Sampras finishes year triumphantly despite being No. 3
November 30, 1999
Pete Sampras put men's tennis back on the frontpages and the home pages Sunday in Hannover, Germany.
He did it with a triumph of will that played more prominently than anything Andre Agassi might have accomplished there.
In July, when Sampras played one of the best matches of his career and handled Agassi decisively at Wimbledon, the results of the ATP Tour World Championship -- 6-1, 7-5, 6-4 victory -- would have been no surprise.
Yet ever since Sampras' then-stunning withdrawal from the U.S. Open with a sudden back injury, he has spent more than three months trying to heal in all ways.
When Agassi destroyed him with a 6-2, 6-2 victory last week in the round-robin portion of the ATP Championship, the conclusion seemed inevitable: This was Agassi's year.
Indeed, Agassi was guaranteed to finish '99 at No. 1 in the rankings. It seemed likely Sampras might not reach the ATP final.
After six consecutive year-end finishes at No. 1, Sampras ends this year
at
No. 3 and must accept surrendering that position. Ironically, he does so
after one of the most personally important wins of his career.
Sampras' resolve is part of what makes him compelling. Those who choose to dismiss him as boring miss the essence of why he is special.
"After the U.S. Open, I kind of accepted the fact that I wasn't going to be No. 1," Sampras said in Hannover. "But, you know, I feel like I've done that in my career. I've done it longer than anyone. It's nice to be there.
"But my goal this week was to obviously see how I was physically. And if I could win here, that's a bonus."
Sampras tried returning from his back injury when he appeared earlier this month in a Mercedes Super 9 indoor event in Paris. After winning his opening match, unanticipated back spasms forced his withdrawal.
Once he discovered that his physical condition would not be a problem in Hannover, Sampras made his performance in his second match with Agassi a personal challenge.
"I've always believed in myself, that I can rise to the occasion. I was pretty much humiliated by him three, four days ago," Sampras said. "I definitely wanted to prove something. That, you know, I could still ... I still have it."
Although Agassi's own play disappointed him so much that he abandoned his traditional postmatch interview before the fans, a part of Agassi likes to see Sampras in top form.
"You want to end (the year) feeling like somebody beat your best tennis and that you felt great about the way you played," Agassi said. "So that part is difficult.
"But it's also good for Pete, too, that he's back now, feeling healthy. And I know it will be a lot to look forward to in Australia (at the Australian Open)."
Five months ago, Sampras was at Wimbledon, sensing the glow from what was arguably the best match of his career -- and his 12th Grand Slam title.
Losing to Agassi so badly in the round-robin group at the ATP gave Sampras a mind-set that little of his history mattered.
"(The U.S. Open) definitely gave me some time to spend at home with my family," Sampras said. "If anything, you kind of appreciate your health. Without my health, I can't play.
"You know, I went through a huge wave of emotions after the U.S. Open. I was, you know, 'P.O.-ed' and I was upset. I felt maybe that was going to be it for the year. (But) you can't make decisions on emotion."
No. But when Sampras pairs his enormous talent with the kind of emotion he brought to the ATP Championship final, it is hard for anyone to stop him. Even if that player is Agassi.
At the end of Agassi's best season, he encountered Sampras just when Sampras was determined to prove he has plenty of great tennis left.