Rok 2000

#62 TMS Miami:
R128    Bye        
R64    Carlos Moya (ESP)         W 6-1, 6-4   
R32    Andreas Vinciguerra (SWE)    W 5-7, 7-6(3), 6-4   
R16    Greg Rusedski (GBR)         W 6-3, 6-3   
Q    Nicolas Lapentti (ECU)         W 6-4, 7-6(3)   
S    Lleyton Hewitt (AUS)         W 6-3, 3-6, 6-1   
W    Gustavo Kuerten (BRA)    W 6-1, 6-7(2), 7-6(5), 7-6(8)

#63 Wimbledon:
R128    Jiri Vanek (CZE)         W 6-4, 6-4, 6-2   
R64    Karol Kucera (SVK)         W 7-6(9), 3-6, 6-3, 6-4   
R32    Justin Gimelstob (USA)    W 2-6, 6-4, 6-2, 6-2   
R16    Jonas Bjorkman (SWE)    W 6-3, 6-2, 7-5   
Q    Jan-Michael Gambill (USA)    W 6-4, 6-7(4), 6-4, 6-4   
S    Vladimir Voltchkov (BLR)    W 7-6(4), 6-2, 6-4   
W    Patrick Rafter (AUS)         W 6-7(10), 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-2

www.petesampras.com

Nigdy wcześniej nie wchodziłem na Jego stronę, ale muszę przyznać, że zajebiście zrobiona.

Dokładnie 11 lat temu Pete Sampras zapewnił sobie po raz 6 z rzędu miano najlepszego gracza sezonu ATP.

1998 – Pete Sampras clinches the year-end No. 1 ATP Tour world ranking for a sixth straight year, breaking the record he shares with Jimmy Connors, who finishes five straight years as the No. 1 player from 1974-1978. Sampras clinches the No. 1 ranking when his challenger, world No. 2 Marcelo Rios of Chile, withdraws with a back injury from round robin play at the ATP Tour World Championships in Hannover, Germany and Sampras finishes with a perfect 3-0 record with a 6-2, 6-1 win over Karol Kucera of Slovakia. Says Sampras, “It's an ultimate achievement. It will probably never be broken. I'm trying to stay humble through all this, but the record speaks for itself. It's a little overwhelming."

Jakby ktoś chciał sobie chałupę okazyjnie zakupić to proszę :

http://www.bnd.com/2010/03/05/1161087/s … llion.html

The Making Of A Champion
DEUCE


The start of a classic rivalry and a life-changing moment: Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi
wait for the presentation ceremony after the 1990 US Open final.


Twenty years ago, at 19 years and 28 days, Pete Sampras went from anonymity to global superstar after he became the youngest US Open champion in history. The legendary American, his allies and rivals, reflect on the first of his 14 major titles.

Shy and impressionable, 18-year-old Pete Sampras arrived at the house of World No. 1 Ivan Lendl in Greenwich, Connecticut, in November 1989. He had replaced high school with tennis' nomadic life in the single-minded pursuit of becoming a great champion when he turned pro in Philadelphia 20 months earlier. As a natural talent, with an attacking style that was so fluent, even artistic, as to make the game appear easy, his game was in complete contrast to that of Lendl.

Lendl worked for everything. On the court, he dominated his opponents from the baseline until they buckled. Off the court, he lived the American dream, retiring to his 15,000-square-foot house behind six-foot high fencing and protected by two alarm systems. It was at this house Lendl invited Sampras for 10 days, prior to competing at the Nabisco Masters in Madison Square Garden, New York City.

Lendl 1989"Ivan wanted to see me play, so he gave me a call and invited me to his house, which was an eye-opener," recalls Sampras. "It was huge. Ivan and his wife, Samantha, made me feel welcome and comfortable.

"He soon had me biking 20 to 25 miles a day. And we spoke about my tennis, how hard you have to work if you want to make it to the top. I learnt a lot about how a top professional trained and how he looked after himself."

Lendl, who will compete for the first time on the ATP Champions Tour at Paris in October, remembers, "He stayed for about 10 days and observed everything. I could tell Pete was a huge talent, but [he] was still young and was still developing his game. Even the serve was still unrefined. I did not predict he would go on and win 14 majors."

