WIMBLEDON 2000

 

REVIEWS BY MARK NEWMAN

 

 

SAMPRAS WINS HISTORIC 13TH GRAND SLAM TITLE

 

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I Was Away Today And Did Not Watch The Men’s Final, So Here’s An Article From http://tennis.yahoo.com/ten

 

LONDON (TICKER) -- Pete Sampras got past Patrick Rafter for the Wimbledon title today and passed Roy Emerson for an historic Grand Slam milestone.

With his parents making a rare appearance at his match, Sampras captured a record 13th Grand Slam title and record-tying seventh Wimbledon men's crown with a 6-7 (10-12), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4, 6-2 victory over the Australian.

In a match interrupted several times, including a 2 1/2-hour rain delay in the first set, Sampras managed to complete his record-breaking triumph by breaking Rafter for the first time in the third set and breaking the Australian twice in the fourth.

After breaking for a 5-2 advantage and with darkness falling on center court, Sampras served out the match at love as Rafter hit a backhand wide on match point, touching off a rare display of emotion by Sampras. Absorbing the cheers of the crowd, Sampras broke down in tears, then went into the crowd to embrace his parents.

"It means so much to me that my parents were here today and could share this with me," Sampras said. "The last time my parents came they saw me lose at the 1992 U.S. Open and I thought I was going to lose here for a while. I wouldn't be here but for my parents. They gave me the chance to be here."

Despite playing with an injured shin for most of the tournament, Sampras captured his fourth straight Wimbledon title and seventh in the last eight years. His seven Wimbledon crowns tie Britain's William Renshaw for the all-time record.

"I will look back on these two weeks as the most difficult and satisfying of all," Sampras said. "It's been a great script. I love Wimbledon so much."

The 28-year-old Sampras claimed his 63rd career singles title and a first prize of more than $720,000.

Rafter was seeking his first Wimbledon championship and third career Grand Slam title.

Both players held serve in the first two sets, but it was Sampras who finally broke through in the fifth game of the third set. Rafter fell behind 0-40 but came back to deuce. After failing to convert on three straight advantage points, Rafter double-faulted to give Sampras the edge.

On his 10th break opportunity of the match, Sampras watched Rafter net a forehand volley and took a 3-2 lead. Serving at 5-4, Sampras fired three aces, including his 24th of the match, to move within one set of history.

In the fourth set, it was the fifth game again that saw Rafter experience problems on his serve. He fell behind 0-40 but staved off two break points before Sampras answered an overhead smash with a sliced crosscourt backhand for the break and a 3-2 advantage.

Rafter forced his second break point of the match in the sixth game when Sampras double-faulted. But Sampras saved it on a netted forehand by Rafter and battled through four deuces to hold, pretty much ending the Australian's hopes of a comeback.

Frustrated, Rafter fell behind 15-40 in the next game and lost his serve when Sampras hit a backhand return just out of the Australian's reach.

Rain delayed the start of the match by an hour but the players managed to squeeze in seven games before the rain caused another stoppage of 26 minutes.

Sampras and Rafter were able to complete just one more game as the rain returned with more intensity, forcing a lengthy delay at 4-4 and opening up the possibility of a suspension of play until Monday.

Rafter won the first-set tiebreaker and had Sampras four points from a two-set deficit in another tiebreaker. But the American rallied to win six of the next seven points and leveled the match two points later on a volley winner.

"I knew I was screwed," said Rafter on losing the second-set tiebreak. "I knew after that I would find it hard to deal with the nerves. It was a mental blow more than anything."

Sampras knew that winning the tiebreak was the turning point he needed.

"He lost his nerve in the second-set tiebreaker just when I thought it was slipping," Sampras said. "Within two minutes it went from feeling as if I was going to lose the match to feeling I was going to win it. That's grasscourt tennis."

Sampras fired 27 aces to offset an uncharacteristic 12 double faults and 79 unforced errors. But he held a 40-29 advantage in winners, a 140-129 edge in total points and saved the only two break points he faced, extending a remarkable streak which saw him hold for his last 85 service games of the tournament.

Sampras has put together the most dominant run by a men's player at Wimbledon since Bjorn Borg captured five straight titles from 1976-80.

In his last 54 matches at Wimbledon, Sampras has an incredible 53-1 record, winning 28 straight matches at the All-England Club. His last loss at Wimbledon was to eventual champion Richard Krajicek in the 1996 quarterfinals.

Sampras has the chance to duplicate Borg's run next year and could tie Renshaw's streak of six straight Wimbledon crowns in 2002. Renshaw won six in a row from 1881-86.

After entering today's final having lost three of his last four meetings with Rafter, Sampras improved his overall record against the Australian to 10-4.

A two-time U.S. Open champion, Rafter played his best tennis over the last three weeks after struggling in the early part of the season while recovering from shoulder surgery.

"Now I'm going to go in every tournament knowing I've got a chance of winning again, whereas before I've gone into every tournament thinking, `Am I going to win my first match and get into the second round?'" Rafter said. "It's a good feeling to have again becuase there was a time when I was coming back not knowing whether I really would have a chance of winning a tournament again."

Rafter was trying to become the first Australian to win the Wimbledon men's title since Pat Cash in 1987 and was bidding to become the first player to defeat Sampras and Andre Agassi in the same Grand Slam tournament.

Sampras' victory completed an American sweep of the men's and women's Wimbledon singles titles for the second straight year.

On Saturday, Venus Williams defeated defending champion Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6 (7-3), for her first Grand Slam singles crown.

Williams' attempt to complete a sweep of the women's singles and doubles titles was put on hold when today's doubles final was postponed due to the long rain delay.

Williams and younger sister Serena, the eighth seeds, will face fourth seeds Julie Halard-Decugis of France and Ai Sugiyama of Japan on Monday.