The Greenbrier Champions Tennis Classic has brought a taste of the best of the best in the game to the West Virginia hills. American tennis legends have graced the court, including John McEnroe (making a return this year) and Pete Sampras, the Greenbrier's Tennis Pro Emeritus. This year, Jim Courier and James Blake joined the fray of American tennis legends, replacing last year's duo of Andy Roddick and youngster Ryan Harrison.
Two singles matches, one between McEnroe and Courier and the other between Sampras and Blake, were supposed to have been played on Saturday at the Greenbrier Resort's brilliant new tennis stadium. This was sadly knocked out of Saturday's schedule due to continuous inclement weather in the White Sulphur Springs, creating a hectic Sunday jam-packed with tennis events. There was still a drizzle of rain on Sunday, so the festivities were moved into the smaller Indoor Tennis Facility, where it was standing-room only for the ticket-holders.
Courier and McEnroe took the court first, and their personalities and playing styles clashed. Courier, the relatively amiable current Davis Cup captain for the US, used artful shots to counter McEnroe, the perpetually angry firebrand. In the 1 set match, it took quite a bit of time before either could break serve, but McEnroe took momentum to make it 7 games to 6. The pugnacious McEnroe remained focused, finished off Courier with serves that Courier compared to sonic booms, winning 8-6. The 56-year-old proved that he's still got the power in his unique serve.
Blake and Sampras immediately came out to start their match, a passionate, nail-biting affair. Both performed brilliant circus shots, delighting the crowds with humorous taunts and jabs thrown at each other. The 1-setter was a stalemate, but Sampras gained the support of the crowd after a long rally in which he ended by diving into the return by Blake, and zipping the shot by Blake while falling down. After this, Pete seemed more comfortable. The match went to a tiebreaker, and Sampras came out of his shell to push himself to a victory.
The most entertaining event of the afternoon was the doubles match, Courier & Blake vs. Sampras & McEnroe. This is where their vitality and humor manifested, giving the crowd nostalgic memories of the four assembled. The match included some lengthy rallies, one that lasted over 1 minute. The tennis balls turned into strikes of lightning whirring back and forth. It was yet another close affair, but Courier & Blake later jumped to victory, Blake's play up front leading the charge.
This event gives many memories of the golden days of US men's tennis. After Sampras won his final Grand Slam event against Andre Agassi in the US Open in 2002, things took a fairly dark turn in American male talent in the sport, and it is still stuck in the doldrums. John Isner is the highest ranked US men's tennis player going into the 2016 season, but has not been able to really come close to breaking through in a Grand Slam event. The hope is that players like Francis Tiafoe and Jack Sock can come up and rejuvenate the sport in America, but it could still be a long time before they start their ascents. However, we can still admire the greatness of the past in the four we witnessed at the Greenbrier today.
James Blake and Pete Sampras both talked to VAVEL USA after the evening.
Question For Blake: In the state of US tennis as a whole, men are struggling to attain any success in Grand Slams. What needs to happen to bring it back to the level it was a decade ago when you were at your prime.
Blake: I think that part of it is we don't have the same kind of talent right now as we did in the generation of Sampras, Agassi, Martin, and Courier. I do think that we have a great group of juniors right now that are 16, 17, 18 years old, like Francis Tiafoe, Reilly Opelka, Taylor Fritz, Michael Mmoh, Stefan Kozlov, Jared Donaldson. There's a ton of guys, so I think we're looking forward to in the next couple of years to getting back to hopefully having some Grand Slam champions. But it goes in cycles, and it's been really tough as these guys have been really greedy. Novak, Roger, Rafa, and even Andy Murray have been dominating.
Question For Blake: How much longer to do you think the era of the Big 4 will last?
Blake: I honestly think Novak's got another good four years in him of dominance. As for the other guys, you know Rafa is coming towards the end I think. Roger is still a solid #2 in the world, but he's not as dominant or as fearsome as he used to be, so he's probably near the tail end as well. So I will give it another four years, and that's when we'll hopefully see these young (US) guys come up and start getting Grand Slams.
Question For Sampras: You and Roger Federer are currently tied with 7 Wimbledons and 5 US Opens. Do you see him rising above those marks before he retires?
Sampras: You know, I think he can do another Wimbledon. I mean, he's come close the past couple years, a couple against Djokovic. But you know, I see him doing it one day.
Question For Sampras: Do you see him retiring after Rio 2016? That is the current rumor.
Sampras: I don't know what's in his head, but he gives it all in his play, and he loves to play. We'll see how his health holds up the next couple of years.
Question For Both Blake And Sampras: Jim Courier and John McEnroe are both members of the media through the Tennis Channel and ESPN. What would it take for you two to become more involved as commentators on television?
Blake: A lot less for me than Pete right now, I'm sure. I definitely would enjoy doing it, but I'm not sure if it's something I would do fully time. But it definitely would keep me involved in the sport, and keep me current, and I enjoy that.
Sampras: I don't think it's really for me. I don't enjoy traveling that much, and it's just not something I'm very interested in. Just playing some exhibition matches is really all for me, and nothing more than that.