Wimbledon’s greatest ever champion: Who wins second semi-final between Pete Sampras and Novak Djokovic?
Who will join Roger Federer in our virtual Wimbledon final. Pete Sampras takes on Novak Djokovic in the second semi-final and one crucial factor has determined the outcome.
Tennis
Don't miss out on the headlines from Tennis. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Bjorn Borg would have been quietly amused at all the fuss.
In the mid-1990s, Europe’s best claycourters – the same men who once dreamt of being Borg – routinely avoided Wimbledon in droves because of their inability – or unwillingness – to adapt from the continent’s sluggish clay to slick British grass.
Borg, as his tennis forebears had, simply tossed out clay-stained socks, shortened his backswing and ruled both domains – clay and grass – winning six titles at Roland Garros and five at Wimbledon from 1974-81.
Novak Djokovic is the finest baseliner to step foot on Wimbledon’s manicured lawns since Borg.
Watch sport on Kayo. Anywhere. Anytime. Just $25/month, cancel anytime. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Both men have five All England Club crowns but, while Borg subdued the lethal firepower of John McEnroe, Jimmy Connors and Roscoe Tanner during his incumbency, Djokovic has collected his quintet with a distinct advantage.
“The change in conditions from Bjorn’s day to now is incredible,” Pat Cash said.
“When I came off the court at Wimbledon in 1992, I remember playing Jacco Eltingh first round and we both came off and said ‘Gee, that was the slowest grasscourt we’ve ever played on,” Cash said.
“We then realised they had changed the blend of grass.”
Cash is convinced Pete Sampras, the quintessentially laid-back Californian, would be too good for both Borg and Djokovic on a fast grasscourt.
In the second of our virtual Wimbledon semi-final, Djokovic and Sampras square off and Cash, fellow All England Club winner John Newcombe and Pat Rafter agree on the outcome.
“I do not in my right mind believe that Sampras would lose to Borg or Djokovic on a faster court,” Cash said.
“Sampras even showed that he could win against great baseliners like Andre Agassi, just as Pat Rafter also did.
“Sampras was able to win seven titles at Wimbledon with the old guts (stringing) and old racquet, which I’ve talked to him quite a bit about.
“He changed his racquet for the legends’ tour and he couldn’t believe the difference that it made to his game by changing the racquet and the string technology.
“He still won Wimbledon and the US Open with the old racquet and stringing when everybody else had changed.
“I would have Sampras in the final. At his best, he would beat Djokovic.
“On a slower court, Djokovic has showed that he is a master of the returns and the groundstrokes and he’s got a big serve.
“He’s shown on the slower grasscourts that he could win but he wouldn’t beat Pete on the old courts. His record at Wimbledon wouldn’t have been as good in quick conditions, same with (Rafael) Nadal.”
Sampras and Djokovic head key tennis metrics. Sampras, armed with a relentlessly lethal serve, contested seven Wimbledon finals and won all of them.
Djokovic, equipped with astonishing athleticism and determination, has the best career win-loss record of the four semi-finalists – superior to Borg, Sampras and Federer.
Rafter and Sampras duelled constantly from the mid-1990s until early this century.
Rafter remains awe-struck by Sampras’ second serve, a Houdini-like weapon he would use to survive crises, destroying opponents’ confidence. Cornered, he was rarely captured – and even more seldom at Wimbledon.
“He was so hard to pin down,” Rafter said, referring to his four-set loss to the American in the 2000 final.
“He had a great second serve and he was able to produce it under pressure so many times.”
Djokovic’s resilience in the 2019 final enabled him to snatch the championship from Federer, who will forever lament the missed forehand on match point deep in the fifth set.
Sampras’ superior serving, according to Cash, would be decisive against Djokovic.
Newcombe concurs.
“Pete’s second serve was so good at Wimbledon,” Newcombe said.
“He’s got to the net and he was never going to stay back and get into long baseline rallies. He kept so much pressure on the guys.
“I have to give him the edge on that score. He’s not going to allow Novak to do what he wants to do.”
VERDICT: SAMPRAS IN FIVE
Monday: Pete Sampras v Roger Federer in the final
MORE TENNIS NEWS: