Sampras: Twins won't affect Federer
Eurosport - Wed, 29 Jul 09:09:00 2009
The arrival of twin girls in Roger Federer's life will have no negative impact on the Swiss master's tennis career, according to Pete Sampras.
World number one Federer became a father for the first time when his wife Mirka gave birth to daughters Charlene Riva and Myla Rose in Switzerland on Thursday.
"I don't see Roger changing diapers at four in the morning," Sampras, 37, said with a broad grin. "I don't think it will affect his career.
"It's a life changer for him but he is focused on his tennis and he's got the help from his wife and his parents and whoever else," added the American, who is a father of two boys.
Federer became a father 23 days after beating American Andy Roddick in a gripping five-set final at Wimbledon, clinching a 15th Grand Slam title to break the record held by Sampras.
"I am content with the 14 that I have and I am amazed with what Roger has been able to do," Sampras said. "It's incredible."
Asked if he had any regrets about ending his career at 32 with 14 Slams, Sampras replied: "I was happy when I stopped.
"It was more than a number for me. I wanted (Roy) Emerson's record, I got it. I wanted to win one more, and I did. And then I won the US Open and I was cooked.
"Emotionally I was spent. I didn't have much left in the tank. When I was done, I felt I had put up some numbers that nobody would touch.
"Little know did I know that Roger was going to come along and surpass me in eight years. He saw 14 as his goal and now he has 15 and he's going to go on and win some more."
Although reluctant to compare great players of different era, Sampras said he would probably name Federer as the best of all time if pushed.
"It's a hard question to answer and I just feel each generation has its player," he added.
"You had (Rod) Laver in the sixties, (Bjorn) Borg in the seventies and the eighties, me in the nineties and Roger today.
"The greatest player of all time? It's hard to say but I would give it to Roger.
"Do I think I could beat Roger at my best? There is no reason why I couldn't. That's not being cocky. It's just how I feel."
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Comment 21 - 40 of 40
I assume Zehst has forgotten how Fed regained his no.1 spot. You know the 1st big thing he did: beating Nadal in Madrid in straight sets even with an home advantage making rafa lose that title. Then he got the two grand slams before eventually regaining the no.1 spot. So are you now telling me Del potro who beat Nadal few months back isnt a tough player. And then other stronger players. Give Rog the credit he deserves
Nadal is a better player than Roger but he has @#$% knees and needs to get even stronger much like Murray did. Look at Nadal's age if he wasnt having the knee trouble he would probably be on a grand slam this year. Until Federer beats Nadal at the French he wont be better than Nadal because Nadal can beat him on his preferred surface. Federer is great player but lets be honest he killed the serve volleyer and picked up easy slams from it when there wasnt much competition.
Mark V,i take it your comments are said in jest ! Nadal the GOAT in 2008,the statement itself is ridiculous,think about it.I believe the conjecture on the GOAT is now irrelevant due to Federer having won 15,and on all surfaces.However Federer and Sampras both at there best playing in the same era,would prob be fairly even on the H2H.I was at their one and only match a Wimby,and there was nothing in it.Federer has a more silky smooth game thats all and a better backhand,serves are actually very similar,even the motion,Sampras had by far the better volley though.When they played their exhibition matches in Asia it was very very close,both playing full out for bragging rights.On the whole Federer has the better all round game,and that flicked backhand cross court at a ridiculous angle is unique,Sampras said of it after their exhibition "honestly,i have never seen it before".
The twins will not disturb ( rogers fed)) from tennis,infact the twins bring along progress to their father and mother and that is a better chance to win more (gran slams )for the children.
shanegreggtennisfan....first of all, your reasoning is faulty. You're saying that because RF was either sick or had pains but still managed to compete with Nadal makes him the superior to Nadal. I'm not a Nadal fan but in fact a RF fan. What I'm saying is that Nadal's performances in 2008/09 were phenomenal (my argument the GOAT for just that period only), given that RF raised his game to a level not seen during his dominance in the perivous 5-6 years and still managed to lose on both grass and hardcourt. Finally shanegreggtennisfan, I do think before I write and I can write whatever the hell I want.
Nabucodonosor you loser, do you have fun trashtalking a nice guy and a great tennisplayer... He doesn't, or nobody else for that sake, give a @#$% about what you think of Federer.
Statement that does not come along with sport or sportsmen re indeed empty sentences,Federer has shown a great and enjoyable tennis to us.Most of us will admit that they are happy to see such tennis due to players Roger nadal and etc.
One man came and says that Federer has good serve or he won because he was lucky or other side does not show his real power: These are @#$%.If i were you i really appreciate him because among with its tennis abilities he is a good person.
If stupidity hurt, 99.9% of federer's fans would take morphine three times a day
Half A Brain Is Gay
Federer is a great player and probably the best ever, all big names agreed about this including Nadal, and except Nabucodonosor.
