DAY ONE, Monday, June 25: Timmy Ali reacts as if he has just been told that he's won 10 million pounds in the National lottery. He stares at the ticket as if it was a winning lottery ticket. Then looks up and, still incredulous, says: "You mean these are for me? And two days?"
All that actually happens is that Timmy, owner-manager of the hotel in Central London which is your diarist's home for a few weeks each year during the Wimbledon championships, has been offered a pair of tickets to the championships.
The tickets, whose original owner is Ramesh Krishnan, the Indian Davis Cup captain, were meant to be delivered to Ramesh's friend in London. But the latter calls to say that he's not going to be able to utilise them and Ramesh is kind enough to let me offer it to my friends.
Once the reality sinks in, Timmy sets out to reorganise his work schedule for two days so that he will be able to watch the tennis.
Of course, Timmy's reaction is quite typical. For, Wimbledon tickets are harder to find than peace in the Balkans. And many fans retain one half of the tickets as souvenirs.
Balls are much sought after souvenirs too. Often players who win matches tend to hit one or two into the stands and there is a big melee to collect these balls.
Then again, this year, perhaps the organisers will politely tell the players not to hit balls into the stands. For, the All England Club is planning to donate used balls for a good cause, although a rather strange one.
The Club is planning to donate hundreds of used balls to the Wildlife Trust to set up housing estates for harvest mice in fields all over Britain. The balls will be turned into nest boxes for the tiny mice with a half inch hole cut into one side.
The Williams sisters, for their part, are not in the giving mood really. Last year, when Venus Williams won her maiden Grand Slam title here, it appeared that she and her sister Serena would be keen to get involved in the Lawn Tennis Association's programme to develop the game in the inner cities, involving under-privileged children.
But the negotiations between LTA and the sisters' Svengali of a father Richard broke down when the man demanded an astronomical sum for each his daughters to get involved in the programme.
"We are greatly disappointed that Venus and Serena, both of whom showed so much enthusiasm, could not be involved because of the prohibitive price put on their head. There is no way we can justify investing that much on celebrities," said an LTA spokesperson.
Queried on the issue, Venus said, "I never said I would come. I only said I would if I had the time."
Hey, who is she kidding? This wasn't about time. This was about money. The girls who rose from the ruins of an inner city to heights of sporting excellence and un-dreamt-of wealth now do not have "the time" to spend with minority kids.
For Martina Hingis, the time for introspection is now. The former world champion, who might very well end up losing her No.1 status after being dumped by little known Virginia Ruano Pascual 6-4, 6-2 in the first round this afternoon, has gone through 10 Grand Slams without a title.
It is obvious that Hingis, who was also beaten in the first round in 1999 by Jelena Dokic, is not at her best physically. She later says that she's been under treatment for tendonitis in her lower back.
But, what is certain too, is that she is not 100 per cent mentally either. Where was the iron will that helped her mow down opponents time after time a few years ago? Where was the pride and resilience that helped her overcome stronger, big hitting opponents?
"I just could not practice last week. I had acupuncture treatment for the back. But today I couldn't move as well as I wanted to," says Hingis after losing to a player ranked 83.
Could this be the end of the road for Hingis? It is inconceivable. She has 38 titles and more than $16 million in prize money. But she is only 20. And if the slide continues, the road back would be really steep for the young Swiss star.
Meanwhile, this is the warmest opening day of the championships in several years. Even players who end up winning easily, like Pete Sampras, find themselves changing shirts at least twice.
Match of the day: Chris Woodruff (USA) beat Jan-Michael Gambill-12 (USA) 6-4, 3-6, 6-7, 6-3, 6-2.
Quote of the day: "At the end of the year, I will have a long conversation with myself and see what me and me decide." - Goran Ivanisevic on his future in the game.
Day Two, Tuesday, June 26: People, people, people everywhere. This tournament is getting bigger and bigger. In the old days, as you left late in the evening, you'd see about a dozen tents on the pavements outside. But this year, on the first two days, there were well over 100 by 9 p.m.
Little wonder the AELTC announces today that the first day's attendance was an-all time record. A total of 41,320 had made their way in to watch the first day's matches, 1008 up on the record set on the first Thursday in 1999.
As much as they might enjoy themselves at the club, for all the entertainment, it's a pity none of these paying spectators ever get to sneak in for the post-match interviews. Some of them can be truly entertaining, to say the least.
