The match that changed Tennis
The 1994 Wimbledon final between Pete Sampras and Goran Ivanisevic took place on an unusually hot July day for London. Beforehand, everybody knew the rallies were going to be short and points quick. However, no one would have predicted the importance that match would play in the direction of modern tennis. The match was won by Sampras in straight sets with a strange scoreline of 7-6 7-6 6-0. After Ivanisevic lost the two tiebreaks, he crumbled in the 3rd set as Sampras pulled out an array of returns and passing shots. However, what seemed to get the media going was how the match unfolded, with a series of strong serves, aces, mishit returns or returns into the net on an incredibly regular basis. With the temperature around 30 degrees centigrade and the ball flying as a result, there were zero rallies as a consequence. Ivanisevic hit 25 aces and Sampras 17, whilst many of Sampras’ serves were consisten...