| | Associated Press
WIMBLEDON, England -- On the grandest stage in tennis, Pete
Sampras is the greatest men's champion ever. Beyond that, his
legacy remains open to debate.
With an emotional victory Sunday against Patrick Rafter, Sampras
earned his seventh Wimbledon title, making him the unchallenged
all-time grasscourt king. The title was his 13th in a Grand Slam
tournament, breaking the men's record he shared with Roy Emerson.
But a history of irregular participation in major tournaments
taints the significance of that record.
Before the open era began in 1968, only amateurs could play in
Grand Slam events, diluting the competition and costing such great
pros as Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and Lew Hoad many chances at major
titles.
Emerson's 12 Grand Slam championships stood as the record for 33
years, but few considered him the game's greatest player.
"No disrespect to Emmo at all, but a lot of his were generated
before the advent of open tennis," said Ted Schroeder, Wimbledon
champion in 1949. "You look at the field in which he competed and
the field they're competing in now, and there's not really any
comparison."
Laver -- who was Sampras' idol -- won nine Grand Slam titles even
though he didn't play any major tournaments for five years after
turning pro. Some former players say Laver might have won 20 Grand
Slam titles if he had remained an amateur.
"Pick your number," Schroeder said. "You take all the
criteria -- longevity, playing on grass and clay, amateur,
professional, his behavior, his appearance -- in all criteria,
Laver's the best player of all time."
Sampras, 28, has his supporters as the best ever. They include
Laver's contemporary and fellow Australian, Tony Roche, who is now
Rafter's coach.
"It's an unbelievable achievement to break Roy Emerson's
record," Roche said. "Sampras will go down as the greatest player
of all time."
He's clearly the best of his generation. Andre Agassi, 30, ranks
a distant second among active players with six major championships.
And Sampras may add several more titles to his total, because he
expects to play several more years.
But detractors point to the one glaring gap in his
accomplishments. Unlike such peers as Agassi, Jim Courier and
Michael Chang, he has never won the French Open. In fact, he's
never reached the final at Roland Garros, and this year he lost in
the first round.
Because he struggles on clay, Sampras has been unable to
complete a so-called career Grand Slam -- winning all four majors --
while Laver twice achieved the Grand Slam in a single year.
"For Pete to be the greatest of all time _ he probably is, but
to seal it, he'd have to win the French, I think," Rafter said.
"I think he knows that, as well."
"Obviously the French is the one that's missing," Sampras
admitted.
But at Wimbledon, no one can challenge Sampras' greatness.
Willie Renshaw also won seven titles in the 1880s wearing trousers
and wielding a wooden racket, but no one would argue that the
genteel sport he dominated has much in common with the game Sampras
plays.
"Pete is the greatest player ever at Wimbledon," three-time
champion John McEnroe said. "No one has ever come close to Pete."
And whatever the significance of Sampras' 13 Grand Slam titles,
it's a record that could last for generations.
"Time will tell if it'll be broken," Sampras said. "In the
modern game, it could be difficult. It's a lot of commitment, a lot
of good playing at big times. ...
"The next person might be 8 years old hitting at a park
somewhere around the world. You never know."
| |
ALSO SEE
Sampras tops Rafter, rain for historical title
Washington: Summing up Sampras' Slams
Second-set tiebreak collapse sinks Rafter
Sister act: Venus makes history by winning Wimbledon
July 9 notebook: Venus pulls strong TV ratings
|
