Could Sampras' career be over?

Pete Sampras has dominated men's tennis in the 1990's. He finished the season with the year end number 1 ranking for a record 6 years straight. He has won 12 grand slams in his career, which equals the world record of Roy Emerson who also won 12. In 1999 he has missed 2 out of the 4 grand slam tournaments played, the Australian Open as a result of mental fatigue; and the US Open as a result of injury. This week the American has been forced to pull out of his attempted comeback at the Paris Open after sustaining yet another injury. Despite winning Wimbledon in July, at 28 years of age the warning signs are ominous for the current world number 3.

Sampras has often declared an intention to continue playing tennis at the top level into his early 30's. However, if the trend which began at the 1998 US Open semi-final is to continue, that decision could well be taken out of his hands. In that semi-final, Sampras suffered an injury which ruined his chances of stopping the defending champion Pat Rafter. The end of that year he played an exhausting amount of tennis in an ultimately successful attempt to secure the year end ranking. This effort was so taxing that the formerly invincible Sampras pulled out of the Australian Open, as a result of both physical and mental fatigue. This cost him because he was badly out of form when he did return to the tour, taking until June to win his first title of the year at Queens.

He followed this up with a sterling defence of his Wimbledon title, and did well enough on the US summer hard-court season to make him the favourite for the US Open title. Unfortunately, further injury during practise forced the American to pull out of the tournament; and his subsequent attempt to return in Paris has resulted in yet another injury and enforced withdrawal.

Although he hopes to return in time for the ATP World Championships, Sampras has already lost any chance of holding the year end world ranking. Having won the most grand slams of any player in the history of men's tennis other than Emerson, the one thing which may still drive him on will be the chance to surpass that record. Other than that, it could be that injuries and the lack of match practise which have resulted from them could mean a premature end for the great American champion.

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