Are Sampras and Chang going uphill or over it
April 9, 2002
The week started with a short trip to Tarzana, and ended with a longer journey to Westside Tennis Club here.
One event was a modest $50,000 Challenger, the other a Davis Cup quarterfinal against Spain. What was a routine checkup of the Greatest (tennis) Generation, featuring Michael Chang and Pete Sampras, turned depressing, and as for the diagnosis, well, these two results tell the story:
In the Challenger, Chang lost in a third-set tiebreaker Tuesday to a qualifier who was playing for the University of Virginia at this time last year. Chang double-faulted on match point.
At Davis Cup, Sampras lost Friday to Spanish clay-courter Alex Corretja, on grass, after winning the first two sets. And how does Corretja like grass? Well, this was his 10th match on the surface, and he hasn't even bothered to play Wimbledon the last three years.
Of the two, Chang's mishap was the lesser surprise because he has not won on the ATP Tour since October, dropping eight consecutive matches. But this was where the struggling Sampras was supposed to regain some swagger, a renewed sense of self. Instead, the loss raised more questions than answers.
It was a stunning development, especially internationally. And it didn't take long for some of Sampras' colleagues to start sniping at the suddenly ultra-vulnerable 13-time Grand Slam champion.
"I think Pete should think of quitting," Yevgeny Kafelnikov said from Moscow during Russia's 3-1 victory against Sweden. "His loss should tell him something, and I think it's a disrespect to himself to keep playing."
Sampras did not play in the final singles match Sunday, which was rendered meaningless after Andy Roddick secured the quarterfinal against Alberto Martin. Roddick was more than happy to defend his Davis Cup teammate after he was told of Kafelnikov's comments.
"It's quite a statement from a guy who hasn't beaten him the last three or four times," Roddick said.
Said U.S. Davis Cup captain Patrick McEnroe: "You see who the messenger is in that situation, and [Kafelnikov] pops off way too much. And to make comments like that about Sampras is absurd and disrespectful."
The next Sampras-Kafelnikov match should be interesting, no matter the surface or city.
Wimbledon had been considered Sampras' best opportunity to win another Grand Slam event. What this loss did was let others on the circuit know they have a much better chance against him on grass, hurting his previous aura of near-invincibility. If he can't close out a match against Corretja ...
There's always the chance of a boomerang effect. Sampras responded to more muted criticism last year by coming on, quietly angered, to reach the U.S. Open final, defeating Pat Rafter, Andre Agassi and Marat Safin before losing to Lleyton Hewitt.
For Chang, the challenge is different but just as difficult. He is simply trying to stay in the top 100.
Tarzana was supposed to be the place to mend the psyche, rebuild some confidence and gather enough points to remain in the main draw of the French Open.
What once worked for Agassi--dropping down to the minors to regroup--backfired for Chang at Braemar Country Club in Tarzana. Brian Vahaly beat the top-seeded Chang, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (6), in the first round.
The former French Open champion, who turned 30 in February, is suffering from a crisis of confidence. Once ranked as high as No. 2 in the world in 1996, he is barely within the top 100, at No. 92 as of April 1.
"My confidence ... can't get any lower right now. It's at pit bottom right now," Chang said.
"That's just a fact. I know if I'm playing bad, and yet if I'm still confident, I'm still a different player. I may not hit the ball quite as sharp, but I'm able to get through these types of matches."
Vahaly, ranked No. 196, reached the NCAA final last year, and the athletic baseliner won a challenger last month in New Zealand.
His friends told him not to "get his butt kicked" by Chang.
"I saw Michael Chang [in the draw] and I had my bags packed," Vahaly said.
When Chang will finally pack his bags and move on has been a growing subject of speculation.
"I think it's too hard," Chang said. "I've always said I'd like to play for at least a couple more years. I don't know if that's going to be shorter or longer. If the day comes where I don't feel like working out, both on and off the court, then I know my time has come.
"At this point, I'm not there yet."
Chang made his career by winning the French Open in 1989. In fact, Chang has taken a title more recently than Sampras, winning the tournament at UCLA in 2000. Chang and Sampras have won a combined 97 titles on the tour.
What neither 30-year-old wants to do is leave prematurely. Sampras looked ready to go after a Spanish reporter who asked after his loss to Corretja whether he could be near the end.
Considering the class and caliber of champion, Sampras and Chang should be allowed to leave on their own terms.
Sampras, through USTA spokesperson Randy Walker, declined to comment on Kafelnikov's withering critique on Sunday.
But Chang's final, telling words on a chilly afternoon in Tarzana could easily speak for Sampras.
"It's important for me. Once I walk away I don't ever want to look
back and say, 'I wish I had given more effort at the end,'" Chang said.
"It's important to walk away saying, 'I gave it my all. I did my best.'"
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