1981

‘You Cannot Be Serious'

As it happened, IT’s first act turned out to be the last of the Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe saga.

Mac’s on-court tirades (“You guys are the absolute pits of the world!” etc.) landed him on the cover of Newsweek (which promptly dubbed him “The Champ You Love To Hate”), but The Cantankerous One was very much coming into his own as a player. A ferocious fighter with an unparalleled net game and a deceptive lefty corkscrew serve, the 22-year-old overcame Borg at both Wimbledon (4-6, 7-6, 7-6, 6-4) and the U.S. Open (4-6, 6-2, 6-4, 6-3), led the U.S. Davis Cup team to victory, and with 10 titles on the year, ascended to No. 1 for the first time.

“That was when people started saying to me, ‘You drove him out of the game.’ People said Borg realized he couldn’t beat me in the U.S. Open or Wimbledon, that my style of play was too much for him,” McEnroe later recalled.

For Borg, the loss in Flushing Meadows had left him at a self-imposed career crossroads. The Open was the one prize that had eluded him, having come up short in the final on four occasions. And after three straight losses to his chief rival, Borg had apparently had enough. Having won 11 Slams, climbed to No. 1 and banked more than $3 million in prize money, the stoic Swede simply walked away from the game. Literally. Moments after shaking Mac’s hand at the net in New York, he unceremoniously walked off court, walked out of the stadium (skipping the post-match press conference) and vanished. At the tender age of 25, he’d vanished.

McEnroe called Borg’s departure “a huge blow for the sport and for me personally. It was unbelievable...Suddenly, Borg was gone. It took the wind out of my sails. I had a very tough time motivating myself and getting back

LEST WE FORGET: League tennis debuts in NorCal with 226 players...Bancroft rackets are advertised for $20, Brooks shoes for $12...Reader Tim Delger assesses IT’s chances, saying, “That paper won’t last the year.” We prefer to remember another reader’s flowery report: “I wish I had my camera handy at the Mt. Tam Racquet Club in Marin; the place was crowded and groups of twos and threes were pouring over this new magazine shouting, ‘Hey, look at this on page...’ It was much like in ‘Philadelphia, everyone reads the Bulletin’”...After 16 futile attempts, Vitas Gerulaitis finally beats Borg, prompting him to utter that immortal cry, “Nobody beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row”...IT writer Greg Hoffman claims “surviving mixed doubles with your sanity intact is not impossible...once you learn that the game is specifically designed to cause trouble for anyone who isn’t a legitimate candidate for sainthood, and once you accept the fact that you’ll never have a partner who is as wonderful as you.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: AIDS identified...Ronald Reagan, Pope John Paul II wounded by gunmen...MTV hits the air.

1982

ON COURT: 39-year-old Jimmy Connors’ fist-pumping run to the ‘91 U.S. Open semis is the stuff of legend. But Billie Jean King’s semifinal showing at Wimbledon in ‘82 is long forgotten. At 38, King was well beyond her prime and a year away from retirement. But she wasn’t done. Spurred by a new fitness regimen, BJK schooled Tracy Austin (then half her age) 3-6, 6-4, 6-2 en route to the semis, where Chris Evert finally ended her run.

LEST WE FORGET: Tickets to the Transamerica Open cost between $5 and $15...Ivan Lendl skips Wimbledon, claiming he’s allergic to grass (and then is seen playing golf)...Connors beats McEnroe in the Wimbledon final and then says oversized rackets are for “women, old people and sissies”...Tracy Austin beats 13-year-old Steffi Graf in her first pro match 6-4, 6-0 and then says there are hundreds of players just like her back in America...Our feature on tennis fanatics asserts that you know you’re a tennis buff when “you think the Great Wall of China should be converted into the world’s biggest backboard; you think The Greatest Story Ever Told is a documentary about the ‘80 Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe Wimbledon final; that Guillermo Vilas’ middle-period poetry rivals Keats and Yates; and that the Mideast conflict should be decided by a best-out-of-five match between Menachem Begin and Yasser Arafat.

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Princess Grace dies in a car accident...First CD players go on sale...Michael Jackson’s Thriller sells more than 25 million copies.

1983

ON COURT: Yannick Noah becomes the first Frenchman to win Roland Garros in 37 years. Noah, the French-born son of a Cameroonian soccer player, turns dream into reality when he tops Swede Mats Wilander 6-2, 7-5, 7-6. A tearful celebration follows and remains one of the Slam’s most memorable moments. “The opportunity to cry of happiness and hug my dad was something very special,” says Noah.

LEST WE FORGET: In the U.S. Open qualifying, Barbie Bramblett is down 0-6, 0-5, 0-40 to Ann Hulbert and manages to come back and win...The Open offers a compelling 12-hour marathon — Super Saturday...Tennis mystic Tim Gallwey explains, “There’s wisdom in the heart that knows when something feels right. That which experiences is greater than that which thinks...Experiencing what I am takes the fear away... Knowledge of what I am — not book knowledge — reduces fear and doubt...Many people see performance as the only goal. They don’t care whether they learn or enjoy; they just want to get the ball over the net and the dollar in the bank”...Coach Chet Murphy retorts, “The problem with Gallwey is that people start believing that they don’t have to work on their game. They go out there and wait for something magical or mystical to happen”...Paul Fein writes, “I doubt tennis will reform itself. Tennis suffers from the kind of airless, incestuous, insular and self-absorbed qualities which endanger any institution or bureaucracy which is not open to opposing points of view”...Billie Jean King asserts, “As far as men
vs. women goes, it’s all hogwash. There’s no equality in tennis. All
we can do is create an equality of
opportunity.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Ronald Reagan calls the Soviet Union “evil empire”...More than 125 million viewers tune in to last episode of M.A.S.H.

1984

ON COURT: In one of the most dominant performances in tennis lore, the virtually unbeatable Martina Navratilova wins 74 straight matches and finishes the year at 78-2. In the process, she wins three of four majors and surpasses rival Chris Evert in head-to-head competition by winning all six of their showdowns. Fellow Czech Hana Mandlikova, one of only two players to best Navratilova on the year, offers a mean-spirited commentary, saying, “It’s hard playing against a man — I mean, Martina. She comes to the net and scares you with those big muscles.”

LEST WE FORGET: John McEnroe twits his chances away for a historic French Open title when he freaks out over photographers and allows Ivan Lendl to come back and win...Martina Navratilova scores a 74-match win streak but suffers a stunning upset by Helena Sukova in the Aussie Open...America’s Davis Cup “dream team” unleashes a nightmarish performance in Sweden as both Mac and Connors melt down...Vicki Nelson downs Atherton’s Jean Hepner 6-4, 7-6 (11) in the longest women’s match ever...Steffi Graf and Stefan Edberg collect gold in L.A. in the first Olympic tennis in 60 years.

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Apple Macintosh computer hits market...Term “cyberspace” used for first time...(“Thank God, at last I can tighten up my abs”) Infomercials first appear on TV.

