-2 win in 93 minutes against Switzerland's Ivo Heuberger to maintain his record of never having lost a first-round match here.

In the women's event, Venus Williams ousted German teen Bianka Lamade 6-3, 6-3 as France's Sandrine Testud became the first seeded casualty when she fell to Paola Suarez, of Argentina, 6-2, 5-7, 1-6.

Williams next meets Indonesia's Wynne Prakusya.

Testud, seeded eighth on her 13th Roland Garros outing, was out-fought and out-thought by the Latin American claycourt specialist.

- AGENCIES