Men’s Final Shapes Up As Classic Mismatch Despite Fatigue, Sampras Ranks As Huge Favorite At Wimbledon

Pete Sampras is sore and tired, owing to a compressed schedule that took away the rest days built into the second week.

However, Sampras could be terribly ill and limping around the court and he still would be the overwhelming favorite to win his fourth Wimbledon title today against Cedric Pioline of France.

No disrespect to Pioline, who volleyed superbly against former champion Michael Stich in Friday’s semifinal. But even with his athleticism and grace at net, he is likely to be blown away by Sampras, who has been serving to near perfection. Pioline is known to possess an excellent return of serve, but he’ll have to be especially sharp to overcome Sampras.

Sampras is 36-2 at Wimbledon since reaching his first semifinal in 1992.

“Cedric maybe doesn’t serve quite as big, but he’s a great athlete,” Sampras said. “This is what it’s all about for me, the major tournaments. I have a chance Sunday to get another one. I’m very motivated and ready to play.”

Sampras said he was “bummed out” about not winning Wimbledon last year, but regrouped by the U.S. Open and won his only Grand Slam tournament of last season.

It was at Flushing Meadow that Sampras ran into Pioline in the U.S. Open final in 1993. It was a straight-set blowout for Sampras.

The unseeded Pioline says he’s a different player now, and better informed about big-match situations. Ranked No. 44, Pioline knows he has nothing to lose.

“My game is more mature; I am more mature,” Pioline said. “The U.S. Open was like. … It just happened so fast, I didn’t realize what I was doing. Now I know what I did to to reach the final.

“Two years ago, I played (Boris) Becker (at Wimbledon), and everybody was saying, ‘What is your feeling to play in the Becker garden?’ I knew what was going on. It’s what you make of it in your head. I’ll play my match and try to do my best, and if I win, I’ll be twice as happy that I’m here. If I lose this match, I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll have no regrets.”

Sampras holds a 7-0 head-to-head advantage against Pioline, who is the first Frenchman to reach the Wimbledon final since Yvon Petra won the title in 1946.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: Today on TV The Wimbledon Championships will be on NBC at 6 a.m.