Pete Sampras and Roger Federer are arguably the best players to ever play the game of tennis. No one can deny their talent or their utter dominance, but one thing that fans and insiders alike cannot seem to agree upon is who will be crowned the best ever. You’ve heard the arguments in favor of both men, but what the numbers show is an uncanny resemblance of not only style but also substance, on and off the court. In honor of their birthdays last week, when Sampras turned 35 and Federer hit the 25 spot, we marvel at their accomplishments and ponder the question that will most likely be debated until the end of time, but one thing to swish around your palate is the following thought: for all the trouble Andre Agassi and Rafael Nadal have given to Sampras and Federer, respectively, is perhaps the greatest tennis rivalry to date the one between the two themselves?
Physically both men stack up quite evenly at 6’ 1” tall and weighing in at approximately 170 pounds. On the court, from a bird’s eye view, they appear roughly the same. Dressed in Nike gear from head to toe and armed with a Wilson racquet, their classic service motions are flawless as are their graceful yet effective one-handed backhands. Dark and distinctive facial features round out their respective looks but Sampras’ thinning head of curls is no match for Federer’s headband and wispy hair, but his cool composure certainly is.
While neither player challenged calls with so much more than a glaring glance up at the umpire or at most a few inaudible exchanges at the chair, Federer exhibits more emotion on court, letting out a scream on a rare miss, or as the crowd in Toronto last week can attest, a choice word or two that earned the world No. 1 a code violation for “audible obscenity.”
Personally, both players have managed to keep a low profile off the court, generating little or no unfavorable publicity and disproving the stereotype that being the leading player in your sport doesn’t mean you have to be the leading scorer off it as well. Federer and Sampras were accompanied by older long-time girlfriends for much of their careers and found successful and solid partnerships in coaches as well. Tragedy struck both, however, as each lost his coach during his respective tenure, Federer’s coach to a driving accident and Sampras’ to a brain tumor.
While Sampras and Federer both turned pro at the age of 17, it was Pistol Pete who got an early start to his success, winning his first Slam at the US Open at 19. Federer, on the other hand, was more of a late bloomer, struggling to fulfill his potential amid the growing expectations until at 21, he broke through at the 2003 Wimbledon Championships. Since then, however, Fed has managed to catch up, winning a total of 8 Grand Slams by the age of 25, to Sampras’ 7. And though Federer is still $18 million and 24 titles shy of Sampras’ career record, he not only has a few years to make up the difference, but also a reasonable chance at accomplishing the one feat Sampras never did: winning the career Grand Slam.
In terms of the other big prizes in the game, Federer outshines Sampras with more consecutive weeks at No. 1: 132 and counting for the Swiss, beginning on February 2, 2004 to the present; Sampras, 102 weeks, while tying him for total Masters Shields won to date, 11 in all.
If Federer surpasses 14 majors and wins the Grand Slam, then throw those other titles out the window. No one cares if you won Osaka three times. It may never be on the event calendar again (and it’s not). Their only meeting was ironically at Wimbledon, a tournament that they both own along with Bjorn Borg, in 2001 in the fourth round. The scoreline speaks for itself: 7-6 (7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7 (2), 7-5, but Federer won by leading in 10 of 12 stats, including overall points won (190 vs. 180). Though it is unfair to compare the two at that instance, with Sampras letting the wind out of his sails while Federer was just heading into cruise control in his career, it is the only head-to-head match up between the two and while the mere prospect of a rematch between the two can make fans salivate, it will probably never happen nor will it be the same.
No one can take away anything from either man. Each has contributed in his own way to the game and as for Sampras, his place in history is set in stone. If we were to pick winners here, perhaps then it is the tennis fans, who in the span of two decades have had the privilege of watching two of the sport’s greatest, and with no doubt, the best, play the game.
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