Here are some samples:Andre Agassi is smiling, everything is going just fine as he talks about his match, his career. Then someone asks him this: "The BBC showed Steffi (Graf) watching you today. They pointed out she's wearing a gold band on her wedding finger. Any plans to marry?"
Agassi shakes his head, then shoots back: "Why don't you think of a question that is your business."
Persistence pay in tabloid journalism. So, the gent persists. "Your fans would be keen to know."
Agassi: "I am sure. I'll wait till they ask me."
Then, Andrei Medvedev, who loses to the Briton Jaime Delgado, is asked what the latter has to do to beat Agassi in the second round.
Medvedev is a simple man, and his answer is simple. "He has to win match point, that's for sure." Can't get simpler than that, really!
And what of Delgado himself? Someone refers to Bill Clinton's presence during Agassi's quarterfinal at Roland Garros against Sebastien Grosjean and how the American lost his way the moment the former American President walked in.
"Will Tony Blair's presence help at Wimbledon?" Delgado is asked.
"I don't think Tony Blair has the same impact. But give it a go by all means," says Delgado.
But the strangest exchange takes place at Nathalie Tauziat's press conference. This is how it goes:
Questioner: You stay in the same place here every year?
Tauziat: No, I change a lot.Questioner: Do you stay in a big place or in a small flat.
Tauziat: No, I change all the time.Questioner: This year?Tauziat: In a flat for the first time.Questioner: One bedroom or...Tauziat: Three.Questioner: Three? That's a big flat.Tauziat: It's true.Certainly, this would have done a world of good to French tennis fans and newspaper readers should the journalist have passed on the vital information to them!
Ah, that's Wimbledon for you, behind the scenes!
On stage today, a pair who recently shaved their heads - Pat Rafter and Lleyton Hewitt - clean up their opponents in style and so does Andre Agassi. All three are in the bottom half of the draw and with Hewitt expected to take on Agassi in the quarterfinals with the winner going through to play, possibly, Rafter in the semifinals, plenty of excitement is in store.
For the Indian fans, there is a lot of excitement late in the evening on court No.7. Among the two dozen Indian spectators are Anand Amritraj, his son Stephen and Vijay's son Prakash. Mahesh Bhupathi too is seated courtside watching his partner Leander Paes play his first round match.
In about 50 minutes, Paes is up 6-0, 6-1 playing the finest tennis he's ever put on show here. Then he takes a step back and his German opponent Daniel Elsner moves in. The Indian drops the third set, is down an early break in the fourth. Things don't look good.
But, cheered by his fans, Paes pulls back and roars to a four set victory, his first in the main draw in these championships.
"Awesome," says Paes, describing his feelings. "It's been a long wait and this is very special."
The last time an Indian won a singles match here was in 1990 when Ramesh Krishnan beat Diego Peres in the first round.
"This is the best I have played here. I have to maximise my grass court strengths,"says Paes.
Match of the day: Andre Agassi beat Peter Wessels 7-6, 6-4, 6-4.
Quote of the day: "One reason tennis is so addictive is that you have your ego gratified all the time. So it is difficult to walk away and not want to have your ass kissed." - John McEnroe on the problems of fame.
Weather: Warm, sunny.Day Three, Wednesday, June 27: "This place is so bloody expensive. You pick up a few souvenirs and it costs a fortune," complains a first-time visitor to Wimbledon, a reporter from the United States.
"Did you try the strawberries?" your diarist asks her."It's only seven dollars for seven strawberries. And the cream is free too!"
She laughs. "You must be kidding. I get a bagful for $10 back home in Virginia," she says.
If London is one of the most expensive cities in the world, then Wimbledon must go down as one of the most expensive sports events to attend for overseas visitors. Nothing comes cheap here. In the media restaurant, you cannot have a square meal for anything less than Rs.800, which is a little over 12 pounds sterling.
Even as you discuss food prices, Leander Paes walks in to the international press writing room. There is a calmness and a sense of peace about him following his first singles success the previous evening.
"I have double duty tomorrow. Have to play singles and doubles," says the Indian Davis Cup star who will take on Nicolas Escude of France on Thursday.
"But why? Why couldn't they schedule your doubles for today? They know you are still in the singles as well," I ask him.
"Well, they did not have a choice. Llodra (one half of the pair that would play the Indians in the first round) twisted an ankle and requested a postponement," says Paes.
