By Randy Walker
@TennisPublisher
When the talk of the greatest tennis layers of all-time comes up, fewer and fewer pundits throw out the name of Pete Sampras. From 2000 until 2009, Sampras sat atop the all-time list of men with the most number of major singles titles with 14. In 1996, Sampras came as close as he would to winning a “Career Grand Slam” – winning all four major singles titles in his career – when he had his deepest penetration at Roland Garros when he reached the semifinals.
Steve Flink discusses the Sampras run to the semifinals at the French Open in his book “Pete Sampras: Greatness Revisited” (for sale and download here https://a.co/d/0d3G5785).
The except that discusses this chapter in the career of Sampras, in the context of the 14 major singles titles that Sampras wins in his career and his covered meticulously by Flink, is found below.
He had secured four titles in the still young 1996 season and was riding high, but soon Tim Gullikson passed away in early May. Sampras was one of the pallbearers for his close friend and coach. It was a devastating juncture in his life.
Gullikson was only 44. Sampras had respected his highly-valued friend for much more than his coaching acumen. They had formed a friendship based on mutual respect, the same values, similar senses of humor and much common ground. And all through Gullikson’s battle with brain cancer, Sampras had been more than attentive, making certain to stay in regular contact and visit whenever possible.
As Tom Gullikson said, “Pete was great about coming to see Tim. They had such a good relationship. Pete would stop by and see him once in a while and show his support and his love of Tim. They talked on the phone a lot. And Tim had talked a lot with Paul Annacone about how to help Pete out. It was a tough time for everybody. Tim fought the battle the best he could fight it and then he passed away in May of 1996.”
The loss of Tim Gullikson left a sizable void in Sampras’s life and his spirits were severely dampened in the weeks that followed. Leading up to the French Open, Sampras was not in his prime playing condition. And yet, somehow, with only two matches in the World Team Cup as clay-court preparation, Sampras celebrated his finest French Open ever, toppling a pair of two-time champions in Courier and Sergi Bruguera, as well as Todd Martin, on his way to the semifinals. All three of those wins were recorded in five sets, Sampras rallied spectacularly from two sets down against Courier.
But, on an oppressive afternoon with the temperature soaring into the mid-90s, Sampras wilted in the heat and lost to Kafelnikov, bowing in straight sets against a player who only beat him twice in 13 career head-to-head meetings. Kafelnikov would win the title two days later over Michael Stich. If Sampras had found the energy and wherewithal to beat Kafelnikov, it might have been a golden opportunity to win at Roland Garros, but he was simply not in the best of shape after mourning over Gullikson. Facing Stich, it would have been an atypical clay-court match for both competitors, with predominantly short points. Sampras would have stood a very good chance of succeeding.
“I was with him in Tampa before the French Open,” said Annacone, “and he hadn’t even been practicing. How he got through all those five setters I don’t even know. But he just ran out of gas in the semifinals.”
“Pete Sampras: Greatness Revisited,” for sale and download here https://a.co/d/gxj3E0d via amazon.com reviews the career and legacy of Sampras, who when he announced his retirement in 2003 was the most accomplished men’s tennis player of all time with a record 14 major singles titles. The Sampras career and legacy, however, became quickly overshadowed with the emergence of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic, all of whom surpassed the Sampras mark in a span of just over 16 years. Flink’s book re-examines the Sampras era and reminds readers of his dominance and excellence, focusing primarily on each major singles victory.