1985

ON COURT: Boris Becker, a towheaded 17-year-old power hitter from Leimen, Germany, storms Wimbledon and proves that the sport’s most cherished prize can be captured from the baseline. With a huge serve, big volley and fearless ground game, the fresh-faced Becker is labeled “Boom-Boom,” “Blitzkrieg Boris” and “King Boris the First” and instantly develops into Germany’s greatest post-WWII hero. “From that day on, nothing in my life remained the same,” Becker later recalls. “Boris from Leimen died at Wimbledon in 1985, and a new Boris emerged, who was taken at once into public ownership.”

LEST WE FORGET: Pam Shriver proclaims, “If I ever lost to a 14-year-old, I’d die right on court” and then promptly loses to 14-year-old phenom Gaby Sabatini...Arthur Ashe states, “I don’t see anybody in McEnroe’s or Connors’ class in the U.S. In about three years, the bottom is going to fall out at the top of American men’s professional tennis.” A couple of years later, Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang emerge...After losing at the U.S. Open, Kevin Curren suggests that an A-bomb be dropped on Flushing Meadows...USC coach Dick Leach confides why it was so easy for him to recruit his highly touted son Ricky, stating, “I’ve been sleeping with his mother”...Boris Becker offers to give tennis lessons to the Pope...Tired of all the success of southpaws, Ted Tinling proposes that tennis ban lefties...Chris Evert defeats Martina Navratilova in a classic French Open final.

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Cell phone system is launched in Britain...Madonna (the secular one) embarks on first road show, the Virgin Tour.

1986

ON COURT: The painful memories include Soviet tanks rolling through the streets of Prague. But 11 years after announcing her defection, Martina Navratilova returns to her native Czechoslovakia as a member of the U.S. Fed Cup team. Although Communist Party officials forbid her name from being spoken on the PA system during opening and closing ceremonies, Navratilova’s reception is overwhelmingly warm, and she weeps as her countrymen chant her name. Says Fed Cup teammate Chris Evert, “It was nice to finally see Martina get her due.”

LEST WE FORGET: Quintessential New Yorker John McEnroe gets stuck in Big Apple traffic, and he and his dubs partner, Peter Fleming, are defaulted from the U.S. Open...Although seeded and entitled to be in the elite and elegant ladies dressing room at Wimbledon, Kathy Jordan chooses to use the common players’ locker room, explaining there are “too many nervous people up there”...Stanford dropout Jimmy Gurfein and SoCal’s Skip Strode throw Bibles, books and rackets out the window of a Nigerian hotel and see God during a curious incident in Lagos...Dave Larsen describes Helena Sukova as “possessing a lethal forehand with more movements than Berkeley in the ‘70s”...Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver notch their 109th straight doubles win...German Boris Becker is tabbed Israeli Player of the Year.

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Space shuttle Challenger explodes...Soviet Union suffers nuclear meltdown at Chernobyl (unintended consequence: Maria Sharapova would come to the U.S.).

1987

ON COURT: The all-Czech U.S. Open final of a year ago (Lendl vs. Mecir/Navratilova vs. Sukova) forces the USTA’s hand, and U.S. tennis’ governing body announces a master plan to develop a new generation of champions. While the idea initially appears reactionary at best, the Class of ‘87 — Sampras, Agassi, Courier and Chang — soon emerges to become perhaps the greatest single generation ever produced by any nation. The Fab Four ultimately accounts for 27 Slams.

LEST WE FORGET: Steffi Graf emotes, “Golly, I have a great life for 17, don’t I? Everyone would choose my life, wouldn’t they?”...After being demolished by Graf 6-0, 6-2 at Wimbledon, Pam Shriver admits, “The turning point [in the match] was when we walked on court”...Mrs. John McEnroe, aka Tatum O’Neal, says, “I’ve got a hell of an Irish temper...We have some beautiful fights. He gets so angry with me, and he finally says, ‘You know who you are? You’re the female John McEnroe!’”...Dan Rather stalks off the set of CBS News when the Steffi Graf/Lori McNeil U.S. Open semi spills into his airtime, leaving CBS with a black signal for six minutes...Paraguayan linesmen break into wild cheers after their country beats the U.S.A...For the first time, the Soviet Union televises the Wimbledon finals...In a legal battle over a six-seat courtside box at the U.S. Open, a New York divorce court rules in favor of the husband.

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Oliver North tells Congress that higher officials approved secret Iran-Contra operations...Microsoft founder Bill Gates becomes first computer billionaire.

1988

Graf's Golden Slam

When Steffi Graf won the Golden Slam in ‘88, she was perceived as a cold, introverted, merciless on-court killer.

The German wasn't quite yet “the greatest person” that her now husband, Andre Agassi, had ever met, or a caring, doting mother of two, so secure in herself that she recently went unattended to watch her friend Sargis Sargsian try to qualify at a Las Vegas tournament.

She was her father Peter Graf's winning machine, the one who made the legends look slow and took the Australian, French, Wimbledon and U.S. crowns as well as the gold at the Seoul Olympics. She was a workaholic, the second youngest player ever to turn pro, and one who seemed impervious to pressure.

“Sometimes I wish I could have been a bit more relaxed, but then I wouldn't have been the same player,” Graf said.

In ‘88, Graf was only 16 and had just been on the tour for two years. Off court, she was as intense as her slice backhand-phenomenal forehand combinations. Her answers to questions were as quick as her footwork, her personality was shrouded in a blonde shell.

“It takes people time to get to know you, and the recognition comes over time,” Graf said.
Back in ‘88, Graf seemed so invincible that it was thought she would lord over the sport for the next decade without a hiccup. Monica Seles, Gaby Sabatini, Arantxa Sanchez and Jennifer Capriati weren't seriously threatening her yet. It was only the fleet-legged German who appeared to have enough inner fire and on-court tools to put a stop to the Navratilova-Evert regime.

“Steffi is a very good athlete,” her then coach Pavel Slozil said. “She can play four hours a day; it's no problem. If she's not running enough in practice, she tells me, ‘Can you give me more, right and left?' Her body needs to run.”

Even with a plethora of injuries that would eventually cause her to retire in ‘99, Graf still continued to sprint, and although a slew of super-quick players succeeded her, she's still arguably the fastest elite player ever. Her 22 Slam titles weren't just a result of a phenomenal serve and ferocious forehand. It was also her ability to run down one big blow after another that led her to crucial victories over the likes of her main rival, Seles, and the cocky girl genius, Hingis, whom she beat for her last Slam title at the memorable ‘99 French.

By then, she was mature and self-assured, with a unique understanding of where to put the ball and when. She has been through intense emotional turmoil with sex and tax scandals involving her father and the stabbing of Seles by a deranged fan. When she was inducted into the Hall of Fame, Agassi said, “The history books will record for posterity your ability to embrace and rise above adversity, to play through injury, and to win again and again and again... But for those blessed enough to actually see first hand your quiet humility, to watch you represent your sport with unmistakable dignity, and for those of us who are even more blessed to be lifted out of ourselves by your laughter, to be on the receiving end of your always generous heart — we will have etched forever in us something a statistic could never contain.” When asked how history should remember her, Graf was as straightforward as the day she walked into the ‘88 U.S. Open with a world of pressure on her shoulders and took down Sabatini to become the first (and possibly last) woman to win the Golden Slam. She was passionate yet direct: “How do I want to be remembered? Somebody that loved and cared about the sport — did it as hard as I could.”

