SamprasFanz.org

Pistol Pete looks his age against Lad Lleyton
by: Howard Fendrich, AP

September 9, 2001

By opting to have an all-in-white Pete Sampras serve first in the U.S. Open final, Lleyton Hewitt made a statement as brash as his garish Gen-X garb: OK, let's see what you've got.

Pistol Pete was not up to the challenge the greatest server of his time reduced to wearily watching balls zoom by at impossible angles off the racket of a man 10 years younger.

After a rejuvenating run through the tournament, including an unforgettable four-tiebreaker quarterfinal against Andre Agassi, Sampras suddenly was too slow, too tentative, too overmatched.

Hewitt took apart Sampras' serve and relentlessly retrieved everything the four-time Open champion had to offer Sunday, winning 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1 for his first Grand Slam title.

"He returned and passed about as well as anyone I've ever played. He's got the best return and the best wheels in the game," said Sampras, who owns a record 13 Grand Slam titles but was seeded 10th on account of a weak-for-him season.

"You're going to see this Lleyton Hewitt guy for the next 10 years, like you saw me."

As they entered Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 30-year-old Sampras strode out of a bygone era, decked out only in white: sneakers, socks, shorts, shirt, wristband. Hewitt was hip-hop chic: baseball cap turned backward, baggy black shorts, a neon red shirt with a yellow racing stripe down his back.

Just 1 hour, 54 minutes of play later, the elder statesman's drought stretched to 18 tournaments without a title. It's also the first year since 1992 that Sampras didn't win at least one major.

The ease with which Sampras was undone by Hewitt and his blazing backhand was startling. It was the most lopsided U.S. Open final since Jim Courier won just six games against Stefan Edberg in 1991, and Sampras' worst loss at Flushing Meadows since a fourth-round match against Jay Berger 12 years ago.

Hewitt won the coin toss and elected to receive, an intriguing choice. Sampras had held serve in 87 straight games, including his unprecedented triple crown of wins over past Open champions Patrick Rafter, Agassi, and Marat Safin (whose own first Grand Slam title also came at 20 against Sampras, in last year's final here).

The streak did not reach 88, as Hewitt ripped a foreboding forehand passing shot down the line on break point in the opening game. The tone was set.

"Obviously, I had a few nerves coming in there," Hewitt said, "playing possibly the greatest player ever to live in probably my biggest ever match."

Nonetheless, the Australian became the youngest U.S. Open champion since Sampras in 1990.

"These are the moments you dream of, and for me, for it to come true at such a young age, is just fantastic," said Hewitt, whose Open badge bears a photo from when he played here as a junior four years ago. "I don't know when it will sink in, if it ever will."

In the end, he stole serve six times twice as many as all six of Sampras' other opponents managed over the past two weeks.

Sampras looked ragged between points: shoulders slumping, head hanging, feet shuffling.

"The kid is so quick it's unbelievable," he said. "I wish I had some of those legs for this old guy."

He miss-hit wildly, sending one shot against the wall behind the baseline. Sampras won only half the points when he went to the net and finished with five groundstroke winners 20 fewer than his fourth-seeded foe.

While Sampras bristles at talk of retirement and says he'll play several more years, his ability to play his best throughout a two-week tournament appears to be waning. Of course, he did have to deal with about the toughest draw imaginable.

"I've proven this week I can still win Slams, no question in my mind," he said. "Thirty isn't that old."

He had the crowd of more than 23,000 behind him "This is your home, Pete!" one yelled but couldn't find any solutions against a player who never gives up on a point.

Hewitt earlier won tense five-set matches against young Americans Andy Roddick and James Blake. The Roddick match hinged on an overruled line call in the final game; against Blake, Hewitt made comments construed as racist.

On Sunday, Hewitt kept his emotions in check and his game in line. In the fourth game of the second set alone, he whipped four winning two-fisted backhand returns. On one, Sampras watched the ball zip by, threw his head back and rolled his eyes.

The next game, one of Hewitt's serves was misjudged by Sampras, the ball ricocheting off his racket frame and into the seats.

Another telltale exchange came a few points later.