Nabucodonosor all the things you write in here ...make no sense at all.Ok let's say Nadal has a big serve ... probably 90 % of the ppl reading this site will agree that there are really , really high chance of him winning 4/4 GSs.And if he had a big server i'm sure he would of destroy everyone.BUT ! And it's a big but ... the beauty of the game is ... well ... every player is different.Some have big serve(Karlovic , Roddick) , some have amazing forehand(F.Gonzales) , some have a backhand that you love watching in action(Nalbandian , Federer , Gasquet) , other are all around , hit hard , give their heart for everypoint(Nadal).But the thing is they are all different.Since you are probably Nadal fan and i'm Roger Federer fan we shoud just argue about who is greater and stuff like that.In some aspects of the game Roger will win , in others Rafa will.They are different.Rafa is the stronger player , he plays with left hand , both his forehand and backhand are amazing , he is allaround the court,he is very strong physicly and mentaly,but yet however his server isn't that good(And it's not Federer's fault that Nadal server is not one of the fastest onse)Federer had an amazing serve , both placement and speed.His Forehand is feared by all,his backhand is very solid.He is always trying to save energy in every single point of the match.So all the things you write ... dude ... they are pointless.Since i'm a Roger Federer fan i shout hate Rafa for beating him every single time at RG ? No ... Rafa was the better player in their RG clashes... he deserved to win.Shoud i hate rafa every single time he wins a match , tournament , GS ... No ... cuz he is a cool guy.The one final word that represents all i said so far ... is RESPECT.Think about that before you trashtalk about anyone.Have fun dude ... and take it easy !
Federer is FRAUDerer bc the shallow snobs that make up the majority of the tennis commentariat have built around him the biggest (and most unjustified) personality cult this side of North Korea. He's an arrogant, narcissistic wuss, a sore loser who tries to belittle his opponents and their achievements (read what he said about Rafa, Nole or Murray along the years) after each loss. What exactly should I respect him for? Having a big serve? Having a big ego? Wearing gold-monogrammed shirts?
"Federe wins because he has great serve, great serve return, great forhand, great bckhand, great game reading, etc etc.."
No he doesn't. His serve return is nothing special, his FH and BH make tons of errors, his "game reading" is merely a result of experience. The big difference between Karlovic and Federer is movement speed, not quality of shots. If Karlovic could move around the court as well as Frauderer (or even the average top 100 player) he'd be at the same level as Frauderer.
Well chosen name, "Half a Brain", btw.
Nabucodonosor, if you only focus on the serve, you must be a waiter, cause all they do is serve people. There are many players today and before who have better serve (speed and rate) than him yet they dud not do like him. A good example is Karlovic who got his big big serves cleaned by Federer. Serve is very important, but alone is like having fast legs but without arms. You just can't run. Federe wins because he has great serve, great serve return, great forhand, great bckhand, great game reading, etc etc..
Nabucodonosor, bad mouthing Federer says more about you than about Federer and you are disgracing respectful Nadal's fans in the process. Tennis fans will take you more seriously if you state your views without the Frauderer bit. Nadal and Federer definitely have the utmost respect for each other -- it's too bad that some of their rabid fans can't see it.
Nabucondsor.......Or what ever you call yourself you are starting to make yourself sound really stupid dude.............If you want to talk some tennis than lets do it.....If you want to trash Federer because of your jealousy about him being the GOAT than do it somewhere else.......Catch my drift!
herve: I'm not saying having a big serve isn't without merit or "easy". What I'm saying is Fedtards don't want to admit the level to which their serve helps their favorite. They talk about Federer's finesse and "genius" and other such BS, but they don't want to accept that the serve is worth more than 50% of their overall game. Unfortunately the fast surfaces and advanced racquets today (they even sped up RG to give Frauderer more of a chance) favor these sort of players. I mean if a guy like Karlovic would have at least a top 100 baseline game, he'd probably be picking GS trophies left and right. I mean Petros and Frauderer were/are basically good baseline players with PHENOMENALLY good serves. That's about it. But the "GOAT" and "genius" and "Mr Perfect" talk is a joke.
One has to admit that Nadal has gained the upper hand over Federer in 2008. That year Federer couldn't find a catch on how to beat this man and eventually subdued in AO 09. Eventhough great Federer's fan I can only say that if Nadal recovers he will either secure this upper hand or he will not. If not, then we can clearly state that yes there were times when Nadal could have been better at certain time at certain place but that is no longer the truth. If he continues with improving his H2H with Federer we also can say that Nadal is definetively better then Fed.
Hey guys!
If serving like Federer or Sampras was easy, all the players would be doing so!
If running like Nadal was easy, all the players would be doing so!
THEY all decide on what they want to focus their game ON! If Nadal has chosen his physical abilities and decided to trained that, it is his choice!
Do not take credit from the serve of the likes of Federer or Sampras (who are picking up spots and backing them with the next run (or a good volley))
@Mark V n Nabucodonosor
It is all strategy,
Whe you make your training program, you could easily decide to work more on your sprint and fitness OR to work more on your Serve and volley (nothing to do with power serve like Roddick, Philipoussis or Verkerk etc...)!
SO far, Federer and Sampras have proven that they were right in their Strategy and that it was the best for the long term.
Stop providing excuses to some players!
FULLSTOP
Cheer
Mark........You say that Nadal at his best is the GOAT.......Man I wonder how that is given he only has 6 majors to his name..........And no that is not a true statement from you and one I doubt you believe yourself but simply said it because you are an Nadal fan......I am not partial to either player but can tell you from watching tennis for 35 years+ that Roger Federer's level from 2004-2007 was the best tennis level that has ever been witnessed.........Nadal's level from 2008 and the beginning of 2009 is not in that leauge or anywhere close............In case you forget Federer suffered from mono throughout the whole 2008 season and still one a major and reached the final of two others losing the final of Wimbeldon in darkness 9-7 in the final set having not played anything like what we were used to seeing from him for 5-6 years running.........In Australia this year Federer was suffering from a lower back problem ans once again lost in 5 sets having served at 50% first serves in...........So what conclusion do we draw from this......Well, it shows if Nadal is at his absolute best and Federer is struggling Nadal can pull these matches out by barely a thread......I would say this says more for Federer than it does Nadal...........Mark, please think before you type such comments because it shows that you are to partial to your player and not realistic with facts.
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