Tennis: Sampras' vision of greatness

By STEVE FLINK


More than three months after officially announcing his retirement during a poignant ceremony at the United States Open, the man who created a brand of tennis unlikely ever to be replicated is certain that he made the right decision to leave the game.

Pete Sampras - winner of a men's record 14 Grand Slam championships, a singularly gifted and ambitious individual who pushed himself to his absolute limits across a commendable career - has had time to reflect on his triumphs as he enjoys life with his wife, Bridgette, and his one-year-old son in Los Angeles.

How does he want to be remembered?

"I think of three guys sitting around and talking about tennis and one guy says he saw [Rod] Laver in his prime and he was the best. The next guy says he saw [Lew] Hoad at his best and no one was better. And then the last guy says, 'Well, I saw Sampras and he was the best I have ever seen.' I would just like to be in that conversation."

That wish will surely be granted. Sampras celebrated a record six consecutive seasons (1993-98) as the world No 1. He won at least one major title for eight straight years (1993-2000), and appeared in at least one Wimbledon or US Open final for 12 of the last 13 years of his career.

Many among the cognoscenti would point to 1993-97 - when he collected nine of his majors - as his prime. But Sampras contends: "The best tennis I played was when I was older. I wasn't as consistent week in and week out but that match I played against Andre [Agassi] at the 2002 US Open - my last match ever - was the highest level I have ever played.

"When I was dominating I didn't have any bad matches and players overall weren't as good. The 2002 US Open Pete would beat the 1994 or 1995 Pete easily."

Be that as it may, Sampras cherishes his memories from all facets of his career, and celebrates his recollections of rivalries with Agassi, Boris Becker and others. "Andre brought out the best in me. The bigger the match, the more confident I was, the more I believed in myself at Wimbledon or the US Open against Andre. I felt comfortable being on that big stage."

Sampras feels similarly about his riveting collisions with the burly Becker, most memorably a stupendous five-set final that the American won at the ATP Tour World Championships at Hanover in 1996. "I have seen that tape a few times and for atmosphere it was at the top without a doubt."

Nothing mattered more to him than the chance to triumph at the majors. He secured five titles at the US Open, and set a modern record with seven Wimbledon crowns.

Sampras always valued craftsmanship over showmanship, and the Wimbledon audiences revered him.

"I played great tennis there, got some lucky breaks and it was magical. There is no other place like it. I can't explain it, but I felt I was born to win Wimbledon."

The only missing piece in the Sampras collection is the French Open. He never reached a final.

"I don't know if I totally believed I was good enough on the clay," he says. "The year I got to the semis [1996] I did start to believe but I ran into Yevgeny Kafelnikov on a hot day after three long five-set matches and hit the wall. As I got older, doubts crept in."

He found a way to conclude his career on a remarkably positive note, capturing the championship of his country in 2002 to end a 33-tournament losing streak, finishing his business with a major triumph, becoming the only player in tennis history to realise that feat. It took some deep soul-searching finally to retire, nearly a year after his victory over Agassi in New York.

"Having a two-year drought and coming back from the brink to win a major, beating Andy Roddick and then Andre in the final, really took everything out of me, and that match with Agassi was the last drop of gas I had in my tank. I feel great about it now and am still riding a high from it. I did everything I could do at that Open."

At 32, the estimable Sampras is sorting out his priorities and contemplating new challenges.

"I feel vindicated with how my career ended. I am glad I am done and ready for the next chapter."


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