Scud's feat of clay sinks Sampras
``I believe I have the game to go all the way in a grand slam, and clay is a surface I feel comfortable on. I think I've shown now that I can play well for a long time now under a lot of pressure.'' Mark Philippoussis, Nice, December 1999.
Prophetic? Perhaps. Certainly, these words, spoken almost six months ago in the emotional hours after a nerveless defeat of Cedric Pioline on French clay clinched Australia's 27th Davis Cup, revealed far more than anything that followed yesterday's similarly passionless, but equally impressive, five-set defeat of Pete Sampras at Roland Garros.
The impassive display that stretched over three hours 39minutes before a pro-Sampras crowd continued in the interview room an hour later. It had been a poor claycourt season so far, Philippoussis said, counting just one win among his five previous matches. Tough draw, just happy to get through. Proud to beat Pete, but one win does not make a fortnight.
``I just stayed positive and came down here and did some good training,'' Philippoussis said. ``This is the French Open. This is big, so I just gave my all out there and just came through.''
The lid could scarcely have been clamped on any more firmly had his coach Gavin Hopper and father Nick nailed it in place themselves.
Philippoussis did admit, though, that he had learnt plenty from his Davis Cup experience; to play his own way and maintain his concentration, for strength of mind was what had been lacking in the lead-up events, most recently a first-round loss in StPoelten to the ageing Jeff Tarango.
``I've played some poor matches. The worst thing about it, my head hasn't been there,'' said the world No.25, whose best French Open result was a quarter-final in 1997 and who had recurring knee inflammation that kept him off the court for a month earlier in the year.
``Just sometimes I play a few too many tournaments in a row; not used to being away from home for a long stretch. You get a little mentally fatigued or just a little frustrated.''
There were few such signs against Sampras, whom Philippoussis had beaten at just three of 10 previous attempts. The last was a shattering withdrawal with an injured knee when leading by a set in last year's Wimbledon quarter-final, having considered the biggest title of all well within his grasp.
Philippoussis said he had given that match no thought over the past few days, but many others had.
This time, he was up to the task, both physically and mentally. A double fault cost Philippoussis the opening set on the first break point of a fiercely even match, but he recovered to take the second, watching Sampras cough up the decisive break in identical fashion in the 11th game.
Philippoussis then served out the set to love with the help of three crashing aces.
His first serve was brilliant, his backhand reliable, his forehand responsible for 13winners, his control mostly immaculate.
Intimidated by the great Sampras? Not during the third set tiebreak he won 7-4, highlighted by a brilliant running forehand. Not when service breaks were traded early in the fourth set and Sampras danced to his chair at the changeover, fists clenched, urging on the crowd. Not in the cut-throat fifth, which lasted 47minutes and ended with another shaky Sampras double fault, his eighth.
There must be something about French clay. This is not quite Nice, but it is still France. It is not a Davis Cup final, but a grand slam event. This is not for one's country, but for oneself. This is far from Sampras' best surface, but still a venue where he boasts a winning percentage of 68percent.
So what of the vanquished second seed, leaving Paris empty-handed yet again? Seemingly eager to escape, he quickly faced the media, his black LA Lakers cap in keeping with the solemnity of the occasion.
Head bowed, he took a few deep breaths, shook his head. No one had really expected him to win the French after so many failures, but nor was a first-round loss - just his second ever - easy to swallow.
Especially when he had played so well. Particularly because he felt able to execute his favorite serve-and-volley game on the fast and reasonably hospitable Roland Garros clay, and was broken only three times in five sets. Predictably, too, given that he knows he has only a few more French efforts still ahead of him and the degree of difficulty must be growing by the year.
Yet, for all that, he was quietly, although grimly, philosophical. The problem was the lack of impact he made on the Philippoussis serve, he thought. But at least he was in this match, unlike last year's comprehensive second-round loss to Andrei Medvedev, and he competed until the end.
It was a tough draw to start with, against the unseeded and dangerous Philippoussis, and a disadvantage to have to serve last, always catching up, in the fifth set. ``I'm sitting here very disappointed (with) what happened. Very close match. Could have gone either way. I feel like I had some chances but, Mark, I give him all the credit. He served huge, you know. You'd like to play someone that serves that big maybe later on in the tournament.''
And Philippoussis? No surprise at the mature, composed way he played out the match? Nope, none at all. ``Mark, he's been out here a number of years. He's played big matches. I felt he's a very experienced player. In the fifth set, it comes down to the nerves. He had the better nerve.''
Which left Sampras with the earlier flight home, returning yesterday to Los Angeles to regroup for a probable wildcard at Queen's Club, then a tilt at a seventh Wimbledon crown and, for the fourth consecutive grand slam, the search for a record-breaking 13th major title.
He refused to blame the clay, proclaiming it as fast as a hardcourt, just a little more slippery. And he declined to describe his Parisian quest as terminal, stating: ``Well, my career's not over yet.'' He continued: ``I know I'm OK (on clay). There's never been a question in my mind that I can't play well here. I played fine today.''
But that, surely, must make this defeat even more galling? ``It is very frustrating when you feel like you played pretty well, you competed for quite a while out there. It will be tough the next couple of days, but it's part of what we do as competitors. You're going to have tough moments. Certainly, the flight home will be long.
``In a perfect world, a perfect career, you'd like to win all the majors, do everything in the game. I have a very high bar, you know, that I've raised. It kind of would be disappointing if I did not win it, but, you know, life will go on. It's certainly nothing to be ashamed of, not winning here. I would certainly one day love to do it.''
Scud's Hair Do Too Much For Sampras Hoodoo