The 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer, who hardly fails to impress his fans with his absolutely gentlemanly behavior, won our hearts by recalling his favorite match against his icon, Pete Sampras. Rightly called “truly a special player” by Pete Sampras, Federer’s nostalgic presentation of his memorable match showcases why he is a true legend in tennis.

A reliable tennis fan recently shared a clip from the Mad Dog Sports Radio podcast from SiriusXM on their X (formerly Twitter), where fans spotted Swiss former tennis legend Roger Federer being candid about playing against his icon with host Jimmy Traina. When Traina told him about defeating Pete Sampras when he was probably 18 or 19 and how his fans in America understood that he was going to be the next big name in professional tennis, Federer surprised the fraternity with his humble response.

“I was a junior Wimbledon champion couple of years earlier and when I played Pete, the only time I ever played him, that was a dream come true in itself. And then maybe looking back, this is maybe my favorite match I ever played. Yeah, just because it was my first time at Wimbledon against Pete, my hero and it was disbelief that I actually got a chance to play against him, late alone than beat him, I was lucky as well at the end being him seen in him fifth and he is a good friend of mine. I am happy I actually got a chance to play against him. Because I did play Agassi, you know ten times and I played that generation quite a lot but Pete unfortunately retired rather quickly. Following that and what he wanted so that was definitely one of my favorite ” Federer replied.

In his statement, Ferderer referred to his match against Pete Sampras at the Wimbledon 2001. On the other hand, despite losing to Federer, Sampras complimented the Swiss’s playstyle. “he 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” said Sampras in A Champion’s Mind.

While Federer always speaks of him as his icon, Sampras also made a heartwarming gesture for the Swiss tennis legend to congratulate the latter on his retirement. The night before his final competitive tennis match, Sampras sent Federer a classy message through a video.

“Not really sure where to begin, so I’ll just start from the very beginning, When I first played you, you were 19 years old, an up-and-coming player and people were talking about you. And we had a great battle on the Centre Court of Wimbledon. And you took me down. Tough five-setter…And I just remember walking off the court, feeling like I met my match. Little did I know, 20 years later, that you would have 20 majors, be number one for years, dominate our sport — basically do it all, You’re going to be missed in our game ” said Sampras remembering their iconic Wimbledon encounter in 2001.

Roger Federer’s response about his favorite match against his icon Pete Sampras showcases this former tennis maestro’s grounded personality. Despite breaking Pete Sampras’s major record, Federer never felt short in expressing his admiration for the former American Grand Slam winner tennis legend. While Federer’s response delighted fans’ hearts, his former coach revealed a significant factor that makes him more unique than his icon Sampras.

Federer and Sampras’s former coach says Federer is “an entirely different animal” 

Federer’s former coach Paul Annacone, who also coached Pete Sampras from 1996 to 2001/2002, revealed a significant factor that separated the Swiss from Sampras and made him more competitive. In journalist Christopher Clarfey’s book (The Master: The Brilliant Career of Roger Federer) he dropped Annacone’s comments about Federer’s willingness to learn Mandarin ahead of his Shanghai Masters in 2010. Federer’s coach here not only showcases his hard work but also tells how this legend used all means of traveling to improve his game.

“Roger says, ‘She’s going to come over every day for like a half-an-hour, and we’re going to try to pick up on a few words here and there, so we learn some Mandarin.’ I was like ‘Dude, I can barely speak English’, and Roger was like ‘No no, it’ll be fun,’ And he loved it. He learned some phrases so that he could say thank you to the fans in Mandarin, but he was also in hysterics listening to us trying to pronounce things. Roger just embraces the different aspects of traveling in a way that many others do not, Pete was done, but Roger is an entirely different animal. Traveling the world drained Pete’s energy. Roger gets energy from it,” said Paul Annacone.

Roger Federer’s iconic match against his icon Pete Sampras at Wimbledon represented the Swiss as a prominent tennis genius in the scene. He created a separate fan base by winning this match against Sampras in Wimbledon’s fourth round. In an interview with The Week, fellow tennis player Leander Paes said- “I will give you an answer, a little quirky [one]. Everyone talked about Pete Sampras being the GOAT. And the first time Roger Federer played Pete Sampras, I was like, ‘This guy’s gonna whoop all his records. He not only levelled, but beat his record at Wimbledon, and at the others,”

Roger Federer’s humble response to his favorite match restores his fans’ faith in him. Despite being a legendary name in this sport, Roger Federer shows how a hero should never lose his humble feet from the ground.