Men’s Final for Gourmets Only : Wimbledon: Sampras going for third title in a row. Becker seeks fourth, but first since 1989.

WIMBLEDON, England â€”  Pete Sampras, the two-time defending Wimbledon champion, is not one to telegraph his thoughts or emotions. Still, after his semifinal victory over Goran Ivanisevic on Friday, Sampras’ placid demeanor was puzzling.

A reporter asked an obvious question, “How hungry are you to win a third Wimbledon title? “

Sampras stared his polite stare and responded, “I’m ravenous.�

When told of Sampras’ comment, Boris Becker--his opponent in today’s final--observed, “It seems like two hungry boys are going to play on Sunday.�

Neither player is starving for victories, but Sampras and Becker are always eager for more servings of Grand Slam tournament titles. Some players want to earn money in tennis--most do, in fact. Some have an interest in winning, no matter the tournament.

Sampras and Becker want to collect trophies from Grand Slam events.

Each player is going for his sixth Grand Slam title today.

Becker has a special relationship with Wimbledon. He became the first unseeded player to win the sport’s most prestigious event when he won the title in 1985 at age 17. Becker has won three Wimbledon titles, and this will be his seventh final.

Sampras is in pursuit of a similar history. “I hope I can make it a three-Pete,� he said.

Sampras, ranked No. 2, has been spotty during the two weeks here, but he made a significant improvement in his serve between Wednesday’s quarterfinal and Friday’s semifinal. It’s his biggest weapon, and he’ll need it working against Becker.

After two weeks of almost nonstop sunshine, Centre Court has been baked until it plays almost like a hard court.

No less an expert than Andre Agassi sees the match this way: “Pete does everything like Boris, except a little better. I feel like Pete serves bigger, moves better and is a little better off the ground. The only thing that I think Boris does well that Pete might struggle with at times is Boris has a tendency to close you off. He won’t make a lot of careless errors and let you sneak breaks back. Pete isn’t that way. Pete can miss some high volleys. If they both play their best tennis, I like Pete.�

Sampras leads their head-to-head meetings, 6-5, and won the last one, in the ATP Finals in 1994. They’ve played only once before on grass, the 1993 Wimbledon semifinals, the first year Sampras won the title.

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Wimbledon Notes

Todd Woodbridge and Mark Woodforde won their third consecutive doubles title, defeating Rick Leach and Scott Melville, 7-5, 7-6 (8-6), 7-6 (7-5). Woodbridge and Woodforde joined fellow Aussies John Newcombe and Tony Roche (1968-1970) as the only open era doubles team to win Wimbledon three times in a row.