Stats for 1995 Wimbledon final (Sampras-Becker)

[krosero]

Sampras d. Becker 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4, 6-2

Sampras won 138 points overall, Becker 108.

SERVICE

Sampras won 82 of 106 points on serve: 52 of 57 on first (91%) and 30 of 49 on second (61%).

Becker won 84 of 140 points on serve: 58 of 73 on first (79%) and 26 of 67 on second (39%).


Sampras served at 54%, making 57 of 106 first serves.
Becker served at 52%, making 73 of 140 first serves.

Percentages by set:
Sampras - 55, 57, 54, 48.
Becker - 61, 46, 54, 41.


Sampras had 23 aces (three on 2nd serve), Becker 15.

By set:
Sampras - 4, 4, 8, 7
Becker - 5, 4, 5, 1

Sampras had 7 df's, Becker 15.


Sampras got his racquet on 35 serves that he didn't put back in play. 15 were second serves.

Becker got his racquet on 32 serves that he didn't put back in play. 12 were second serves.

I judged that Sampras had 9 service winners, Becker 6.


Sampras converted 5 of 16 break points. Becker didn’t earn any.

Becker made his first serve on 9 of 16 break points.


WINNERS

Sampras had 35 clean winners apart from serves: 8 FH, 16 BH, 6 FHV, 2 BHV, 3 OH.

Becker had 27 clean winners apart from serves: 6 FH, 5 BH, 11 FHV, 3 BHV, 2 OH.

By set:
Sampras - 9, 7, 8, 11
Becker - 10, 6, 5, 6

(In judgments calls I would have given each player one more winner, in each case a service return.)

Sampras made 12 clean return winners (9 BH’s), all passes. He had another 12 passing shots (7 BH’s).

Becker made 5 clean return winners (3 BH’s), all passes. He had another 4 passing shots (2 BH’s).

[krosero]

There are many contradictory stats for this match.

New York Daily News:

"I didn't have a chance to hit too many tennis balls out there," Becker said after winning only 24 points off Sampras' serve[,] seven on double faults.

Washington Times:

Becker won just 22 points off Sampras' serve, seven coming on double faults.

New York Times:

"I think I won just 20 points against his serve, and 7 of them came from double faults, so you can imagine how many chances I had to actually hit a few tennis balls out there," said the bearded Becker, who called Sampras a fearsome front-runner.

The Washington Post:

Sampras served 23 aces and never faced a break point in rallying to overwhelm the former three-time champion 6-7 (7-5), 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 in 2 hours, 28 minutes....

There were few rallies of longer than five shots - and none more than seven. It was similar to the brutal display of power tennis in Sampras' victory over Goran Ivanisevic in last year's final.

"People that know the game understand that this is grass-court tennis," Sampras said.

The third-seeded Becker was virtually helpless against Sampras' rocket deliveries. He won only 20 points on Sampras' serve, and seven of those were on double faults.

Taken to deuce only twice, Sampras won seven service games at love and took 91 percent of the points on his first serve. He hit his first serves at an average speed of 116 mph, with a top delivery of 129 mph.

"He hits those bombs and you hope for rain," Becker said.

The return of serve also was a key. Sampras got back 60 percent of his returns, while Becker was successful on only 44 percent.

While Becker never earned a break point, Sampras had 16 break points, converting five times. He had nine return winners and 10 passing winners.

By my count, Becker won 24 points on Sampras’ serve, including 7 double-faults; so the Daily News got that right.

The Post has some other numbers wrong: Sampras actually had 12 return winners and 12 other passing winners.

The other stats in the Post’s article are correct, though the wording is deceptive on one stat. Sampras didn’t get back 60% of “his returns”; he got back 60% of Becker’s good serves (including aces). Same deal with Becker.

Macon Telegraph:

With serves often topping 120 miles per hour Sampras was so overpowering that Becker never had a break point the entire contest, losing eight games at love.

He only lost 7 love games, all on Sampras’ serve.

International Herald Tribune:

Practically unfettered by now, Sampras won his first 16 points on serve to take the third set.

Rocky Mountain News:

He won 24 of 26 service points during one stretch, including his first 20 of the third set.