Sampras had sampled the disciplined lifestyle and immediately returned to Bradenton, Florida, to re-join his friend Jim Courier at the IMG-Bollettieri Tennis Academy, where he was living, and where he would start to bulk up his muscles and develop his game as an instigator, which he had showcased in beating defending champion Mats Wilander at the US Open.

Throughout the 1989 season, Sampras had toured the world with his brother and financial advisor, Gus. His father, Soterios, an engineer, accompanied them to four European tournaments, but Pete barely won a match and he thought he brought his son "bad luck".

In late July, having lost to his junior rival Michael Chang at Stratton Mountain, Sampras was introduced to Joe Brandi, an experienced Puerta Rican coach - working at the tennis academy Nick Bollettieri established in 1978 - by Sergio Cruz, who was working with Jim Courier.

Brandi, the father of former Sony Ericsson WTA Tour player Kristina Brandi, who now lives in Buenos Aires, remembers, "Later in the year Cruz, who was one of the most prolific coaches at the time, had to go to Spain to coach junior players. So when Pete came to train at the academy for six weeks in November, I was charged with helping him.

"Pete was a great human being, a delightful young man, who loved the sport and loved to work."

Bollettieri AcademyAccompanied by Courier, Sampras set out at six o'clock each morning for a 45-minute run. Upon their return they would play tennis for up to six hours, take a lunch-break and then weight lift, undertake sprints and conditioning work into the evening.

With instant recall, Brandi says, "Pete had tremendous potential, but had never worked on his conditioning, which was as bad as his shot selection. If you're not fit at this level, you won’t win anything let alone a trophy.

"We worked together on his balance, [his] return of serve, first volley and slice backhand. Pete Fischer [one of Sampras' childhood coaches] had changed his double-handed backhand to a single-hander and he was still feeling his way. He hit his backhand like Ilie Nastase did, leaning on the back foot but Pete's running forehand was, and I believe still is, the greatest shot of all time. His first and second serves were very good."

Bollettieri remembers Sampras' time at the academy. "Joe Brandi was a no-nonsense coach who knew only one way to train: hit thousands of balls and get into the best shape of your life," the 79 year old says. "When Pete's physical condition improved, so did his movement, which then effected his shot selection including not going for quick winners.

"Pete Sampras was not only a hard worker but his work ethics were performed in the same manner, he did everything [and] showed no emotion."

Sampras started the 1990 season, ranked World No. 81. Having spent Christmas with his family, he travelled to Australia by himself, reaching the Sydney quarter-finals and Australian Open fourth round. "Upon his return to the States he called me to request my services full-time," says Brandi.

In only their second tournament together, at the Ebel Pro Indoor in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a nerve-free Sampras beat No. 6-ranked Andre Agassi and No 8-ranked Tim Mayotte en route to his first ATP final. He went on to outclass Andres Gomez 7-6(5), 7-5, 6-2, picked up the biggest pay cheque of his fledgling career, $135,000, and celebrated his first title with 18 holes of golf in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Twenty years on, Sampras confesses, "At the start of the 1990 season, having beaten a couple of top players, I felt as if I might get myself into contention for the big tournaments and majors. I'd been progressing a little better, picked up the Philadelphia title and was feeling more comfortable in the shots I was hitting."

He lifted the Manchester trophy pre-Wimbledon, then built up steam during the summer hard-court swing, reaching semi-finals in Toronto (l. to Chang) and Los Angeles (l. to Edberg), and quarter-finals in Indianapolis (l. to Reneberg) and Long Island (l. to Ivanisevic).

"For me, Pete got his big, big mental breakthrough at Toronto when he beat John McEnroe for the first time in the quarter-finals," said Brandi. "He had excellent results during the US swing and came to the US Open having played a lot of matches. During the US Open he was in the zone for two weeks, but no way was he prepared to win the title!"

In 1990, Flushing Meadow earned the nickname 'Flushing Mellow', when tennis-mad Mayor David Dinkins prevailed upon the air-traffic controllers at nearby LaGuardia Airport to redirect the deafening flights of runway 13, away from the National Tennis Center. It meant an aviation-free fortnight, rather than the final-weekend deference the Federal Aviation Administration had shown in previous years. It also went some way to persuade US Open officials to keep the event in Queens after the lease expired in 1994.