LEST WE FORGET: IT reveals that Lipton would have to sell 866 million bags of tea to pay for its $45 million contract to sponsor the Key Biscayne tournament over the next 30 years...After hobbling to a disappointing U.S. Open upset loss due to foot blisters and a tendon injury, Boris Becker dances the evening away at a New York nightclub with girlfriend Karen Shultz...John McEnroe claims, “The dumber you are in tennis, the better off you are.” Others note that No. 1 Mats Wilander composes poetry and No.2 Ivan Lendl solves the Rubik's Cube in a couple of minutes...After Navratilova loses in the U.S. Open quarters, Ted Tinling notes that it is “the last glimmer of twilight — I'm afraid Madame has lost her nerve”...During discussions at the Davis Cup on the customs of Peru, Andre Agassi innocently asks, “What's an Inca?”...Agassi's brother-in-law Pancho Gonzalez confides, “When I first saw Andre at two or three, I didn't think he was going to be very good”...Arthur Ashe contends, “There is terrific apprehension among some people that blacks will take over the sport...It will create problems because their behavior, speech and dress [come from] just a completely different culture.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Now your shrink can fax your prescription for your antidepressant, which you might need after catching up on the latest news of the world (Translation: Both Prozac and the first fax machines are introduced).

1989

ON COURT: The year the Berlin Wall crumbles is also a barrier-breaking year for German tennis. Boris Becker enjoys the best year of his career, winning Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and the Davis Cup, and rises to No. 1. Meanwhile, Steffi Graf claims the Aussie Open, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, goes 86-2, and ends the year at No. 1. This is Die Goldene Ara des Tennis. Tournaments abound, the sport rules the airwaves and millions of German kids dream of becoming the next Boris or Steffi.

LEST WE FORGET: The USTA's president is so preoccupied with U.S. Open dubs champ John McEnroe that he forgets to present Mac's partner, Mark Woodforde, with his check...Years after beating Pete Sampras in Rome in ‘89, Andre Agassi would recall, “I would've said [my main competition] would have been anybody but Pete. [After] I played him in Rome I said, ‘The poor guy can't keep a ball in the court. He never should have gotten rid of his two-handed backhand.' I just didn't see a good future for him”...After spraying aerosol in McEnroe's eyes, a Wimbledon fan is asked why he did it. He replies, “I'm Tony from Chicago, and I felt like it”...Michael Chang rattles Ivan Lendl with an underhanded serve in Paris and then on match point, stands only two feet behind the service line. Unnerved, Lendl double-faults to give Chang the match...After Chang's Paris triumph, Jim Sarni notes, “The last time an American man won the French, Napoleon was the emperor. Or maybe it just seems that way. Elvis hadn't cut his first record and Brigitte Bardot hadn't broken her first heart”...After losing a Davis Cup doubles match against West Germany, Ken Flach moans, “Right now, I miss my mother”...At Wimbledon, Harry Carpenter notes: “We've had no more rain since it stopped raining”...Bruce Newman asserts that Staffi Graf “has reduced the rest of the tour to an army of tall, thin, short, fat, faceless ciphers who offer her an opportunity to work out whatever small refinements remain to be made in her game”...Pam Shriver announces, “All my priorities have changed. I'm now a person of ideas”...Mary Carillo is removed from the France-U.S.A. Davis Cup broadcasts. She quips: “They took the broad out of broadcasting.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: The term “virtual reality” coined...Chinese students take over Beijing's Tiananmen Square in brave bid for democracy...Berlin Wall falls...Earthquake rocks Bay Area.

1990

ON COURT: Peter Graf's extramarital dalliance with a model 30 years his junior and his involvement in an ensuing blackmail scheme are smeared all over the German press, casting a shadow over his daughter Steffi's on-court achievements. Peter is faced with a paternity suit, but tests eventually prove he was not the father. The scandal visibly affects Steffi, who breaks down in tears at a Wimbledon press conference.

LEST WE FORGET: Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz says he didn't realize how fast “Rocket” Ismail was until he saw him playing tennis against himself...When Capriati first saw Paris' Notre Dame Cathedral, it's said that she asked, “Where's the football field?”...Andre Agassi announces that he's skipping Wimbledon to train...Pam Shriver asserts, “Some of these players grunt when they drop shot, and no drop shot deserves a grunt.”...Jennifer Capriati signs a $6 million pact with Oil of Olay, even though it's designed for older women. She defends her endorsement saying, “It's never too early to start.”...After 23 years, the innovative World Championship Tennis circuit closes down...After winning the Salem Open, Pat Cash says, “I would like to thank the sponsors, even though I think it's a disgrace to smoke cigarettes.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: World Wide Web emerges, and so does South African freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, who incredibly, after 27 years in jail, is still a visionary.

1991

ON COURT: He's a 5,000-1 long shot. A 39-year-old wild-card relic ranked No. 174. But with the Flushing fans in his hip pocket, a geriatric Jimmy Connors charges into the U.S. Open semis, providing tennisdom with some of its most indelible images. Who could forget the deer-in-the-headlights look on Aaron Krickstein's face in the Round of 16, or Jimbo's trademark fist pumps. Says Connors, “I got to be nuts or love this game more than I thought I did.”

LEST WE FORGET: Zealous tennis buffs at the Berkeley Tennis Club play on while the Oakland firestorm rages just a few hundred yards above them...Outgoing International Tennis Federation prez Phillipe Chatrier offers his best John Dean imitation, stating that “money is now a cancer in the game. Our game really is in danger of dying from too much of it”...After failing to defend his U.S. Open championship, Pete Sampras comments, “Maybe I can go back to a normal lifestyle now; the monkey is off my back.” Connors responds: “That's the biggest crock of dump! Being the U.S. Open champion is what I've lived for”...A British fan notes, “Oh that Agasino, he's scruffy. He needs a hair wash and a bath, but he plays with a good sporting instinct. My old aunt is just potty about him. I just hope he doesn't absolutely twitch off.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Tennis buff Boris Yeltsin inaugurated as first prez of Russian Republic...Anita Hill accuses Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment...Magic Johnson tests HIV positive.

1992

Agassi in the U.K.

There have been plenty of improbable Grand Slam champions in the past, but none more than the 22-year-old Andre Agassi at Wimbledon in ‘92, a frosty-haired so-called pretty boy who had yet to win a major.

The then controversial Las Vegan had fallen in the three previous Slam finals that he was favored in (the ‘90 and ‘91 French Opens and the ‘90 U.S. Open) and had skipped the tournament from ‘88-’90 in part to get into better shape. He came into the tournament as the 12th seed and with a draw full of top-drawer serve and volleyers like Becker, Edberg, Sampras and McEnroe, no one expected the often wild inside-the-baseliner to triumph.

