Wimbledon '93: The top eight men's seeds

1 PETE SAMPRAS

Born: Washington DC, US (12 Aug 1971)

Home: Tampa, Florida, US

Height: 6ft 1in

Weight: 12st 2lb

Plays: Right-handed

Winnings: pounds 4.921m

Wimbledon record: 1st rnd (1989), 1, 2,

SF

THE world No 1 since April, even though he has yet to add to his solitary Grand Slam triumph, at the 1990 United States Open. A shoulder injury will not help here. The stylish exponent of serve and volley was unable to withstand the serving of Goran Ivanisevic in the semi-finals last year, and his return of serve remains suspect on grass. His body language also needs to improve.

Born: Vastervik, Sweden (19 Jan 1966)

Home: London

Height: 6ft 2in

Weight: 12st 4lb

Plays: Right-handed Winnings: pounds 8.851m

Wimbledon record: 2nd rnd (1983), 2, 4, 3, SF, W, F, W, SF, QF

Stefan Edberg

THIS will be his 41st consecutive Grand Slam tournament, and in recent years he has demonstrated his strength of character, whereas before he would allow his head to drop. In successfully defending the United States Open title last year he recovered from being a break down in the fifth set of three consecutive matches. The style has always been fluent. No player is better equipped for Wimbledon.

Jim Courier

Born: Sanford, Florida, US (17 Aug 1970)

Home: Dade City, Florida

Height: 6ft 1in

Weight: 12st 5lb

Plays: Right-handed

Winnings: pounds 3.79m

Wimbledon record: 1st rnd (1989), 3, QF, 3

WILL attempt to pick himself up after losing both the No 1 ranking and the French Open title since his last visit, when he was ambushed in the third round by Andrei Olhovskiy, a Russian qualifer. Public expectation is not so high this time, which could work in his favour, though his predominantly baseline style may again conspire against him on grass.

Boris Becker

Born: Leimen, Germany (22 Nov 1967)

Home: Monte Carlo

Height: 6ft 3in

Weight: 13st 3lb

Plays: Right-handed

Winnings: pounds 7.62m

Wimbledon record: 3rd rnd (1984), W, W, 2, F, W, F, F, QF

HAS not won a Grand Slam title since the 1991 Australian Open, and has had a miserable year on the courts so far, partly due to illness. Needs motivation, which the Wimbledon lawns have provided since his astonishing triumph in 1985, unseeded and only 17. Only once since (Peter Doohan, 1987) has he lost to anyone other than the eventual champion.

Goran Ivanisevic

Born: Split, Coatia (13 Sept 1971)

Home: Split and Monte Carlo

Height: 6ft 4in

Weight: 11st 5lb

Plays: Left-handed

Winnings: pounds 2.42m

Wimbledon record: 1st rnd (1988), 2, SF, 2, F

THE man of a thousand aces fired 206 of them at Wimbledon last year and still failed to lift the trophy. Does he have the concentration and discipline to win seven matches over the best of five sets? But for these doubts he would be virtually unplayable on the faster surfaces, yet two years ago he fell to Britain's Nick Brown in the second round.

Michael Stich

Born: Pinneberg, Ger (18 Oct 1968)

Home: Elmshorn, Ger

Height: 6ft 4in

Weight: 12st 5lb

Plays: Right-handed

Winnings: pounds 3.62m

Wimbledon record: 1st rnd (1989), 3, W, QF

THE man in form. Big serve, solid volley, superb backhand, and relieved of the burden of defending the title. Experienced difficulty dealing with celebrity status after his 1991 victory, particularly in Germany. He says he has become more relaxed since his marriage, but his mood on the court still is apt to vary between lugubrious and testy. Was smiling at Queen's Club a week ago.

Ivan Lendl

Born: Ostrava, Czech (7 Mar 1960)

Home: Greenwich, Connecticut, US

Height: 6ft 2in

Weight: 12st 5lb

Plays: Right-handed

Winnings: pounds 12.14m

Wimbledon record: 1st rnd (1979), 3, 1, -, SF, SF, 4, F, F, SF, SF, SF, 3, 4

THE record shows he took the blows. Alas, they have rained upon him on surfaces other than the dreaded grass with alarming regularity this year. A great champion everywhere but Wimbledon, it has become rare for him to survive opening matches on rubberised concrete and even on clay. An outsider, at best, he would make a sensatonal winner.

Andre Agassi

Born: Las Vegas, US (29 Apr 1970)

Home: Las Vegas, US

Height: 5ft 11in

Weight: 12st 5lb

Plays: Right-handed

Winnings: pounds 3.5m

Wimbledon record: 1st rnd (1987), -, -, -, QF, W

THE enigma. Was last year's triumph a one-off? Is he fit? If popularity won championships, he would have as many Grand Slam titles as Rod Laver, but has a dodgy wrist and elbow and has played only one match in two months. As his friend McEnroe would say, you cannot be serious.

(Photograph omitted)