The bottle of lurid green liquid that Yevgeny Kafelnikov drank at the breaks during yesterday's ATP World Championship final in Hanover against Pete Sampras might just as well have been hemlock.
Sampras, who had confirmed his status as the world number one before the tournament began, won the title for the fourth time in seven years, collecting $1,340,000 for a victory, which like so many of his finals, was almost totally one-sided.
Last year in a different Hanover hall, and on a much quicker surface, the 15,000 spectators had watched spellbound during a match of scintillating five-set drama between Sampras and Boris Becker. But such a vivid and dynamic encounter was never likely to be repeated yesterday. As in the previous year, both men entered the arena like boxers, music blaring and lights flashing as they dropped down a multiplicity of steps to courtside.
Sampras, head down, displayed, as usual, little emotion; Kafelnikov grinned a little nervously as he made his way through the packed and darkened rows of spectators, a single spotlight glinting from his blond hair. The Russian, who always appears to have the demeanour of a man who has lost £100 and found a rouble, had never experienced such a build-up before and there was no knowing how it might affect his nerve. Above all he needed a sound start.
The two had met previously ten times, Kafelnikov's only two wins coming on clay. His most recent defeat by Sampras was in Paris, after which he left for Moscow certain that his season was all but over. However victory in the Kremlin Cup unexpectedly secured his place here, even though Kafelnikov did not figure in the official programme.
Sampras began the week, by his own imperious standards, with a wretched defeat against Spain's Carlos Moya in the round robin. He was clearly having trouble motivating himself, although this early loss quickly concentrated his mind and he reeled off victories over Greg Rusedski, Pat Rafter of Australia and Sweden's Jonas Bjorkman in Saturday's semi-final.
There was, then, total surprise bordering on shock when he dropped his opening service game with two double faults. Small wonder that Kafelnikov gave the American a quizzical sideways glance as they crossed over. For the Russian this was simply too good to be true. And so began a most bizarre opening, the sort of beginning to a match that might occur on the opening Monday of a tournament.
Kafelnikov immediately dropped his own serve and in the first five games both men were broken twice. Unfortunately for Kafelnikov, there was never much likelihood that Sampras was going to remain so vulnerable, whereas the Russian's struggles were only just beginning.
He is not a big server, but usually consistently accurate, varying the angles in order to keep his opponent guessing. But Sampras was almost disdainful of such attempts at subterfuge. His backhand had been a particularly potent shot all week, notably against Rafter.
Kafelnikov was soon being whipped to distraction. Even the net chords always appeared to drop in favour of Sampras and by the end of the match Kafelnikov was a bundle of barely-contained frustration - annoyed by his own limitations on the day and the unerring quality of Sampras. It was never a contest.
So often Sampras' main opponent seems to be the record book rather than any human. He loves the big occasions, the big setpieces, but with Becker semi-retired and Andre Agassi out of the top hundred, genuine pretenders to his crown are few. Rafter, who ends the year as the new number two, does not appear to believe he can beat Sampras, although next January's Australian Open in Melbourne is being keenly anticipated.
This is the fifth successive time Sampras has ended the year as the number one, equalling the modern record of Jimmy Connors. There are few, if any indications, that Sampras' reign is about to end. He has 10 Grand Slam titles and is intent on passing Roy Emerson's record of 12.
"Surely, you are Mr Perfect," said the stadium announcer. It is hard to disagree.
Guardian Service
Sampras was named the best player of the past 25 years by a jury of tennis insiders shortly before the final. He beat Bjorn Borg and John McEnroe into second and third places respectively in the vote by 100 current and past players, tournament directors and journalists.
"It's very flattering, it really is, to have the respect from people in tennis," said the 26-year-old world number one after learning the outcome of the vote, organised to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the ATP Tour, formerly known just as the ATP.
"The main reason I play this game is not for the attention. But it (the vote) makes you feel like you're making some sort of impact in the game."
Sampras won the vote with 779 points compared with 754 for Borg and 721 for McEnroe.
