Krajicek case for quality

Simon O'Hagan looks forward to today's final journey into the unknown

A LOT of the world's best tennis players will be kicking themselves this morning: Andre Agassi, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, Jim Courier. As for what poor Boris Becker must be feeling . . .

This was the year that will haunt them, the year when they will feel that if they had been able to raise their game - or in Becker's case had some luck - a wonderful chance to win Wimbledon would have beckoned. Instead, the climax of a tournament in which there has been unprecedented devastation among the leading men will, for the first time, feature two unseeded players.

You've got to hand it to MaliVai Washington and Richard Krajicek. Whether they are worthy to tread the same turf on finals day as such greats as Laver, Borg, McEnroe, Becker and Sampras is not a question to bother them. They have seized the moment and, whatever today's match lacks in terms of star names, it will certainly make up for in novelty.

Time and again the top players like to stress that the difference between them and the men lower down the rankings is minimal. "It comes down to one or two shots," they say. But rarely does it work out that the lesser players sustain their game long enough to make the breakthrough in Grand Slam tournaments, which is why what has happened at Wimbledon this year gives hope to dozens who might somewhat uncharitably be described as journeymen.

Various factors have combined to produce this most extraordinary of finals. With the exception of Becker and Todd Martin, there were no big servers in the bottom half of the draw. Once Agassi and Kafelnikov went in the first round and Becker had to withdraw injured in the third, the role of unlikely hero was up for grabs. Tim Henman could have filled it even more dramatically than he did.

The weather also helped to even things up. Rhythm is vital for everybody, and when it is constantly being disrupted by rain the best players are often no better equipped than anyone else to make the mental adjustments necessary. Sampras's already troubled state of mind played its part in his downfall at the hands of Krajicek and, of the other possible contenders, Goran Ivanisevic was outsmarted by Jason Stoltenberg and Michael Stich, another Krajicek victim, was always going to be up against it after his exertions in Paris.

If Washington's triumph has been one mainly of opportunity, Krajicek's progress has been grounded in firmer logic, for he is a player of whom much has been expected at Wimbledon for a long time. As a mighty server, the Dutchman has the primary weapon required to succeed on grass. But his wardrobe-like build told against him. He had trouble making the quick movements demanded on the fastest surface.

Then there was the mental block he seemed to suffer whenever Grand Slam tournaments came along. Until this Wimbledon he had just two semi-finals to show from 21 Grand Slam appearances. What has made a big difference this year has been, ironically, his form on clay. He was a finalist in Rome, and a quarter-finalist at the French, and these performances gave him a confidence which has been evident throughout a Wimbledon run in which he has dropped only one set,.

Tom Okker, the last Dutchman of any note at Wimbledon, has followed Krajicek's career closely and sees a very different player this year. "He played extremely well against Sampras," Okker said. "Not just his serving, but his movement has improved greatly."

Washington, at 27 two years Krajicek's senior, is a very different kind of player, feeling his way more into the points while at the same time benefiting from explosive athletic power. With a modest four career titles to Krajicek's nine, he has no Grand Slam record to speak of, bar a solitary quarter-final, in 26 previous appearances.

Brian Gottfried, the American former top 10 player, coached Washington for three years and still practises with him. "What's pleased me about MaliVai here is that he seems to have overcome his fear of grass. He's always had the game for it, but playing on it as little as he does has been a problem."

Krajicek, after the way he disposed of Sampras, goes into the final as firm favourite. But, Gottfried thinks, if Washington can return well and make his opponent play a lot of shots, he has a very good chance. The two have never met before. It's truly a step into the unknown.