Gullikson Dies of Cancer

Tim Gullikson, who coached Pete Sampras to the No. 1 ranking after a playing career with his twin brother Tom, died Friday of brain cancer. He was 44.

Gullikson became ill at the 1995 Australian Open and had to return home, where he was diagnosed with cancer. Sampras, concerned about his ailing coach, wept during his comeback victory over Jim Courier in the quarterfinals and went on to reach the final, where he lost to Andre Agassi.

“Today, I lost a dear friend and a coach,” Sampras said from his home in Tampa, Fla. “But we all lost a special person. My prayers are with his wife Rosemary and his two children, Erik and Megan.”

The 1995 Australian Open was the last tournament Gullikson attended as Sampras’ coach.

Gullikson won four singles championships and 16 doubles titles during his playing career in the 1970s and ‘80s. Ten of his doubles victories were with Tom Gullikson, a record for brothers in the Open era. Tom is now captain of the U.S. Davis Cup team.

The Gullikson twins reached the doubles final at Wimbledon in 1983, where they lost to John McEnroe and Peter Fleming. Tim’s best Grand Slam showing in singles was at Wimbledon in 1979, when he beat McEnroe in the fourth round before losing in the quarterfinals.

After retiring as a player in 1986, Gullikson turned to coaching, where he worked with stars such as Martina Navratilova, Mary Joe Fernandez, Aaron Krickstein and Sampras.

Under Gullikson’s direction, Sampras finished with the No. 1 ranking three years in a row and won seven Grand Slam titles.

Gullikson, who played collegiate tennis at Northern Illinois, is survived by his wife, 13-year-old son Erik and 9-year-old daughter Megan. Other survivors are his mother, Joyce Gullikson Olson, brothers Tom and Gary, and a sister, SueEllen Levinger.

The wake will be held Monday from 1-9 p.m. at Hultgren Funeral Home in Wheaton, a suburb of Chicago. Services will be 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Wheaton.