WIMBLEDON, England, July 5 — Pete Sampras considers Centre Court at Wimbledon as familiar and comfortable as his favorite practice court back home in Florida. He always seems to rise to the occasion here, no matter the opponent, no matter the circumstances, no matter the current state of his game. Today was no different.

Facing his most difficult challenge in this, his fifth Wimbledon final, Sampras battled his way to a 6-7 (7-2), 7-6 (11-9), 6-4, 3-6, 6-2 victory over Goran Ivanisevic, who became a three-time loser in a Wimbledon final and collapsed into his courtside chair looking like an empty husk.

The victory tied Sampras with Bjorn Borg for most Wimbledon titles in the open era with five, and it tied him with Borg and Rod Laver for second-most Grand Slam titles with 11. At 26, and with what he calls "a few good years left in me," Sampras now needs only one more Grand Slam championship to equal Roy Emerson for the most in history.

"All Wimbledons are very, very sweet," said Sampras, who had not won a major tournament since his victory here last year. "It is a little bit overwhelming to have won five, and to be a couple from the record. It's really hard to talk about. It's a little overwhelming to think of myself in those terms."

Sampras smiled broadly after he broke Ivanisevic to take the final game. And though he did not celebrate wildly — Sampras never does — he looked almost giddy as he sat in his chair and waited for the trophy presentation, grinning up at his girlfriend, actress Kimberly Williams, and his coach, Paul Annacone, all the while.

Across the way, in the other chair, Ivanisevic sat with a towel over his head, unmoving, a portrait of heartache. Tournament referee Alan Mills had to nudge him to go up and receive the runner-up platter from the Duke of Kent, and, when he did, Ivanisevic looked as if he didn't want to touch the dish, let alone take it home.

"It feels bad," Ivanisevic, 26, said later. "I cannot describe it. It's the worst moment in my life."

The five-set final was the first in a Grand Slam since Sergi Brugera beat Jim Courier at the 1993 French Open, and it was the first at Wimbledon since Andre Agassi beat Ivanisevic in 1992 to give the Croatian the first of his three Wimbledon title defeats. The other was to Sampras in 1994, but that match was nothing compared with this one.

	Pete Sampras, on his way to a fifth Wimbledon crown, plays a return to Goran Ivanisevic. (Reuters Photo)

"Compared to all the Wimbledons I've played, this is by far the toughest," said Sampras, who beat Ivanisevic in straight sets last time. "I'm sure this one is going to sit with both of us, you know, this match, and I'm sure he's frustrated. I would be frustrated if I was in his shoes."

Both players were nervous when they stepped on Centre Court early this afternoon, and those nerves escalated dramatically during the crucial second-set tiebreaker. They traded set-point opportunities — Ivanisevic failing to convert first, then Sampras, then Ivanisevic, then Sampras again. And Sampras, terrified, felt the match slipping away.

"God," Sampras said he thought to himself at the time. "This could be Goran's year."

But Sampras hit a huge serve that Ivanisevic could only touch on his third set point, and rolled to victory in the next set as Ivanisevic agonized over the two backhands he missed on his set-point chances. Still, Ivanisevic refused to give in. As Sampras had predicted, Ivanisevic's serve was a roller coaster — he had 32 aces and 20 double-faults — and he rode it hard to force the fifth set.

Once he got there, though, Ivanisevic discovered he had nothing left.

For once, the hot-tempered Ivanisevic was able to keep his concentration. But he couldn't keep his legs. Tired from the 28-game fifth set he had to play to win his semifinal against Richard Krajicek on Friday, Ivanisevic was slower to the net in the fifth set today, and, as a result, Sampras passed him with greater and greater ease. Ivanisevic was broken in the sixth game of the set, then broken again — at love — to lose the match.

"My legs were not fresh like I was supposed to be," he said. "That fifth set against Krajicek cost me this final today."

The Wimbledon fans, who had been thrilled to see Jana Novotna, another two-time finals loser, take the women's trophy Saturday, had a soft spot for Ivanisevic, too. They urged him — unsuccessfully — to take a lap with his runner-up platter, and gave him a monstrous roar when he lifted a limp arm to wave goodbye on his way off the court. Nothing, though, could cheer up Ivanisevic — not even talk of the stunning success of the Croatian World Cup soccer team, which made the semifinals by beating Germany on Saturday. Ivanisevic arrived here today wearing a Croatian soccer jersey and a huge grin, but he left wearing a look of despair.

"I cannot cheer anybody now," he said. "I can only kill myself. Now I'm not good for anybody."

Prone to melodrama and prolonged self-doubt, Ivanisevic predicted that this loss would take all motivation out of his tennis for "a very long time." He arrived at Wimbledon in the midst of a horrible year, and as he unexpectedly rose to the finals, he viewed this tournament as his possible salvation. Instead, it left him feeling decidedly worse.

For Sampras, though, this tournament once again proved to be a quick fix. In a self-described slump for the first half of the season, Sampras risked losing his No. 1 ranking to Chile's Marcelo Rios if he did not win today, and he was growing tired of all the questions about his apparent lack of motivation. Again and again and again, Sampras told people that he would be just fine at Wimbledon. In his heart, he knew he had to be. For Wimbledon is just like home.

"I'm probably more comfortable on [Centre Court] than any court in the world," said Sampras, whose only Wimbledon loss in the last six years was to Krajicek, the eventual champion, in the 1996 quarterfinals.

"I've played a lot of big matches on that court, and when you're comfortable playing somewhere, you're going to play well."