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High five! Sampras wins at Wimbledon
The Sporting News

July 5, 1998

WIMBLEDON, England - There goes Pete Sampras, the best there ever was. Wearing white, slamming winners and turning improbable shots into effortless artistry. He is the natural of men's tennis. Nobody beats him in a slugfest on grass. And nobody still playing creates so much modern tennis history.

But Sunday, Sampras gave himself and Wimbledon something special. He went into uncharted territory against a ferocious rival named Goran Ivanisevic. For the first time in a Grand Slam final, he fought through a fifth set. And he won a high-wire, serve-and-volley spectacular to put himself into the record books.

Sampras beat Ivanisevic, 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (11-9),6-4, 3-6, 6-2, to win his fifth Wimbledon men's title, tying the modern mark established by Bjorn Borg.

It was a nail-biting match that pulled the best from both players. And when it ended, with Sampras winning a battle of volleys at the net, the players were exhausted and the staid Centre Court crowd was cheering.

Sampras sat for a few moments, with his chin buried in a towel. And Ivanisevic was utterly devastated, draping a towel over his head, beaten in his third and perhaps last Wimbledon final. But he was beaten by the best.

As he walked off the court, Sampras sounded dazed and somewhat awed by his latest accomplishment. He has 11 Grand Slam triumphs, tying Borg and Rod Laver, just one behind the record of 12 held by Roy Emerson.

And he has those five Wimbledons, matching Borg and H.L. Doherty, who played before World War I, and standing two behind W.C. Renshaw, who played in the late 19th century.

"It's just so hard to believe, Borg's five, I thought would never be broken," Sampras said. "I think I've got some years left in me, that I can hopefully do this again."

The kid who grew up idolizing Laver has grown into a 26-year-old man and the most dominant player of his or any other era. But even legends get nervous.

Sampras admitted that playing in a Wimbledon final is like nothing else in tennis.

"You wake up in the morning and you kind of have a pit in your stomach," he said. "You don't want to get to this point and come up short."

Sampras beat Ivanisevic because he was tougher and more focused on the big points. He beat him with second serves in a second-set tiebreaker. And he used all his strength and savvy to take the fifth and take the title.

And he also broke Ivanisevic's heart.

Ivanisevic played with fire and guts and crowded Sampras like a heavyweight shoving a rival into the ropes. For 93 minutes, he bullied the champion around the dust and grass of a rutted court. And he had him on the run in the second-set tie-breaker, twice getting to set point on a pair of Sampras second serves. And the champ was scared.

"I felt the match slipping away in the breaker," Sampras said. "I said, `God, this could be Goran's year. "

But it wasn't. Ivanisevic batted the set-point, second-serves into the net, lost the tie-breaker and saw his chance to win Wimbledon slip away.

"It feels bad," Ivanisevic said. "I cannot describe it. It's the worst moment in my life. I know I've had some bad moments, when you are sick or when somebody dies, But for me, this is the worst thing ever. Nobody died yet, but it's tough."

Not even the roar of the Centre Court crowd, which pulled for Ivanisevic and saluted him in defeat, could console him. He wanted to win this badly. He wanted to win for himself and his country, Croatia. And he wanted it to be the start of a sporting double, with Croatia's national team still alive in the World Cup. But after the match, he couldn't even bear the thought of going to see a soccer match.

"I cannot cheer anybody now," he said. "I can only kill myself. Now, I'm not good for anybody."

Sampras said he understood how Ivanisevic felt. For all his success, he still rues losing two Grand Slam finals.

"I feel bad for Goran," Sampras said. "I really do."

But in the fifth, Sampras was simply better. He got the service break to go up 4-2 by nailing a forehand return to Ivanisevic's feet. And then he broke him again to take the title.

"You don't want to make a mistake," Sampras said.

And he didn't.

Only two weeks ago there were whispers on the men's tour that Sampras was unmotivated, that he was about to be toppled as the world's No. 1 player.

"You don't play well for four months and people think you're done," Sampras said. "It's flattering to be at that standard, that high level. And it's not easy to do that month after month. So, it wasn't surprising to hear the talk. I guess I'm out of my slump."