But Agassi did, ripping return winners left and right, passing like a Ferrari chasing down a Volkswagen, and focusing like, well, a Zen master. He easily took apart Johnny Mac in the semis and then in the final, chopped down a man who eventually became a Wimbledon legend in his own right, Goran Ivanisevic, 6-7(8), 6-4, 6-4, 1-6, 6-4 in the final.
“I’m really kind of sad because this sport has offered me and my life so much,” said Agassi when reflecting upon his decision to skip the Big W in prior years. “This is the greatest title in the world and the greatest achievement I’ve ever had. It’s a shame that I didn’t respect it a little earlier. “
Agassi also proved to himself that he wasn’t just, as Lendl once said, “a forehand and a haircut.” He shed his pretty boy label and eventually became one of the toughest, most respected players ever.

“It’s quite an irony,” he said. “I’ve had chances to fulfill my dreams and have not come through. To do it here was more than I could ever ask for.”
Even though he has yet to win another Wimby, Agassi has remained a significant factor there, reaching the semis three other times and the ‘99 final. Today, he holds the tournament in reverence and is attempting to put together a consortium to buy Bjorn Borg’s five replica Wimbledon trophies, which the Swede is planning to auction off.

“It’s not right,” Agassi said. “The only way you should have a Wimbledon trophy is if you win it, not buy one. I can’t make any judgments on Bjorn, but I can say that the thought of a Wimbledon trophy being in the hands of somebody who has a lot of money is upsetting. Wimbledon is the greatest tournament in world.”

LEST WE FORGET: The Miami Herald's Edwin Pope writes, “If Agassi ever wins Wimbledon, I'll eat my T-shirt. If he doesn't pull himself together soon, he could be all the way out of tennis in two or three years”...Reflecting on Barbra Streisand's claim that Agassi is a Zen master, Tony Kornheiser says, “I thought Zen was about humility, and it didn't come in hot-lava shorts and a frosted ponytail. But hey, that was Zen. And this is now.”...John McEnroe claims, “Face it. [USTA officials] are people who have been in the bureaucracy for 20 years who finally get a moment in the sun. They ride around in limousines and hope people know who they are. You have to give them some respect for going through all these channels. These guys started as linesmen, then were fired and became ball boys, and now they're president of the USTA”... Michelle O beats Meilen Tu in the Easter Bowl by the most appropriate score of 0 and 2.

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Four police officers acquitted in L.A. beating of Rodney King; rioting erupts in South Central...Johnny Carson hosts The Tonight Show for last time.

1993

Monica's Tragedy

Five years after her stabbing at the hands of a deranged fan in Hamburg, Monica Seles was asked whether it was her fate to win the ‘98 French Open, where she had drilled No. 1 Martina Hingis in a fantastic semi and then fell apart against Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario.

“In my life, none of those storybook endings has happened yet,” Seles said.

One of the most fascinating and tragic figures in tennis history, Seles dominated the tour in the early ‘90s, winning eight of her nine overall Slam titles. She spent 178 weeks at No. 1 and after she bested her archrival, Steffi Graf, in the final of the ‘93 Aussie Open, the great German had to concede that even her best wasn't good enough to puncture the 19-year-old Seles' ferocious attack.
But then in April in Germany, a crazed unemployed lathe operator named Günther Parche came down from the stands and stabbed her in the back. The act changed the tennis landscape forever, as players immediately became wary of interacting with fans, and Seles' fast-track trip to become one of the top players ever was derailed.
“A lot of things would have been different if that didn't happen,” Seles said.

After two-and-a-half years of emotional turmoil, Seles came back in the summer of ‘95 and managed to bang her way back into the elite mix, but had clearly lost her edge and only managed to win one other Grand Slam title — the ‘96 Aussie. Graf got back on top of her, as did Hingis, Lindsay Davenport and the Williams sisters.

Her beloved father and coach eventually passed away as did her close friend Mark McCormack of IMG. As a result, Seles grew even closer to her mother and brother, but the world seemed to be closing around her.

“I'm a strong person, but I still need guidance,” Seles said.

Due to the stabbing, Seles became the most beloved player on the women's tour, selling out stadium after stadium with legions of “We love you Monica” fans. But despite her incredible drive, her body (and especially her bad feet) broke down.

She hasn't played a match since being crushed in the first round of the ‘03 French Open by Nadia Petrova and now says that if she can't attempt a comeback this year, she'll walk away from the sport that brought her fame and emotional famine.
But her friends say they've never seen her happier. Seles is pursuing off-court interests such as architecture. So for Monica, who crafted points just as well as anybody, the storybook ending she's been searching for may just be around a very well-designed corner.

“I think she's done,” Lindsay Davenport said. “I think she loved her last year and won't go out there and play unless she's the good Monica that everyone's used to. I'd put a comeback at five percent.”

Mary Jose Fernandez added, “She'll either come back strong or quietly fade away. You won't see any farewell tours.”

LEST WE FORGET: Richard Williams predicts that when his 13-year-old daughter/athlete Venus turns pro, “She'll pretty much be ready to revolutionize tennis. These pro girls will have a major-league problem dealing with her.” Differing opinions come from Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. “If everybody believed everything they read about her, we might as well all go home, because Venus is going to beat everybody,” said Navratilova. “Yeah,” said Evert, “she's the greatest that ever lived”...After his defeat by fellow Zambian Musumba Bwayla, Lighton Mdewayl offers this excuse: “Musumba Bwayla is a stupid man and a hopeless player. He has a huge nose and is cross-eyed. He beat me because my jockstrap was too tight and because when he serves, he farts, and that made me lose my concentration, for which I am famous throughout Zambia”...Navratilova on the U.S. policy on gays in the military: “The army gives medals to people for killing people and would throw me out for loving one”...During a Boris Becker Wimbledon press conference, a reporter blurts out, “Are you going to return the videotapes that are overdue in Southfields?”...Jim Mullen of Entertainment Weekly on the relationship between Barbra Streisand and Andre Aggasi: “A May-December romance is one thing. B.C.-A.D. is another.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: (All Hail the Velvet Revolution.) The Czechs vote in Vaclav Havel...NAFTA approved...Kate Moss-inspired waif look is in.

1994

ON COURT: One of tennis' most astounding and troubling rollercoaster careers hits rock bottom when Jennifer Capriati — once the giggling media darling and supposed second coming of Chris Evert — becomes the poster child for teen burnout when she's booked on marijuana possession charges at a $50-a-night motel in Coral Gables, Fla. “Friend” Tom Wineland, who is also arrested, claims Capriati had used a variety of drugs. “We smoked the crack together,” he says. “She was also eating painkillers and drinking.”

LEST WE FORGET: Arguably the snarliest character in tennis history, John McEnroe says, “It sure would be nice if [Jim] Courier smiled a little”...Jennifer Capriati tells the New York Times: “I really was not happy with myself; my tennis was my life, my parents, my coaches, my friends...When I looked in the mirror, I saw this distorted image. I was so ugly and fat. I wanted to kill myself, really”...Ivan Lendl defends his one-time practice partner [Pete Sampras]: “It is sickening that someone who is down to earth, polite, behaves well, is reasonably clever and wears nice clothes almost has to apologize for the way he is.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: O. J. Simpson arrested for murders...Chunnel between Britain and France opens...Beanie Babies are omnipresent.