Sampras, always an anti-entourage player, booked himself into the Parker Meridien hotel in New York City with his coach, Brandi. At that time, he had four Top 10 wins and two titles in 45 tournaments to his name.

Named No. 12 seed, Sampras remembers, "I arrived at the US Open as an outsider. No one realistically thought I would have a chance to go really deep in the draw, let alone win it. I think the experts figured I wouldn't play that well and that I was going to roll over."

Sampras rolled through his first three matches without the loss of a set, against Dan Goldie, Peter Lundgren, Jakob Hlasek. Through to the Last 16, Sampras played down his title chances. "Maybe in a couple of years, but I don't think it's realistic right now." He went on to overcome an upset stomach to beat World No. 6 Thomas Muster, who had made a miraculous return after a drunk driver severed ligaments in his left leg in March 1989.

In the quarter-finals he met his mentor, World No. 3 Lendl, a hard-court powerhouse and three-time US Open champion. "Ivan was looking to reach the US Open final for the ninth straight year, but my game matched up well with his and he was slowing down," says Sampras, who had greater power and proved more resourceful.

Brandi reveals, "Lendl was his most difficult match. Pete won the first two sets, but found himself at 1-5 down in the fourth set. I remember saying to a friend alongside me, 'If he doesn’t win at least two games in this set he will be in trouble come the decider.'"

Lendl, who had compiled an outstanding 55-5 record at Flushing Meadows since 1982, confesses, "When I came back from 2-0 down in sets to 2-2, I thought I would win - but Pete kept serving great and was able to adjust the rest of his game. That was the first time I thought he could win a good number of majors."

Lendl won the fourth set 6-4, but Sampras broke early in the fifth set and eventually won 6-4, 7-6(4), 3-6, 4-6, 6-2. "I was not happy losing," says Lendl, who would eventually retire due to chronic back pain in 1994 having won eight majors from 19 finals. "At the time, I felt he was always going to stand or fall with his serve."

Next up was McEnroe, a four-time former titlist, enjoying a sublime run at 31 years of age, under the guidance of his old coach Tony Palafox. Ranked World No. 21, he was unseeded for the first time in 13 years.

"I got very nervous beforehand, but I settled early [breaking serve in the fourth game for a 3-1 lead]," admits Sampras, whose serve-volley game, 17 aces and innumerable down-the-line passing shots, proved too much for the New Yorker, who at the time Brandi believed, "was annoyed the game had changed and that the younger kids were overpowering him."

Twenty five miles west of Los Angeles, his mother, Georgia, and father, were both oblivious to his fate. Too nervous to watch the match live, they were taking-in a movie, Presumed Innocent, starring Harrison Ford, at a nearby cinema.

"Because of Super Saturday, I played the night match," says Sampras, "I then showered, did press, went to sleep and did not have time to think too much about the final and the enormity of the situation I was in."

The reality was that Sampras was one-part of the first all-American US Open final since 1979, when McEnroe beat his good friend Vitas Gerulaitis. He would face Las Vegan Andre Agassi, the World No. 4, who had finished runner-up to Gomez at Roland Garros in June. It was the third meeting of their senior careers; their fifth, including junior matches.

It had been 10 years since Sampras first met an equally-small 10-year-old Agassi, at a tournament in Northridge, California. Agassi beat him easily. "He toyed with me for about two hours," says Sampras. This time, Agassi was made to suffer.

Brandi remembers the build-up to the first of Sampras' 18 major finals. "Pete made sure he didn't leave his best tennis on the practise court. He was very relaxed. Correction…completely relaxed, ahead of the final against Agassi.

"I told him the game plan to keep the points short, attack Agassi up the court and keep any stroke to his backhand short. With Andre's double-handed backhand it would make it difficult for him to pick the ball up. Pete also served wide on the deuce court, meaning Andre couldn't run around his shots, and he also attacked every second serve."

As Agassi and Sampras made the 100-yard walk from the locker room to the Louis Armstrong Stadium Court, surrounded by terse security guards, both were in a confident mood. Sampras, the classic serve-volleyer, wore all-white; Agassi, who, the day before, had beaten defending champion Boris Becker in the noon-time sun, was the pre-match favourite. The best returner since Connors wore day-glow yellow spandex shorts.