He actually won only his first 16.

Greensboro News and Record:

Sampras never lost his service, never faced break point and was taken to deuce only twice.

York Daily Record:

Sampras won all of his first-serve points in the second and third sets. And in the fourth set, he allowed only seven points on serve.

No problem with either of these sources.

A boxscore in The Independent (UK):

THE FINAL RECKONING
Sampras Becker
23 Aces 16
7 Double faults 15
54% First serves in 52%
86% Second serves in 78%
77% Service points won 60%
91% Points won on first serve 79%
61% Points won on second serve 39%
116 ave 129 max First serve (mph) 113 ave 123 max
95 ave 106 max Second serve (mph) 100 ave 113 max
56% Total points won 44%

I got exactly the same numbers except Becker’s aces (I have him at 15 because Pete got his racquet lightly on one of Becker's serves).

Atlanta Journal-Constitution:

Sampras had 23 aces and seven double faults. He won 55 points on unreturned serves.

This is also fine. By my count he had 23 aces and 32 other unreturned serves.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Chicago Tribune:

In a match of brutal power and efficiency, without a rally longer than seven strokes, Sampras hit 23 aces and 22 service winners to beat Becker.

This is interesting because I counted 32 serves that Becker reached but did not put back in play. Apparently somebody judged 22 of them as “service winners”.

Sports Illustrated:

Even more disheartening to Becker was that Sampras committed just seven unforced errors while striking 68 winners.

I have Sampras making 58 clean winners including aces. That leaves him getting 10 judgment calls, and that makes sense, because I judged that he made 9 service winners and one FH return that could be judged a winner.

So the statistician who gave Sampras 68 total winners (I think the number comes ultimately from NBC) was not the same one who (generously) gave him the 22 service winners reported in the Sentinel and the Tribune.

As for the 7 unforced errors, it looks like those were his 7 df's. During the ’95 U.S. Open final, Mary Carillo said that Sampras' only unforced errors during the Wimbledon final had been double-faults.

And every time I saw Sampras making an error, he was attempting a passing shot or a difficult volley. So zero unforced errors apart from service seems believable.


The BBC’s stats are all in line with my counts, except the approaches which I didn't count myself:

After two sets, Sampras was at 63% and Becker at 45% on “Return”. As in the Post, the term refers to how many good serves, including aces, were returned successfully.

At 3-1 in the fourth, Sampras had made 10 “return aces”, with Becker at 4. Pete then made another return winner, and a regular pass in a rally (his 12th such pass by my count); at that point he stood at 12 on “Passing”, with Boris at 3.

At 4-3 in the third, Sampras was 20 of 27 at net, Becker 28 of 49. I didn’t get my own net counts but I know that not including double-faults, aces and other unreturned serves, Sampras had served 27 points and lost 7 of them. However, I have Becker serving 58 such points and losing 29 of them.


The ATP again counted aces and double-faults twice. If the aces and df's are subtracted once, the Total Points Won line up with my count.

Incidentally, the ATP gave Becker 16 double-faults, one too many. And they gave him 17 aces, instead of the 16 in all the sources I’ve seen.

The only correct ATP stats: Pete’s aces and double-faults; and the break points.

[krosero]

On a personal note, this was one of my most disappointing moments as a tennis fan.

But today I appreciate how Sampras won this, and I even enjoy the tennis. Back then it was a widespread complaint that serve-and-volley was killing grasscourt tennis, but watching that style today I can't help but enjoy the aggression and the taking of risks.

[Moose Malloy]

As for the 7 unforced errors, it looks like those were his 7 df's. During the ’95 U.S. Open final, Mary Carillo said that Sampras' only unforced errors during the Wimbledon final had been double-faults.

And every time I saw Sampras making an error, he was attempting a passing shot or a difficult volley. So zero unforced errors apart from service seems believable.

Do you know if doubles are regularly counted as ue's today? anything from levin on this?

also, what were Becker's ue counts(from NBC or any other source)?

[380pistol]

Thanks for this. Sampras was credited from 68 winners and 7 unforced errors from NBC and SI, I to (like Moose) would like to know what Becker's counts were.