 

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Ivanisevic finishes second again at Wimbledon
By Steven Wine, AP

July 5, 1998

WIMBLEDON, England - For Goran Ivanisevic, second-best never felt worse. The talented, temperamental Croatian is 0-for-3 in Wimbledon finals. He lost Sunday to Pete Sampras in a three-hour slugfest, 6-7 (7-2), 7-6 (11-9), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

"I've had some bad moments, you know, when you are sick or when somebody dies,'' Ivanisevic said. "But for me, this is the worst thing ever. Nobody died yet, but it's tough.''

Ivanisevic and Jana Novotna entered the finals trying to shake labels as the most talented active players without a Grand Slam title. Each had been a runner-up at Wimbledon twice previously.

The parallel ended there. Novotna won; Ivanisevic lost.

"At this level, with Goran and me playing the way we do on grass, it's not really much that separates us,'' Sampras said. "I got a little bit lucky, I must admit.''

Luck has rarely been part of Ivanisevic's game, at least not in Wimbledon finals. He lost a five-setter to Andre Agassi in 1992. He lost in straight sets to Sampras in 1994.

Now, the 26-year-old left-hander with the booming serve can't be sure whether he'll get another shot at a Wimbledon title - or whether he'll even try again.

"This doesn't motivate me at all to come back,'' he said. "I don't know how long it's going to take, but I have to try.''

Others have suffered repeated frustrations on the Centre Court grass. Ken Rosewall went 0-for-4 in Wimbledon finals, while Fred Stolle finished second three consecutive years and never won the title.

That was of no consolation to the 1998 runner-up.

Ivanisevic's shaky psyche held up well for most of the final. He broke a racket in anger, complained about calls and chastised himself in a voice audible 30 rows up. But he didn't unravel under pressure the way he's done in the past.

"I don't think it's mental,'' Sampras said. "I think Goran was pretty strong mentally today. He didn't get upset. In fact, he's going to win this event, I feel. His game is too big, and his serve is too big. He has come close three times now.''

But Ivanisevic again came up short at the most important moments, squandering seven of nine break-point chances. His 32 aces weren't enough; his 20 double faults were too many.

Ivanisevic fretted about failing to convert two set points in the second-set tiebreaker, which allowed Sampras to even the match at one set each.

"I knew these two set points are going to my backhand, and I missed them both, which is ridiculous,'' he said.

Instead, Ivanisevic fell behind, then tired after playing a 15-13 fifth set against Richard Krajicek in Friday's semifinals. He won only three points in the final four games.

"I gave everything in that fourth set, and then it was like somebody hit me,'' he said.

He sailed a backhand long on match point, then met a jubilant Sampras at the net. The conversation was brief.

"What can you say? `Bad luck?' He doesn't want to hear that,'' Sampras said. "He just probably wants to be left alone. I'm sure this match will replay in his mind for many months.''

The replays began immediately. While waiting to accept the consolation trophy, Ivanisevic sat for a long time in his courtside chair with a towel draped over his head, talking to himself.

What did he say?

"That's between me and me,'' he answered.

Later, even the mention of Croatia's World Cup victory Saturday over Germany failed to brighten his mood.

"I cannot cheer anybody now,'' he said. "I can only kill myself.''

Copyright 1996 Associated Press.

 

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Big High Five for Sampras Wimbledon title ties Borg, leaves Ivanisevic jilted
By: Bruce Jenkins, San Francisco Chronicle

July 6, 1998

Wimbledon, England -- There were pleasant memories of Bjorn Borg in the Centre Court stands yesterday, particularly up in the Royal Box, where so many tennis greats had arrived to witness history. There was a bit of Ivan Lendl in the air, too. Seldom has Wimbledon's postmatch ceremony brought such feelings of doom.

For the moment, and for all time, there was Pete Sampras, a 6-7 (7-2), 7-6 (11-9), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 winner over Goran Ivanisevic and a five-time Wimbledon champion. That ties him with Borg for the modern-day record, and with 11 Grand Slam titles, Sampras is just one short of Roy Emerson's record.

