Sunken eyes, hollow cheeks sucking in the air, a face of utter desolation . . . it belonged to the hapless Goran Ivanisevic. Three times he has stood on the precipice of success and on each occasion he has been unable to take the final step.

This latest defeat was undoubtedly the most galling and it will be quite some time before he can exorcise the demons that it will unleash. The Croatian conceded as much in the aftermath.

He spoke of the nervousness of both players in the opening exchanges and the resultant poor quality of tennis. He may have been a little harsh on the quality of yesterday's men's singles final at Wimbledon.

It was billed as a collision of serves but this match offered more than an "acefest". The intensity of the five-set battle, the breathtaking cameos and the exceptional athleticism gripped the appreciative Centre Court crowd.

Offering Ivanisevic titbits of excellence to soften the blow of defeat was an exercise in futility. He didn't want kudos or reminders of heights that can be achieved. He wanted to wallow in his own misery. It was difficult to blame him.

Twice before, he has glimpsed tennis heaven only to find himself sent spiralling into purgatory. Andre Agassi shattered a dream in 1992, beating the Croatian in a five-set final, and in 1994 Ivanisevic tasted defeat in the final again when he was unable to counter the brilliance of Sampras. It is the question of brilliance which perhaps rankles Ivanisevic most.

He claimed that, yesterday, Sampras was some way short of the dizzying excellence he managed in 1994 and that he had a much better chance of success. He pointed to the two set points he had in the second-set tie-break. On both occasions he failed to punish short second serves from Sampras.

Ivanisevic claimed that if he had been two sets up, there would have been no salvation for the defending champion. He's probably right - Sampras conceded that the second set tie-break was critical to the outcome - but that will serve to infuriate him still further.

The Croatian also claimed that his failure to close out his semi-final against Richard Krajicek when 5-3 and 40-15 up in the fourth set cost him dearly (he eventually won 15-13 in the fifth).

"Yes, 5-3 against Krajicek cost me this final," he said. "My legs went in the fifth set. I gave everything to win that fourth set.

"It's like somebody hit me, he went up, I went down. The last game I hit three first serves and he returned. I was like a woman serving. They were not going anywhere. No pace, they were just there." His obvious fatigue in the fifth aside, he correctly identified two sloppy backhand returns on set points in the second set tiebreak as spurned opportunities.

A missed forehand volley provided Sampras with his third set point but, crucially, his first with the serve. As befits the champions that he is, Sampras availed of the chance. This tie-break was in marked contrast to the first set, which Ivanisevic played with great authority, serving four aces.

His serve, so often a potent weapon - 32 aces yesterday - can also prove an Achilles' heel and yesterday's 20 double faults illustrates an area in which Ivanisevic struggled. The fact that Sampras carved 14 break points, of which he took four, compared to Ivanisevic taking two break points from nine, encapsulates the greater pressure that the American created on his opponent's serve, particularly later in the match.

Sampras sustained a break in the fifth game to take the third set 6-4 and enjoyed two break points in the fifth game of the next. Just when it appeared that Ivanisevic was beginning to wilt, he produced a stunning four-point salvo on the Sampras serve: two forehand cross-court winners, one on the backhand side and a forehand winner down the line.

The momentum shifted again and Ivanisevic grabbed the set, 63. It was now something of a lottery, a contest of wills and resolution, which suits Sampras. He epitomises the streetfighter in attitude and parlance, admitting that in those circumstances "you do whatever you can to win".

After conceding only two points on his first three service games of the fifth set, he produced some sublime tennis on return in the sixth game, with a wonderfully controlled blocked return that fairly zipped past his opponent. The contest was over.

Sampras should be recognised as one of the all-time greats. His fifth Wimbledon, matching Bjorn Borg's record, his 11th grand slam, just one behind the recordholder Roy Emerson ... titles are the only eulogies he seeks.

Perhaps lacking the charisma of some greats, Sampras prefers to "let my tennis do the talking." His success brooks no argument. The biggest loudmouth around.