Having entered the mixed doubles too - an event he won with Lisa Raymond in 1999 - Paes certainly has his hands full. "I just hope the weather holds. When you are in three events and when rains ruins the schedule, it's major trouble."
On the courts, there is little trouble for the megastars who get in there early in the afternoon. Serena Williams strides through to the third round, surviving a scare not on the court but in the stands as her father Richard walks off midway in the match in a huff.
The reason? He is angry. "I left because Serena was playing badly. She had her feet behind the baseline," says Richard.
The younger Williams sister admits that she did not play well in the first half of the match against Barbara Rittner, who she beat 6-4, 6-0. But she insists it was because she was trying out something different tactically.
That's about as much drama as you get early in the day, unless you are the type that gets excited about talking to Serena about her dogs!
But the second half of the day has a lot in store for us. Andy Roddick, 18, the latest gleaming product to come out of the American assembly line, blasts his way past the 11th seeded Swede Thomas Johansson in four sets in what is his first appearance on the centre court.
Everybody is impressed with the powerful young man's performance, not the least John McEnroe, who describes Roddick's piledriver forehand as "the tongue of a snake."
At his peak, Roddick's next opponent, a certain Goran Ivanisevic, has had his wicked left-handed serve described variously but almost always with a sense of awe. Today, Ivanisevic turns the clock back as he blasts 35 aces in getting past the seeded former French champion Carlos Moya in four sets.
After admitting to being a split personality, Goran amuses us during the press conference with his readiness to bare his soul.
"Has the inner Goran and the other Goran been saying much to you recently? Any interesting dialogue?" he is asked.
"Actually, they are good. They are thinking the same way. They are both in London, at Wimbledon. That's very important, you know, because (often) when one is in London the other one is somewhere else. Now they are travelling together and are good friends. When this happens, I play good tennis."
Barry Cowan, a 26-year-old Briton who is a familiar figure in the Challenger and Satellite stops, knows that he can play good tennis now and again. But the journeyman from a small town in Lancashire, who won his first Grand Slam match on Monday, also knows that even if he plays his very best, he'd still struggle to match his opponent of the day.
There could not have been a greater contrast to any other match-up on this day. Barry Cowan versus Pete Sampras. No.265 versus a man who has lost just one match at Wimbledon in eight years.
Cowan, who does not make enough from the game to afford hotel rooms in London, stays in a friend's flat in Chiswick while Sampras rents a five bedroom mansion on the Wimbledon hill, forking out Rs.2 lakhs a week.
And the gap is obvious once they get down to business as Sampras races through the first two sets in 51 minutes and forces Cowan to the ropes on the Briton's service games time after time in the third set.
But just when he is expected to politely move over and then shake hands with the great man, Cowan unveils a brand of tennis that Sampras himself would have been proud to be the possessor of.
Cowan's left-handed serves fly past Sampras' outstretched racket time after time and the Briton returns the great man's deliveries with tremendous skills. What is more, Cowan brings off some amazing reflex volleys and passes on the run. One poor return from Sampras is enough to give the third set tiebreak to the Briton and we have a match on our hands.
Giant-killer Roger Federer caused the biggest upset, defeating seven-time champion Pete Sampras. This ended one of the most successful chapters in sporting history.
And it becomes seat-edge stuff once Cowan breaks Sampras' serve for the first time to take the fourth set. What a great leveller sport is!
Then again, even as you ponder sport's democratic ways, the grass court autocrat stamps his class as he races to a 4-0 fifth set lead. Cowan attempts a comeback but it is stamped out with two Sampras aces in the seventh game.
"No reason to panic out there in the fifth. You know as a champion how to raise it a touch," says Sampras.
Well, if you panic, you don't get to win seven titles in eight years.
Match of the day: Pete Sampras beat Barry Cowan 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 4-6, 6-3.
Quote of the day: "I get a sniff of a chance and he hits two aces. That's why he has won seven out of eight Wimbledons." - Barry Cowan.
Weather: Overcast spells but sunny for the most part.
Day Four, Thursday, June 28: As you might expect, there are banner headlines in every newspaper. "True Brit who petrified Pete." "Battling Barry gives Sampras a major scare." "Cowan Great."
That's Cowan's 15 minutes of fame. And, for most British tennis players - especially males - since Fred Perry in the 1930s, it is not longer than 15 minutes, although men like Tim Henman find that quarter of an hour's fame each passing year rather than just once.