But for an agonizing few minutes, on the fringe of pomp and circumstance, there was a devastated and inconsolable Ivanisevic. "I can only kill myself,'' he said later, not altogether jokingly. "This is the worst moment of my life.''

Generally the ceremony is a festive affair, with dukes and duchesses and tut-tuts and tally-hos. It's hard to feel terrible on such an important stage; even Jana Novotna cheered up in '93 after she had had a good cry. The typical photo shows a beaming victor and a gracious loser, fashioning a wooden grin.

Ivanisevic was not smiling. He was holding a thin silver plate, somewhat paltry-looking against the golden winner's trophy, and he looked like he wanted to Frisbee that thing into the strawberries-and-cream concession.

Like Lendl, who spent his career in a futile Wimbledon obsession, Ivanisevic can't win to save his life here. This was his third final -- the only three he's reached among the Grand Slams -- and his third defeat. It was also the most disappointing, by far.

These are heady times in Croatian sports -- their World Cup team is through to the semifinals against France -- and when Ivanisevic glanced toward the Royal Box yesterday, he saw both the prime minister and ambassador of his country, right along with their wives.

Not only that, this was Ivanisevic's best chance. Blown away by Sampras in '94, powerless against Andre Agassi's emotional wave in '92, Ivanisevic was the better player through much of yesterday's match. He won the first set and had two set points in the second. To lose -- it was just too much for him.

"Yes, this one hurts the most,'' he said. "I cannot describe it. You know, I've had some bad moments, when you are sick or when somebody dies, but for me this is the worst thing ever.''

If it's any consolation to Ivanisevic -- and of course, it won't be -- this was the best tennis of Wimbledon '98. There were no great matches (for the first time in memory) but this had the ebb and flow of high intrigue.

True, it was another grim display of the men's power game, and for long stretches, you wanted to put some tiny wooden rackets in their hands and enjoy the show. "Can't they do anything to fix this?'' cried a London-based American journalist, destitute in his quest for rallies.

Well, they did something. They invented the tiebreaker. Otherwise, it's 78-77 in the first set and dawn is upon us. But you could hardly blame the players. They are merely taking advantage of today's Big Bertha-style equipment. When at war, you do not use tanks when nuclear warheads are at your disposal.

Ivanisevic dominated the first tiebreaker, breaking through Sampras' serve with a couple of tremendous passing shots, and on each of those nerve-racking occasions in the second-set tiebreaker -- set point for Ivanisevic on both -- Sampras faced a second serve. But like every other shot in the book, that's one of his strengths.

"Pete's second serve is phenomenal,'' said John McEnroe. "Maybe the best ever.'' And he got through that set, closing it out with a first-service winner to Ivanisevic's backhand.

The whole scene was a glimpse of the game's great history: McEnroe in the broadcast booth; PanchoSegura and Stan Smith in the stands; Boris Becker, Neale Fraser, Ashley Cooper and Don Budge in the Royal Box. They are the ones who truly appreciate the difficulty of Wimbledon and Sampras' ascent to the heights. What they did not expect, perhaps, was the first five-set match Sampras has ever played in a Grand Slam final.

"That is sort of amazing, when you think about it,'' said Sampras. "It felt different, too. I felt like there wasn't much separating myself and Goran today. He was just playing huge.''

He was also playing tired. That is not a good excuse for anyone at Wimbledon, but Ivanisevic had played an interminable semifinal against Richard Krajicek (15-13 in the fifth) on Friday, "and that cost me today,'' he said. "My legs were not there.''

"I didn't sense that one bit,'' retorted Sampras. "I thought his serve was still coming in real big. I guess he's played a lot of tennis the last few days, but in the fifth set at Wimbledon, you have to suck it up.''

The task was just too great -- for anyone who ever played Sampras in a Wimbledon final. Borg won five straight (1976-80) to Sampras' five out of six, but Pete is 5- for-5 on the final Sunday. As he said later, "Wimbledon is our Super Bowl. To me, it's what the game's all about. You get that feeling of history, more than anywhere else.''

