13th June, 1999
WIMBLEDON'S MY BIG CHANCE TO PASS PETE
LOSING to Jan Siemerink in Halle on Wednesday really hurt. Not only was the No. 1 ranking at stake - and definitely within reach - but I had set myself for a big tournament. I had a golden opportunity to reach No. 1 by basically matching Pete Sampras' results at Queen's Club in London. Under the circumstances, there is a lot of pain in this defeat - and will be for quite a while. As disappointing as it was to watch the world No. 1 ranking slip back into Sampras' hands, Halle has had a great week. I have been able to practise a lot, which I am hoping works in my favor at Wimbledon. My chance at No. 1 will come again there. Sampras has got a Wimbledon victory to defend, but I have never been past the fourth round. So if I can do well, and the luck goes my way, there could be a lot to celebrate by the end of the month. THE French Open finals were compelling viewing last weekend, with two of the great champions of the game winding back the clock. Steffi Graf was magnificent against Martina Hingis. She is one player I really enjoy watching because of her athleticism, fitness and her style of play. And she has a stack of courage. Steffi was down a set and a break and she clawed her way back into it. It was inspiring stuff. (Hey Pat, you do this all the time mate!) Unfortunately, the match was marred by Hingis' behaviour. With the amount of success she has had, it is easy to forget she is only 18. Her youth showed through under the pressure of a grand slam final, but she will learn from the experience. If she wants an example of how to perform under the pump, she only has to look at Steffi. It was probably one of the best women's matches I have seen. ANDRE Agassi has been through a rollercoaster couple of years and I do not think anyone begrudged him his win in the men's final. But I felt tremendous empathy for Andrei Medvedev. I would love to see him win a major one day because he is a great player. But you can take nothing away from Agassi. He is the first player in history to win all four "Slams" on three different surfaces - hardcourt, clay and grass. Sampras, with his 11 titles, has not done that yet and I do not think he ever will. History will show Agassi and Sampras as great champions, but would Sampras trade his 11 majors for Agassi's four in return for a French Open t itle? I really do not know, but I suspect there might have been a time when he would have. WIMBLEDON is looming large. I have not had much success there, so I have expectations of an improved performance this year. No matter what the draw throws up this week it will be tough, but if I can keep improving I like my chances.