Sampras the slam king again

TENNIS: The five-time US champion now has to decide whether to go out on a high, or to chase one last Wimbledon title, writes Stephen Bierley.

Before winning this year's US Open, an achievement as remarkable as anything in his long career, Pete Sampras had signalled that he intended playing for another year. Now he faces a dilemma. Should he quit, having proved everybody wrong by winning his 14th slam after more than two barren years, or should he push on in order perhaps to gain an eighth Wimbledon title and erase the ugly memories of this year's second-round defeat?

Late on Sunday evening, with the lights of Manhattan twinkling in the distance, he returned to the centre court of the Arthur Ashe Stadium where a few hours earlier he had thrown his arms around his greatest rival, Andre Agassi, having beaten him 6-3, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 for a victory Sampras described as the one that would "take the cake".

Dressed in his baggy shorts and flip-flops, he taped yet another televison interview, this time for a morning show in his adopted home city of Los Angeles. Weariness still lined his face, but finally he was at ease with himself, the warm glow of success bathing his body once again after 26 months without kissing a tournament trophy, and this having won 63 between 1990 and Wimbledon 2000.

Before the start of the final his eyes had darted around the vast and steepling Arthur Ashe Stadium, in which he had never won the title before, as if he knew, win or lose, that this might be the last of the big time. His wife, Bridgette, expecting their first child, and his sister Stella gazed down, as did his long-time coach Paul Annacone who, following a brief but amicable split, had returned to his side after Wimbledon.

Sampras had won the first of his five US Open titles 12 years previously against Agassi at Flushing Meadows when they were 19 and 20 respectively. After this win the circle seemed complete.

Sampras knew it too, but after finally rediscovering something of his former glory - and for two sets he was imperious - the voices in his head were whispering again of further successes.

"I still want to play. I love to play," he said. "But to beat a rival like Andre at the US Open is a storybook ending. It might be nice to stop . . . but." A huge grin lit his face, and the laughter was immediate. "But I still want to compete. I'll see where I am in a couple of months, where my heart's at and my mind. Right now it's hard to talk. My head is spinning."

But pushed a little further, as is the way at such times, Sampras underlined that this victory had probably meant more to him than clinching his record 13th grand slam victory at Wimbledon two years ago.

"So much of what I was going through this year was mental, and I got down on myself extremely quick. To get through and believe in myself at a very tough time means a lot. More than anything, probably."

New Yorkers could empathise with him, and they could also feel sorry for Agassi, who has always been their favourite. They roared on his fightback in the third set as Sampras flagged, and strained to lift Agassi in the crucial fourth game of the fourth set which stretched to seven deuces before Sampras held his serve for 2-2.

"It was a massive game," said Sampras. "The momentum had switched in the third set, and I managed to squeak it out. It was a huge turning point."

This was the 34th meeting between the two Americans, and Sampras's 20th win.

"I've needed Andre over the course of my career, like John McEnroe needed Bjorn Borg. He pushed me. He forced me to add things to my game. He's the only guy who has been able to do that. He's the best I've played."

The rivalry cannot last for much longer, they both know that.

"It's hard to say what the future is going to hold for us," said Sampras. "Five years ago we were dominating. This could be it for us, but maybe next year we'll do it again."

It seems unlikely. Agassi's urge to continue may be greater; only time will tell.

"Pete has given a lot to the game, so I think he's getting his just support right now," said Agassi. "The difference is people thought I'd been at the end of my career for the last eight years."

If this was to be their last meeting at this level, then it was both a reflection of their relative merits and of their comparative standing: Sampras, the greatest server in the modern game; Agassi the greatest returner. Sampras has his record 14 slams, Agassi has the distinction of winning all four, including the French Open, which Sampras will never win.

But this was Sampras' finest hour, and should he decide to retire before the end of the year nobody, on this occasion, would be the least surprised. Which is not to say he will.