1995

ON COURT: After a reclusive two-year healing retreat, Monica Seles returns. And it's none too soon. With a dearth of competitive, marquee players, the WTA Tour had lost a good dose of its sizzle. Seles, who had been stabbed by a crazed Staffi Graf fan, is victorious in her first event, the Canadian Open. “The emotional stuff is very real,” confides Seles. “I had to feel ready. I don't want to have those doubts. There are some days that are hard. I'm still fighting.”

LEST WE FORGET: Jeff Tarango finishes a white-hot five-minute tirade at ump Bruno Rebeuh, calling him “the most corrupt official in the game.” His wife then slugs Rebeuh in the interview room...After Russia's loss to Germany in the Davis Cup, Mark Winters notes, “The loss leaves the Germans 0-3 against Russia in their last meaningful competitions (the last two Davis Cup titles and WW II)”...Bodhan Udihrach of the Czech Republic notes, “The rest of Europe finally joins together. We split apart”...Some in Richmond, Va., try to stop a statue of Arthur Ashe from being erected on the city's fabled Monument Ave...Seles' psychologist, Jerry May, says Monica “talks about herself as a bird in a cage. She is fearful, cries and feels very nervous. She is not sleeping well and has nightmares”...Karolj Seles blasts Steffi Graf for continuing to compete after Monica was stabbed: “If I had been Steffi, I would not have played in any tournament for a year,” said Karolj. “I would not have wanted to be a ‘Knife No. 1'”...When Greg (“I once was Canadian but now I'm British”) Rusedski returns to play in Toronto, fans throw marshmallows and tennis balls and call him a “Queen's Fool”...Asked what it was about him that his girlfriend Delaina Mulcahy found attractive, Pete Sampras says, “After I won the Open, she saw me holding the check and said, ‘I'm going to get me some of that'”...John McEnroe confides: “I would have loved it sometimes if an umpire or linesman just said, ‘Look, piss off you little s—-.' Maybe they should have had more of a go at me”...Sports Illustrated notes that Agassi was “the hyped twerp with the hair that looked as if it had been poured from a soda fountain who has answered every critic and become a 24-year-old of substance and accomplishment”...Tom Weir writes, “Agassi on his most boring day is still 10 times more interesting than Sampras”...The USTA's democratically inclined prez Les Snyder says, “We must do everything we can to relieve our elitist image.” [But USTA magazine cuts its letters-to-the-editor page.]

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Oklahoma City federal building bombed...Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin gunned down...Dial-up Internet first appears.

1996

ON COURT: Talk about a gutsy performance. A dehydrated and (seemingly) deflated Pete Sampras leaves it all on the court (stomach contents included), digging deep to overcome Spaniard Alex Corretja 7-6, 5-7, 5-7, 6-4, 7-6 in a four-hour U.S. Open quarterfinal for the ages. After losing his lunch in the fifth-set breaker, Sampras soldiers on. Miraculously, at 7-7, he follows a 76 mph first-serve attempt with a 90 mph second-serve ace. A stunned Corretja then double faults the match away. Sampras goes on to win his fourth Open crown.

LEST WE FORGET: Years of political turmoil begin when Joyce Pournaras, the head of NorCal's popular league program, resigns under pressure. Staffers speak of micromanaging and having too many bosses. Board VP Kim Fuller counters, “I don't like the idea of anyone putting a gun to my head, saying that if we don't agree with them, they will resign. We have to send out the message that the board is the boss”...Pizza waitress “Missy” Johnson streaks across Wimbledon's hallowed centre court and then admits, “I am a bit of a naughty girl, and I definitely have a wild streak in me”...While running for mayor of Bucharest, Ilie Nastase tells a female journalist that he had only three things on his mind: “Winning the election, food and sex. So what is your room number?”...When Stefan Edberg is asked whether he has a personality, he replies, “A little one”...A British fan claims, “Brooke [Shields] made Agassi squishy in the head”...Jennifer Capriati unleashes a thundering right hand — allegedly intended for her boyfriend, who ducked — which catches the eye of a Tampa nightclub waitress...In a youth forum, Denver teen Brendan Connolly explains why kids do drugs: “How do you expect us to rebel? By playing tennis?”...Pam Shriver, speaking at a Yonex badminton exhibition, informs the audience that all the feathers in badminton birdies come from the left side of the goose.

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Britain set back by mad cow disease...A mad dance disease hits the world (i.e., The Macarena is quite the craze)...Bomb mars Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta.

1997

ON COURT: After an all-out lobbying effort, the USTA changes the name of its sparkling new $234 million, 24,000-seat venue in Flushing Meadows from USTA Stadium to Arthur Ashe Stadium, thus paying tribute to one of the greatest figures the game has ever known. Says retired African-American pro Leslie Allen, “Arthur's up there on center court in heaven with his dad and his mentor, Dr. Johnson, who is saying, ‘Can you believe it? These same people who wouldn't let you play now have named their biggest stadium after you.'”

LEST WE FORGET: Venus Williams observes, “People talk about all this pressure on young players, but the only thing stressing me out is all these chemistry formulas I've got to learn”...Don Le Battard claims, “Chemistry is the second-most overrated thing in sports. Agassi is the first”...The San Francisco Chronicle's Tim Keown writes that Agassi's “career went from image is everything to tennis is nothing”...After Steffi Graf appeared in a bikini in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue, the San Francisco Chronicle reports: “Those German tax guys took more than the shirt off her back”...John McEnroe contends that if Anna Kournikova could “dominate the circuit as well as she dominated Leno on The Tonight Show, she'll be all right”...A U.S. Open security guard says Ashe Stadium “was so good, can't they have Wimbledon here next year?”...McEnroe says the debate over whether to name the U.S. Open Stadium after Ashe “seems like the easiest decision they'd ever make...unless they want to put my name on it”...When a U.S. Open security guard demands to see Sampras' ID, Pete counters, “I am the ID.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Princess Diana killed in Paris car crash...British scientists clone Dolly the sheep...Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone published in U.K.

1998

Anna: Spice Girl
With Many Twists

Back in Mother Russia in ‘89, Anna Kournikova was just another eight-year-old smart-ass at Moscow's Spartak Sports Academy dreaming of becoming the next Olga Korbet. Dad was a Greco-Roman wrestling champ; mom was a 400-meter runner. Both taught the value of gut-wrenching three-hour practices. Anna gazed at Steffi and Martina I on TV and was already plotting ways to beat them. She entered her first tournament and nailed down the title.

The coaches said she had better touch than Chrissie. The agents saw her cute button face, long blond ponytail and the way she spun heads. So IMG made her its youngest signee ever, and on Valentine's Day ‘92, shipped her to Bollettieri's. She soon was no longer just the Kournikova kid; she became Anna, petulant princess, siren-to-be, a perpetually tanned object of desire in the making. “I can still close my eyes and see Anna walking into the back of the academy where all the pro players worked — Agassi and Seles,” Nick Bollettieri said. “When she walked on the court, you knew right way she was special because she got all the attention without even asking for it. It was the kind of person she was. I knew almost immediately that she was special. She had an air about herself, a fragrance, the way she walked, strutted. She demanded attention and when she didn't get it, she would demand it again. If I was three courts away, she would yell, ‘Nick, I need you now!'”

