WIMBLEDON, England -- The most famous stadium in tennis was quiet as a cathedral, the stands empty, the scoreboards blank, the first match still days away.

Pete Sampras stood in the shadows and admired the setting. The Wimbledon king and his court share a special bond.

	Sampras feels comfortable on Centre Court, where he has won six singles titles.

"I just love the place," he said.

A visit to Centre Court is part of Sampras' annual ritual leading up to Wimbledon, and there's no reason to alter the routine. He has won his sport's most prestigious event six of the past seven years, and he opens the tournament Monday against Czech Jiri Vanek seeded No. 1 for the fifth straight year.

Wimbledon's lush lawn always seems to lift Sampras out of his perennial post-French Open funk. So it doesn't matter that he lost in the first round in Paris last month, or that he has won only one tournament this year, or that he has been stalled at a record-tying 12 Grand Slam titles since winning Wimbledon in 1999.

He's the consensus choice to win again, and he embraces the role.

"It's going to take someone who is playing very well to beat me," he said.

While Sampras has dominated the tournament on the men's side, four women have won Wimbledon in the past four years _ the first time that has happened since 1975-78. Contenders this year include defending champion Lindsay Davenport, top-seeded Martina Hingis, French Open champion Mary Pierce and the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena.

Sampras lists at least six rivals as potential champions: second-seeded Andre Agassi, big-serving Dutchman Richard Krajicek, Australians Mark Philippoussis and Lleyton Hewitt, and Britons Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski.

The group owns a combined two Wimbledon titles _ by Agassi in 1992, and by Krajicek in 1996. Sampras' six titles were the most won by any man in the 20th century, and he's 46-1 at the All England Club over the past seven years, with the only loss to Krajicek.

"Definitely he's the man to beat," Krajicek said. "When he gets on the grass, he's unbelievable."

Sampras' serve-and-volley game is ideally suited to the fast surface. But he also wins at Wimbledon because grasscourt matches often come down to just a few pivotal points, and Sampras is at his best under pressure.

He regards his most recent match at Wimbledon as probably the best he ever played anywhere, especially given the stakes and the caliber of opposition.

Agassi, in the middle of a torrid streak, lost to Sampras in straight sets in the 1999 final. That was Agassi's only defeat during a span of four Grand Slam tournaments that concluded with his Australian Open title in January.

A subsequent series of ailments _ most recently back spasms _ and dismal losses suggest Agassi might be mired in one of those protracted slumps that have plagued his career. He could be hard-pressed to earn a rematch against Sampras in the final, two weeks from now.

"It's tough staying on top," Sampras said. "But I don't see him going through any skid. I'm sure he'll be a threat."

While Agassi's health and confidence are in question, Sampras has declared himself fit and in a fine frame of mind. He recently became engaged to actress Bridgette Wilson, and as a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers and Tiger Woods - newly crowned as NBA and U.S. Open champions - he's feeling like a winner.

Sampras admits that Wimbledon is his best chance to break the record of 12 Grand Slam titles he shares with Roy Emerson. But he denies any sense of urgency, even though he's gone nearly a year without winning a major tournament.

	“	It's going to take someone who is playing very well to beat me. ”
		— Pete Sampras

"It's not like I feel any pressure. I look at it as an opportunity," he said. "Wimbledon is a place where I do well, but I'd love to do it anywhere. If it's not here, then maybe at the U.S. Open in a couple of months."

And if not this year, maybe next year. Sampras turns 29 in August _ old by tennis standards _ but says he plans to play another four or five years. That means four or five more chances to win Wimbledon.

It hasn't always been his favorite tournament. As a youngster, Sampras figured his game would adapt quickly to grass. But his first Grand Slam title came at 19 in the 1990 U.S. Open, while he won only one match in his first three years at Wimbledon.

"I always felt as a kid I would love playing on grass, and it actually ended up different," he said. "When I came over to Wimbledon as a teen-ager, I didn't like the surface. I couldn't return that well. I didn't like the bad bounces. I had a pessimistic attitude on grass."

His attitude changed in 1992, thanks to tutoring from his coach, the late Tim Gullikson. Sampras reached the quarterfinals that year, then won his first Wimbledon title in 1993, beating Jim Courier in the final.

That day, at 21, Sampras held the championship trophy for the first time, shook hands with royalty and basked in applause while the world watched. Centre Court has been his home turf ever since.