WIMBLEDON, England ? No one has won more Wimbledon championships than Pete Sampras. No one has won more Grand Slam singles titles.

And Pistol Pete never has been saddled with a drought as distressing as the one he drags to the All England Club when play starts Monday.

It’s been two years and 29 events since Sampras packaged his trademark skills booming serve, crisp volleys, fearsome forehand well enough to win a tournament of any sort. He last lifted a trophy at Wimbledon in 2000.

“As you get a little older, as Slams go by, it’s pretty difficult to kind of get over it,” Sampras said.

“It’s not like I’m 20 and have the next 10 years to have an opportunity. Each time one goes by, it’s one that you have to wait a year to come back and try to do it.”

No. 1 for a record total of 286 weeks, he’s dropped to 13th in the ATP rankings, his match record is barely above .500 in 2002 (16-13), and even with the help of Wimbledon’s policy of assigning seedings based in part on grass-court ability rather than purely on rankings his No. 6 seeding is his lowest since he was eighth in 1991.

“I don’t enjoy losing, and that’s been happening a lot this year,” said Sampras, bounced from the Australian Open in the fourth round and from the French Open in the first round. “It’s a very, very big test for me, but I know I can get through it.”

Seemingly on her way to building as impressive a Wimbledon resume as Sampras’ is Venus Williams, the two-time defending women’s champion. She’s seeded No. 1, and younger sibling Serena is No. 2, meaning they couldn’t face each other until the final, potentially paving the way for Sister Slam III.

A woman named Williams has won six of the past 11 major titles, and two of the past three Grand Slam tournaments have featured all-in-the-family finals.

Jennifer Capriati, a Wimbledon semifinalist last year and winner of three majors since the start of 2001, Jelena Dokic, and Belgians Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters also should fare well.

Past champions Martina Hingis and Lindsay Davenport are injured.

Sampras has a fairly favorable draw, not facing a true challenge until potential quarterfinal foe Marat Safin, and still might prove capable of adding to his seven Wimbledon titles (only William Renshaw, whose last came in 1889, won as many) and 13 Grand Slam trophies.

Still, he’s no longer the overwhelming favorite he was for so many years on grass. Top-seeded Lleyton Hewitt, No. 3 Andre Agassi, and No. 4 Tim Henman all have to be considered more serious title contenders, given their recent form.

Others who could make runs include second-seeded Safin, the only player to reach the semifinals of the past three majors; No. 5 Yevgeny Kafelnikov; No. 7 Roger Federer, who eliminated Sampras in the round of 16 last year; and No. 11 Andy Roddick.

Sampras leads active players with 751 career match wins (against 218 losses) and 63 titles. But he’s lost seven of his past nine matches and clearly isn’t quite the player he was for so many years his step a tad slower, his power a tad muted.

“It hasn’t been a pleasant thing for any of us to watch, and for him it hasn’t been a pleasant year. He is again looking to Wimbledon to save his year,” said TNT analyst Jim Courier, a four-time major champion who lost the 1993 Wimbledon final to Sampras.

“He has done this time and time again, but this year it has never been more pertinent than any other year.”

Neither of the 2001 men’s finalists is entered. Goran Ivanisevic, who finally won a major title in his 48th Grand Slam tournament, has a shoulder injury, while two-time runner-up Pat Rafter is semiretired.

That raises a question: Who will open the tournament on Centre Court, an honor normally reserved for the defending champion?

“I think it has to go to Pete,” Hewitt said. “He’s going to go down in history as probably the greatest player to have played there.”

Agassi, meanwhile, had another suggestion.

“Maybe just leave the court open for a couple of hours,” the 1992 winner said with a laugh, “and let me practice on it.”