After Kournikova reached the ‘97 Wimbledon semis, all of her spunk and sass began to infect the world. She was the ultimate Spice Girl, full of on-court attitude and brimming with an “I am the universe” self-confidence. Millions of guys wanted to be Anna's valentine. Her appeal wasn't subtle — back erect, the perfect tan, unmistakable pout, playing in the tightest purple short-shorts imaginable, her dangling ponytail casting about like a fish line teasing a school of hungry trout. Tennis' answer to Britney Spears became the most downloaded female athlete, or according to Pam Shriver, “The people who watch her have the same demographics as those who watch the Hooters Bowl.”

Once in Miami, the ball boys were issued a stern edict: Do not stare at Kournikova. But by 2000, the brooding Kournikova was already tiring of her diva status. The girl who pocketed dozens of prestigious junior titles hadn't managed to win a singles title and at every tournament she played, she was mocked. “I wish I didn't have this big celebrity probably all the time,” Kournikova told IT just before she arrived at the WTA Awards banquet riding in a stretch limo and wearing a leopard skin bikini under a see-through dress. “I try always to block it out, but sometimes, it is pretty hard, and I am a serious tennis player. That is why I am here. I want to play. Everything that is around, I try to block it out. Maybe sometimes it is very difficult, but I can't really change it. So I just have to be even tougher. I have to have thick skin and go out and play...I'm a tennis player. The celebrity and everything comes after that.”

Unfortunately, it never worked out that way for Anna. She scored a number of terrific wins over top 10 players, but at the end of ‘02, had pretty much given up on her career. She had matured a ton off court, becoming a much more thoughtful and approachable person, but on court, she collapsed under the weight of constantly being called an underachiever who wasn't dedicated to her craft. “A lot of people are misunderstood by the public,” Kournikova told IT in ‘02.

“Sometimes the press creates an image of somebody, and the public believes it because they have no other source for knowing that person.”

Now 25, Kournikova still banks about $9 million a year in appearance fees for exos and commercials, despite that fact that she hasn't played a WTA match in three years. She's said to be married to pop star Enrique Iglesias and appears content being a part-time model and fan favorite on the hit-and-giggle circus.

But if Kournikova failed to win a title, she does have one major, indisputable accomplishment: She is largely responsible for the Russian women's tennis revolution, literally attracting thousands to the sport. “A lot of players want to be like her,” said Dinara Safina. “Women's tennis, in Russia and around the world, is popular because of Kournikova.”

LEST WE FORGET: Mary Carillo says Anna Kournikova feels “everybody's there to serve her; everybody's her underling. Her attitude toward everybody is ‘peel me a grape'”...When Martina Navratilova tells a waiter his service was excellent, he replies, “Yours too”...Carillo says the reason for a bad bounce at soggy Wimbledon is that “a worm came up for air”...After losing in the Wimby semis, Natasha Zvereva confides, “I'm tired. I need a mental institution break”...Commentator Boris Becker says Pete Sampras has “steels of nerve”...A friend of Hicham Arazi's says “his goal is to find a new girlfriend every week”...The Daily Telegraph claims “the Wimbledon atmosphere has all the jubilant buzz of the change of shift at a nuclear waste disposal plant”...After Jana Novotna wins Wimbledon, Simon Barnes claims, “Novotna played for everyone who has ever made an absolutely ghastly mistake. Or, to put it another way, for the entire human race”...Sue Mott notes, “1970 Wimbledon semifinalist Francoise Durr's serve meandered like a concussed bluebottle and sometimes seemed to travel in reverse”...Andre Agassi says he's not playing the Davis Cup final, explaining that even “if it was in my backyard, I wouldn't walk out the back door.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: The warm waters of El Nino heat up the ocean...Titanic heats up at the box office, becoming highest-grossing film of all time...Bill Clinton denies allegations of affair with intern Monica Lewinsky.

1999

ON COURT: He virtually dropped off the planet, falling to a career-low of No. 141 in ‘97. He had been relegated to the Challenger backcourts in Vegas and Burbank. But after being all but written off, 29-year-old Andre Agassi reinvents himself (with a little help from his friends — coach Brad Gilbert and trainer Gil Reyes), wins both Roland Garros and the U.S. Open, and finishes No. 1 for the first time in his career. His tearful win over Andrei Medvedev in the French final makes him the first man to win Slams on all four surfaces. Welcome back, Andre.

LEST WE FORGET: British Davis Cup captain David Lloyd says, “Agassi couldn't beat my mum now. He's finished”...Mike Lupica contends, “Sampras has done everything but Simonize the top of Agassi's head. Agassi's colorful. Pete's immortal”... Dennis Miller claims that authorities are “hunting for legendary fugitive D.B. Cooper in Sampras' chest hairs”...The Daily Telegraph reports that Agassi has become the first earringed American divorcé since Chris Evert to win the French Open... Alexandra Stevenson claims she doesn't want to go to Stanford because it's “too naturistic, has too many trees and too many kids in Birkenstocks who want to be doctors”...USTA board member Mike Mee notes that the U.S. Open could be sold for $2 billion and suggests that the USTA could then issue a $4,000 check to each of its 500,000 members...ISL signs an ill-fated $1.2 billion marketing rights campaign with the ATP...Injury-plagued Todd Martin is asked, “Where are you, physically?” He responds, “Physically, I'm right here. Would you like to know where I am metaphysically?”...When asked about her rapid emergence, Serena Williams suggests, “You have to take your time as quick as you can”...Pam Shriver says, “Lindsay Davenport's parents are my favorite parents on tour because I've never met them”...At his Davis Cup debut, John Newcombe says Lleyton Hewitt is “a feisty little bloke who was blooded for this situation”... Wimbledon chief Chris Gorringe says, “[Yes, we could provide equal prize money for women], but then we wouldn't have as much to spend on petunias”... John McEnroe tells IT, “Ultimately, I don't have an excuse for all of the things I did. There were things that were out of line, over the line. But, to be frank, they [officials] are too chicken s—- to do anything about it”...After being swept away by Pete Sampras at Wimbledon, Andre Agassi quips, “His storm was too strong. He walked on water”...Germany's greatest post-Hitler hero, Boris Becker, says his mother was a Czech Jew who lived in tents in camps for months during WWII.

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: During the 100th Anniversary Davis Cup showdown between the U.S. and Australia, JFK Jr. dies in a plane crash off Martha's Vineyard... Columbine H.S. massacre in Littleton, Colo...Y2K scare.

ON COURT: Pete Sampras usurps Roy Emerson as the all-time Slam king, striking lucky No. 13 at Wimbledon with a historic 6-7(10), 7-6(5), 6-4, 6-2 decision over Aussie Pat Rafter. Emmo’s hallowed mark stood for 33 years, but a new Emperor of the Turf is crowned at 8:57 p.m. on the final Sunday at the AELTC with only 10 minutes of playable light remaining. The normally subdued Sampras releases tears of joy and heads into the stands for an emotional celebration with his reclusive parents Georgia and Sam.

