Roger Federer is busy preparing for his upcoming documentary, ‘FEDERER: Twelve Final Days‘. Making time from his busy schedule, he appeared on a SiriusXM podcast ‘Mad Dog Sports Radio‘. In a clip from the episode shared on X, Federer talked about his 2001 Wimbledon fourth-round match against Pete Sampras.
Federer revealed why that match remains his favorite of all time, despite being part of so many iconic matches over the years. The Swiss maestro was reminded of that match by podcaster Chris Russo. He was simply in awe of Federer even thinking of that match.
A 20-year-old Federer defeated the 14-time Grand Slam winner Pete Sampras, in what was his den, i.e. Wimbledon. Federer remembers the match with the fondest memory and says his respect for Sampras is next to none. This is how the conversation went between Russo and Federer:
Chris Russo: You beating Sampras was almost the passing of the torch, and we can still watch that match constantly. I mean, that’s when I think, the fan like myself in America, not in Europe, not following it necessarily in week-to-week basis. That’s when we realize, were you 19 maybe at the time?”
Federer: Yeah, yeah! 20.
Russo: That’s when we realized. Wow, wow! We have the next great player amongst us.
Federer: Yeah, I was junior Wimbledon champion a couple of years earlier. And when I played Pete, that was the only time I ever played him. That was a dream come true in itself. But then, maybe looking back this is my favorite match ever played.
Russo: Oh really?
Federer: Yeah, just because it was my first time at Wimbledon against Pete, my hero, and it was disbelief that I actually got a chance to play against him, let alone beat him. I was lucky as well at the end, beating him 5 in the fifth. He is a good friend of mine. Yeah, I am happy I got a chance to actually play against him.
Because I did play Agassi 10 times and I played that generation actually quite a lot. But Pete, unfortunately, retired rather quickly following that. And he achieved all he wanted, so that was definitely one of my favorite.
This was at the 2001 Wimbledon, when Federer ended up beating Christophe Rockus, Xavier Malisse, and Jonas Lars Bjorkman, to reach the fourth round. In a stunning 5-set match, Federer beat Sampras too and reached the quarterfinals. The score was 7-6 (9-7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2-7), 7-5.
Federer revealed that Sampras, who won 7 Wimbledon titles, was a hero of his own. And because Sampras retired soon after that match, it remained his favorite.
Roger Federer added that he had played against many players from Sampras’ time, including the great Andre Agassi against whom his head-to-head stood at 8-3. So while he got to play Agassi more than 10 times, he could only play Sampras once.
The Great @rogerfederer talked about his favorite match ever played.
“My first time at @Wimbledon against my hero”
For More MadDogUnleashed: https://t.co/jCKtMt3gtz pic.twitter.com/T03NePjnQR
— Chris Mad Dog Russo (@MadDogUnleashed) May 17, 2024
For the longest time, Pete Sampras was the biggest idol of Roger Federer. He alongside Boris Becker and Stefan Edberg formed the main triumvirate of players Roger Federer looked up to the most. And the Swiss legend’s reaction after beating the 14-time Grand Slam champion said it all.
Roger Federer was in disbelief after beating Pete Sampras in the 2001 Wimbledon
In the post-match media interaction, Roger Federer was struggling for words to express his ecstasy.
“This time I mean, first it went down on my knees and then I was like ‘Oh, come on. Just lie down, it’s this unbelievable feeling that you can never have again’.
“Because I mean everybody was like standing up and, uh, I couldn’t believe it first.
“Tears came out as much as never had before or after win. It’s like a great feeling,” Federer was quoted as saying.
Pete Sampras was a giant of the game back then, and Federer was just starting out. Therefore, when the interviewer asked Federer if he truly believed he could beat Sampras, it was out of a mix of delight and shock.
“Yeah, in the beginning I knew its gonna be very tough, but after like a couple of occasions, Love-40, 15-40, I had a few break chances, I could never really make them because he was just serving too good on these points.
“But (it) gave me like the belief that I can actually break him, you know, because I knew he has got a massive serve. So, I thought he is gonna return better than he did, but he never actually returned as well as I was think he’s going to do,” Federer added.
Years later in 2010, Federer got to relive playing with Pete Sampras again, only this time he wasn’t the opponent. Roger Federer and Pete Sampras teamed up for a doubles charity match against Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal.
This was to raise money for the 2010 Haiti Earthquake victims. Federer and Sampras had a fun time and also beat their biggest rivals in front of a packed crowd.