Hewitt, on his heels, flicked a desperation lob from the corner. Sampras, at the net, turned his back and walked toward the baseline while the ball fluttered down a few feet away.

Sampras simply conceded the point.

Back to Archives - 2001 | News

Sampras Slammed by young Aussie
by: Bud Collins

September 9, 2001

Even after slaying a parade of former champions, Pete Sampras knew his toughest match would come in the championship round. What he didn't expect was a encore of last year's nightmare, when his hungry, young foe, playing in his first Grand Slam final, would come up with the match of his life to win the U.S. Open.

Exactly 365 days after Marat Safin turned Sampras' expected coronation into the living legend's worst loss in a major tournament final, Australia's Lleyton Hewitt did further damage to Sampras' aura and psyche. With a sensational display of serve defense, shotmaking and outright hustle, the No. 4 seed stunned the four-time Open champion, 7-6 (4), 6-1, 6-1, force-feeding Sampras his second humbling, straight-set defeat in as many years.

In becoming the third Australian to capture the men's singles crown in five years, following shortly after Patrick Rafter's 1997 and 1998 titles, Hewitt becomes the latest in an illustrious line of Aussie champions. Looks like the old Aussie Mafia is back in business.

After his numbing defeat, Sampras termed his loss even more of a disappointment than last year's 6-4, 6-3, 6-3 pounding, when Safin blitzed the 30-year-old American from every angle. In that match Sampras said he was "overpowered." On Sunday, he said he was "outplayed." And considering that he won two less games in this final than the 10 total games he won against Safin, I couldn't agree more.

Sampras simply had no chance. Hewitt did everything right, chasing down nearly every ball with rabbit-quick strides and returning serve with remarkable efficiency. While it's hard to imagine, Sampras, whose titleless streak now extends to 18 tournaments dating back to 2000 Wimbledon, was probably lucky not to have been beaten even worse.

In winning the first career major title, the 20-year-old Hewitt had an answer for every Sampras tactic. Worse for the seven-time Open finalist, Hewitt delivered a prolific 1-2 punch: the low return and the passing shot.

He kept getting Sampras' power serves back, while only allowing himself to be aced 11 times. In breaking Sampras' serve six times -- three times in the final set -- Hewitt fashioned himself as a pedicurist, using service returns to paint Pete's toenails, time and time again. And when his legendary opponent rushed net, Hewitt passed him like an off-duty cabbie racing by a stranded fare.

Of the 98 times Sampras rushed net, he won exactly half those points. Compare that to his extraordinary quarterfinal win over Andre Agassi, when he won 70 percent of his net approaches. Against Safin in the semis, he won 67 percent of those points.

Hewitt, however, had Sampras' number. As the winner of a record 13 major titles correctly noted, Hewitt is not your grandfather's Aussie champion. He's not a serve-and-volleyer like his country's predecessors -- he's a serve-and-volley killer. He showed that, and more, against Sampras.

Coming into the match, I thought Hewitt, who lost to Sampras in last year's semifinal, was going to make it very close and maybe even win. But I never thought he could win the way he did, disarming Sampras' vaunted serve while committing a paltry 13 unforced errors, as compared to an uncharacteristic 38 for his veteran opponent. Hewitt wasted no time chipping away at Sampras' deadly serve, breaking him in the match's very first game to end Sampras' incredible streak of service games won at 87.

While Sampras mentioned that a very stiff wind running the length of the court affected his game at the outset, I think his undoing was more a function of being drained by his previous three matches against Rafter, Agassi and Safin. I also think Hewitt caught him at the optimum time, playing Sampras just one day after beating Safin.

Prior to that match, Sampras has 2 1/2 days to recover from his heavyweight bout with Agassi. But none of that should overshadow the fact that the kid was just plain hot.

Even with more rest, Sampras still may not have beat him. Hewitt, who was incredibly sharp, also had to play on Saturday. Sunday's result is partly the difference between how a 20-year-old and a 30-year-old bounces back on just one day's rest.

So with Hewitt leaving the court with the silver trophy, and Sampras with only more questions, we may be looking at a changing of the guards. Can Sampras, who has never won the Open in the five-year history of Arthur Ashe Stadium, ever break through again? We'll have to see. In the meantime, he's got roughly another 365 days to contemplate his newest designation as the U.S. Open's fall guy for rising stars.

