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Sampras king of twilight zone

July 9, 2000

History is meant to be made in times of difficulty and Pete Sampras could barely see through the late-evening gloom as he finally won that cherished 13th Grand Slam final. The American had been lauded many times before as the finest player ever to tread Wimbledon's Centre Court or, indeed, play the game of lawn tennis.

Now the record books say so as well as Sampras beat one Australian, Patrick Rafter, and overtook another, Roy Emerson, to become the most successful men's gatherer of major titles.

Rafter, himself twice US Open champion but a novice to the Wimbledon final, knew he had squandered a magnificent opening when he let the upper hand in a second-set tie-break slip. From then on the top seed was locked in on his target like a homing missile, winning 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Several years ago, Goran Ivanisevic was within a couple of points of taking a two-set lead against Sampras in a Wimbledon final, but he stumbled at the crucial moment and so did Rafter, previously so acrobatic in his classic serve-and-volley play.

The mark of a great player is mental toughness and that is what got Sampras through under the nervous eyes of his parents, Sam and Georgia, who had made the trip to their son's mecca for the first time.

Emotional tears eventually flowed from the man who has been criticised for never showing his feelings, but again it was the magnitude of his game which shone so brightly.

Rafter played well, better than anyone against the champion in this tournament. But as has so often been the case on this particular grassy plot of south-west London, it was not enough. After two, tight opening sets, Sampras upped the pressure and Rafter crumbled.

Yet it had required immense mental strength as well as patience as both men were hindered by the weather while trying to come to terms with the anxiety.

Sampras knew he had been fortunate to sneak his way through to the final because no front-line opponent had appeared to test his mobility following his dubious shin injury.

And Rafter, regardless of his two US Open wins and three successes over him in their last four meetings, was as nervous as any Centre Court debutant. He had even struggled to keep the ball in court during his morning knock-up with occasional coach Tony Roche, who had contested the final 32 years earlier.

Initially, the rain held off for 26 minutes and it came in time to cool Rafter around the collar as the six-time champion seemed to be mounting his first real onslaught.

The American, so used to this glittering stage after appearing in every final bar one since 1993, knew the first set was critical, and the manner of his early serving suggested a man extremely clear in his own mind of what was needed.

Destroying the recently-held myth that he needed at least a set to get into his stride, Sampras let fly with a 130mph ace in his opening service game and rarely gave the pony-tailed man from Queensland an opening.

Rafter's quality of return was always going to be questionable and before the drizzle-dampened affair was suspended, it did not seem up to the task in hand. He seemed able merely to bat the ball across the net rather than send it sweeping back towards his opponent elegantly, and Sampras couldn't have been more content.

Then, when the pair returned for a brief spell of eight minutes and 17 points, Rafter's ability to keep pace with the champion seemed even more dubious - and a spate of three double-faults in four points made things even more difficult.

But the second lengthy delay, stretching more than 2d hours, enabled Rafter to come to terms with the job and an opening set tie-break proved just how mentally durable he could be.

His wondrous, five-set masterpiece over Andre Agassi in the semi-final was guaranteed to bolster confidence, and his self-belief could not have been more apparent as Rafter battled resolutely to prevent Sampras taking a one-set lead.

He saved Pistol Pete's two set-points before double faults cost Sampras dearly, handing Rafter a crucial lead by slamming two serves into the net.

Doubt was creeping into the Sampras mind as his double-fault count continued to climb in the second set. And whereas before he was powering the ball into play, now he was forced to scale down the velocity. It was possibly down to the shin but more likely because his opponent was gaining in confidence.

The crowd, traditionally patient throughout the delays, were firmly behind Rafter as late-evening sunshine eventually illuminated the scene.

While Sampras was relying on the odd running pass and worrying more about his game than what his opponent was doing, Rafter was rushing the net at every opportunity - and coming up with winners.

Another tie-break seemed to be going his way after another Sampras double-fault and forehand error gave Rafter a 4-1 lead, but then the realisation took a hold.

Rafter tightened noticeably and, sensing his opponent's anxiety, the player revered as probably the most accomplished ever to grace the Centre Court, took his chance, pulling his way back from a 4-1 deficit and sprinting his way to levelling the match.

 

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