Exclusive: Roger Federer and Pete Sampras on Who's The Better Player
Comparing two players - ten years apart in terms of age - would not be fair. Legends of Tennis - Roger Federer and Pete Sampras - however, hailed each other during a fun-filled chat with NDTV.
One is a 17-time Grand Slam winner. The other is a former World No. 1 who broke records with effortless charisma during his playing years. Yet, to pick between Roger Federer and Pete Sampras is an arduous task not even the bravest expert would dare to get involved in.
In an exclusive chat with NDTV, both Federer and Sampras were asked who they felt was the better player. To them however, the answer was simple enough - they hailed each other as the true legend!
"Pete is my hero, my idol growing up. For me, he was an inspiration," said Federer, who was in India to take part in International Premier Tennis League. "I am who I am because of Pete. Without him, I won't have tried to chase his records. He paved the way and I followed."
Sampras - a 14-time Grand Slam champion, though chose to focus on numbers and hailed Federer's on-court performances. "If you look at the record books, Mr Federer has 17 majors," said the American veteran. He has won in Paris which is something I didn't do. He's been World No. 1 for 800 weeks. So, if you look at the numbers, Roger has clearly been more dominant." (Also read: When Deepika Padukone paired up with Roger Federer for Tennis)
Federer and Sampras belong to two different generations of international tennis. When the former broke into the top-100 rankings in 1998, Sampras was the reigning champion in ATP circuit. While comparing players of different eras may not be fair, Sampras said the current lot of players - including Federer - is the best ever in the sport. "Each generation gets better. I feel Federer's is the deepest," he said. (Suggested read: Roger Federer vs Novak Djokovic clash culminates India-leg of IPTL)
With titles galore from matches all over the world, both Federer and Sampras have earned a huge fan following. Both though agreed that their Indian fans are like no other. "India is an absolutely fascinating country. Very colourful, vibrant and felt really welcome here," said Federer. (Related: Federer gets a taste of Naan)
Sampras agreed wholeheartedly. "India's a warm country and I noticed people love selfies here. Have done more selfies in two days than in 10 years," said Sampras on a lighter note.
At 33 and 43, Federer and Sampras may not have been the youngest members of the Indian Aces team. Their skills on the court and exuberance off it though made for fantastic tennis moments - memories of which would not be forgotten in a hurry.