Against Sampras, Pioline Might Need Merci Rule

Pete Sampras is sore and tired, owing to a compressed schedule that took away the rest days built into the second week.

However, Sampras could be terribly ill and limping around the court and he still would be the overwhelming favorite to win his fourth Wimbledon title today against Cedric Pioline of France.

No disrespect to Pioline, who volleyed superbly against former champion Michael Stich in Friday’s semifinal. But even with his athleticism and grace at net, he is likely to be blown away by Sampras, who has been serving to near perfection. Pioline is known to possess an excellent return of serve, but he’ll have to be especially sharp to overcome Sampras.

Sampras is 36-2 at Wimbledon since reaching his first semifinal in 1992.

“Cedric maybe doesn’t serve quite as big, but he’s a great athlete,” Sampras said. “This is what it’s all about for me, the major tournaments. I have a chance Sunday to get another one. I’m very motivated and ready to play.”

Sampras said he was “bummed out” about not winning Wimbledon last year, but regrouped by the U.S. Open and won his only Grand Slam tournament of last season.

It was at Flushing Meadow that Sampras ran into Pioline in the U.S. Open final in 1993. It was a straight-set blowout for Sampras.

The unseeded Pioline says he’s a different player now, and better informed about big-match situations. Ranked No. 44, Pioline knows he has nothing to lose.

“My game is more mature; I am more mature,” Pioline said. “The U.S. Open was like . . . it just happened so fast, I didn’t realize what I was doing. Now I know what I did to be in the final, to reach the final.”

“Two years ago, I played [Boris] Becker [at Wimbledon], and everybody was saying, ‘What is your feeling to play in the Becker garden?’ I knew what was going on,” Pioline said. “It’s what you make of it in your head. I’ll play my match and try to do my best, and if I win, I’ll be twice as happy that I’m here. If I lose this match, I’ll be disappointed, but I’ll have no regrets.”

Sampras holds a 7-0 head-to-head advantage against Pioline, who is the first Frenchman to reach the Wimbledon final since Yvon Petra won the title in 1946.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Wimbledon Men’s Final

PETE SAMPRAS (Seeded No. 1)

* Background: 25 . . . Right-handed. . . . Born in Washington, D.C. . . . Lives in Tampa, Fla.

* Grand Slam facts: Reached fourth Wimbledon final this year by losing serve only twice in six matches . . . Won Wimbledon titles from 1993-95 . . . Has won nine Grand Slam titles--1994 and 1997 Australian Open and 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996 U.S. Open . . . In 1990, became the youngest U.S. Open champion at 19 years 28 days . . . Ranks fifth on all-time list of Grand Slam singles champions with nine titles, behind Roy Emerson with 12, Bjorn Borg and Rod Laver with 11 and Bill Tilden with 10.

* There’s more: Ranked No. 1 in the world . . . Has ended every year since 1993 ranked No. 1 . . . Became the 11th player to take over No. 1 ranking when he first attained position April 12, 1993 . . . 7-0 record over final opponent Cedric Pioline, having lost only three sets to the Frenchman . . . Has won 47 career singles titles . . . Has won three titles this year--Australian Open, San Jose and Philadelphia . . . Chosen ATP Tour player of the year in 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996 . . . His longtime coach, Tim Gullikson, died of brain cancer in 1996 . . . Donates $100 for each ace he serves in 1997 as a part of his “Aces For Charity” program, with a percentage of the money going to the Tim and Tom Gullikson Foundation, of which he is a board member.

* Coach: Paul Annacone.

CEDRIC PIOLINE

* Background: 28 . . . Right-handed . . . Born in Neuilly-Sur-Seine, France . . . Lives in Paris.

* Grand Slam facts: Unseeded at this year’s Wimbledon . . . Reached final by losing only three sets in five matches . . . Received a walkover in second round because opponent Javier Frana had an ear infection . . . Previous best performances at Wimbledon were quarterfinal appearances in 1993 and 1995 . . . The first Frenchman since Yvon Petra won the Wimbledon title in 1946 to reach the Wimbledon final . . . A finalist at the 1993 U.S. Open, where he lost to Sampras in straight sets.

* There’s more: Ranked No. 44 in the world . . . Has won two career titles--at Prague in 1997 and at Copenhagen in 1996.

* Coach: Pierre Cherret.

HEAD-TO-HEAD (Sampras leads Pioline, 7-0)

* 1996: Wimbledon, grass, round of 16, Sampras, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2. * 1994: World Team Cup, clay, round robin, Sampras, 6-3, 7-6. * 1993: Antwerp, carpet, semifinal, Sampras, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1.; Lyon, carpet, final, Sampras, 7-6, 1-6, 7-5; U.S. Open, hard, final, Sampras, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3. * 1992: Lyon, carpet, final, Sampras, 6-4, 6-2. * 1990: Wembley, carpet, round of 32, Sampras, 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.