July 1997
A treasure replaced
When Pete Sampras' coach, Tim Gullikson, died in May 1996, Sampras presented his trophy from his first Wimbledon title at the funeral in remembrance of the man who guided him to that 1993 title. He went on to win two more. So why are there still three Wimbledon trophies in this photo (gold ones in foreground)? Because, in an unprecedented move, the Committee of Management of the All England Championships sent Sampras a replacement trophy.
BBC commentator John Barrett, who is a member of the committee, said they did so because "all of us felt it was such a noble gesture that he had made, and he had always conducted himself so well at our Championships. We thought it a pity he wouldn't have a memento of his first Championship win."
It's the first time a trophy that was voluntarily given away was replaced. Many years ago, the plate won in the '20s by women's champion Kitty Godfree was replaced after it was stolen.
Sharp-eyed fans will note that there also are only three U.S. Open trophies surrounding the four-time Open champ. That's because his cup from 1996 was at the engraver's when this was shot.