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Then Sampras gets into Wimbledon and gets
a completely different look on his face. It's as
if aliens take over his body. His eyes grow
more intense, his step becomes snappier, and
his shots land deeper. On Sunday against
Agassi, Sampras had a spring in his step that
we haven't seen since last year's U.S. Open --
which he very well might have won if he hadn't
become injured during his semifinal match
against Rafter there. Sampras showed almost
no weaknesses on Sunday. Agassi played
well, but faltered at key times. It appeared to
be the result of nerves. The service game
Agassi lost to go down 6-5 in the third was
terrible. Sampras didn't have to do much to
get that decisive break. But credit Sampras for
playing well under enormous pressure the
entire match.
Where does this put Sampras in the ranking
of greatest players ever? It's a tough call. We
still say Laver was the best ever. Rocket Rod
would have won many more Slams if he had
not been banned from them while he was
playing as a professional. But Sampras is now
clearly in second place, past Borg and Tilden.
In the last couple of weeks, since Agassi won
the French, some fans raised the possibility
that Agassi had accomplished as much as
Sampras because Agassi had won all four
Slams. But that's absurd. Agassi's feat on the
clay of Paris was extraordinary, to be sure.
But he's only won each of the Slams once.
He's never finished a year No. 1 (though we
think he'll do it this year). Agassi's versatility
is worth a lot, but certainly not anything near
the EIGHT Grand Slams and SIX years at No.
1 that separate him from Sampras.
But what Agassi has done in the past month,
by winning Paris and reaching the Wimby
final, is put himself into the conversation when
fans talk about the greatest players of the
Open era. It puts him close to players like
Becker, Edberg and Wilander, though those
three were far more consistent and won more
Slams. But it still leaves him a good ways
behind the likes of Lendl, McEnroe and
Connors. Sampras and Borg are on an entirely
different level. But at least Andre now enters
into the equation, and can no longer be
discussed as a phenomenal but
underachieving talent. We expect more from
him in the next couple of years.
As for Sampras, we think this win should
envigorate his career. We expect him, Agassi
and Rafter to be battling toe-to-toe for the U.S.
Open this year and the Australian Open next
year. One can argue about who the winner of
those wars will be, but we're sure it will be the
fans.
Lindsay Davenport's poise was worth a
Wimbledon title on Sunday. We were amazed
at how she kept her focus and never gave Graf
a chance during her two-set victory.
Considering the opponent and the occasion,
Davenport had every reason to waver. But she
didn't.
Like pretty much everyone in tennis, we've
underestimated Lindsay in the past. She has
always given the impression of being too
``soft.'' She talks about being happy to get to
the quarterfinals. She talks up her opponents
and talks down her own chances. But here
she is, the reigning U.S. Open and
Wimbledon champion, on a tour where Hingis,
Graf, the Williams sisters, and a crop of other
teen-agers get all the attention. In the
post-match press conference on Sunday,
Davenport talked about how much mentally
stronger she has become in the last year or
two, and how that has made all the difference.
She said she now believes she can win key
points, and doesn't get discouraged, for
example, if she lets a break-point opportunity
pass. She now believes she can create more
opportunites.
We thought that Davenport's window of
opportunity to become a great player had
passed. When you break onto the tour at age
16 and still haven't made a Grand Slam final
six years later, people tend to write you off.
We're glad we were wrong about Lindsay.
Sadly, Graf announced that this would be her
last Wimbledon. She enigmatically refuses to
explain why. Perhaps there is some secret
reason we don't know of. But we suspect
something like the following: During her
various absences due to injuries the last few
years, Graf vowed to herself that she would
come back to prove that she could once again
play at the top level, and that once she had
proven that, she would retire. That's exactly
what's happening. She is proving what a class
competitor and athlete she is. She'll be
missed.
--MAJOR WINGFIELD
July 5, 1999