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Roger Federer vs. Pete Sampras 2001: Remaking the Wimbledon Classic in 2010
Published: July 1, 2010
—Edwin Louis Cole
If you were lucky, you were there at the inception, when the first moments of brilliance blossomed. The teenage phenom from Switzerland sporting a bandanna, his long hair swept back in a ponytail, bit at his lower lip while he served and danced along the baseline on Centre Court.
The young challenger waited, seeing the ball as if in slow motion—coiled, poised on the balls of his feet, ready to move forward if the grizzled champion on the other side of the net returned the ball short.
Roger Federer’s main worry centered on containing his own anxiety, of staying in the moment—the point at hand—and living each shot as it happened. He could not afford to anticipate beyond the slight movement to the left or the right of the champion, Pete Sampras, who waited on the other side of the net.
From time to time, the champion’s serve cracked, blasting through the court, ricocheting off service lines, often beyond the teenager’s ability to lay a racket on it. All the while Sampras sent an unmistakable message that he did not intend to go “gentle into that good night,” as urged by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas.
Federer’s serve surprised Sampras. Not its speed, but its placement and Federer’s ability to disguise its path, using the same motion regardless of where the Swiss decided to send the ball. His angles, his depth, and his movement all worried the defending champion on that afternoon nine years ago.
Sampras, whose seemingly languid movements around the court belied his quickness, would turn 30 shortly. The seven-time Wimbledon champion met Federer, 19, on Centre Court at Wimbledon—marking the debut of the man from Switzerland on these esteemed grounds during the fourth round in 2001.
Sampras had no...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Tennis
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