"Andre was clearly the more established player, who had already made a name for himself," says Sampras. "So I didn't really feel the pressure."

Sampras hit 13 aces – many clocking close to 125 miles per hour – and lost only 17 points in his first 13 service games. Agassi would mutter, "Why are you so slow?" between points. Sampras would notch his 100th ace of the championship to hold serve for a 5-2 lead in the third set. "Andre looked tentative and didn't play as well as he could," admits Sampras. "He wasn't being the aggressor from the baseline; he let me dictate the points. He hit the ball very short and I took advantage of that."

Agassi soon ended his agony by hitting a forehand into the net to give Sampras a 6-4, 6-3, 6-2 win in one-hour and 42 minutes, a cheque for $350,000, a place in the Top 10 and the record books as the youngest US Open champion at 19 years and 28 days – beating 1890 title-holder Oliver Campbell, a student at Columbia University, by five months.

Agassi later admitted, "Anything he touched turned to gold out there. This was a good old-fashioned street mugging. That's all it was." With his tail between his legs, he would immediately set about strengthening his physique as well as his serve in order to prove "that the Open was just one day in New York."

Bollettieri, AgassiTwenty years on, Bollettieri confirms, "Andre's loss was a huge disappointment. His father said Andre would have to improve his serve. I knew he was suffering in so many ways because he was a very sensitive person. If I had to select one reason why Pete beat Andre it would be: Pete’s serve! If pushed to give another reason it would be that Andre was the favourite and did not hold up to the pressure."

For Sampras, who had not been bred to become a superstar, it was the start of a different life. His parents were soon forced to call Pacific Bell to change their phone number and also buy a new answering machine when it broke.

"I hadn't gone to college, so socially I hadn't had the experience of mixing with a variety of people," says Sampras. "As a junior, I had only played tournaments in the States, such as the Orange Bowl and the 1987 US Open. By winning, I went from one extreme to another… going from anonymity to being recognised around the world, talking on the Johnny Carson Show. It was like growing pains. It was tough and I wasn't quite ready for it."

In a now classic tale, Sampras' parents, who had not watched their son play more than five times during his lifetime, had been cruising around a Long Beach shopping mall.

Georgia Sampras first saw her son had won when she went up an escalator at a shopping mall and watched as Pete shook hands with Agassi. Even then, she wanted confirmation from a guy who had watched the drama unfold on CBS Sports. Soterios got the idea something good had happened when his wife ran out of the shop and kissed him.

They quickly drove home and opened up two bottles of champagne to celebrate with their children Gus, Stella and Marion. After walking off the court, Sampras found the time to speak to his family in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. It was a moment to savour with his greatest supporters.

Sampras celebrated the biggest win of his 30-month pro career by taking a light dinner with Brandi and his agent at that time, Ivan Blumberg. "We then went back to his mini suite and sat and talked all night about tennis and life," recalls Brandi. "I told him his life would change. He didn't believe me at all. At the time, I predicted he would win 5-9 majors. I was way off the mark."

Sampras woke early to appear on all three network morning shows. By noon he was on a plane to Los Angeles. The first of a series of exhibitions beckoned later that week. He struggled with shin splints through the end of the year, but earned a cool $2 million for winning the Grand Slam Cup (d. Gilbert) in December to finish as World No. 5 – an improvement of 76 places in 12 months.

"I did get locker room respect, but I wasn't totally aware of it," Sampras remembers. "Everyone was nicer and friendlier, but I was largely unaware of the other players' feelings, although whenever I turned up at tournaments it always felt as if I had a huge bull's eye on my chest.

"It took me two or three years to tighten up my game and the same period to get used to being comfortable with being a superstar. I wasn't quite there to be a consistent major contender and it took some time to build my defensive game."

Sampras would again reach the US Open final in 1992, but after a sleepless night fighting stomach flu, he lost to defending champion Stefan Edberg 3-6, 6-4, 7-6(5), 6-2.

Undeterred, he kept working hard and always remained true to himself and his upbringing in the pursuit of multiple Grand Slam championship titles. He would eventually win 14 — two Australian Opens, seven Wimbledons and five US Opens — and finish year-end World No. 1 for a record six straight years (1993-1998).