Back to Archives - 2001 | News

Sad day for the world

September 9, 2001

Two years in succession Pete has lost to two first-time grand slam finalists. It is also the second time that he lost in straight sets in a Grand Slam final. Last year Marat Safin defeated him with 6-4, 6-3, 6-3. This year he is humbled by Lleyton Hewitt 7-6, 6-1, 6-1 in one hour, 54 minutes with a backhand crosscourt pass.

Hewitt put an end to Sampras' remarkable revival tournament and denied him the opportunity to stretch his record for Grand Slams to 14 and tie Hall of Famer Jimmy Connors' Open Era record of five U.S. Open titles.

Hewitt also became the youngest player to win the Open since a 19-year-old Sampras did it exactly 11 years ago. Hewitt's victory was his third in a row over Sampras, two on hard courts and another on grass.

Sampras had gone 87 consecutive games without having his serve broken but Hewitt broke him in the first game of the match and it proved to be an omen. Sampras managed to break right back and they went to a tiebreaker, but Hewitt once again proved to be the superior player.

With Sampras serving at 3-4, Hewitt fired a backhand passing shot up the line for a winner. Hewitt closed it out when Sampras put a volley into the net.

Hewitt dominated the second set, breaking Sampras on two of his three service games and winning in just 34 minutes. He hit 15 winners against one unforced error while Sampras had 12 and 11.

In the third set, Hewitt continued to dominate as he fired two great passing shots to break Sampras in the opening game. He applied the crusher by breaking again for a 4-1 lead and the end came on another break, Hewitt's sixth of the match.

Despite his historic achievements, Sampras began the U.S. Open two weeks ago as a long shot. He had not won a tournament since the 2000 Wimbledon Championship, was losing to journeymen and his ranking slipped to 10th in the world.

His No. 10 seeding at the Open was his lowest since 1990, when he won his first Open after being seeded 12th. Many in the tennis world hinted that perhaps Sampras might do well to consider retirement.

But that all changed in one incredible second week, as Sampras defeated two-time champion Patrick Rafter, two-time champion Andre Agassi and defending champion Marat Safin, avenging last year's loss in the final.

Hewitt advanced to his first Grand Slam final by annihilating seventh seed Yevgeny Kafelnikov of Russia, 6-1, 6-2, 6-1, in 63 minutes. It was the worst semifinal beating in U.S. Open history.

Hewitt is the third Australian player to win the U.S. Open in the last five years. Rafter won in 1997 and 1998, defeating fellow Aussie Mark Philippoussis for the 1998 title. Hewitt is also the first player since Agassi in 1989-1990 to lose in the semifinals and come back the following year to reach the final.

It was Sampras' fourth Grand Slam final loss. He also was beaten by Stefan Edberg in the 1992 U.S. Open and by Agassi in the 1995 Australian Open.

Back to Archives - 2001 | News

The end of the Sampras reign?
Sampras is one of the finest players of all-time
Source: BBC sports Online

September 9, 2001

Pete Sampras looked a shadow of the tennis player who had won 13 Grand Slam titles when he lost to Lleyton Hewitt in the US Open final.

Sunday, 9 September may have been the date that saw a legend compete in his final Grand Slam.

American Pete Sampras, winner of 13 Grand Slam titles, was defeated in embarrassing fashion by young pretender Lleyton Hewitt in the final of the 2001 US Open.

The scoreline only told half the story.

Sampras looked desperate and distraught in front of a shocked Flushing Meadows crowd. It was not the Pete Sampras people were used to seeing during the fortnight of action and during his imperious 13-year career. But the Sampras slide down from greatness began at last year's US Open final when young Russian hotshot Marat Safin blew away the ageing American gunslinger.

Safin's destruction of the man who had dominated the game for 10 years seemed to suggest that the new generation's time had come. Sampras, despite his own protestations to the contrary, seemed to be yesterday's man.

