From Laettner to Sampras, destiny surrounds sports

Pete Sampras' (right) loss to Roger Federer in the fourth round of Wimbledon in 2001 may have signaled the passing of the torch. Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

It's been nearly two weeks, but the sports world is still buzzing over the Giants' last-minute victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Eli Manning's third-down conversion to David Tyree has become the latest play talked about around the water cooler. How did Manning get away from those massive Patriot linemen, pass the ball to a tightly covered Tyree, who then somehow leaped into the air, grabbed the football with his fingertips, and managed to come down with it, all while juggling it off his helmet? Was it just phenomenal athleticism or just luck? Or maybe, in that enclosed stadium on a rainy afternoon in Arizona, it was their destiny.

By definition, destiny is a predetermined course of events. As professional athletes, we tend to have an idea of what it takes to be the best. The perfect formula: the will to win combined with the refusal to lose. In sports, there is no substitute for hard work. But I would be lying if I said I didn't believe in that seven-letter word. A predetermined course of events. When a force greater than us intervenes, for that moment, it's out of our hands.

Throughout history, this theory could be argued on numerous occasions, examples in the tennis world as well as others. Some skeptics may be shaking their heads, but think about it -- a theory may not be too far off.

Was it destiny at the 2001 Wimbledon, when reigning champion Pete Sampras drew the talented Roger Federer in the fourth round? Sampras would lose in five sets, passing the torch to the young Swiss player, who would go on to win five straight Wimbledon titles beginning in 2003. Another example from that particular fortnight was when Mother Nature decided to pleasantly look down upon Goran Ivanisevic. Down two sets to one in the semifinals to Britain's Tim Henman, the rains came and the match would be suspended 48 hours. When play resumed, Henman had lost his momentum, and Goran would go on to win, as well as the prestigious title that had eluded him in three previous finals. Did Goran play perfect tennis for two weeks, or was it just his destiny to finally become a Wimbledon champion?

Was it destiny this year in Melbourne for Maria Sharapova? She was able to win the title and dedicate it her coach's mother, whom had passed away last year from cancer and whom Maria had grown close to.

Was it destiny in 1973, when 30,000-plus filled the Houston Astrodome to witness the single most significant event in women's sports? Billie Jean King defeated Bobby Riggs in the battle of the sexes, giving women a newfound respect in both the work place and the sports world. Billie Jean would go on to become one of the most influential women of our time. Still a skeptic?

Was it destiny when Christian Laettner hit a last second three-pointer to catapult the Duke Blue Devils to victory over Kentucky in the regional final of the 1992 NCAA tournament?

What about the famous "Miracle on Ice," when a U.S. hockey team -- a collection of collegiate players -- somehow knocked off a heavily favored Russian squad in the semifinals of the 1980 Winter Olympics? You tell me ...

Sometimes it could be as simple as the name we are given at birth. How could athletes with names such as Tiger, Picabo or Venus not be destined for something great, something extraordinary?

Don't get me wrong. In sports, there is no substitute for blood, sweat and tears. I'm a firm believer that you have to give everything if you want to achieve greatness. We live in a world where the attitude is you get what you give. Yet I believe that sometimes it's out of our control. At that given moment, the universe intervenes, the stars align, and the result is one for the history books. Just ask any Giants fan. I have a feeling they may tend to agree.

Five-time women's doubles Grand Slam winner Lisa Raymond writes for SI.com on alternate Fridays.