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Wimbledon Notebook

Tough end for Graf at All England Club

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Posted: Sunday July 04, 1999 02:55 PM

Not only did Graf lose the title match, but she also pulled out of mixed doubles competition with John McEnroe. AP

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) -- It was a tough last two days at Wimbledon for Steffi Graf.

She squandered a chance of an eighth singles title by losing in straight sets to Lindsay Davenport in the final. Then she walked away from her favorite tournament, saying this would be her last Wimbledon.

But the toughest thing might have been telling playing partner John McEnroe she was pulling out of the mixed doubles, especially since they had reached the semifinals and stood a chance of winning the title.

"He was very calm but he wasn't so happy," said Graf, who withdrew Saturday with a slight thigh injury and didn't want to hamper her singles chances.

"You know I felt terrible. I mean, it was a very difficult decision for me and I had a lot of fun and then, when I talked to him, it wasn't easy.

"He said 'Come on, we could win this.' And I was trying to tell him it would be a little difficult for me."

McEnroe, who works here as a commentator for the American network NBC, was philosophical about missing mixed doubles.

"I felt like we were going to win it," McEnroe said. "To be so close. It shows you have to appreciate the moments you do get because they can slip away from you awful fast."

Andre and Brooke

Recently divorced from actress Brooke Shields, Andre Agassi admitted during his successful French Open triumph that he spoke to her pretty much every day.

So he was asked after his loss to Pete Sampras in Sunday's final whether he had seen her while they were both in London.

"Yes I've seen her," Agassi replied adding, as the media hoped to hear something noteworthy, "and she's on an airplane right now."

Reporters, following up their lack of success with that question, asked Agassi which was more satisfying for him -- being in love and married but not winning matches, or the opposite.

"I would really like an answer," said the questioner.

"I'm sure you'd love an answer," Agassi replied, rising from his chair and leaving the interview room.

Junior champions

Austria's Jurgen Melzer beat top-seeded Kristian Pless of Denmark 7-6 (9-7), 6-3 to win the boys' singles title.

Iroda Tulyaganova, the fourth seed from Uzbekistan, scored a 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 victory over seventh-seeded Russian Lina Krasnoroutskai to win the girls' singles.

Odds and ends

Pete Sampras served 17 aces in his triumph over Andre Agassi in the men's final. That put him on 108 for the championship and into second place, four fewer than his quarterfinal opponent Mark Philippoussis, who had to withdraw from their match with a knee injury.

Former Maine senator George Mitchell, chairman of the Northern Ireland Peace Committee, was in the Royal Box to see Sampras beat Agassi and Davenport beat Graf on an all-American Fourth of July. So was Juan Antonio Samaranch, president of the International Olympic Committee. Mitchell was the author of a report highly critical of the IOC for its role in the Salt Lake City bribery scandal.

 

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Sampras tops Agassi, captures sixth Wimbledon title Davenport downs Graf, wins first Wimbledon title Graf pulls out of mixed doubles with thigh strain Graf says she won’t play again at Wimbledon Agassi, Davenport rise to No. 1
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