The past 12 months have done little to dispel the illusion. He has have failed to win a tournament since that crushing three-set defeat on a remarkable evening in New York 364 days ago. And he also lost to 19-year-old Swiss Roger Federer at this year's Wimbledon, where between 1993 and 2000, Richard Krajicek was the only other man to win the title. But Sampras has already claimed his place, quite possibly at the top of men's tennis' hall of fame.

But Sampras - the youngest winner of the US Open mens' title in history - is not yesterday's man just yet. When Sampras won his seventh Wimbledon title in 2000, he passed Roy Emerson's total of 12 Slams to become the most successful male tennis player in history. He has also won four US Open titles and two Australian Open titles. The only blot on his career record is never having won the French Open on the clay at Roland Garros. He finished number one in the year-end rankings for six consecutive years, more than any other player in history. He has collected 63 career titles, the highest among players currently on the circuit and fourth on the all-time list, and won an astonishing US$43m career prize money. And, perhaps most pertinently, he has won at least one Grand Slam every year since 1993.

That he no longer has the all-consuming desire for the game he once had is beyond dispute.

Flogging around the world day in, day out to play tennis from Tashkent to Tokyo no longer holds the same appeal for Sampras. But when it comes to the Slams the competitive fires soon start burning, and when Sampras brings down the heat he can take on an opponent from any generation. It may perhaps be too early for the public to write off Sampras.

As mentioned above, Sampras was in scintillating form during the earlier rounds blowing away last year's champion Safin and Andre Agassi in consecutive rounds. The American has the skill and the guile, but whether he has the same mental approach and toughness when it comes to the final hurdle is questionable.

It is a question that no critic can answer, only Sampras.

 

Back to Archives - 2001 | News

US Open - Finals
Post-Match Interview

Pete Sampras loses to Lleyton Hewitt
7-6, 6-1, 6-1

September 9, 2001

Q. Were you concerned about something like this happening because of the one-day scheduling?

PETE SAMPRAS: One day, having an off day?

Q. Not having an off day.

PETE SAMPRAS: No, I felt fine. Physically, I was fresh and ready to go. I just ran into another hot player, just like last year. I mean, I tried everything to try to figure it out, and nothing seemed to work. He returned and passed as well as anyone I think I've ever played. But I felt fine.

Q. First set, you both seemed to be struggling to find rhythm and timing. How bad was the wind?

PETE SAMPRAS: It was bad. I mean, I was struggling quite a bit, especially with my serve. It was really blowing pretty good there. You know, it was a struggle. It was a struggle to kind of keep the ball in. But I was really struggling with my serve, because it was that windy. Really it was kind of hard to really get a rhythm out there. You know, he handled it a lot better than I did.

Q. Is this one any more disappointing than last year?

PETE SAMPRAS: This is probably more so because I worked so hard to get here, got through some tough matches and played some great tennis. You know, last year I just got overpowered in a way. Today I just got outplayed. It's disappointing because, like I said, I worked hard to get to the final. It's just tough to kind of put into words right now how I feel, just getting off the court. I'm sure as time goes by, I'll reflect and feel good about what I did here. But only one name gets on that trophy, and it's not mine. So that's the harsh reality of it.

Q. You've given him a lot of credit, but do you feel you were nearly as sharp?

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, the reason I wasn't quite that sharp is because of the way he was returning, the way he was passing. You know, every time I made a second serve, he made me play. I was hitting low volleys. It's hard to do that three sets, let alone I just -- the harder I served, the more I put into it, the better he returned. He's got the best return in the game, the best wheels in the game. He possesses now a much better serve. He's a great player. You'll see him contending here for the next ten years.

Q. You can't sort of shake this off as you had a bad day; he kind of did that to you. Is that more of a concern to you?

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, well, last year I really couldn't do anything. This year, pretty much the same story. The reason I wasn't as sharp was because of the way he was playing. He made me work very hard on my service games. He was serving very well. He didn't miss. I mean, I don't know how many errors he hit, but it didn't seem like he missed very often. I thought I hit some good volleys today. He just was there in plenty of time picking off winners left and right. I just wish I could have given a better show for the people. It's disappointing.

Q. Early in the tournament you said a win would salvage your year. Obviously today is a disappointment. The road to get here was very difficult. Do you think to some degree you fulfilled what you wanted? Can you come away with some sense of satisfaction?

