Sampras head of class for tennis Hall
NEWPORT, R.I. – Despite 14 Grand Slam titles, it’s a loss in the 1992 U.S. Open final that sticks with Pete Sampras.
“That’s always the first match that comes to my mind,” said Sampras, who recalled the turning point in his career Saturday before his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame along with Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario, Sven Davidson and photographer Russ Adams.
After splitting the first two sets in the 1992 U.S. Open final, Sampras led 5-4 in the third against 2004 Hall of Famer Stefan Edberg before he double faulted on the first and last points of the game, eventually losing the set in a tiebreaker.
Sampras said he gave up in the fourth set and ended up losing 6-2.
“It changed my whole mentality, when I kind of gave up in that fourth set,” he recalled during a morning press conference. “I just promised myself I would never let that happen again. I knew exactly what I wanted. I wanted to stay No. 1. That 1992 loss to Edberg was the wake-up call that I needed to really figure this thing out.”
He did that, becoming the career leader with 14 Grand Slam singles titles that included seven Wimbledons, five U.S. Opens and two Australian Opens. Sampras was No. 1 in the world for a record 286 weeks, 102 straight from April 15, 1996, to March 30, 1998.
“My goal was to finish the year No. 1,” Sampras said. “When each January started, it was, ‘What do I need to do to be No. 1?’ “
Sampras, who turns 36 next month, was known for his powerful serve and overhead smash. He captured his first U.S. Open at 19, the youngest man to win that title. He won his last major at the U.S. Open in 2002, joining Ken Rosewall as the only players in history to win Grand Slam events in their teens, 20s and 30s.
Sanchez-Vicario, a member of Spain’s five Fed Cup winning teams, won three Grand Slam singles titles, including the French Open in 1989, when as a 17-year-old she upset 2004 Hall of Famer Steffi Graf – a match she recalled as her greatest moment.
Her 18-year career included 14 Grand Slam titles: four singles, six doubles and four mixed doubles. She was the first Spanish woman to capture the U.S. Open in 1994 to go along with her three French Open titles (1989, ‘94 and ‘98).
The 79-year-old Davidson was the first Swede to win a Grand Slam event, winning at Roland Garros in 1957 after losing in the French final in 1955 and ‘56.
“If I prepared myself for a tournament or a match, then I went out to fight,” he said.
Adams, who turns 77 on July 30, was a face behind the lens, capturing pictures of tennis for 50 years.
His favorite moment?
“My next photograph,” he said.