The fifth set ended abruptly, Sampras breaking Ivanisevic's serve at love. There were sensational returns, a double-fault (Goran's 20th) and finally an Ivanisevic volley into the net. The clock showed 17.00 exactly -- the stroke of 5 p.m. A time for history. And time for Ivanisevic to slump in a chair, cover his head with a towel and tune out the world.

All around him, the scene was vintage Wimbledon. The Duke and Duchess of Kent made their customary entrance between two rows of ballboys, occasionally stopping to chat. One imagined it going this way:

Duchess: "Splendid, then.''

Boy: "Captivating.''

"Shame about Beckham.''

"Tragic.''

"Carry on, then.''

"Then, then.''

And all the while, Ivanisevic slowly went mad. The towel never left his head. Finally there were awards to present, and it took the kindly hand of Alan Mills, the tournament chairman, to snap Goran out of his misery.

He went through the motions, tossing back his head to clear the stringy, damp hair out of his face. Sampras broke into a canter, parading around the perimeter in a victory lap, and Ivanisevic sagged back in the chair -- a veritable electric chair in his mind -- to await further sentencing.

"They asked me to do one lap with the plate,'' Ivanisevic said later. "I just couldn't.''

Like the ill-fated Lendl, Ivanisevic will fade from the memory, just another athlete who could not quite get it done. For Sampras and his followers, there are questions of gravity: Is he a player for the ages? Is he the greatest of all time?

Well, he did not have McEnroe and Jimmy Connors to contend with, like Borg, but there are infinitely more dangerous players in today's game. Emerson won half of his 12 Grand Slams at the Australian, managing just two each in the other three majors.

But Sampras has never won the French. Emerson, strangely, is seldom mentioned among the Lavers, Tildens, Borgs and Kramers. Sampras is, with a formidable 11-2 record in Grand Slam finals.

"All of this is too much for me to talk about right now,'' said Sampras. "It's hard to believe that I've actually won five. It's a little overwhelming to me.''

Not quite so overwhelming, however, as it is to the mere mortals of tennis.

 

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Sampras gets by Ivanisevic for 5th crown
By: Lisa Dillman, LA Times

July 5, 1998

WIMBLEDON, England - The obstacle on the path to join Bjorn Borg in modern tennis history was familiar, but this time Pete Sampras felt like he was a passenger on a wild roller-coaster ride, hanging on until the brooding, long-haired Croatian relinquished control.

That moment did not come until the fifth set on Sunday. Fourteenth-seeded Goran Ivanisevic of Croatia wobbled on the grass, and top-seeded Sampras quickly assumed the upper hand, winning his fifth Wimbledon singles title, 6-7 (7-2), 7-6 (11-9), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

"Compared to all the finals, this by far was the toughest,'' Sampras said. "I didn't think I was quite in control of the match.''

He matched Borg's modern record of five Wimbledon championships, and is now tied with Rod Laver and Borg with 11 Grand Slam singles titles, one behind all-time leader Roy Emerson.

It was the first time in 13 career Grand Slam finals Sampras was extended to five sets. He is 11-2, a winning percentage of .846. Emerson was 12-3 and Borg 11-5 in Grand Slam finals.

And to think the 26-year-old Sampras had been in something of a Grand Slam slump, or what amounted to one for him. This was his first Grand Slam title since winning Wimbledon last year.

"It's overwhelming to think of myself in those terms,'' said Sampras, who also won in 1993, '94, '95 and '97.

"I've always tried to stay humble through all my accomplishments. It's just hard to believe. Borg's five (Wimbledons), I thought would never be broken. I think I've got some years left in me, that I can hopefully do this again.''

There is evidence supporting that contention. A year ago, he was so dominating, holding serve 116 of 118 times, that losing finalist Cedric Pioline said that Sampras does not allow you to "breathe against him.'' This time, Sampras won although he did not play his very best tennis, a fact that left Ivanisevic a weary and wounded finalist. Ivanisevic now has lost three Wimbledon finals, twice to Sampras.

"It feels bad, I cannot describe it,'' said Ivanisevic, who had 32 aces but double-faulted 20 times. "It is the worst moment in my life. I know I've had some bad moments when you are sick or somebody dies. Nobody died yet, but it's tough.''

