It’s Open and Shut for Sampras’ Career

Pete Sampras’ virtual retirement has turned, as expected, into the real thing.

The winner of a record 14 Grand Slam singles titles will be making that announcement in a special ceremony Monday night at the U.S. Open.

The decision, spelled out in a four-paragraph release Thursday by his IMG representatives, without comment from Sampras, was made almost a year after what was arguably his greatest triumph, winning the 2002 U.S. Open against his biggest rival, Andre Agassi. Sampras had gone more than two years without winning a title.

In choosing New York as the most appropriate venue for his goodbye party, Sampras is completing a circle of sorts. He scored his first major triumph in the Open in 1990 when he was 19. There will be a video presentation, and the entire Sampras family is expected to attend.

The announcement surprised almost no one. When Sampras pulled out of Wimbledon in June, the seven-time champion said there was a 95% chance he was done. The Times had reported Tuesday that Sampras could be returning to New York for his farewell.

In his 15-year career, Sampras won 64 titles and 762 matches. He passed Roy Emerson’s old Slam record of 12 at Wimbledon in 2000, despite being hobbled by an injured shin. The only major title to elude Sampras was the French Open.

“Rod Laver was my idol,” John McEnroe said in a conference call Thursday. “But Pete’s right up there with Rod as the greatest player that ever played the modern game of tennis. I didn’t see Don Budge, other than a few tapes. To me, he’s right there with the greatest player that ever lived.

“To be able to do what he did, to break Emerson’s record at 13, winning his seventh Wimbledon, and not win a tournament for a couple of years, and then pull off winning the Open last year to go to No. 14, it’s hard to imagine you could go any higher than that.”

Sampras, who turned 32 on Aug. 12, stayed at No. 1 for a record 286 weeks, and finished in the top spot at the end of the season for six consecutive years, from 1993 to 1998.

“Everybody goes through peaks and valleys,” Andy Roddick said in another conference call. “Pete’s the only guy I’ve ever seen to win everything for six years.... He was just one of the most graceful players of all time, one of the most quietly competitive people of all time.”

Roddick lost to Sampras in the Open quarterfinals last year, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.

“When I think of him, I think of him as one of the best pressure players of all time,” Roddick said. “It seemed like the bigger the match, the better he played. He did it all on his own time. He didn’t really make a big fuss about things. He just made his name by winning.”

Said the USTA’s Arlen Kantarian in New York, “In addition to being a great champion, he is one of the classiest athletes, and the ceremony will reflect that. It’s terrific. He won his first Slam here. He won his last Slam here. The youngest ever to win the U.S. Open, and hopefully he feels his best fans are here.”

Fans of Sampras, however, could still see him playing in another high-profile, nationally televised setting, albeit on the exhibition level. Plans are being made for Agassi and Sampras to play doubles against McEnroe and Jimmy Connors in Las Vegas, possibly on Dec. 27. Chances of such a match coming off are “pretty good,” Agassi’s agent, Perry Rogers, said.

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Pete Sampras will officially retire from tennis on Monday at the U.S. Open. A look at some of his accomplishments:

Most men’s Grand Slam singles titles:

PETE SAMPRAS... 14

Roy Emerson ...12

Rod Laver... 11

Bjorn Borg ...11

Bill Tilden... 10

Most men’s career singles titles:

Jimmy Connors ...109

Ivan Lendl ...94

John McEnroe ...77

PETE SAMPRAS ...64

Bjorn Borg and Guillermo Vilas ...62

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Sampras tied Willie Renshaw with seven Wimbledon singles titles. A look at his year-by-year record at Wimbledon:

*--* Round Result Score 1989 First Round lost to Todd Woodbridge 7-5, 7-6, 5-7, 6-3 1990 First Round lost to Christo van Rensburg 7-6, 7-5, 7-6 1991 Second Round lost to Derrick Rostagno 6-4, 3-6, 7-6, 6-4 1992 Semifinals lost to Goran Ivanisevic 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 1993 CHAMPIONSHIP def. Jim Courier 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3 1994 CHAMPIONSHIP def. Goran Ivanisevic 7-6, 7-6, 6-0 1995 CHAMPIONSHIP def. Boris Becker 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2 1996 QUARTERFINALS lost to Richard Krajicek 7-5, 7-6, 6-4 1997 CHAMPIONSHIP def. Cedric Pioline 6-4, 6-2, 6-4 1998 CHAMPIONSHIP def. Goran Ivanisevic 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 1999 CHAMPIONSHIP def. Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 7-5 2000 CHAMPIONSHIP def. Patrick Rafter 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2 2001 Fourth Round lost to Roger Federer 7-6, 5-7, 6-4, 6-7, 7-5 2002 Second Round lost to George Bastl 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4

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Matches: 63-7, .900; Sets: 196-49, .800; Games: 1,436-1011, .587