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PETE, ANDRE GO HOME SHOCKED

Big American stars bounced in second round leaving title up for grabs

By Sandra Harwitt
tennisreporters.net

FROM WIMBLEDON – Pete Sampras said, “This is a shock to me.”

Andre Agassi said, “I’m a little stunned.”

And the hallowed grounds of the All England Club seemingly quaked in disbelief as two of its former champions and greatest players in the game made early second round exits on Wednesday afternoon.

First there was the 31-year-old Sampras, a seven-time champion here, playing out on Graveyard Court No. 2 who was shocked by unheralded lucky loser George Bastl of Switzerland 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4.

Then almost before anyone could recover, the 32-year-old Andre Agassi, the 1992 titlist, was stunned in surprisingly quick order by Thai Paradorn Srichaphan 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) 6-2.

Is this a sign that the thirty-something competitors are on their last legs? Is it a sign that the competition is getting tougher and tougher as the hours tick by?

The answer is probably a little bit of both, but neither player seems daunted by the roadblocks ahead. Visibly disappointed by losing before being here long enough to even send out their laundry, both Sampras and Agassi claim they have every intention of being present at Wimbledon for the 2003 go around.
Of course, John McEnroe and Boris Becker – two former Wimbledon champions – took the occasion to weigh in on whether Sampras and Agassi should make a return engagement. Both were in agreement that Sampras nor Agassi came to the court with their games ready for the task at hand on Wednesday. But after that they had some disagreement as to where that leaves the American stars.

McEnroe expects to see Sampras back regardless if his game is in shape or not, saying, “I’d be very surprised if he doesn’t come back a couple of times. He’s not going to go out like that, like he did today.”

Becker – who retired in 1997 a three-time Wimbledon champion only to return for one more shot at the Centre Court in 1999 – seems to feel Sampras might need to be more realistic about where his game is. Becker said, ‘I know he’d like to stay around a little longer and it was a tough loss today, but this is just a part of life. There are no happy endings.”

Boris also pointed out the obvious in that to stick around Sampras is going to have to work even harder than he has been and wonders if he can still find that type of dedication on a consistent basis.

BECKER COUNTS SAMPRAS OUT
“I think Pete has to face the fact that he hasn’t won a tournament in over two years and his best go was here on the grass,” Becker said “In order to come back here or stay in the game, he’s going to have to change things in his game dramatically. I don’t know if he’s going to want to work that hard. I think the U.S Open will be very telling for him. If he goes there and reaches the semifinals, finals, then will see him back here. If not, I’m not so sure.”

As for Andre Agassi, McEnroe says, “He’s still the guy in tennis. He’s the biggest personality in the game and a major credit to the sport.”

And Becker is betting that between the two, we’ll be watching Agassi hit fuzzy yellow balls on the grass in 2003, saying, “I think we have a better chance to see Andre back than Pete. He’s definitely a top-five draw. I was really surprised to see him lose today and I’m sure he’ll be back.”

What this all bring to mind is the importance that both Sampras and Agassi has held in the game, where their presence in a tournament continues to guarantee good ticket sales for tournament directors. What it also brings to mind is that no matter what talent is out there in the new generation, replacing the star stature of Sampras and Agassi might be too big a demand on any of the up-and-comers out there, at least for the immediate future.

WHO'S LEFT?

The first example of this is right here at Wimbledon, where the loss of Sampras and Agassi will seriously affect the outcome of the tournament. Their names shined brightly in the bottom half of the draw along with 2000 U.S. Open champion Marat Safin, who also took his leave on Wednesday, going out to Belgian Olivier Rochus. Those three departures quickly led to debates as to who could come through the bottom half of the draw to reach the Wimbledon final.

Will two-time Grand Slam champion Yevgeny Kafelnikov keep his “A” game going for the entire two weeks? Will young American talents Andy Roddick or Taylor Dent ride the road to glory? Will former champion Richard Krajicek come back after a year-and-a-half on the sidelines to enjoy another Centre Court success? Will Mark Philippoussis, the guy they call “Scud” because of his supersonic serve prove his knee injury is healed enough to win? Or maybe, Bastl, Srichaphan, or Rochus will continue to steal the show?

Whatever the case, this Wimbledon is looking to have the most far-fetched men’s draw since 1996 when Krajicek defeated MaliVai Washington in straight sets for the title.