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, at this point I have mixed emotions. You're right, I mean, I got through some tough matches, beat some great players along the way. But to get to this point and not get the grand prize at the end is a little deflating. If that had any bearing on today's match, I don't really think so. He was just too good. I mean, I have to give him a lot of credit. He outplayed me. I can still walk out of here with my head up high that I got through some tough matches. But, again, it's also disappointing not to get ultimately, you know, what you want, and that's the title.

Q. How bad was it to lose the first game of the match?

PETE SAMPRAS: It wasn't a great start, especially 30-Love, second serve, hit a serve on the line. The umpire saw it on the line. He didn't overrule it because he couldn't. Too late. That wasn't a start I was looking for. You know, you wanted to set the tone, put some pressure on him. Just got a bad break there. You know, I was serving against the wind, which makes it tough to hold there. I broke him right back, but it wasn't the way I wanted to start off the match, getting down a break early.

Q. You were unable to impose your will on him today with your service game. You had to fall back in some long rallies with him. You weren't able to impose your will with your forehand groundstroke today either. If that had been on today, as it was against Marat and Andre, could we have had a different kind of match?

PETE SAMPRAS: We could have. Could have been a bit closer. But it's tough. You don't want to get in long, grueling rallies with Hewitt. That's his strength. You know, I don't want to get in many of those. I wanted to be aggressive. The times I was aggressive, he came up with some great shots.

But I felt fine. I felt fresh. I felt like I could go all night, if I had to. But he loves playing a target. He loves playing guys that come in a lot. He certainly had that today. He uses that quickness to his advantage, passed well, returned well. You know, I was trying to chip and charge a little bit. Wasn't really that effective. Seemed like everything I tried didn't seem to work.

Q. Given the guys that you beat to get to this point, did you feel coming in today that destiny was sitting on your shoulder a little bit?

PETE SAMPRAS: I was hoping a little bit of destiny might have come through for me here. But you have to go out there and compete and win the match. It was a tough road, but a good road, and a disappointing finish.

Q. Have you played anyone who covers the court as fast as Lleyton Hewitt?

PETE SAMPRAS: You know, I put he and Chang in the same league. Those are the two quickest guys I've played. But Lleyton I think possesses, you know, a bit better game.

Q. The first set was difficult. When did you feel that there was a moment in the match where you were getting into dangerous territory?

PETE SAMPRAS: When I lost my serve at 2-1. I had some game points. He broke me at 3-1. That just kind of -- the momentum just kind of went his way, then he broke me again. That was a big turning point. If I could have held on there, maybe make it a little bit closer in the second, maybe he would have played differently, maybe he would have missed a few. That was a bit of a turning point at that 2-1 game.

Q. Is he a better returner than Andre at this point?

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah.

Q. Why?

PETE SAMPRAS: Because he's quicker. Maybe doesn't have quite the power, but he doesn't miss. You know, he's very tough to ace. He's got the hands and the feet, it's phenomenal. Really pretty impressive stuff.

Q. How do you learn to beat Hewitt? You learned how to beat Marat after the US Open last year.

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, like Marat, I came in this year a little bit fresher, and he wasn't quite as on. Lleyton, I don't know what I would do differently. I would certainly try to figure that out. Maybe mix up my serves a little bit more, maybe not give him the same pace, same speeds. But when you're in a competition, you do what's comfortable. I always feel like my power's going to come through. The more power I had, the better he returned. It's something you could try, but maybe not as windy a day, I could serve a touch better. It's really hard to say what I would have done differently.

Q. Did he force you to play even more risky with your volleys because he was running down every ball?

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, he forces you into a lot of errors. I mean, that's how he wins a lot of his matches. Because he is so quick, you feel like you have to, you know, hit a great volley or hit something on the line. It throws you into a lot of errors from the back court and at net.

Q. Can you talk about the tiebreaker.

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, it was good I got back at 3-All. Overrule at 3-All, which was bad timing. Ball was out, but it's still a pretty gutsy call to overrule it at 3-All in the breaker. Hit a great pass at 4-3. Missed a forehand on the top of the tape, missed a pretty easy volley. Just struggling with the wind there at that point. The ball was kind of going on that one side. It was a big point of the match.