In all these years that your diarist has been writing from these championships, many a gallant Briton has taken his bow in style. Almost every one of them, except perhaps Henman, have been one-shot wonders.
Back in 1987, Andrew Castle was leading the world No.2 Mats Wilander by two sets to one in the second round before losing in five, outplayed 6-0 in the fifth by the Swede.
Chris Bailey, a very good commentator now, did much better in 1993. He too led Goran Ivanisevic by two sets to one. But the tall, handsome Brit then took the Croatian left-hander all the way to the wire in the fifth, losing 7-9.
Then, two years ago, Miles Maclagan stretched an ageing Boris Becker, playing in his last Wimbledon, to five thrilling sets in the first round.
All these players were wild cards and little has been heard of them, on the courts, since.
John McEnroe made a pertinent point on BBC TV last night. Talking about Cowan's performance against Sampras, the three-time Wimbledon champion said, "It's not what he did today that is important, it is what he is going to do tomorrow."
What McEnroe meant was that it was more important for someone like Cowan to use such a match as a springboard to greater achievements. But these things seldom happen in British tennis... which, of course, it a lot better off than Indian tennis, to be sure.
For, after an all-too-brief dalliance with singles success, Leander Paes is comprehensively outplayed today by Nicolas Escude of France who wins the second round match 6-3, 6-4, 6-2 in an hour and 40 minutes without so much as breaking into a sweat.
While Escude is playing the best tennis of his career and is seeded 24, Paes, a qualifier, fails to raise his game today. His first serve deserts him and he struggles to make any sort of impression on the Frenchman's serve, winning just 10 points receiving in the whole match.
Even the vociferous support of the former Miss World, Diana Hayden, seemed to help Paes little. So swift was the execution.
Over the last two years, Paes, his singles ranking having nosedived for a variety of reasons, has had little exposure to top class singles play and Escude is in a league with which he has had little to do. This is obvious in the match itself.
Yet, Paes can take heart from the fact that this was his best Wimbledon in singles. At 28, he would be keen to do the best he can to use this faint smell of success to his advantage.
Meanwhile, the familiar feeling is back. The rain is back. Paes' match is delayed by an hour and a half and then there is an interruption later in the afternoon too. It's a break that does a world of good for Lleyton Hewitt, unbeaten in 13 grass court matches this year.
Taylor Dent, the big serving American whose father Phil Dent played Davis Cup for Australia, threatens to blast Hewitt off the court with the slam bang stuff as he wins the first set 6-1. Then a rain delay gives Hewitt the chance to regroup.
The fifth seed, who has won the Queen's Club title two years in a row, does well to take the second and third sets but Dent battles back to win the fourth set tiebreak in which he fires one serve at 144mph, the second fastest recorded serve in the history of the game.
The fastest was a 149mph rocket sent down by Greg Rusedski at Indian Wells in 1998.
That's not good enough to win the match for him, though. Hewitt, one of the game's greatest counter punchers, comes up with the returns that matter early in the fifth set and takes the match in five.
"If anything lost me the match, it was the rain delay. My thought process changed. I relaxed a little bit. I lost the urgency I had when I went out there first," says Dent.
Match of the day: Lleyton Hewitt beat Taylor Dent 1-6, 7-5, 6-3, 6-7, 6-3.
Quote of the day: "I feel that's where I've had a fortunate career. I have had the opportunity of watching arguably the greatest player, you know, play. I have faced it many times. It's gotten me to play levels that I never thought I could play." - Andre Agassi on how his rivalry with Sampras helped.
Weather: Spells of showers but lot of sunshine too.
Day Five, Friday, June 29: The man's really brought some excitement to the stage. Men's tennis at Wimbledon, with all the 140mph serves and short points, is perceived as gruesome stuff. Someone you are in awe of but not anything to put a smile on your face.
Goran Ivanisevic, of course, belongs to the boom-boom breed. But, it's just that he is such an amazingly funny character that he is among the top crowd pullers in the game. And his comeback here this week is the story of the men's game.
After admitting to a tussle within himself - the good Goran fighting the bad Goran - Ivanisevic appears in a BBC programme where two Gorans are seated side by side talking to each other. It is wonderfully amusing.
Of course, a few hours later, on the No.1 court, poor Andy Roddick, a star already in his first Wimbledon, has little to smile about as he faces Ivanisevic. And, it is vintage Ivanisevic to be sure.
