‘Pete’s a Gladiator’- Years After American Tennis Star’s Retirement, Roger Federer Given an Extremely Simple Tag as Ex-coach Draws Parallels

There are only a few names on the men’s circuit who have successfully carved out their remarkable legacies on the grass court major event, the Wimbledon Championships. The list also includes the American tennis legend, Pete Sampras as he has clinched seven Wimbledon singles titles during his illustrious journey. However, the baton was passed to another ATP legend,  Roger Federer who also graced the tennis circuit from the young age of 19.

The arrival of the former Swiss tennis player also led to the inception of a hot debate in the sporting community, Sampras vs Federer. Since then, many prominent figures in the tennis realm have tried to bring out some stark contrast in their game styles and personalities on the court. Even their former coach, Paul Annacone recently came up with a compelling answer to the longstanding debate.

Paul Annacone brings to light some stark differences between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer

The ATP legends, Roger Federer and Pete Sampras had at least one common thread during their remarkable journeys on the court. It was their former coach, Paul Annacone who recently talked about two of the greatest players in the sport during his recent appearance in the Finding Mastery podcast show.

On the podcast show Finding Mastery, the legendary American coach revealed how his wife asked him to make a slight comparison between Federer and Sampras. Even though she was not an avid tennis fan, Annacone came up with a crisp answer to her conundrum. He said, “my wife always asked me what’s the difference between Pete and Roger? In that regard, because she’s not a tennis person. And I said Roger is unbelievably competitive.”

In the process, the 60-year-old coach gave an extremely simple tag to the 20-time singles Grand Slam champion while he called Sampras a ‘gladiator.’ Annacone added, “But if I were to generalize, I would say Pete’s a gladiator. Rogers a sportsman.”

Annacone previously revealed some other differences between Sampras and Federer

This is not the first time when the American tennis veteran has opened up about his comparison of the two tennis legends. Even in the book “The Roger Federer Effect,” Annacone revealed how the Swiss tennis Maestro used to take some breaks and get involved in casual activities like visiting museums during major tournaments.

Sampras, on the other hand, had a more structured approach according to the legendary tennis coach. Notably, he previously stated in the book, “Pete never did that.”

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What do you think of Annacone’s recent comparison between Sampras and Federer? Let us know in the comments section.

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