It’s Time for Becker to Say Goodbye Again

OK, enough already. Boris Becker retired from Wimbledon on Wednesday. Again.

But if anybody deserves a second farewell from Centre Court, it is Becker, a three-time Wimbledon champion and a seven-time finalist.

Becker, 31, was unable to challenge second-seeded Patrick Rafter, losing a fourth-round match, 6-3, 6-2, 6-3. Two years ago, on the same court, which Becker loves more than any, he had been similarly pummeled by Pete Sampras, then announced he was “99% sure” that he would never return to Wimbledon. Well, never mind that. Still feeling eager and having spent most of this last year getting in shape, Becker came back. Why?

“It’s hard to compare any other feeling than going onto Centre Court, being out there, having a chance to win Wimbledon,” he said. “It’s an experience where all the players will agree with me. It’s one of a kind.”

Surpassing his expectations, Becker said, he moved into the fourth round, upsetting German countryman, 15th-seeded Nicolas Kiefer, after saving three match points in the first round against undistinguished Scotsman Miles MacLagan. But Rafter, who was playing smoothly and staying uninvolved with the love affair the Centre Court crowd has with Becker, never was threatened by Becker’s formerly booming serve.

“I wish I would have given them a better match,” Becker said afterward. “I left my serve at home, I don’t know where. It was very unfortunate I was not able to give him, and the crowd, a better match. He outplayed me today and so it’s time for me to go.”

After Rafter and Becker bowed to the royalty, and the royals stood and clapped, Becker turned back and waved to the four corners of the court where, in 1985, he had first won Wimbledon and introduced the world to power tennis.

The new king, five-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras, was pushed off to Court 2 Wednesday, the court known as the Graveyard of Champions because so many seeded players lose there, but the top-seeded man was in fine form, beating Canadian Daniel Nestor, 6-3, 6-4, 6-2, while serving 20 aces.

Serving even more aces was Sampras’ quarterfinal opponent, seventh-seeded Mark Philippoussis. He took out one of Britain’s great hopes, Greg Rusedski, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4), 6-3, 6-1, with the help of 25 aces.

Luckily for the host country, sixth-seeded Tim Henman saved three match points in the fifth set and escaped Jim Courier with a 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, 6-7 (7-5), 9-7 victory in a 4-hour 30-minute match that had started Monday and was interrupted by rain for a day and a half. Also winning were eighth-seeded Todd Martin, who defeated three-time Wimbledon finalist Goran Ivanisevic, 7-6 (7-3), 6-3, 6-4, and 1997 finalist Cedric Pioline, who beat 13th-seeded Karol Kucera, 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3.

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Today’s Men’s Quarterfinal Matches

* Pete Sampras (1) vs. Mark Philippoussis (7), Australia

* Todd Martin (8) vs. Patrick Rafter (2), Australia

* Gustavo Kuerten (11), Brazil, vs. Andre Agassi (4)

* Cedric Pioline, France, vs. Tim Henman (6), Britain