His despair showed. As Sampras celebrated, holding the trophy high in the air for the crowd and his supporters, among them, his girlfriend, actress Kimberly Williams, a distraught Ivanisevic sat in his chair, head buried in a towel.

He posed halfheartedly for the usual pictures and retreated.

"They told me to go one lap with the plate and I couldn't,'' Ivanisevic said. " ... It hurt the most because this time I had the chance, he didn't play well.''

This was his best opportunity to win Wimbledon. He took the first-set tiebreaker, 7-2, clinching it with a service winner. The two played a tense second set, knowing the slightest miscue on grass would be costly. Sampras was seeing a different, determined Ivanisevic, as they exchanged early service breaks in the second.

Sampras broke first, but Ivanisevic broke back in the next game. They stayed on serve until the tiebreaker, which essentially decided the match. Ivanisevic had two set points, one at 6-5, and another at 8-7, with Sampras serving. Sampras missed his first serve on both, and Ivanisevic netted backhand returns. "I knew those two set points are going to my backhand,'' Ivanisevic said. "I missed them both, which is ridiculous.''

Sampras won the tiebreaker, 11-9, when Ivanisevic knocked a forehand volley long and Sampras hit a service winner on his third set point. "A huge weight (lifted),'' Sampras said. "I felt the match slipping away in the breaker, `I thought, `God, this could be Goran's year.' I managed to break him in the third, but I knew the match was far from being over. It's a roller coaster out there.

"Playing Goran, you get no rhythm, you don't know what's coming.'' Ivanisevic found enough for one last stirring charge in the fourth set, breaking Sampras in the sixth game at 15, firing a cross-court passing shot on the run. He took the set, 6-3, and found himself running on empty in the fifth.

He said the 15-13 fifth set against Richard Krajicek in the semifinals cost him the match against Sampras, leaving him exhausted and spent. In the sixth game of the fifth, Sampras broke him at 15 when Ivanisevic knocked a forehand half volley in the net. And that was the match. Instead of making history for Croatia, he became part of Sampras' history. And Sampras wasn't quite so sure how to sum it all up on Sunday, saying he needed time for it to sink in. Even more difficult was when Sampras was asked about a report in a British paper saying he would get engaged to Williams.

"No,'' said Sampras, shaking his head. Then he took a sip of water and started choking.

He may choke on water, but not on Centre Court.

 

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Sampras is a player for the ages
By: James Beck

July 5, 1998

Pete Sampras wasn't perfect Sunday. He wasn't even brilliant. He was outplayed by Goran Ivanisevic for much of their Wimbledon final. Yet, Sampras owns five Wimbledon titles today. Ivanisevic may never win even one. Sampras is still the No. 1 player in the world. Wimbledon hater Marcelo Rios didn't take the top position by default. That's a real plus for tennis, because Wimbledon and tennis are one and the same.

Ivanisevic gave his all. That wasn't enough to topple Sampras from his throne. Ivanisevic did everything but win. He passed Sampras down the line and cross court. He served ace after ace. He delivered brilliant volleys. He ran down what looked like sure winners.

Through all of this, Sampras managed to stay in the match. Twice, he was within one point of trailing two sets to none.

When it came down to a fifth set and the time to win or lose the match, Sampras pulled all of his enormous skills together into one package that was too good for Ivanisevic.

Terrible Goran didn't hand it over to Sampras this time. Sampras had to win this one, 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2.

Ivanisevic played well enough to win. If anyone other than Sampras had been across the net, Ivanisevic probably would own a Wimbledon title today. Unlike Jana Novotna's third try, it wasn't to be for Ivanisevic.

Sampras will be 27 years old on Aug. 12. That's not old by any standards, even for a player who owns five Wimbledon singles titles. If he remains healthy and motivated, he could win two or three more. That would stake Sampras to the claim of immortality.

He needs just one more Grand Slam title to tie Roy Emerson's total of 12. On paper, that looks easy. But there was nothing easy about No. 11. Ivanisevic wanted this title as badly as Sampras.

The future is unpredictable. Just over a year ago, it appeared almost certain that Steffi Graf would surpass Margaret Court Smith's Grand Slam record for singles titles.

