Take 5 — Men's Singles Player Profiles

The disputes over seedings and surfaces will doubtless rumble on into the new millennium just they rumbled on during the last one. But despite what some commentators would have you believe, there are still some players in the Men's game who have the touch and vision to win on any surface and against any player.

So even when they tell you that grass courts are all about power and clay courts all about consistency, remember that there are at least five players out there who win primarily because they can play great tennis.

Andre Agassi

The charismatic Las Vegan is famed as the fastest returner in the game and his lightening reflexes have helped him to take the title at all four Grand Slam competitions — a feat that is seemingly beyond even the great Pete Sampras.

But there is more to Agassi's game than his blistering return. He makes the most of his small stature with a cleverly varied first serve and is tactically one of the shrewdest competitors on the Tour. Tentative at the net and susceptible to sudden dips in form, Agassi has to work hard to stay on top for an entire tournament. But when he is hot, there are few who can touch him.

Pete Sampras

What can you say? Seven Wimbledon titles. More Grand Slam wins than any player in the history of the game. Pete Sampras is quite simply the most complete tennis player of the modern era. He serves with venom and devastating accuracy — and has the coruscating groundstrokes needed to win from the baseline.

But as Pat Rafter pointed out after losing to Sampras at Wimbledon, not one of his thirteen Grand Slam titles was earned on the clay courts of Roland Garros. So to truly eclipse Rod Laver and Roy Emerson as the greatest tennis player of all time, Sampras must now win in Paris on his least-favoured surface. Would you bet against him?

Pat Rafter

Returning from injury to make it all the way to the final at Wimbledon, Pat Rafter will soon be back as one of the major forces in the Men's game. His combination of strength and agility make him a formidable opponent on grass but he also has sufficient variety in his shot selection to compete with the clay court specialists.

Prone to irascible outbursts and bouts of sulking early on in his career, Rafter now looks to have found the maturity to raise his game even when things aren't going his way. A tough competitor and, if he stays fit, a real contender over the next three or four seasons.

Gustavo Kuerten

A genius on clay and one of the few true originals currently playing on the Men's circuit. The flamboyant Brazilian is instantly recognisable for his sinuous groundstrokes and outrageous hairstyles — but beneath the showman there is a resolute competitor.

As his two Grand Slam titles illustrate, Roland Garros is perfectly suited to Kuerten's baseline game. But his all-guns-blazing assault at this year's Wimbledon demonstrated how he has the power and consistency to win on other surfaces. He may have to reign his attacking instincts to prevail outside Paris — but whenever he is shooting from the hip, Kuerten remains one of the most entertaining spectacles in the game.

Tim Henman

Britain's No. 1 and the only home grown player with a realistic chance of winning a Grand Slam event. That said, Henman has never reached a quarter-final at a major tournament held outside SW19 — and despite his abundant self-belief, he has not greatly improved since he made the fourth round at the US Open in 1996.

A perfect grass court game has been somewhat undermined by his brittle forehand and the growing suspicion that he lacks the quality to compete with the very best. Pete Sampras is notorious for praising players that he knows he can beat — and in singling out Henman as a future Wimbledon champion, he may be letting us know that when push comes to shove, Henman is nothing more than a determined outsider.