[krosero]

Originally Posted by Moose Malloy

Do you know if doubles are regularly counted as ue's today? anything from levin on this?

also, what were Becker's ue counts(from NBC or any other source)?

On the first question, all the evidence I have is in that post from the other thread: http://tt.tennis-warehouse.com/showp...2&postcount=25.

I couldn't find Becker's ue's (or winners) anywhere. Maybe NBC mentioned them but I've only got the BBC coverage.

[Moose Malloy]

I couldn't find Becker's ue's (or winners) anywhere. Maybe NBC mentioned them but I've only got the BBC coverage.

After Sampras hit a bh passing shot winner to get to 30 all in the 1st game of the 4th set, NBC flashed this graphic:

Passing shots
Sampras 22 winners, 0 unforced errors
Becker 4 winners, 1 unforced error

But today I appreciate how Sampras won this, and I even enjoy the tennis. Back then it was a widespread complaint that serve-and-volley was killing grasscourt tennis, but watching that style today I can't help but enjoy the aggression and the taking of risks.

What did you think of this match in comparison with the Goran-Sampras W finals? I think it was quite a bit more entertaining. Both Sampras & Becker had a lot more shots than Goran(& served less aces)

I think the peak of the 'power is ruining tennis' debate was after the '94 W final.

[krosero]

Originally Posted by Moose Malloy

What did you think of this match in comparison with the Goran-Sampras W finals? I think it was quite a bit more entertaining. Both Sampras & Becker had a lot more shots than Goran(& served less aces)

I think the peak of the 'power is ruining tennis' debate was after the '94 W final.

I do have awful memories of the tennis in the '94 final. But taking stats for the '98 final last year, I did enjoy it. One game I can't forget is when Goran hit 4 passing shots, out of five points, to break Sampras. He has more game than I had remembered from back then.

The '98 final is a bit of quirk because there were more groundstroke winners than volleys. When Pete and Goran played their SF in '95 there were fewer groundstrokes, and I have a feeling the same would be true of '94 if we got the stats for it (I would have a look at least, but I don't own a copy).

Sampras-Becker might have been more fun because Becker was serving more poorly, so he was always up there at net, struggling through long games. And that's entertaining, so in that way I agree with you.

But I'm enjoying all these matches now simply for the volleys. I always have been fascinated by great volleyers like Cash (and Becker was always a favorite), but maybe what I did not enjoy in the 90s was two serve-and-volleyers rushing the net and eliminating the possibility of long points.

But today I have more than my fill of long points -- particularly with the Tennis Channel providing it 24/7. Back then tennis on TV was a treat (and our own video libraries were thin), so if the Wimbledon final came on and you only got short points, you might complain about where the long points had gone.

Today, though, it's just a pleasure watching good volleyers. Two across the net from each other is just fine -- the more the better.

I guess it depends on what year you're watching the matches, and what you want to see.

[pc1]

Krosero, it's funny how things change. Yes I remember the complaints about too much serve and volley and how boring it was.

Now we have complaints about no serve and volleying at all and too much baseline play. I just hope we can have a healthy mixture of top serve and volleyers and baseliners in the future instead of the all baseline game we have today. It's more fun when you have contrast.

As far as Goran was concerned. I always thought he had a lot more going for him than just his serve but he was another one of those that never fulfilled his great talent.

A great baseliner against a great serve and volleyer often makes for great matches. I think some of the best matches I've seen were some of the Rafter-Agassi matches at Wimbledon.

Becker against Sampras was fun at times because when Becker was motivated, he often was fantastic. Becker at these times would exude a confidence level that made you think he was unbeatable. It was the way he walked and handled himself. It wouldn't affect Sampras but I got the impression it used to affect Ivan Lendl in big matches.

Great job with the scoring as usual.

[Lendl and Federer Fan]

I wish Tennis Channel replays some of those great power and S&V matches between Becker and Sampras.

