Sampras determined not
to finish on a loss

The sigh and body language just said it all.

A crestfallen Pete Sampras, head bowed, slumped into his seat in the post match interview room and let out an audible sigh as he tried to come to terms with the most demoralising defeat of his career.

More accustomed to lifting trophies on Wimbledon's famed Centre Court, the seven-times champion could barely believe the latest chapter of his glittering career.

Only moments before, Sampras suffered the ignominy of being dumped out 6-3, 6-2, 4-6, 3-6, 6-4 on the notorious court two -- dubbed the Graveyard of the Champions -- by Swiss lucky loser George Bastl.

The defeat summed up the mental anguish that the American has had to deal with over the past two years.

"I am really bummed out," said Sampras following Wednesday's three hours 15 minute second round match.

"As long as I feel I can win majors I will play. But right now I am discouraged. To come up pretty empty here is discouraging."

Having won at least one Grand Slam event for eight consecutive years from 1993, Sampras would probably like to wipe out his last two seasons from the record books.

Without a title since winning a record 13th Grand Slam crown at Wimbledon 2000, this latest setback will do Sampras's already dented confidence no favours.

The last time the American walked out of the All England gates after just round two was way back in 1991 and on current form, his fortunes are unlikely to improve.

With his mind still willing but 30-year-old body now slowing, Sampras's decline surfaced 12 months ago when he suffered yet another shock Wimbledon exit at the hands of yet another Swiss player, Roger Federer, in the fourth round.

Last autumn's Stuttgart event was yet another eye opener for those who have followed Sampras's career ever since he jumped on to the world stage at the tender age of 19 by sweeping aside compatriot Andre Agassi to take the 1990 U.S. Open title.

Showing only glimpses of his old form, the former world number one lost his temper and narrowly escaped a code violation for hitting the ball off the court after a controversial line call went against him during a second-round victory over Austria's Stefan Koubek.

INNER TURMOIL

For the "Mr Cool" of the tennis world to vent his anger so publicly was perhaps an indication of the inner turmoil he had been struggling with all season.

Losing to players he would once have dismissed with ease has proved frustrating for Sampras, as has the realisation that he is no longer the dominant force on the tour.

"Being so dominant over the years, it obviously gets a lot more difficult as the years go on to keep staying dominant," said Sampras, who topped the ranking for a record six consecutive years, after his defeat to Federer in last July.

"It was hard being number one for all those years. It was hard staying there. Something has to give at some point."

Having bagged most of the records on offer, Sampras has little left to prove except perhaps to himself.

Reaching the age of 30 is a milestone for most sporting professionals, particularly as the dreaded 'retirement' word crops up more and more in media conferences.

But despite these painful losses, Sampras has once again dismissed talk of retirement.

"There is no question whether I will return or not. I will be back," Sampras reiterated on Wednesday.

"This is more of a shock to me than any other defeat here.

"It is disappointing ... it is going to be a tough flight home. But I plan on being back.

"I am not going to end my time here with that loss.

"I may not be as dominant as I once was but I feel I can come up with it at the majors.

"It just didn't happen here."

EPIC WIN

Sampras's standards are indeed high as he has often achieved victories in situations that would have daunted lesser players.

While his epic win over Agassi at last year's U.S. Open has been indelibly etched into memory, who could forget a physically ill Sampras -- so ill that he vomited on court during the match -- battling past Spaniard Alex Corretja in the quarter-finals of the 1996 U.S. Open?

There was also the occasion when a tearful Sampras, who was struggling to come to terms with the illness of his then coach Tim Gullikson, who later died, overcame Jim Courier in a five-set thriller in the quarter-finals of the 1995 Australian Open.

But for Sampras, who married actress Bridgette Wilson in September 2000, the time has perhaps come to start planning a life after tennis.