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Unmatched Sampras undoubtedly the century's best
Posted: Wednesday December 01, 1999 05:01 PM
Awards are being scattered around like confetti. It's always the case this time of year. But we have a whole new plethora of honors being bandied about as 1999 draws to a close. There are all the usual player, sportsman, sportswoman, athlete and sports personality of the year awards across a multitude of sports and countries. But we also have the small matter of the end of the century and the millenium and all the awards that simply have to be handed out to mark such momentous occasions. A good time, then, to be crowned World Champion and give would-be voters a timely nudge. Otherwise they might just get caught up in the past, which always has a rose-tinted glow for some -- those who prefer the halycon days of yesteryear to the more garish glory of the present. A good time indeed for Pete Sampras to remind everyone of his enormous ability and achievements and perhaps edge legendary Rod Laver in the poll for the male tennis player of the century. Sampras made it five world titles in 10 years with his straight sets victory over Andre Agassi in the ATP World Championship final in Germany. The latest triumph was all the more remarkable as it came in his first full comeback tournament after a three-month absence through injury. He now has 61 career titles, 12 of them Grand Slams. Laver's career is remembered with great reverence, and deservedly so. Many believe he was the best ever to play the game. But for his enforced absence from the Grand Slam tournaments when he turned professional ahead of the open era, he would undoubtedly have won more majors than any other player. He is only one behind the record of 12 as it is -- and yet he was in the professional wilderness for several years at the prime of his life. Sampras shares that record of all-time male single "slams" with another golden oldie Roy Emerson. He should break the record before his career is done. Had Laver not missed dozens of Grand Slam tournaments in the sixties, Sampras wouldn't even be close to setting a new record. That considered, Australian great Laver would seem a fair enough bet for male tennis player of the century. But consider the eras the respective champions played in and the picture changes considerably.
In Laver's time he had a handful of splendid rivals. But in the early rounds of any event it was a cakewalk for the gifted Aussie. There were some intense rivalries at the very top of the sport, with Emerson, Ken Rosewall, Tony Roche, Manuel Santana, Arthur Ashe and John Newcombe all among the Grand Slam singles winners from the mid to late sixties. But the strong depth in the men's game simply wasn't there. The top 10 were super-powerful. The next batch were good. The rest barely registered a blip on the radar screen. Now it's conceivable that any player from the top 100 in the men's game can beat any elite player on any given day. It happens all-too frequently, which is why we so often hear the cry: "There are no great rivalries in men's tennis anymore." Even in the days of Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl, the cream would rise to the top more often than not. We had rivalries aplenty then because the lower ranked players were on most occasions unable to halt the march of the titans in the early rounds. But technology has changed tennis almost beyond recognition. Wooden rackets are relics. Watching old tapes of Borg and McEnroe is oh so tame up against Sampras and Andre Aggasi's slugfests. Which all makes Sampras' achievements in the last decade worthy of the player of the century nod. McEnroe and Boris Becker, no less, have Sampras on top of their lists. They appreciate that the sport is at a faster and more ferocious level than ever before. To dominate the decade the way Sampras has is phenomenal in their eyes. For a record six straight seasons the American finished as the year-end No. 1. He has spent more weeks at No. 1 than any other player in the history of the ranking system. He is the only player to appear in all the ATP World Championships in the nineties and reached the semis on all but one occasion. Throw in a couple of Davis Cup crowns to add to his Grand Slam triumphs and the Sampras resume is truly bountiful. I trust the male tennis player of the century award will be served in his direction. Phil Jones is a co-host of "World Sport," the international sports show that airs live on CNN/Sports Illustrated and CNN International.
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