LEST WE FORGET: Justin Gimelstob boasts, “I have the amazing ability, with one point, to turn a 100 percent pro-Gimelstob crowd into a 100 percent anti-Gimelstob crowd”... Britain’s Daily Mail refers to Russian Marat SAFIN as Marat STALIN...The head of the Tim Henman Fan Club is asked if she finds Tim fascinating. She responds, “No, I find Agassi fascinating.”...Asked to explain his precipitous fall, Jim Courier confides, “I should never have stopped taking those drugs. Once my East German doctor left my team, I’ve never been quite the same”...At Eastbourne, Martina Navratilova is introduced as Matini Navratilova”...Frank DeFord writes that Anna Kournikova looks “like a trim sloop, skimming across the surface, her long signature ponytail flying about like a torn spinnaker in the wind. Her lines are perfect, especially now that she doesn’t jam the second-service ball up her knickers”...Nathalie Tauziat on Kournikova: “If she gets results as impressive as her beauty, she will be the most adored player in history. If not, the system will crush her”...Serena Williams, 18, explains how tiring it is to shop for chandeliers...Spain’s Davis Cup leader, Alex Corretja, says, “We have to be humble. It’s transcendental. We have to suffer, maintain, and be quiet. I will sacrifice and think globally.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Florida certifies George W. Bush as winner by 537 votes...Human genome is deciphered...Reality TV mania hits U.S. with Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and Survivor...Internet bubble bursts.

2001

ON COURT: Call it the Year of the Comeback Kid. Her dozen-year pro career pockmarked more by valleys than peaks, Jennifer Capriati courageously leaves her past behind and returns to the top of the game, winning the Aussie and U.S. Open and ending the longest absence from the top 10 in WTA Tour history. Meanwhile, the fourth time’s a charm for Goran Ivanisevic. After three unsuccessful trips to the Wimbledon final, the Croat bests Patrick Rafter 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7 on People’s Monday to claim his first and only Slam title.

LEST WE FORGET: Michael Mewshaw notes, “Controlling fathers, abusive coaches, ineffectual tennis authorities, rampant tax evasion, sexually exploited teenagers, spoiled prima donnas, homophobia, eating disorders, cravenly cooperative TV networks, a docile press corps are the hallmark of women’s tennis when, in ‘91, I wrote [my expose] ‘Ladies of the Court.’ Things don’t seem to have changed a lot since then.”...Chris Evert recounts going to church with Jimmy Connors: “We went into confession, and he came out a half hour later and I asked, ‘How’d it go?’ He said, ‘I wasn’t finished. The priest said come back next Sunda.’”...When asked what gives him the most joy about tennis these days, Connors says, “Getting away from it”...The Times of London claims that Jennifer Capriati’s comeback is, after Muhammad Ali’s, the second greatest in sports history. But a Dutch paper asserts, “Her comeback was the best since Lazarus”...Mary Carillo notes that Guga Kuerten “hasn’t lost any of his surfer-dudeosity...[He’s] a human slinky...whose backswing starts in Kentucky and ends in Ohio”...After being foot-faulted by an African-American linesman during his U.S. Open match against African-American James Blake, Hewitt complains to the ump, “Look at him, mate. Look at him. You tell me what the similarity is...You put him off the court, get him off the court”...Justine Henin asserts, “Anna Kournikova is unapproachable. What should I be envious of? Her body? Her income? Her boyfriends? No thanks. I wouldn’t exchange anything with her. I feel good the way I am. I don’t need a boyfriend every week. I’m serious and try to keep certain principles, to be generous, loyal and to love”...Virginia Wade asserts, “Wimbledon has the real wisdom and comfort of a grandparent but the energy of a teenager”...After 9/11, IT contends, “Once, an unswerving punishment is wrought, we hope that we — a blessed people with unending resources — can muster a more profound wisdom, a deeper compassion and rise above the lingering anger, the twisted rubble of our fear to rediscover our finest spirit, that noble instinct, that God-given gift, which could somehow empower us to take a small yet brave step beyond hatred and war to a world we can now only imagine — a world of harmony and justice.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: 9/11...Enron files for bankruptcy... Britney Spears tops record charts.

2002

Williamses Rule the World

It had never happened before and will likely never happen again, but fans who followed the WTA Tour during ‘02 and early ‘03 got a fresh taste of history in their mouths when sisters Serena and Venus Williams played each other in four straight Slam finals — all won by baby sister Serena.

For the first time, two sweet-swinging siblings finished the year ranked Nos. 1 and 2 (at the end of ‘02). Their evocative father and coach, Richard, had long been predicting that his daughters would rule the tennis roost, but it didn’t appear possible until Serena recommitted to the sport in ‘02 and grabbed it by the horns. The siblings combined for 15 titles, played each other in the finals of Roland Garros, Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, and combined for about $7.5 million in prize money.

Perhaps more amazing, Serena took over her rivalry from Venus, who had gone back-to-back at Wimbledon and the U.S. Open in ‘00 and ‘01. But in just 14 weeks in ‘02, Serena, once the sillier and less successful of the pair, became the most dominating player the tour had seen in five years, thumping her older sibling and best friend 6-4, 6-2 to win her second U.S. Open title. Serena became the first women since Hingis to win three Slams in a year and joined the pantheon of Open-era greats who had done so: Graf, Seles, Navratilova, King and Court. “It’s unbelievable,” Serena said. “Those are the people I grew up admiring and hoping that maybe I would even be on that level. I’m 20, kind of young. It’s exciting.”

What really thrilled the little sis was what she accomplished four months later Down Under, when she completed her self proclaimed ‘Serena Slam’ by taking down Venus in their most competitive match ever 7-6(4), 3-6, 6-4.

Serena, with her huge groundies, middle linebacker athleticism and fierce will to win, joined an ethereal group of legends who had won four straight majors: Connolly, Court, Navratilova and Graf. “You know all my life, I have dreamed of being the best and doing the best,” Serena said. “It hasn’t always been easy, and it is just so special that I am making history. It doesn’t happen every day. I can’t believe I can now be compared to these women.”

Serena has won two more Slams after that run, but in the past year, has been riddled by injuries and poor conditioning and has been spending way too much time chasing her Hollywood dreams (or vanities) to get back to her once-stellar form. Venus staged a mini-revival last year, winning her third Wimbledon title (her first major in three years) but has also slowed considerably due to ailments.

But five years ago, the Williamses ruled the world, and the names Venus and Serena became as common in the American lexicon as apple pie and hot dogs. “It’s very remarkable,” Serena said. “It’s a feat that’s never happened before.
Growing up, I figured, ‘I want to be No. 1 and win Grand Slams.’ Venus had the same goals. When you are young, you really don’t think of that scale because it’s improbable. I never thought of the attention we’d get.”

LEST WE FORGET: Andre Agassi asserts, “We’ve all learned, if you take away hope, you create a suicide bomber”...A headline above a Daily Mirror story on Brit Tim Henman reads, “No Pressure, Timbo, but Choke Now and We’ll Never Forgive You”...At a New York conference, Steve Bellamy proclaims, “This is like an insurance seminar. It’s dead in here. It feels like there is a 40-story condom on this building”...Michael Chang confides, “You may be blown away that I am a virgin”...Bill Dwyre says that Hewitt “has the game and persona of a washing machine”... John McEnroe says, “As I moved to the top...cockiness became a survival mechanism. I don’t care who you are — Borg, Sampras or Chang — you can’t exist without it”... According to Bud Collins, Anna Kournikova, who lost in the first round of all four Slams, achieved the “Grand Slop”... At the Aussie Open, Swedish fans encourage eventual champ Thomas Johansson by chanting: “Jobba Thomas, Jobba pa, saft o bullar far du da.” Translation: “Keep working, Thomas. Then you will get juice and sticky buns.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD:
Europe gets the Euro; we get American Idol...George Bush labels Iran, Iraq and North Korea “axis of evil”...Halle Berry becomes first African-American woman to win Oscar.

