Pete Sampras and Roger Federer are two of the greatest tennis players to have ever graced the sport, with both having held the title of World No. 1 at their peak. Their prowess on grass courts earns them the distinction of being among the top grass-court players in history. The two player’s only meeting occurred during the fourth round of the 2001 Wimbledon Championships.
Their unforgettable Wimbledon match
At the time of their meeting at Wimbledon, Pete Sampras was the defending champion and held the World No. 1 position, while a young 19-year-old Roger Federer was seeded 15th. Their match was a thrilling encounter, with Federer eventually winning 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5 to pull off a shocking upset. In his book, “A Champion’s Mind,” Sampras wrote about his defeat to Federer and admitted that though the loss hurt, he was deeply impressed with Federer’s style of play. Sampras went on to state that this was the moment when the “Wimbledon baton” was passed on to Federer.
Sampras’ Wimbledon record
Pete Sampras won seven Wimbledon titles during his career, holding the record at the time of his retirement. However, Federer would eventually surpass Sampras in 2017 when he secured his eighth Wimbledon title. Federer’s initial triumph at SW19 came in 2003 when he defeated Mark Philippoussis in the final. He would then win the tournament four years in a row, only to be defeated by Rafael Nadal in the 2008 final.
Federer’s Wimbledon accomplishments
Federer’s sixth Wimbledon victory came in 2009, when he overcame Andy Roddick in the final, winning the 15th Major title of his career and surpassing Sampras’ Grand Slam tally. He claimed his seventh Wimbledon title in 2012, equaling Sampras’ record after defeating Andy Murray. In the 2017 Wimbledon championships, Federer finally broke Sampras’ record by not dropping a single set. His last appearance at the grass-court Major was in 2021, reaching the quarterfinals before losing to Hubert Hurkacz.