"His parents must be really proud as to how he turned out," says Brandi, who parted company with Sampras in November 1991, to return to his role as a father to two young children. "I admire him a lot. He never gave excuses when he lost and is a great champion, perhaps the greatest of all time."

His last professional match was in the 2002 US Open final against Agassi. Watched by his actress-wife, Bridgette, Sampras proved his critics wrong by winning 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 to provide the perfect bookend to a career that will be forever linked with the US Open.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/DEUCE- … mpras.aspx

Sampras okradziony z trofeów



Pete Sampras w wyniku rabunku stracił większość trofeów wywalczonych podczas kariery, która uczyniła go najwybitniejszym tenisistą Ery Otwartej. Amerykaninowi skradziono m.in. pierwszy puchar za zwycięstwo w Australian Open.

Z publicznej przechowalni w Los Angeles zniknęło (Sampras zauważył to trzy tygodnie temu) także: wszystkie sześć nagród dla najlepszego zawodnika sezonu, pięć za zwycięstwa w Masters, dwie za wygrany Puchar Davisa czy w końcu medal olimpijski.

Sampras nie przechowywał w tym samym miejscu wszystkich trofeów wielkoszlemowych. - Mam 13 z 14, które wywalczyłem. Niektóre trzymam w domu, inne w NikeTown w Portland - cytuje go "Los Angeles Times".

Z dwóch przedziałów przechowalni nie zniknęły tylko wielkie meble, składowane tam razem z innymi sprzętami (m.in. gitarą podpisaną przez Carlosa Santanę) po przeprowadzce rodziny Samprasów do Brentwood w zachodnim Los Angeles. - Myślałem, że mają tam kamery. Nigdy nie sądziłem, że te rzeczy będą w niebezpieczeństwie. Byłem w szoku - powiedział.

39-letni Sampras upublicznił informację za namową policji, która nie ma żadnych śladów w dochodzeniu. - To tak jakby zabrali mi historię mojego tenisowego życia - powiedział ex lider rankingu ATP.

http://www.sportowefakty.pl/tenis/2010/ … z-trofeow/

Sampras' Trophy Collection Stolen

A treasure trove of memorabilia from Pete Sampras’ glittering career has been stolen from a West Los Angeles public storage facility, including his first Australian Open trophy and hardware for finishing as the year-end ATP World Tour No. 1 between 1993-98.

Sampras, 39, discovered the theft three weeks ago and recently made the news public with the hopes of recovering his possessions.

"For me to have it for my kids is priceless,” Sampras, the father of two boys aged 5 and 8, told the Los Angeles Times. “I just hope it hasn't already been destroyed. That's why I wanted to get the word out now. I know this is a long shot, but I'd regret it if I didn't at least try. Maybe somebody knows something. That's all I can hope for."

Sampras had placed the boxes of memorabilia in storage as he and his family moved between homes in Southern California, and never considered that the items would be taken.

"I was like, 'What?'" he said. "I thought there were security cameras. I thought these things were locked up tight. I was shocked."

While 13 of Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam trophies are accounted for, secure in his home and at NikeTown in Portland, the majority of his collection – trophies from his 64 title wins, two Davis Cups, an Olympic ring, magazine covers and newspaper clippings – are now missing.

"Losing this stuff is like having the history of my tennis life taken away,” he said.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … tolen.aspx

SAMPRAS FELT 'VIOLATED' AFTER THEFT OF TROPHIES & MEMORABILIA


None of Sampras' seven Wimbledon
trophies was among the items stolen,
but his 1994 Australian Open trophy was.

Pete Sampras says that he felt ‘violated’ after learning that thieves had stolen more than 80 of his trophies and priceless memorabilia. Speaking exclusively to ATPWorldTour.com, Sampras added that his decision to go public with news of the theft was a ‘long shot’ attempt to generate a tip from the public that would lead to the memorabilia’s return.

“I’ve done all I can do,” Sampras said. “It will take a little bit of luck and good fortune. It’s probable that it’s been destroyed by now, but it doesn’t hurt to make it public. If the stuff was found it would be fantastic. It’s a long shot but I thought by getting the word out that it may lead to a tip that results in the stuff being recovered.”

