Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, July 5, 1993 TAG: 9307050020
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B7 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND LENGTH: Long
"Maybe she has a crush on me," Sampras joked after capturing his first Wimbledon championship Sunday, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (8-6), 3-6, 6-3, against Jim Courier.
Sampras, branded Public Enemy No. 1 earlier in the tournament for an outburst at hostile fans after he beat a Brit, won not only the princess' applause but the crowd's respect with his power and quiet grace under pressure in the all-American final.
He also dispelled any doubts about who is No. 1 in men's tennis, winning the sport's most prestigious title, earning $450,000 and widening the points gap in the computer rankings over No. 2 Courier.
Two weeks ago, Sampras worried that he might have to pull out before his first match because of an inflamed tendon in his right shoulder. He suffered pain on and off, but trainers nursed him through the tournament with pills, massage, ice and high-tech treatment.
And when it came down to the final, Sampras showed no sign of weakness.
He served 22 aces, with a peak speed of 123 mph, and faced only two break points the entire match, losing both in the third set against the savage, baseline pummeling of Courier.
In seven matches, including victories over former champions Boris Becker and Andre Agassi, Sampras served 108 aces - eight more than he served when he won his only other Grand Slam title, the U.S. Open, in 1990 at age 19.
Equally important, Sampras averaged 97 mph on his second serves and kept one of the best returners in the game constantly on the defensive on Centre Court, where the temperature soared to 105 degrees.
"The difference was Pete served a lot bigger on his second serve," Courier said, "and I wasn't able to handle it as well as he was able to handle my second serve.
"If he starts hitting his second serve around 95 to 100 miles per hour, putting it in the corners, it's pretty unstoppable."
Neither player yielded even a break point in the first set, as they set the tone for the match - Sampras serving and volleying, and Courier drilling line drives from behind the baseline.
"Tennis is a perfect combination of violent action taking place in an atmosphere of total tranquility," Billie Jean King once said. In the first two sets of this match, the tranquility of the crowd bordered on sleepiness.
It was the first all-American men's final since John McEnroe beat Jimmy Connors in 1984, and the first between Americans on the Fourth of July since Connors beat McEnroe in 1982. Lots of tiny American flags showed up in the players' guest box, and a few dozen more were in the crowd, but it was late in the match before any wild cheering like that at the U.S. Open was heard.
Sampras, at 21 the youngest American man to win Wimbledon since Connors in 1974, lost only eight points on serve in the first set, including the tie-breaker. The second set continued in the same tedious fashion, both players holding serve throughout with brief rallies as nearly every shot produced either a winner or an error.
That produced predictability - at least until the second-set tie-breaker.
Courier cracked a service winner for a 6-5 lead and set point in the tie-breaker, with Sampras to serve. Sampras had the whole court open and was standing at the net to take an easy pop-up, but he nearly blew the set with a tentative, floating forehand volley that drifted to the baseline for a winner. A half-inch longer and the match would have been tied.
"He hit just a choker volley, but it went in," Courier said. "It was definitely not a confident volley."
Sampras acknowledged: "Yes, it was a very tense moment. It was a very tense volley. I admit I didn't get all of it.
"To lose the second set is a whole new ball game. Winning the second was huge. I knew Jim wasn't going to give up after that. He'd keep on fighting like he always does. But he had his chances and I had mine. And I took the opportunity a bit better."
Sampras took that opportunity to go ahead 7-6 in the tie-breaker with a service winner, then closed it out with a running forehand crosscourt that Courier got to easily but netted.
Courier finally got his first break point against Sampras in the second game of the third set, passing him with a backhand after a double fault at deuce. Sampras then suffered his first break of service with his fifth double fault of the match.
But Sampras immediately broke back, disdainfully slapping one winner off a running forehand by Courier that ticked the net cord and trickled over.
Sampras seemed to be back in control, serving two aces in his next game and one to take it to 3-3, winning both games at love. But Courier held service and broke him again with a beautiful backhand pass to go ahead 5-3. Courier then served out the set at love, ending it with his seventh ace.
"I lost a bit of concentration in the beginning of the third set and got down on myself," Sampras said. "It was just getting a little bit fatiguing. It was a very hot day and everything just started to feel a bit heavy."
Courier lost only two points on serve in three games after he was broken in that set, and the faint sense that he might come all the way back against Sampras arose.
That notion continued even as Sampras opened and closed the first game of the fourth set with aces. Through the first five games of that set, neither player lost more than two points on serve.
Then, suddenly, Sampras jumped on a chance to take the lead for good. After Courier punched a forehand just wide across the court, Sampras moved inside the baseline to pounce on a second serve and put pressure on Courier, who then mishit a forehand long to make it 15-40. Courier saved one break point, but lost the next when Sampras drove a deep forehand that Courier could only bounce back to the net from 15 feet behind the baseline.
That was all the edge Sampras needed. He whacked his 22nd ace to take a 40-love lead in the next game, and two points later held to 5-3, much to the delight of Princess Diana, who cheered from the Royal Box.
The final moment of tension came when Courier won the first point on Sampras' final service game. It was a brilliant point, both players at the net, and everyone was gasping as Sampras finally yielded on a diving forehand half-volley into the net.
But Sampras didn't let that faze him. Crouching to loosen up his legs between serves, he closed out the match at 40-30 with a backhand volley crosscourt that Courier chased down only to knock into the net.
"Holding that trophy," Sampras said, "means twice as much as the money.
"I think the people here at Wimbledon have kind of grown to like me. To walk around that court with the trophy in hand and the people cheering for you, there is no better feeling than that."
Keywords:
TENNIS
by CNB