The odds of that happening now are rather remote, at best. Unlike Graf, Sampras has remained relatively injury free throughout his career. He's a great athlete, and an even better ambassador for the game. He's no Andre Agassi or Jimmy Connors in showmanship, but just a great champion., a player to truly emulate.

 

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Sampras puts his stamp on history
By: Bill Glauber, The Baltimore Sun

July 5, 1998

WIMBLEDON, England - There goes Pete Sampras, the best there ever was.

Turning improbable shots into effortless artistry, he is the natural of men's tennis.
Nobody beats him in a slugfest on grass. And nobody still playing creates so much tennis history.

Yesterday, Sampras gave himself and Wimbledon something special. He went into uncharted territory against Goran Ivanisevic. For the first time in a Grand Slam final, he fought through a fifth set. And he won a high-wire, serve-and-volley spectacular to put himself into the record books.

Sampras beat Ivanisevic 6-7 (2-7), 7-6 (11-9), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2, to win his fifth Wimbledon men's title, tying Bjorn Borg's open-era record.

It was a nail-biting match that pulled the best from both players. And when it ended, with Sampras winning a battle of volleys at the net, the players were exhausted and the staid Centre Court crowd was cheering.

Sampras sat for a few moments, with his chin buried in a towel. Ivanisevic was devastated, draping a towel over his head, beaten in a Wimbledon final for the third time.

But he was beaten by the best.

Sampras sounded dazed and somewhat awed by his latest accomplishment. He has 11 Grand Slam triumphs, tying Borg and Rod Laver and one behind Roy Emerson's record.

And he has those five Wimbledons, matching Borg and H.L. Doherty, who played before World War I, and two behind W.C. Renshaw, who played in the late 19th century.

"It's just so hard to believe," Sampras said. "Borg's five I thought would never be broken. I think I've got some years left in me, that I can hopefully do this again."

The kid who grew up idolizing Laver has grown into a 26-year-old man and the most dominant player of his or any other era.

But even legends get nervous. Sampras said playing in a Wimbledon final is like nothing else in tennis.

"You wake up in the morning, and you kind of have a pit in your stomach," he said. "You don't want to get to this point and come up short."

Sampras beat Ivanisevic because he was tougher and more focused on the big points. He beat him with second serves in the second-set tiebreaker. And he used all his strength and savvy to take the fifth and take the title.

He also broke Ivanisevic's heart.

For 93 minutes, Ivanisevic bullied Sampras around the dust and grass of the rutted court. And he had him on the run in the second-set tiebreaker, twice getting to set point on Sampras second serves.

"I felt the match slipping away in the breaker," Sampras said. "I said, `God, this could be Goran's year.' "

But Ivanisevic batted the set-point second serves into the net, lost the tiebreaker and saw his chance to win Wimbledon slip away.

"It feels bad," Ivanisevic said. "I cannot describe it. It's the worst moment in my life. I know I've had some bad moments, when you are sick or when somebody dies. But for me, this is the worst thing ever. Nobody died yet, but it's tough."

Not even the roar of the crowd, which pulled for Ivanisevic and saluted him in defeat, consoled him. He wanted to win this badly, for himself and his country, Croatia. He wanted it to be the start of a sporting double, with Croatia's soccer team still alive in the World Cup.

But after the match, he couldn't even bear the thought of going to see a soccer match.

"I cannot cheer anybody now," he said. "I can only kill myself. Now I'm not good for anybody."

Sampras said he understood how Ivanisevic felt. He still rues losing two Grand Slam finals.

"I feel bad for Goran," Sampras said. "I really do."

But in the fifth, Sampras was simply better. He got the service break to go up 4-2 by nailing a forehand return to Ivanisevic's feet. He broke him again to take the title.

Only two weeks ago there were whispers on the ATP Tour that Sampras was unmotivated, that he was about to be toppled as the world's No. 1 player. Had he lost yesterday, Marcelo Rios would have moved atop the rankings.

"You don't play well for four months, and people think you're done," Sampras said. "It's flattering to be at that standard, that high level. And it's not easy to do that month after month. So it wasn't surprising to hear the talk. I guess I'm out of my slump."

 

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