2003

ON COURT: All’s well on the home front. Pete Sampras passes the torch to a 21-year-old kid from Omaha, Neb. — Andy Roddick. Just when nervous U.S. fans were beginning to think there was no one waiting in the wings, A-Rod power-serves J.C. Ferrero off the court in the U.S. Open final 6-3, 7-6(2), 6-3, becoming the first American-born player not named Sampras, Agassi, Courier or Chang to win a Slam in nearly a decade and a half. Quips Andy, “No more, ‘What’s it feel like to be the future of American tennis?’ crap!”

LEST WE FORGET: As Clijsters is crushing Russian Anastasia Myskina, Chris Fowler notes that the Belgian “had plenty of Myskina repellant”...According to Brit Nick Price, Russian women’s tennis “has a pipeline. British tennis has a drain”...Jon Wertheim notes that Serena Williams “won over the hearts and minds of the critics. Serena’s ‘irreverence’ has become her ‘taking the path less traveled.’ Her ‘arrogance’ has been recast as ‘confidence.’ Her ‘brute force’ has been upgraded to ‘sleek power.’ Outfits once described as ‘lapses in taste’ are now ‘bold and provocative.’ The consummate outsider has become the sport’s figurehead”...Lisa Dillman contends, “The U.S. Open seems like one big marketing opportunity interrupted by a tennis match once in a while.”...Yannick Noah asserts that tennis should scrap its code of conduct. “It’s the worst thing that’s happened. You should be allowed to scream and break your racket”...A City of Indian Wells ad during the Pacific Life Open states, “There are some people who believe happiness does not have to come from within”... Maria Sharapova, 16, says, “In a few years, hopefully, the stories won’t be about my grunting or my looks, but about me being a great player.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Massachusetts Supreme Court rules in favor of gay marriage...Saddam Hussein captured by American troops...SARS outbreak causes worldwide scare.

2004

ON COURT: Swiss sensation Roger Federer sets himself apart, winning three of four majors and establishing himself as the no-doubt No. 1. With a versatile, imaginative game that’s lethal from both the baseline and the net, the 23-year-old goes 18-0 against top-10 opponents and collects 11 titles overall, the most since Ivan Lendl in ‘85. He also sets an Open-era record by winning his 13th consecutive final. Asserts Cliff Drysdale, “He’s the best I’ve ever seen — including [Rod] Laver.” Clearly, he’s raised the bar. The dawning of the Age of Federer has arrived (via FedEx).

LEST WE FORGET: Donald Trump speaks of the rare allure of Maria Sharapova’s shoulders and claims that during the Wimbledon final, an intimidated Serena Williams “looked across the court and thought, oh God, I’m playing against a supermodel”...John McEnroe gives a workshop in New York entitled, “How to Play and Win by Your Own Rules.”...Tennis’ most unsparing critic, Sally Jenkins, who wrote the “Is Tennis Dying” piece a dozen years ago in Sports Illustrated, claims “tennis is dead. It’s been dead before, but at the moment it’s dead without precedent. Combine aloof players with basic business errors and what you have is a sport without a heartbeat”...After Tim Henman suffers a bad Wimbledon loss, the Sun claims, “Dim Tim’s defeat to a 20-year-old nobody was criminal”...After Tim lashes out and claims Britain has the world’s worst tennis reporters, Simon Barnes says Britain also has “the worst soccer, cricket, korfball and bog-snorkeling press [plus] the world’s worst book reviewing press because the latest review of my book failed to include the sentence, ‘This is the finest book written by anybody on any subject’”...The principal of Andre Agassi’s Vegas Academy says Andre is “the most amazing, humble man I’ve ever met”...ESPN notes that since Andre married Steffi Graf, he’s had more kids than Grand Slam titles...Robert Phillip claims that “Agassi of the limpid spaniel eyes looked like the last unsold puppy in the pet shop...displaying the foot speed of a man twice his age”...Agassi’s confidante Gil Reyes says, “We’re down to the homestretch. All I can ask is that we don’t limp though the finish line.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Iraq weapons investigators report no evidence of WMDs...Abu Ghraib prison photos emerge...Yaser Arafat dies...Tsunami devastates Asia... Janet Jackson flashes breast during Super Bowl halftime show.

2005

ON COURT: The ATP unleashes a shocker at Wimbledon when it insists that doubles no longer attracts fans, money or top players. It initiates a series of draconian “enhancements,” including shorter sets, no-ad scoring, and most important, serious cutbacks in the number of players who will qualify for draws with doubles rankings. Led by Wayne Bryan (tennis’ answer to the unsinkable Molly Brown), the unified doubles specialists unleash a firestorm of protest and file a much-publicized antitrust lawsuit. The ATP eventually pulls back on the rankings changes and adds more promos for doubles (even naming a doubles commissioner), but proceeds with the scoring changes.

LEST WE FORGET: Mary Carillo says tennis reminds her of Lily Tomlin’s comment: “No matter how cynical you are, it’s hard to keep up”...Andre Agassi goes from Nike to adidas. (World still spins)...Justine Henin-Hardenne, who twice has won the French Open but hasn’t prevailed at Wimbledon, says, “My game is more suited for grass, but my personality is more suited for clay.”...American Express bets all its U.S. Open marbles on Andy Roddick. After Andy crashes out, “mojo” becomes the most infamous word in sports marketing lore. “AmEx had Roddick looking for his mojo,” says one critic, “when he should have been looking for his backhand”...Maria Sharpova contends, “Beauty sells...I’m not going to make myself ugly.” But Thomas Johansson counters that Maria isn’t that good looking, and he doesn’t fancy her...The Times of London claims it’s “increasingly apparent that Federer was Leonardo da Vinci in a previous life...[He] seeks only to defeat other players, but to do so in a way that avoids beauty is beyond him”...”Fifty years ago,” Sania Mirza notes, “people in India didn’t believe a woman could play professional sports; girls like me coming out on the world stage is a little shocking, but that’s changing”...Bill Dwyre asserts that it will be 120 years before we see another match like the scintillating Andre Agassi-James Blake U.S. Open quarterfinal...Agassi’s trainer/confidante Gil Reyes puts the match in perspective, saying, “Just think about all the things that are so special, so good about sports — the human spirit, the human will, having a genuine love and respect for each other”...Aussie Open quarterfinalist Alicia Molik says her philosophy is “Don’t die wondering.”

MEANWHILE BACK IN THE REAL WORLD: Pope John Paul II dies...W. Mark Felt admits to being anonymous source (aka, “Deep Throat”) on Watergate scandal...Hurricane Katrina pounds Gulf Coast...7.6 quake rocks Kashmir.

2006

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