Roger Federer said that his five-set triumph over Pete Sampras at the 2001 Wimbledon Championships was his “favourite match of all time” because it “had everything.”
The 20-time Grand Slam champion recalls that it was among his first-ever moments of tears following a victory and described the match as “perfect.”
A 19-year-old Federer, ranked 15th, upset Sampras in a memorable match in the Wimbledon fourth round in 2001, winning 7-6(7), 5-7, 6-4, 6-7(2), and 7-5.
In addition to being the four-time defending Wimbledon champion and world No. 1 in the rankings, Sampras had won seven of the eight previous Wimbledon titles at the All England Club.
After the triumph, Federer advanced to the Wimbledon quarterfinals for the first time, but Tin Henman defeated him in four sets.
The Swiss broke Sampras’ men’s singles record at Wimbledon in 2003 by winning his first Grand Slam championship there and going on to win eight more titles at the grass-court major.
Federer, who competed in 1,526 professional matches, named his one and only match against Sampras as his favorite in an interview with Vogue.
The former world No. 1 remarked, “That match against Sampras is my favorite match of all time. I don’t know the date, per se; it’s not ingrained in my brain.”
It was my first and only time playing against Sampras, and he was my hero at the time, so it had it all. I played on Wimbledon’s Center Court for the first time, and the match ended up going into five sets.
“My mind was racing with so much—fairytale material, really. Furthermore, I’m not sure if this was the first or second occasion in my career that I have sobbed after winning.
“When I went on my knees after my forehand return against Sampras landed in and all of that pressure just fell away, I started crying,” the player said. “I don’t remember if that was before or after— but I cried when I beat the Americans 3-1 at the Davis Cup in Basel, my hometown. I was able to help the team with three points to win it and clinch it.”
“This seems strange to me. What’s going on?” But I suppose that’s what happens to you—Wimblebridge, Sampras, Center Court, I dunno.
And that’s when you realize, ‘Oh, it seems like your efforts are paying off. Your course is correct. It’s a significant triumph. It resembled the ideal match.
