BY NEIL SCHMIDT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Pete Sampras gathers himself following his loss to Patrick Rafter Sunday.
(Saed Hindash photo)
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MASON -- He lost the argument. He lost his cool. He lost the match, the tournament and a chance to regain the No. 1 ranking.
But after spending the summer limping on a bad foot, Pete Sampras took giant strides this week.
"It would have been nice to win," Sampras said, after Patrick Rafter beat him 1-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 in the Great American Insurance ATP finals Sunday. "Obviously it was a big match for the rankings. But I have no complaint with the way I'm playing."
Sampras, who fell to No. 2 in the world rankings behind Marcelo Rios a week ago, will remain second when the rankings are updated today. Rios will have 3,719 points and Sampras 3,679. A victory Sunday would have given Sampras the top spot.
But as big as the ATP is for the rankings -- the winner gets 370 points, not including bonus points -- the U.S. Open is Sampras' goal. The winner there gets 750 points, not including bonuses, and gets the biggest jump toward ending the year No. 1.
"My main concern is the U.S. Open," Sampras said. "If I win that, I'll be No. 1 at year's end. I really want to end the year No. 1 and break the record."
That's the mark for most consecutive years as the year-end No. 1. Sampras has been there five straight years, tying the mark set by Jimmy Connors (1974-78). With clay-court events over, Rios is expected to stumble down the stretch, so Sampras remains the favorite to set the mark.
Tour players have spent the week dismissing the computer ratings, suggesting Sampras is unquestionably the game's top player. Having won four U.S. Opens, Sampras should remain the favorite in New York. "I think this time of year, probably Pete is the No. 1 player in the world," Rafter said. "In the beginning, around the clay court tournaments, you know, it's safe to say a Rios or a (Carlos) Moya is probably playing No. 1 in the world. At this stage, I think Pete, day-in and day-out, is the best."
Sampras had a so-so first half of 1998, going 25-8 with just two titles while struggling with pain from a plantar wart in his right foot. But he won Wimbledon, had surgery July 15 to have the wart removed, and took a month off before returning last week in Toronto.
He reached the quarterfinals there, losing to Andre Agassi when he had to play two matches in a day because of previous rainouts. At the ATP, his game turned golden again.
Sampras served 74 aces, best in the tourney field, including 19 Sunday against Rafter. He won 95 percent of his service games, also the best in the field, and lost his serve just once against Rafter. Despite the loss, he has still won 13 of his last 15 matches.
"I feel physically much better," Sampras said. "Last week, my first tourney on hard courts in four months, playing back-to-back matches, I definitely came up the next morning a bit sore.
"But this week I played really well. My game's there."
Sampras says he's only getting better. In two weeks in New York, we'll see how that pays off.
"If I see him in the U.S. Open," Rafter said, "I'm in trouble."
