NEW YORK, Aug 25: Pete Sampras may be a 13-times Grand Slam winner, but right now he is talking a better game than he is playing.
The 31-year-old American, who has endured a terrible season, is searching for the formula that made him the year-end world number one six times in a row.
After each early-round defeat by opponents he used to beat in his sleep, Sampras has trudged off court with the world apparently resting on his famous drooping shoulders.
For his loyal fans it has been tough viewing, and many in the game have suggested it’s time he hung up his Wilson racket for good.
His preparation for this year’s US Open, a title he has won four times and been runner-up for the last two years, has hardly been encouraging despite linking up with former coach Paul Annacone who was at his side for eight of his 13 Grand Slam titles.
Sampras was knocked out in the first round of the TD Waterhouse Cup this week by 20-year-old Frenchman Paul-Henri Mathieu, while his previous two tournaments resulted in defeats by Tommy Haas in the third round in Toronto and Wayne Arthurs in Cincinnati.
Sampras has not achieved so much in the sport without a survival instinct, however, and he still believes he can climb off the canvas for another, maybe final, highlight.
“You have to remember who I am and where I’m playing next week,” he said looking ahead to Flushing Meadows. “The US Open is where you shine, and that is where I hope to shine.
“My goal is to win another major and, hopefully, destiny will be on my side at the Open.
“I just need one close match to get through and all of a sudden things can explode, I know I can turn it around very quickly.”
There have been many theories as to Sampras’s descent to 17th in the world rankings. Marriage to his wife Bridgette Wilson and impending fatherhood are both popular, while many say Sampras lost the hunger after his emotional Wimbledon triumph against Pat Rafter in 2000 — since when he has not won a title.
The lowest point of his year, possibly his career, came at his beloved Wimbledon.
While defeat to unknown Swiss qualifier George Bastl was bad enough, the fact that the match was played on Wimbledon’s Court Two was an indication of how far the American’s stock had fallen after winning the tournament seven times in the nine previous years.
While he made the last two finals at the Open, Sampras is seeded only 17th this year and faces a tricky first round match against Spain’s Albert Portas.
“I’m not the man to beat like I once was — Lleyton Hewitt has taken that role. But I’m still one of the favourites,” he said at the TD Waterhouse Cup. “The days of me dominating and being number one are probably over.”
With all eyes on the likes of Hewitt, Marat Safin, Andy Roddick and his career-long rival Andre Agassi this year, Sampras finds himself in the unusual position of underdog, something he says he is beginning to enjoy.
“It’s not that they (the fans) cheered against me in the past, it was just different,” he said after losing in the French Open this year. “It’s been a good feeling. But it’s ironic how I’ve turned the corner in that way.”—Reuters