When Pete Sampras Was Served Off The Court at Wimbledon

By Randy Walker

@TennisPublisher

The Fourth of July in 1996 was not one that Pete Sampras wants to remember.

It was then when he suffered one of this worst losses ever at Wimbledon, the event he is most associated with having won the singles title there seven times in his career.

The July 4 entry of my “On This Day In Tennis History” book (buy it here https://a.co/d/05YvHFuF) describes the result as follows; “Three-time defending champion Pete Sampras is dismissed from the quarterfinals of Wimbledon in a flurry of 28 aces from Richard Krajicek 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4. Says Krajicek of his upset victory, “It’s a good feeling. I mean, I’m not unbelievably excited yet because I’m still in the tournament, but I have a proud feeling that I’m the first one in four years to beat him at Wimbledon.”

This particular time period was a difficult one for Sampras, who was mourning the loss of his long-time coach Tim Gullikson, who died on May 3. Paul Annacone stepped in for Gullikson and had helped guide Sampras to major victories the previous year at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open.

In “Pete Sampras: Greatness Revisited,” a definitive book on Sampras by Steve Flink that details his 14 major singles victories (buy it here https://a.co/d/0dcOMKWG), the Sampras loss is discussed as a prelude to his eventual emotional victory at the 1996 U.S. Open. The Flink excerpt is posted below…

At Wimbledon, Sampras seemed on course to win a fourth title in succession but lost to the big serving Richard Krajicek of the Netherlands, the eventual champion. Krajicek unloaded 28 aces and won 91% of his first-serve points in a 7-5, 7-6 (3), 6-4 upset of the top seed. The quarterfinal match began under dreary skies and Sampras was unable to convert several break points in the opening set. Krajicek erupted at the end of the set with some timely and explosive passing shots. There was a long rain delay the first day and the third set was completed the following afternoon. Sampras did not have his best stuff but Krajicek—who finished with a 6-4 career head to

head edge over Sampras and won four straight matches in their series starting with this skirmish—sparkled. “He served Pete off the court. That would happen only once in a while,” said Annacone.