Transitioning between houses, Sampras put the majority of his hardware and memorabilia in a West Los Angeles public storage facility about three months ago. But his storage pod and one other were burglarized about three weeks ago. Inside were trophies from 51 of his 64 tournament title runs, 24 runners-up trophies, six year-end No. 1 trophies and other priceless memorabilia.

Since the robbery, Sampras says he’s emotions have run the gamut. “At first I was more angry thinking about some kids stealing my stuff and then I felt violated. Now I’m more disappointed that so much memorabilia is gone and my kids won’t get to see the history of my tennis life. I wanted them to be able to see what their dad did. I don’t know if I was targeted, if they knew it was my stuff, or if it was just random. They had to go through the boxes to see the trophies.”

Sampras, 39, says that he has received strong support from the tennis community since news of the robbery emerged. Tennis Australia may look to replace the 1994 Australian Open trophy - the fourth of Sampras’ 14 Grand Slam crowns – and former player and ATP Board member Justin Gimelstob told Sampras that the ATP is trying to help replace the six year-end World No. 1 trophies he claimed between 1993-98. “I’ve had some players reach out to say they were sorry to hear the news,” Sampras said. Sampras’ 13 other Grand Slam singles trophies were not in the storage facility and are safe. “I don’t know specifically why the ’94 Australian Open trophy was in storage. It was just by chance.”

In addition to the trophies, thieves stole photographs of Sampras with President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton and two letters written by President Bush. “One of the letters from President Bush was one he wrote me after I lost Tim Gullikson,” said Sampras, speaking of his former coach who died of brain cancer in 1996. “That has no value to anyone but me. And it means a lot to me.”

Precious scrapbooks chronicling Sampras’ career, assembled by his brother Gus and former coach Paul Annacone, were among the stolen items, as were newspaper clippings and magazines with Sampras on the cover. A signed piano bench from Elton John and a signed guitar from Carlos Santana were also lost.

Asked if he had a message for the thieves, Sampras said: “I hope they come to their senses and their conscience hits them. There’s no value in these items to them, but there are a lot of memories for me.”

The Los Angeles Times reported Tuesday that a West Hollywood police spokesman confirmed that the ongoing investigation had been transferred to the downtown commercial crimes unit.

There is no specific police tip line to report leads. But Sampras urged anyone with information to contact their local law enforcement office. Additionally, ATPWorldTour.com readers with information are encouraged to submit tips to content@atpworldtour.com. Please populate the subject field of your email with the words ‘Sampras Trophies’.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … Theft.aspx

Sampras Recovers One Trophy, Three Scrapbooks


None of Sampras' seven Wimbledon
trophies was among the items stolen,
but his 1994 Australian Open trophy was.

A small portion of Pete Sampras’ stolen memorabilia has been recovered. One of about 80 stolen trophies and three scrapbooks were found late last week in Griffith Park, located about 20 miles from the West Los Angeles public storage facility at which Sampras’ memorabilia had been stored.

Lt. Robert Edgar, of the LAPD commercial theft division, said that police were following several leads as they attempt to recover all items that were stolen.  Following the find Sampras was reported as saying that he is ‘a little more optimistic’ of regaining more of his memorabilia.

It was not disclosed which trophy was recovered. The 1994 Australian Open trophy was the only one of Sampras' 14 Grand Slam crowns that was in storage. He has possession of the other 13.

Transitioning between houses, Sampras put the majority of his hardware and memorabilia in a West Los Angeles public storage facility about four months ago. But his storage pod and one other were burglarized in November. Inside were trophies from 51 of his 64 tournament title runs, 24 runners-up trophies, six year-end No. 1 trophies and other priceless memorabilia.

In addition to the trophies, thieves stole photographs of Sampras with President George H.W. Bush and President Bill Clinton and two letters written by President Bush. “One of the letters from President Bush was one he wrote me after I lost Tim Gullikson,” said Sampras, speaking of his former coach who died of brain cancer in 1996. “That has no value to anyone but me. And it means a lot to me.”

Precious scrapbooks chronicling Sampras’ career, assembled by his brother Gus and former coach Paul Annacone, were among the stolen items, as were newspaper clippings and magazines with Sampras on the cover. A signed piano bench from Elton John and a signed guitar from Carlos Santana were also lost.