Q. Roger Federer, 19 years old at Wimbledon. Lleyton, 20 years old. Andy Roddick is 19 years old. So many other young players out there with so much talent. Does it leave you thinking how difficult it's going to be to win another Slam with all these young players?

PETE SAMPRAS: It's always difficult winning Slams. I've been fortunate to have won as many as I have. I think I've proven this week that I can still win Slams. There's no question in my mind. There's always going to be younger, you know, stronger, quicker players in all sports. As you get older, it gets more difficult. But, you know, my game is still there. Unfortunately, I just ran into two players, one in Safin last year, and Hewitt this year, that played about as well as, you know, they played throughout the whole tournament. They just saved it for me.

Q. Your backhand volley seemed to be your bread and butter throughout the tournament. Today particularly difficult. You mentioned the wind. Was that primarily the problem on the backhand volley?

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah, the wind didn't help. But I just -- he forces you into some errors. You feel like if you don't hit it quite firm enough or deep enough, he's going to have an easy pass. Bit of both: a bit of the wind and a bit of his speed.

Q. The one men's match from this tournament that people will be talking about for years is the match that you won. How much do you think beating Andre ultimately will help ease the sting of this?

PETE SAMPRAS: Well, at this point, just getting off the court, as soon as the Andre match was over, I had to put it away. I had to get ready for Safin. But it is a match that people will talk about in tennis forever. It was great to be a part of it. It would have been a bit sweeter for me if I had won the title, having won that match. It was a great moment for tennis, a great moment for me. At this point, I'm not thinking about it. I'm thinking about just getting beaten today, having to deal with that.

Q. The year is over for all practical purposes. Do you look forward to a 2002 challenge of showing that a mature player like yourself can still beat some of these kids?

PETE SAMPRAS: Yeah. That's a challenge for me. I feel like I answered that these last couple weeks. You know, these next couple weeks, couple months, is a time to reflect a little bit on the future. Looking forward to next year. You know, continue to do the work that you have to do. You realize guys are getting better, younger, faster. You just have to match that. But I look forward to coming back for many years.

Q. Will what's happened today make you reflect at all on where and when you play the rest of this year?

PETE SAMPRAS: I don't know what I'm doing. It's a wait-and-see schedule.

Q. How impressed are you by Lleyton's focus? A lot of distractions, big match with Roddick.

PETE SAMPRAS: He's a very strong, mentally tough guy. He really had to deal with some off-court stuff, which doesn't help when you're trying to win a Slam. That seemed to settle down. He just got back to business. He's a fighter. That's how he wins his matches. He competes well. He is a great player. He just put everything aside and focused on what he had to do out there. But he should be, you know, feeling pretty good about the way he's competed and the way he played today.

Q. Yesterday there was a lot of hype about the women's prime time final. Do you think it's a pity that the men are not treated equally?

PETE SAMPRAS: I think we're treated pretty well. I wouldn't mind having a Friday semi and a Sunday final.

Q. When you look across, you know you're in trouble, late in the match, you see Lleyton there, the way he's playing out of his mind, same with Safin, do you ever think back to '90 and think, "I was there once"? Anything like that go through your head?

PETE SAMPRAS: No, not really. I mean, at that point I'm just trying to hang on, trying to do whatever I can to get back in the match. But it's a great feeling. I felt it a few times over the years. When you're a young guy in your first Slam final, you know, you can just kind of go and play. Sometimes you play great. And he played great today. But I never really reflected during the match.

Q. What is the feeling like when you hit a solid serve, he returns you a solid volley into the corner, and you look up and he's there camped out ready to hit a passing shot down the line?

PETE SAMPRAS: What do you do? If he hits a winner, it's too good. You know, you played a solid point, you couldn't do anything more. You've just kind of got to tip your hat and say, "That's too good." It seemed to happen a lot today. Not much you can do. For strategy, I don't know what I -- I mean, I didn't want to stay back, I had to come in. I just went right into what he loves to do. He loves a target.

FastScripts (by ASAP Sports)

 

Back to Archives - 2001 | News