Arguably the best men's singles player of all time, Pete Sampras doesn't need a French Open title to validate his career. And it's a good thing, too, after Monday's first-round loss. But there is honor in his quest to win the one Grand Slam event missing from his resumé.

	"It just hasn't happened and it might not ever happen," Pete Sampras said of winning the only Grand Slam to elude him.

As his seven Wimbledon victories atest, Sampras' game favors the high-speed and low bounce of grass courts. The red clay of Roland Garros brings a slower, higher-bounce game and has been the proverbial thorn in Sampras' side throughout his career.

Sampras' best French Open finish came in 1996, when he reached the semifinals, and his last four attempts have ended in first- or second-round losses. He was seeded 12th this year, his lowest seeding since his 1989 debut.

This year, Sampras lost more than three of five sets to 69th-ranked Italian Andrea Gaudenzi. The normally cool-headed Sampras also lost his composure. Visibly rattled, Sampras had 93 unforced errors against Gaudenzi, whom he had beaten in their last three meetings. Uncharacteristic of Pete Sampras -- he beat himself.

But the loss wasn't due to lack of preparation. In addition to signing on with new coach -- clay-court specialist Jose Higueras -- Sampras played in a series of tune-up tournaments on clay. In early May, he was eliminated in the first round of the Masters Series events in Rome. Before that he showed promise at the U.S. Men's Clay Court Championships in Houston despite losing in the semifinals.

Sampras also arrived in Paris two weeks early and practiced nearly three hours per day.

But Sampras has struggled elsewhere, too, not just in Paris. Since breaking Roy Emerson's record for titles in majors (12) with his Wimbledon win nearly two years ago, Sampras hasn't won in 28 straight tournaments and has fallen practically off the tennis map.

	He is 30, and the younger talent is coming in waves. Sampras used to be able to surf these waves; now they are enveloping him.

Unlike longtime nemesis Andre Agassi, chances are Sampras, who held the No. 1 year-end ranking for six straight years, won't be reinventing himself. He is 30, and the younger talent is coming in waves. Sampras used to be able to surf these waves; now they are enveloping him.

While the odds are against a Sampras resurgence, knowing his tenacity, I wouldn't count him out. Sampras has too much talent and determination to not catch lightning in a bottle. There's enough savvy and experience there to still win a tournament. But Sampras may have to come to terms with the fact that he's not going to enter tournaments as the favorite -- we no longer wonder who he's going to meet in the finals as much as if he's going to make the finals.

At this point in his career, if Sampras logs another major it will perhaps be his greatest accomplishment. In all likelihood, that would be Wimbledon. Stay tuned. Look for Sampras in a few weeks as he heads to England. He's not done yet.