The man hadn't got part the first round of a Slam in 18 months before requesting a wild card here. But this week he's turned the clock back to days when he was a genuine contender on these lawns.
The Croatian left-hander fires 41 aces and has 69 unreturned serves in a match in which he comprehensively beats Roddick in four sets. Ivanisevic loses four points on serve in the first set, one in the second.
"What can you do? There is nothing to do. You just keep guessing, moving this side or that. It's not easy," says Roddick.
As well as serving big, Ivanisevic is in a class of his own at the net, playing some delightful reflex volleys and gets and even controls rallies from the back of the court. It is brilliant stuff.
After sending down ace No.41 to close out the match, Ivanisevic takes his shirt off on the court in celebration.
"Just don't know what to say. Just perfect," says Ivanisevic.
Then he talks about a third Goran. "A third one?" someone asks.
"Yeah, the third one had to come. He's the emergency one, a 911 call. He came at duece when I was serving for the match. He said calm down, two aces, and thank you. He is the behind the scenes Goran. The brain man, he's controlling."
The man is a nut case. But such a lovable nut case! And Monday's shootout with Greg Rusedski is something to look forward to.
"Me and my friend Greg, it's gonna be another beautiful match to watch," says Ivanisevic. "Very, very exciting, you know. 15-love, 30-love, 40-love, game. 15-love, 30-love, 40-love, game."
Unfortunately, it is almost like that on court No.8 where the celebrated Indian pair, Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes, are playing their opening round doubles match against David Adams and Michael Llorda.
The South African and the Frenchman make mincemeat of the French Open champions and sixth seeds 6-1, 6-3, 6-3 in quick time in what should go down as the Indian pair's worst ever performance on a Grand Slam stage.
"The conditions weren't easy. It was windy. We never got used to it while Llorda served with the wind and took advantage of it. It was pathetic from our point of view," admits Paes.
Ironically, this is also the day when the Tea Board of India in London has organised a dinner to celebrate the Indian pair's triumph in Paris.
"An irony this should happen today,"says Bob Carmichael, Paes' coach, at Hotel St. James Court later in the evening as he gestures to a waiter asking for pappadams, his choice snack.
The spirits are down for a while but the professionals they are, Bhupathi and Paes quickly leave the defeat behind and it turns out to be an enjoyable evening.
Among others, the dinner is attended by Lord Swaraj Paul, one of the richest Indians in England, the Amritraj brothers, Vijay and Anand, and a bunch of prominent Indians living in London.
"I know you did not have a good day today but I am sure you will do very well in the future as you have done in the past," says Lord Paul.
Match of the day: Goran Ivanisevic beat Andy Roddick 7-6(5), 7-5, 3-6, 6-3.
Quote of the day: "Milosevic in the Hague? It's perfect. It's gonna be his home for the rest of his life." - Goran Ivanisevic reacting to war crimes trial involving the former Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic.
Day Six, Saturday, June 30: It was a shocker. But, then, if you have been coming here each summer for nearly two decades for the Wimbledon championships, tabloid stories may have lost their shock-value to you.
How many shocking headlines have we seen in the last quarter of a century? From the days of Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe down to Boris Becker and Steffi Graf and on to Sampras and the Williams sisters.
The point is, Wimbledon is a God-send for the tabloid press. So fierce is the competition that they'll do anything to come up with something sensational.
Today, the Mirror has this headline: Babsi v The Beast. Babsi, of course, is Barbara Schett, the blonde bombshell from Innsbruck in Austria who plays Jelena Dokic in the third round. But who is the beast?
Who else but Damir Dokic, Jelena's father who's just returned to the Tour after being banned by the Women's Tennis Association from its tournaments for six months.
Damir, to be sure, is hardly the model tennis father. He's turned up drunk at tournaments, shouted and screamed, has been arrested and thrown out, has held up traffic on streets by lying down on the road, broken journalists' mobile phones... there is not much he's not done, really.
Yet, this week, Damir has been at his best behaviour even as his daughter has played some superb tennis.
But, in the absence of Anna Kournikova, the tabloids have been hard pressed to find something, and Schett has been anointed the new Glamour Queen. The story has it that Damir (the beast) would try his best to distract Schett from the sidelines.
"It isn't interesting to read about anymore. If they have nothing else to write about, that's really sad then," says Dokic after her straight set victory over Schett. "It's crazy, my Dad doesn't deserve that. It was just horrendous. It really isn't funny anymore. It is as bad as it could get."
