Great game, great tennis

Is he a killer-machine or a well-programmed robot? Whenever I see Pete Sampras in action, this question pops up in my mind.

Sampras proved his prowess and class again in the just concluded Wimbledon men's final. His strokes were so well-crafted and precise that one wondered whether he had foreknowledge of his opponent's possible returns, and had charted his strategy beforehand. When preparation meets opportunity, it is called "luck". In that sense, you might say Sampras too was blessed with plenty of luck.

The duel between Sampras and Agassi looked as though two Roman warriors were being pitted against each other. On one particular occasion, Sampras fell face down while trying to return the ball -- in the process, he hurt his arm. Disregarding the blood oozing from the cut, he proceeded to serve, and it was an ace, if I recall correctly.

Recently, Agassi won the French Open in grand-style. In a five set thriller, after being two sets down, Agassi made a stunning comeback to clinch the title. I hoped he would repeat this feat against Sampras at Wimbledon -- but alas, that was not to be. Sampras was just too good, ever protecting his flanks and collecting his points rather confidently.

For Asians, there was something to be happy about. Fresh from a sweet victory in the French Open doubles finals, the top-seeded Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi created tennis history for India by winning the coveted Wimbledon men's doubles final. "It was a great day for Indian tennis," said ex-tennis star Vijay Amirtaraj.

The tie-breaker in the decisive fourth set in the Wimbledon men's doubles final was a sheer battle of nerves. But the highly charged Indian duo produced superb tennis when it really mattered. After winning the match, Bhupathy said humbly that the win was possible due to his mom's prayers, while Paes wept in pleasure.

Leander Paes, combining with American Lisa Raymond, also won the Wimbledon mixed doubles title this year.

The Indian doubles pair, with their well-deserved and hard- fought victories, made all Indians proud. I remember there was an occasion when a columnist wrote in a weekly that an Indian victory was about as unlikely as a female Pope!

Overall, Wimbledon 1999 was a treat to watch. We could all forget our worldly worries, albeit for only a few days.

D. CHANDRAMOULI

Jakarta