
via Getty
Roger Federer of Switzerland returns a shot during his Men’s Singles fourth round match against David Goffin of Belgium on day seven of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 01, 2019 in Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)

via Getty
Roger Federer of Switzerland returns a shot during his Men’s Singles fourth round match against David Goffin of Belgium on day seven of the 2019 US Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 01, 2019 in Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Fans have been entertained by superstars like Roger Federer and Pete Sampras for a number of years. Although the American player retired from the game a while ago, his memories still remain fresh. On the other hand, the Swiss ace is still thrilling fans despite nearing his forties.
Recently, coach Paul Annacone spoke on the different qualities possessed by the two great individuals. The 58-year-old coach had the privilege of coaching both the talented players for considerable periods. Paul mentioned the manner in which Pete Sampras preferred to stay away from attention whereas Roger Federer liked having family and friends around him.

via Getty
Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates winning his singles match against Cameron Norrie of Great Britain during day two of the 2019 Hopman Cup at RAC Arena in Perth, Australia. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
The former coach of two of the greatest players to play the game stated, “Well to me, selfishly what’s really enjoyable about coaching individual sports is you have to adjust to different personalities and you know Roger is a citizen of the world, he loves to travel around and loves having his family and friends and seeing museums and architecture and shows. Pete was not like that. He was more introverted and needed to live more in a bubble to be successful.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Roger Federer likes exploring cities while on Tour
When on Tour, Roger would explore the different cities he visited while competing for tournaments. He liked paying visits to different museums and seeing the different kinds of architecture each city possessed. On the other hand, Sampras preferred being in his own space and favored an almost bubble-like atmosphere. Pete was apparently left wondering at how Roger maintained a balance in his on-court and off-court activities.

via Getty
WIMBLEDON, ENGLAND: Roger Federer of Switzerland celebrates victory with the trophy after the men’s singles final match against Andy Roddick of USA on Day Thirteen of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in London, England. Federer won 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14. (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)
The American coach further added, “He needed less people around and wanted to be more sheltered particularly when he was at events. That microcosm of his existence is what he needed. It would’ve driven Roger crazy but Pete looked at Roger and wonders how can this guy even play when his life is so busy.”
Pete Sampras held the record for most Grand Slam titles till 2009
Sampras held the record for the most number of Grand Slams (14) before Federer overtook him at Wimbledon in 2009. After winning his sixth title at the Wimbledon Championships, Roger surpassed his idol Sampras and took his tally to 15 Grand Slams.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
As of today, the Swiss maestro is tied on 20 Majors along with Spain’s Rafael Nadal. The Serbian star Novak Djokovic is not far behind on 18 Major titles. It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold in the near future.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT