Change of Guards! July 2nd of the year 2001, marks the date when the tennis world witnessed the rise of the ‘Swiss Maestro’ on one of the biggest stages of the game. Pete Sampras was going all out for his record-extending 8th title at the All England Club. He had only lost once since 1993 at that time in the Wimbledon Championships. Little did the defending champion know that a young upstart from Switzerland would stun him with a 7-6(7),5-7,6-4,6(2)-7,7-5 in the R16 match.

Speaking to Vogue recently, Roger Federer revealed how not a lot of matches had made him cry afterward. But that Wimbledon final, beating his childhood hero at this iconic event made his emotions go haywire. Reflecting on those memories from the glorious past, Federer revealed, “He (Sampras) was my hero at the time, and this was both my first time and my only time to play against Sampras. It was the first time I played on Centre Court at Wimbledon, and it turned into five sets. There was just so much going on in my head, it was fairytale stuff.“

It was a very intense match, in the course of 3 hours and 41 minutes duel, Federer ended 29-year-old Sampras’ 31-match winning streak. Federer recalled when he went onto his knees after his forehand return against Pete Sampras landed in, all of the pressure that crept in during the match, vanished all of a sudden.

“I started crying. I’m like, This is surreal—what is going on? But I guess Wimbledon and Sampras and Centre Court, I don’t know—all of that does that to you. And that’s when you realize: Oh—the hard work’s paying off. You’re on the right track. It’s a milestone victory. It was like the perfect match.” Sadly for the Swiss, it marked the first and last official match of him against his childhood idol.

Pete Sampras ended his career with 7 Wimbledon titles, while Roger Federer would go on to achieve the feat that the American was aiming for that day in 2001 – 8 Grass Slam wins. Both of them are regarded as two of the greatest grass-court players of all time. Federer initially couldn’t believe that he was going to play against his hero, and this gives an idea about what was going through his mind after beating him in the same match!

“I miss the Pistol” – Roger Federer makes an honest admission about his childhood idol

Shortly after securing his victory in the R16 match of the 2001 Wimbledon Championships, Roger Federer revealed that a lot of his friends believed that he could beat Sampras that year. “I’d played a great year – better than him. I knew I had a chance. But it was not 100 percent. I mean, he’s the man on grass,” said Federer.

He has, time and again, spoken about this historic match on multiple platforms. “What a moment that was for me, first time on center court at Wimbledon. Only time vs Pete my hero. I miss the Pistol.” After that, they had a chance to play each other in March 2008 in an exhibition event at the Madison Square Garden, but even there the Swiss had the last laugh!

This match was so special that not only Roger Federer but Pete Sampras also mentioned it in his book, ‘A Champion’s Mind‘. He claimed that although the defeat hurt him a lot, he was quite impressed with the way Federer played in that match. He said the youngster looked poised and dignified, yet he played with great flair.

“The win was an important step in Roger’s path to greatness, and looking back on it, this was the moment when the Wimbledon baton was passed from me to him,” Sampras added.

Do you think any other match in the history of the racquet sport can top that 2001 Wimbledon final? Let us know in the comments below!