Legends of US Open: Pete Sampras

Pete Sampras – A legend hailing from the US Open

The colourful attires, the fast paced tennis, the glowing night matches and so many other things make US Open the most glamorous Grand Slam, or at least viewed so in the eyes of many.

But from the player’s perspective, it should be counted as the most grueling tournament – simply because when they do step into the year’s final Grand Slam – they get drained out almost completely, consequent to the rigorous eight months’ schedule. This, probably, is one of the reasons why we do not often find lengthy winning streaks in Flushing Meadows.

Roger Federer, a pure genius that he is, has been the lone exception. He went on to win five consecutive US Open titles from 2004 to 2008 and therefore, remains the only man to do so in the open era.

There were also other players who managed pocketing five titles in the past, but none in such succession. If you consider the ATP circuit alone, there were only two other players who had won five titles in New York and both of them were Americans – Jimmy Connors and Pete Sampras.

While Connors was the only man to have won this Grand Slam on three different surfaces, Federer was the only man to have captured the crown for five successive years. However, though Sampras’s accomplishments at this venue do not carry any special reverence as the other two, it was here that the genius of the great man first came to light. But, we hardly remember that, do we?

The dominance of the Greek American at All England Club was so mind-blowing that we tend to ignore his staggering performances in Flushing Meadows. Through this article, let us relive some of the glorious moments that the 14 time Grand Slam champion has had during his outings at Glamour Slam.

1990 – The maiden Grand Slam

Sampras’s romantic affair with Wimbledon started in the year 1993 and continued till 2000, notwithstanding a brief hiccup which he had in 1996. But it was here in New York that he won his maiden Grand Slam title – and that too as a 19-year old – thereby becoming the youngest male player ever to have achieved this feat.

The shades of his class were very much on display during the fortnight, as he dismissed some big names like Ivan Lendl and John McEnroe on his way to the final. It was no ordinary feat for the American, considering the level of experience that he had to compete against. His victory against Lendl was particularly impressive, as he nailed the veteran in a topsy-turvy five setter with a tight score line of 6-4, 7-6, 3-6, 4-6, 6-2.

1993 – The step towards greatness

Pete Sampras with his second US Open trophy

For some reason or the other, the young American was unable to reproduce his sheer brilliance in the couple of years which followed up, until Wimbledon 1993. After winning an epic four setter in the final against his compatriot Jim Courier at All England Club, he was the clear favourite to win the US Open that year.

Ranked No.1 player in the world, he was expected to romp home quite easily. Unlike in 1990, the veterans like Edberg, Becker and Lendl were looking at the fag end of their career and so Sampras, being the best among the younger generation, had little problems in dismissing his opponents en route to the final.

Dropping only a couple of sets throughout the tournament, he stormed into the final before dismissing the 15th seed Cedric Pioline in straight sets. The victory also gave him his second Grand Slam title of the year.

1995 – Reclaiming the lost crown

Hardly a few tennis fans around the world would have known Jaime Yzaga, a Peruvian tennis player, up until he faced Pete Sampras in the fourth round of 1994 US Open. In a rollicking five setter, the 27th ranked player shocked the defending champion in one of the biggest upsets in the history of US Open.

So, when Sampras stepped on to the court the following year, he was in desperate need of reclaiming the lost image. That inclination was very much visible as he avenged his previous year’s defeat by demolishing the man from Peru in the second round.

After giving the Peruvian the pounding of his life time, he toppled three fellow Americans (Todd Martin, Jim Courier and Andre Agassi in the final) to reclaim his US Open crown, which was his also seventh Grand Slam singles title. Vanquishing Courier and Agassi was by no mean an ordinary achievement.

1996 – A Victory amidst adversity

It was a pretty ordinary year for Sampras up to this point. He lost his long time coach to brain cancer and was also routed in the quarter-final of Wimbledon by the eventual champion, Richard Krajicek. The misery followed him to New York as he was hit by flu by the time he reached the quarter-final.

However, Sampras completed the match in style, though it took him five sets to prevail over his opponent, Alex Corretja. There was no looking back for the great man, who then went on to win his fourth US Open title after ousting Ivanisevic and Michael Chang in the semi-final and final respectively. When it looked as though he would end the year without a major, he stepped in and made amends by winning the eight Grand Slam of his career.

2002 – Last Grand Slam major

It was the year in which he was totally written off. Particularly after his second round loss to George Basti in Wimbledon, no one hoped that he had another major left in him.

However, just like the adage goes, “when the going gets tough, the tough gets going”, the American upped his ante to give a final shot at a Grand Slam major.

Stream-rolling past the youngsters like Tommy Haas and Andy Roddick on the way, he reached the final when no one expected him to be there. Just as it all started for him in 1990, he found his old rival and compatriot, Andre Agassi waiting on the other side of the court. A four setter was all what it took for him to claim his fifth US Open crown, which also happened to be his last Grand Slam victory.

Sampras may not have won a career Grand Slam for himself but the fact remains that he had been the most dominant person during his era. Particularly in US open, which was his second favourite major – at least going by his records – he had played many incredible matches which can never be obliterated from the hearts of tennis aficionados.