There is no specific police tip line to report leads. But Sampras urged anyone with information to contact their local law enforcement office. Additionally, ATPWorldTour.com readers with information are encouraged to submit tips to content@atpworldtour.com. Please populate the subject field of your email with the words ‘Sampras Trophies’.

http://www.atpworldtour.com/News/Tennis … vered.aspx

Andre Agassi vs Pete Sampras: Who Is Really Better?



I read recently that Mats Wilander is interviewed in March’s edition of Tennis magazine. Mats Wilander is quoted as saying that Andre Agassi is on the same level as Pete Sampras because Agassi won major titles on all four surfaces even though Sampras won many more titles at Grand Slam level.  It got me thinking: can we definitely say who’s better?

I thought it would be interesting to look at the case for both players, and then weigh them up to determine who’s better.

The Case for Andre Agassi

Andre Agassi won 60 career tournaments, the majority coming on hardcourt—46, to be exact. Agassi also won Olympic gold in 1996 and is only one of seven men to win the four major titles on all surfaces.

Agassi won the Australian Open four times despite the fact he didn’t play his first Australian Open until 1995 (winning on his debut). Agassi won the US Open twice, in 1994 (when unseeded) and 1999, and Wimbledon in 1992. Agassi won the French Open in 1999 and has an impressive French Open record, getting to the final three times with a very good win-loss ratio there over a 19-year period.

Andre Agassi was also No. 1 for a total of 101 weeks in his career and finished year-end No. 1 in 1999. In addition, Agassi won 18 Super Nines/Masters tournaments, including Miami six times and Cincinnati three times. Agassi also won the year-end World Championships on one occasion, in 1990. Agassi’s overall career win-loss record was 870 wins and 274 losses over 20 years.
2001 US Open quarterfinal

The Case for Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras won 64 career titles with just over half of those coming on hardcourt, 34 in total. Sampras holds a number of records in the game. He was No. 1 for 286 weeks, which is the current record. Sampras was also year-end No. 1 for six years in a row from 1993 to 1998, which is also a record.

Sampras won Wimbledon seven times, which is an Open Era record. Sampras won the US Open five times‚ which is a record tied with Jimmy Connors and Roger Federer, and played in eight finals, which is tied with Ivan Lendl. Sampras also won the Australian Open twice, in 1994 and 1997.

Sampras won the year-end championships five times, which is a record tied with Ivan Lendl and Roger Federer. Sampras also won 11 Super Nines/Masters tournaments, including Miami and Cincinnati three times each, and the Italian Open.

In 1994, Sampras won tournaments on all surfaces—clay, hardcourt, grass and indoor carpet—which is always a rare record even in the modern game today. Sampras’ overall win-loss record was 762 wins and 222 losses over a 15-year period.

The Case Against Andre Agassi
1999 Los Angeles final

Andre Agassi went through real peaks and troughs in his career. Agassi was a talented player who initially lacked direction, but under the guidance of Brad Gilbert in the mid-1990s, Agassi really played tennis with more strategy and purpose in mind of what he could do to his opponent.

However, after the 1995 US Open loss to Sampras, Agassi’s career went downhill to as low as No. 141 in 1997. Agassi did make a remarkable rise all the way back to No. 1 in 1999 and should be credited massively for this. But that is more stuff of legend than referring to a great player who was consistently at the top for long periods of time.

Agassi’s legacy has also been slightly tarnished by the confession in his book that he lied about failing a drugs test and was reprieved by the ATP in 1998.

The Case Against Pete Sampras

It usually comes down to one thing for Pete Sampras: his failure to win the French Open.  The arguments of why that didn’t happen for him have been done to death, whether those arguments are lack of conditioning or his ability on clay itself. Sampras has said he wished he tried a more modern frame for the slow red clay. 

He beat some of the best players at Roland Garros over the years, including Sergei Brugera, Jim Courier and Thomas Muster, but he just wasn’t consistent enough in his play or his movement on clay. And then it became a mental issue as he seemed to accept his fate and talked himself out of giving more effort at Roland Garros.
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Style of Play – Agassi

Agassi is an interesting player because he virtually played the same way regardless of the surface. That was the case in an era (1990s and early 2000s) when mainly the women played their own game regardless of surface. Many of Agassi’s opponents adapted their game depending on surface.

The other interesting thing is that Agassi played on clay in a quite typical hardcourt manner—virtually on the baseline, hitting through the ball trying to control the middle of the court and not much sliding at all.

