Would Pete Sampras have won 1999 Wimbledon if Philippoussis hadn't retired injured whilst up a set?

[marc45]

I know he would have won '99 U.S. Open if he hadn't injured his back

 

[NedStark]

Agreed. Against Ivanisevic or Krajicek, he knew he could go long spells without getting a look in on their serve, and that one bad service game could easily cost him the set and put him in trouble.

While against Agassi, it was the same match-up as you set out at the US Open, with the outcome pretty much on his racket, as phenomenal a player as Agassi was. He seemed very calm during the periods in those matches when Agassi was outplaying him, confident that they were nothing more than standard ebbs and flows and that he’d come out on top in the end. His amazing ability to get over bad points (I think I’d still rate him as the best I’ve ever seen in that department), was in sharp contrast to that of Agassi’s long term coach Gilbert, who both during his own playing career and then during his coaching career, would analyse every shot and especially every mistake to death.

The one time I’d be inclined to bet against Sampras in a hypothetical Wimbledon final during his dominant stretch, would be if he played Krajicek in 1998. That is considering the facts that his overall level had clearly declined that year compared to his high standard throughout much of the previous 5 years, Krajicek had already convincingly beaten him at there 2 years earlier, had won their last 2 and 4 out of their last 5 matches (though without a crystal ball to know that he’d also win their next 2 matches as well), had won their last 4 tiebreaks, his return including backhand return seemed better than most at biting into Sampras’s serve etc.

This is the reason why Wimbledon 1998 was clearly the harder job for Pete than Wimbledon 1999 (certainly from Pete’s POV), even though 1999 was a stronger year overall.

 

[Mustard]

I know he would have won '99 U.S. Open if he hadn't injured his back

But he wouldn't have met Bridgette Wilson if that had been the case.

 

[bigbadboaz]

Story goes he asked his agent buddy to get him a date with her after watching some awful comedy she was in. That kind of meeting can happen on any timeline..

 

[Mustard]

Story goes he asked his agent buddy to get him a date with her after watching some awful comedy she was in. That kind of meeting can happen on any timeline..

But Sampras wouldn't have been at the cinema that day had he been playing in the 1999 US Open.

 

[bigbadboaz]

Is that right? I'd envisioned them chilling in front of his big-screen TV when I heard the story, not that I know all the details.

 

[Mustard]

As I recall, it was at a cinema in Los Angeles in September 1999. Pete Sampras was there with a hotshot Hollywood agent, and they saw Bridgette Wilson in one of her films (I think it was "Love Stinks"). Afterwards, while he and the agent were talking, Sampras said half-jokingly that if the agent really wanted to prove how much power he had in Hollywood, then please get me (Sampras) a date with that Bridgette Wilson. A few days later, Bridgette called him up. Their first 1-2 dates were a bit awkward, but then it quickly got serious.

Sampras still officially resided in Florida at the time, but moved back to California for the first time since about 1992-1993. If Sampras had been playing at the 1999 US Open, then he would have been doing different things.

I also think, once Pete and Bridgette got together, Sampras slowly started having different priorities. In other words, it wasn't tennis, tennis, tennis anymore like it had previously been with him. It didn't happen overnight, as his 2000 was still a very good year, but there were other things in his life that he really cared about, and I think it explains much of his 2001 and 2002 struggles on the tennis court, and perhaps why he retired when he did as well. Bridgette was pregnant with their first child when Sampras won the 2002 US Open (who was born on 21 November 2002), and Sampras had been planning to take the rest of 2002 off and come back in the new year. Sampras kept entering and then pulling out of tournaments in the first half of 2003, and being a new father obviously means that your home life has become very different to before. He started training, with Paul Annacone, for 2003 Wimbledon around late April-early May but gave up after a few weeks as he wasn't feeling it. When he decided not to play at the 2003 US Open, he decided to retire.

 

[vive le beau jeu !]

I think the 1999 final is a little overrated but that stretch from BP's down in the first to 2-0 in the secondary he was nearly unplayable.

i think sampras played better in the masters final at the end of the year... there was this kinda relaxed god-mode vibe in the air!
(and those overheads, phew...)
what a revenge after their RR match......

 

[BorgTheGOAT]

i think sampras played better in the masters final at the end of the year... there was this kinda relaxed god-mode vibe in the air!
(and those overheads, phew...)
what a revenge after their RR match......

Those slam dunk overheads were a piece of art. He also completely destroyed Agassi from the baseline. I for a long time agreed with your view that it was even a little better than the Wimbledon final the same year, but after looking at the stats I am not sure anymore whether I just wasn't blinded by the sheer dominance on display when watching it. Pete still hit 10 double faults and Andre played really bad. So now I think the two matches were maybe on par. Two other great matches from Pete were the Cinci 99 semi and the IW 95 final.

 

[NatF]

Those slam dunk overheads were a piece of art. He also completely destroyed Agassi from the baseline. I for a long time agreed with your view that it was even a little better than the Wimbledon final the same year, but after looking at the stats I am not sure anymore whether I just wasn't blinded by the sheer dominance on display when watching it. Pete still hit 10 double faults and Andre played really bad. So now I think the two matches were maybe on par. Two other great matches from Pete were the Cinci 99 semi and the IW 95 final.

I remember either the 1997 YEC final against Kafelnikov or the Grand Slam Cup final of the same year against Rafter were both standout performances as well.

 

[BorgTheGOAT]

I remember either the 1997 YEC final against Kafelnikov or the Grand Slam Cup final of the same year against Rafter were both standout performances as well.

Grand Slam Cup final and Davis Cup both against Rafter in 97 were also among the best performances of Pete. Destroyed Pat 6-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 in that DC. My favourite Pete matches in no particular order (94 YEC final Becker, 96 YEC final Becker, 97 GSC final Rafter, 95 Wimbledon final Becker, 97 DC Rafter, 95 USO finsl Agassi, 95 IW final Agassi, 99 Wimblefon final Agassi, 99 Cincinnatti semi Agassi, 99 YEC final Agassi.
Honorable mention: Courier AO semi 95, Corretja 96 USO. All GOAT performances.

 

[NatF]

Grand Slam Cup final and Davis Cup both against Rafter in 97 were also among the best performances of Pete. Destroyed Pat 6-7, 6-1, 6-1, 6-4 in that DC. My favourite Pete matches in no particular order (94 YEC final Becker, 96 YEC final Becker, 97 GSC final Rafter, 95 Wimbledon final Becker, 97 DC Rafter, 95 USO finsl Agassi, 95 IW final Agassi, 99 Wimblefon final Agassi, 99 Cincinnatti semi Agassi, 99 YEC final Agassi.
Honorable mention: Courier AO semi 95, Corretja 96 USO. All GOAT performances.

Thanks, those are the ones I was thinking of.

I'm guessing Borg is your all time favourite player? Pete second?

 

[BorgTheGOAT]

Thanks, those are the ones I was thinking of.

I'm guessing Borg is your all time favourite player? Pete second?

After Borg it is Pete, Becker and Rafter in no particular order. Also like some of the older guys like Laver or Kramer. Krajicek also one of my absolute favourites and as a kid Agassi. On the women's side Navratilova.