[380pistol]

Originally Posted by Moose Malloy

After Sampras hit a bh passing shot winner to get to 30 all in the 1st game of the 4th set, NBC flashed this graphic:

Passing shots
Sampras 22 winners, 0 unforced errors
Becker 4 winners, 1 unforced error



What did you think of this match in comparison with the Goran-Sampras W finals? I think it was quite a bit more entertaining. Both Sampras & Becker had a lot more shots than Goran(& served less aces)

I think the peak of the 'power is ruining tennis' debate was after the '94 W final.

Thank you so much for this (those specific stats bolded from NBC). Krosero asked me about this, and I knew it was early in the 4th set but couldn't reacall which game.

[krosero]

Originally Posted by Moose Malloy

After Sampras hit a bh passing shot winner to get to 30 all in the 1st game of the 4th set, NBC flashed this graphic:

Passing shots
Sampras 22 winners, 0 unforced errors
Becker 4 winners, 1 unforced error

I don't understand these numbers (they don't agree with the BBC's stats, which are the same as mine). NBC has Becker hitting only 4 passing shots, but I have him at 3 passing shots and 3 more return passes.

You could exclude Becker's returns, and stick to passing shots in ordinary rallies. But Sampras had 9 return passes at that point, and only 9 passing shots in ordinary rallies. Even as a combined total of 18 passes, we're still short of NBC's 22.

BBC didn't have Sampras at 22 until a few games later; by my count he had 11 ordinary passes and 11 on returns.

I'm not planning on doing my own net stats, but those might help.

[Moose Malloy]

I'm not planning on doing my own net stats, but those might help.

Here are my net stats

Sampras 50-67
Becker 63-104

By my count, I have Becker at 7 unforced errors(6 were volleys) & Sampras at 0

[urban]

As far as i can remember the match, is was one of the most one-sided four setters, i have seen. Becker had some very hard, absorbing matches against Pioline and Agassi behind his back and had only benzin left for one set. The numbers show, that his first serve percentage decreased heavily after this first set, and with only 49% you have no chance in a Wimbledon final against a fine server as Sampras. Sampras played his returns cleverly and made Becker work hard on his (Becker's) own serve, he had to serve ca. 40 serves more than Sampras (almost a third of all serves more!). So always struggling to survive his own service games, Boris had nothing left in Sampras service games.

[Moose Malloy]

The numbers show, that his first serve percentage decreased heavily after this first set, and with only 49% you have no chance in a Wimbledon final against a fine server as Sampras.

Becker served at 52% for the match, not 49%.

He served at 49% vs Lendl in the '89 W SF & 46% vs Edberg in the final that year (which he won in straights)

And he served at 55% vs Lendl in the '89 USO F.

If that was what his typical serve % was in his prime, I don't see much of a difference in his numbers vs Sampras(who was only at 54% himself)

[urban]

52 % for the whole match, but not for the last 3 sets, when the percentage dipped under 50 % after 61% in the first set, which Becker won in the tie break. But the most significant number i mentioned is the number of overall serves, with Sampras 106 and Becker 140. If i count it right, this are 34 more service points, Becker had to serve, almost 9 service games more. This astonishing difference obviously drained Boris.

[Borgforever]

I think Urban hits the nail on the head here. Not to take anything away from Sampras victory but it was the worst major final perf by Boris I've seen. A spent force -- a bit like Nadal in Madrid...

That said Pete played splendid...

[380pistol]

Originally Posted by Borgforever

I think Urban hits the nail on the head here. Not to take anything away from Sampras victory but it was the worst major final perf by Boris I've seen. A spent force -- a bit like Nadal in Madrid...

That said Pete played splendid...

It's true Becker was gassed midway through the final, as he started fading, but Sampras also went 5 sets in the SF vs Ivanisevic.

[Borgforever]

Very true...

[krosero]

Here's a new boxscore, from an AP story.

Sampras Becker
1st Serve Percentage 54 52
Aces 23 16
Double faults 7 15
1st serve winning pct 91 79
2nd serve winning pct 61 39
Winners (including service) 88 68
Break point conversions 5-16 0-0
Net approaches 27-40 33-61
Total points won 138 108
Time of match 2:28

I have no idea how they got those winners. The same story credited Pete with 22 service winners, but I don’t know how that would get him to 88 total winners.