Agassi, along with Monica Seles, revolutionised the return of serve. Agassi was not the most athletic player but had extremely quick footwork and reflexes, which he relied on to take the ball very early on return of serve and from the baseline. Agassi would occasionally take to the net off good approach shots and was a competent volleyer, but also possessed a great backhand smash.

Style of Play – Sampras

Sampras was a more conventional all-court player of his era who served and volleyed on grass virtually every point, but rallied on his own serve much more on hardcourts and clay.

On hardcourts, Sampras liked to stay back on his second serve to rally and not offer his opponent a target. On clay and rebound ace which were slower, Sampras was happy to stay back on first serve as much as coming in to net.

In the last three years of Sampras’ career, he made the transition to full-time serve volleyer on all surfaces, something he’s come to be remembered more by the mainstream media than his all court play for the majority of his career.
1995 Canadian Open final

Sampras was the more athletic player who initially relied on his natural talent to coast through matches. As he became more experienced, he combined his natural ability with a strong work ethic and will to win which made for a virtually unbeaten combination.

Their Rivalry

They played each other 34 times, with 20 wins for Sampras and 14 wins for Agassi. They played in nine Grand slam meetings with a 6-3 record to Sampras, and five Grand Slam finals with a 4-1 record to Sampras including three wins at the US Open in 1990, 1995 and 2002.

Sampras beat Agassi in the 1999 Wimbledon final. Agassi beat Sampras in the 1995 Australian Open final and 2000 Australian Open semifinal. Agassi also beat Sampras in the 1992 French Open quarterfinal while Sampras defeated Agassi in the 1993 Wimbledon quarterfinal when Agassi was defending champion. Their most famous meeting was the 2001 US Open quarterfinal, which had four successive tiebreaks.

They played in 16 finals overall, including Miami in 1994 and 1995, Canadian Open in 1995, Los Angeles in 1999 and 2001, ATP championships (Masters) in 1999 and Indian Wells in 1995 and 2001. They also played finals in Atlanta in 1992 and San Jose in 1996.  Sampras has a lead of 11–9 on hardcourts and Agassi leads 3-2 on clay.

The rivalry was based on primarily the serve of Sampras against the return of Agassi.  Within that there were sub-themes: Sampras enjoyed rallying with Agassi in a way no other attacking player of that era did, so Agassi was often (not always of course) the one reacting.

However, for a period between Paris Bercy 1994 the Canadian Open 1995, Agassi was certainly the aggressor in their meetings and Sampras was forced into a more counterpunching role.

But Paul Annacone later convinced Sampras to play more attacking tennis against Agassi—to go for more backhand drive returns especially on Agassi’s second serve. Whilst Sampras served bigger second serves and attacked the net a lot more than he instinctively would have done in his earlier years, the rivalry turned in his favour again.

In the last meeting at the 2002 US Open final, Sampras played as well as he did in the 1999 Wimbledon final in the first two sets. Agassi was clearly shocked by the weight of shot from Sampras’ forehand and backhand returns and didn’t find a rhythm until the third set. By that stage it was all about catch up, and despite a great fight back, it was too much and Agassi lost a closely-fought fourth set.

To me, the 2002 US Open encapsulates their rivalry. The 2001 US Open quarterfinal is perhaps their most famous match, but it’s not representative of what they could do to each other. In 34 matches they only played 16 tiebreaks, and four of them came in that one match. The 2002 final was more typical, no tiebreaks—they always went after each other’s serve and created lots of opportunities against each other in all of their meetings.

Taking all of these factors into account, I believe that Sampras is clearly a level above Agassi in achievements and level of play.

Being able to defend titles consistently is a sign of true greatness and that is reflected in Sampras’ ability to win seven Wimbledon titles by dominating extremely good opponents including Agassi, Ivanisevic, Bekcer, Henman and Rafter.  It’s one thing to win a tournament once but entirely another matter to continually deal with the stress of successfully defending.

I also think Sampras’ weeks at No. 1 and six years at No. 1 separate him from Agassi.  Sampras also has a better record in major finals with 14 wins out of 18 appearances with only one five-set match played in 18 finals. Meanwhile, Agassi played in 15 major finals and won eight.

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