In the 90s, if there was any player who dominated the grass courts, it would be the American tennis legend, Pete Sampras. The 14-time singles Grand Slam champion was a resounding figure on the Centre Court as he outperformed some of the greatest players on the men’s circuit. However, the former tennis player’s Wimbledon supremacy came to an end with the arrival of a 19-year-old ATP player.

It was none other than Roger Federer, who prevailed in their lone encounter on the grass court. Despite the disappointing defeat, the Hall of Famer has previously acknowledged that he was astonished by the Swiss Maestro’s prowess.

Pete Sampras once reminisced about his lone encounter with Roger Federer

During his illustrious journey, the 51-year-old squared off with some of the greatest names on Centre Court. However, it was a 19-year-old Roger Federer who impressed him the most with his power and poise on the court. Additionally, their sole encounter on the grass court also turned out to be the moment when the “Wimbledon baton” was passed to the Swiss Maestro.

In addition to a slew of fans, the 20-time singles Grand Slam champion stunned his opponent, Pete Sampras, during the 2001 Wimbledon Championships. It was a five-set thriller, 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(2), 7-5, in which the now 41-year-old tennis legend prevailed by delivering one of his most remarkable performances. Even though it was an upsetting defeat for Sampras, he was still impressed by the “kid’s” game style.

Taking about the same in Federer’s 2008 book, “A Champion’s Mind,” the American tennis legend lavished praise on his young rival. He said, “The loss hurt, but I had to admit I liked this kid’s style. He was poised and dignified, yet he played with great flair. I was very impressed.”

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Sampras also stated that the incredible victory was a huge milestone in the former Swiss tennis player’s path to greatness. He will always recall that as the moment when Federer received the Wimbledon baton from him.

Federer also recalled his thrilling encounter with Sampras

The former Swiss tennis player has always been overwhelmed with emotions whenever he has reminisced about his Wimbledon triumph against Sampras. Even though he didn’t win the debut tournament in London but it still turned out to be a major turning point in his journey.

Notably, the official Instagram page of the Wimbledon Championships previously hailed Federer’s debut on the Centre Court in their post. The former tennis ace later shared it on his Instagram story with the caption, “Where memories are born,” as he looked back at the epic match.

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