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Federer Stands Alone By Liz Clarke Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, July 5, 2009; 5:08 PM WIMBLEDON, England, July 5 -- It was a day for making history. Roger Federer, who was reduced to tears after losing last year's Wimbledon final, exulted on the same patch of Centre Court Sunday after winning his 15th Grand Slam title -- one that breaks his tie with Pete Sampras for the most career majors. Federer prevailed in the longest Grand Slam final in men's history, turning back a determined challenge by American Andy Roddick, 5-7, 7-6 (6), 7-6 (5), 3-6, 16-14. With the...

To put it bluntly, everything you read today by sportswriters about tournament tennis prior to 1968 and the advent of the big-money professional game is completely wrong. For one thing, between 1930 and 1968 very few champions or top players were rich young men. Far from it....Perhaps from a distance they looked rich when they were tennis stars. They behaved like gentlemen. It was insisted upon.... But beginning in 1968, a strange reversal occurred. The teenagers could not act like adults because the adults -- even on Ivy League campuses -- had joined the kids, adopting their distinctive music, hair...

Pete Sampras, who won a record 14th Grand Slam singles title in September at the U.S. Open, has withdrawn from the remaining ATP tournaments in which he was entered this year. Sampras, 31, one of the greatest men's players ever, won for the first time since July 2000 when he beat long-time rival Andre Agassi in four sets last month. He improved to 27-17 for the season and captured his 64th career title. He is 12th in the ATP Champions Race, ending a streak of 12 straight years in the top 10. Jimmy Connors (16) and Ivan Lendl (13) are...

NEW YORK -- Pete Sampras took a huge step in his career revival Saturday, reaching the U.S. Open final by beating the heat and a steady Sjeng Schalken. With power on his serves and dominance at the net, Sampras wore down the Dutchman for a 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 victory and a chance to end more than two years without a title. Sampras, who lost the Open final the past two years, goes for his fifth Open championship Sunday against sixth-seeded Andre Agassi, who beat defending champion Lleyton Hewitt. "It's a pretty tough turnaround emotionally, physically, but I...