Sampras Wins It for His Dying Coach
Tennis: Sampras began to weep and Courier shouted across: 'You all right, Peter? We can do this tomorrow, you know.' By Jon Henderson
24 January 1995, Australian Open, Melbourne
West Coast boy Pete Sampras often brought Hollywood-style drama to the tennis court, but never more memorably than on the night at the 1995 Australian Open when he played Jim Courier in a quarter-final.
Earlier that day, Sampras's coach, Tim Gullikson, had flown home from Melbourne having suffered his third stroke within three months, a manifestation of the brain cancer that would kill him.
Sampras was in a bad enough way with blistered feet that needed attention three times during the five, ultra-competitive sets. What really cracked up Sampras, though, was when in the fifth set with the time well past midnight a spectator yelled: 'Win it for your coach, Pete!' Sampras began to weep and Courier shouted across: 'You all right, Peter? We can do this tomorrow, you know.'
It was tomorrow and Sampras wanted to keep going. It was 1.09am when they eventually finished walloping each other to a standstill, Sampras winning 6-7 (4-7) 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-4 6-3.
West Coast boy Pete Sampras often brought Hollywood-style drama to the tennis court, but never more memorably than on the night at the 1995 Australian Open when he played Jim Courier in a quarter-final.
Earlier that day, Sampras's coach, Tim Gullikson, had flown home from Melbourne having suffered his third stroke within three months, a manifestation of the brain cancer that would kill him.
Sampras was in a bad enough way with blistered feet that needed attention three times during the five, ultra-competitive sets. What really cracked up Sampras, though, was when in the fifth set with the time well past midnight a spectator yelled: 'Win it for your coach, Pete!' Sampras began to weep and Courier shouted across: 'You all right, Peter? We can do this tomorrow, you know.'
It was tomorrow and Sampras wanted to keep going. It was 1.09am when they eventually finished walloping each other to a standstill, Sampras winning 6-7 (4-7) 6-7 (3-7) 6-3 6-4 6-3.
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