Widely considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time, Pete Sampras was born in 1971, Maryland. In 1988, Sampras turned professional. He arrived on the pro circuit at the same time as several other talented young American players, including Michael Chang, Andre Agassi and Jim Courier, who secured the country's dominance of the men's side of the sport for much of the 1990s.For six straight years, between 1993 and 1998, Sampras was named the ATP Player of the Year. Sampras's reign over his sport was accompanied by a quiet, matter-of-fact approach to the game. Pete Sampras was the greatest grass-court player of all time. He won 7 Wimbledon titles in his career. however, Sampras proved the completeness of his game by winning 5 US Open and 2 Australian Open titles. He also had one of the greatest serve of all time. Sampras was a brilliant volleyer too and was the last true great exponent of the serve-and-volley game. His cross-court passing shots were a treat to watch and so were his backhand slices.
June 2nd 2001: Pete Sampras, seven times Wimbledon champion meets in the fourth round the 19-year-old Swiss Roger Federer. It will be their first and unique meeting on the court. . Coming into Wimbledon, Sampras had won 31 consecutive matches on the green lawns at the All England Club and had lost only one of his last 57. Federer was touted to be the next best and greatest. So far, the Swiss failed to live up to these expectations.
Roger Federer’s main worry centered on containing his own anxiety. Federer’s serve surprised Sampras. He had the ability to disguise its path, using the same motion regardless of where the Swiss decided to send the ball. His angles, his depth, and his movement all worried the defending champion on that afternoon nine years ago.
The Swiss went on to take the first set. Sampras came back strong and took the second set. Federer sealed the 3rd set with three consecutive service winners . Sampras started firing serves often in excess 136 mph and took the fourth set, evening the contest at two apiece. The defending champion continued his assault in set five. Finally with the score standing at 4-4, Sampras held two breaks of serve to take him to 5-4, but Federer volleyed at that net for a winner to erase one break point and then fired a powerful forehand to erase the second and finally hold his own serve.
With Sampras serving at 5-6, for a chance to even the set at 6-6, Sampras fell behind 15-40. Federer, continuing to see the ball well, rifled back a Sampras serve for a winner, taking the set and the match, 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5.
After eight years of almost total dominance. That loss symbolized the end of an era even though Federer would not win his first Wimbledon title until 2003.
Comparing two tennis players who played at different periods of time is almost impossible but you can say that these two players dominated their eras. Federer is the most versatile to ever play the game. Federer won Grand Slams using all serves. He is the best of his era on hard and grass courts and the second best on clay when compared only to Nadal. Versatility is what separates Federer from the rest. Federer plays the most beautiful and elegant tennis ever HOWEVER..... some could say that pete Sampras’ task was the toughest. Other than Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic of late, Federer never really struggled against anyone else. Sampras played alongside incredible players who were in their prime. People like Andre Agassi, Jim Courier, Boris Becker, Goran Ivanisevic and Gustavo Kuerten. He dominated that era. Often, he was defeated by clay court specialists on the dirt (Kuerten, bruguera, courier etc..), which is why he couldn’t make it big over there and had to face grass specialists at Wimbledon. In 2001, Wimbledon decided to slow down its turf in order to make trade last, and to prevent big waiters from imposing their law. It has also been shown at Wimbledon that in 2003 a service of 202 km / h slowed to 83 km / h after the rebound, while in 2008 the same service fell to 69 km / h,
It can be said that Federer is the greatest player to ever play the game, when you take everything in consideration , longevity, wins, etc..it makes sense —therefore, the debate for best ever.....is still open.
To know more about the subject:
Sampras, Pete; Peter Bodo (2008). A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis. Crown Publishing Group
The King of Swing. Pete Sampras". Petesampras.com. Archived from the original on May 9, 2008. Retrieved February 22, 2008.
Raymond Lee (September 14, 2007). "Greatest Player Of All Time: A Statistical Analysis". Tennis Week. Archived from the original on June 28, 2009. Retrieved June 27, 2009.
2000 Wimbledon final: Pete Sampras defeats Pat Rafter". Tennis Buzz. July 4, 2010.
Pete Sampras - Top 10 Men's Tennis Players of All Time". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on September 18, 2010. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
Roger Federer is greatest player of all time says Australian tennis legend Rod Laver". Fox Sports. Retrieved 20 July 2012
Barnes, Simon (8 June 2009). "Roger Federer, greatest of all time, ensures statistics back up unrivalled artistry". The Times. UK. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
Associated Press (19 March 2012). "Federer named greatest player ever by Tennis Channel, edging Laver and Graf". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
Richard Evans (24 June 2007). "Jack the Lad". The Observer. UK. Retrieved 15 February 2009. Jack Kramer 'is ready to anoint Roger Federer as the best he has seen'.