This teenager really has a huge burden on her shoulders, poor thing, with all the excess baggage.
And this was not the best of days for Dokic. The official transport did not arrive in time to pick her up for the match and she had to call for a taxi in the last minute.
"I was really disappointed with the transport. I tried to call and nobody did anything. If you cannot organise something like that, you cannot run a tournament," she says.
Can you put this stuff behind you and get on with your business on the court next week? she is asked.
"Yeah, for sure,"says the 18-year old. "It didn't affect me today and it's not gonna affect me at all. It is a good mental test for me."
Later in the day, it is indeed a good mental and physical test for the seventh seed, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, against Guillermo Canas of Argentina. But stretched just that bit, the Russian falls short, losing in four sets.
So, here is the week's trivia question: How many Grand Slam champions are left in the men's draw at the end of the first week?
The answer: Four. Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Pat Rafter and Marat Safin.
Match of the day: Lleyton Hewitt beat Younes El Aynaoui 7-5, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6.
Quote of the day: "Venus only has to play 64 per cent to win here." - Richard Williams, Venus's father.
Weather: A spot of rain but good for the most part.
AH, this is the way it ends. This is the way eras end. With a bang, to be sure. You could almost hear the ball served by Pete Sampras hit the sweetspot on Roger Federer's racquet. And, bang! It was all over. The most dominant male player in Wimbledon history was history, at least in terms of the 2001 championships.
Like the rattle of the bails that Eric Hollies triggered to send back the incomparable Don Bradman for a duck in his last Test innings at The Oval more than 50 years ago, that forehand return winner from Federer, a 19-year-old Swiss player, will go down in history as something that ended one of the most successful chapters in sporting history.
The day was Monday, July 2. The time 6.19 p.m. The venue, the Centre Court at Wimbledon. Mark that down in your diary. Long years from now, you can recall when and where history was made. Just as we are able to recall now the details of Bradman's exit. August 14, 1948. The Oval. 5.50 p.m. Bowled second ball.
Federer's famous 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 fourth round victory in three hours and 41 minutes handed Sampras what was only his second defeat in nine successive Wimbledons. The great man was beaten by the eventual champion Richard Krajicek in the quarterfinals in 1996. But that loss, even then, seemed a one-off and so it turned out to be. For Sampras was only 25 then. This one has a different meaning, to be sure. For, having accomplished almost everything he set out to in the game - except the French title which will continue to elude him - Sampras, approaching age 30, has his best years behind him.
Nobody who knows tennis, or has seen Sampras, would rule out the possibility of the great man coming back and winning another Wimbledon. But it is not going to be easy. Time, and a bunch of talented young men such as Federer, Andy Roddick, Lleyton Hewitt - who too lost on the same day as Sampras - who have lined up at the Fred Perry gates seeking glory are against him.
"You know something so great isn't going to last forever. Today I just came up a little bit short," said Sampras. "But you have to give him a lot of credit. He played great."
Sampras has clearly lost a touch when it comes to his speed about court, especially when following his serve to the net. This means he has to dig up volleys from his bootlace rather than from on top of the net. And when a player returns as well as Federer did, it means trouble.
Whether the intensity has dimmed is hard to say but the great man's groundstrokes have lost some power and depth too.
"You never know when you'd get through one of those close ones like today. You've got to give the guy a lot of credit for what he has done. It just didn't go right for him today," said Andre Agassi.
Whether it will ever go right for the great man on these famous lawns in the future is anybody's guess. But, in many ways, this was indeed the end of an era.
The Sampras recordHere is Sampras' record at Wimbledon from the time he won his first title in 1993:
1993: Won (beat Jim Courier 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 6-3).
1994: Won (beat Goran Ivanisevic 7-6, 7-6, 6-0).
1995: Won (beat Boris Becker 6-7, 6-2, 6-4, 6-2).
1996: Quarterfinal (lost to Richard Krajicek 5-7, 6-7, 4-6).
1997: Won (beat Cedric Pioline 6-4, 6-2, 6-4).
1998: Won (beat Goran Ivanisevic 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 3-6, 6-2).
1999: Won (beat Andre Agassi 6-3, 6-4, 7-5).2000: Won (beat Pat Rafter 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, 6-2).
2001: Fourth round (lost to Roger Federer 6-7, 7-5, 4-6, 7-6, 5-7).
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