Pete Sampras Sees a Lot Left in Roger Federer

(This entry was originally posted in this blog on Monday, December 3, 2008 and the information is based on that time.)

When many already started writing off Roger Federer after an unimpressive season on the court, former great Pete Sampras still believes, Federer has something left in him. Had Roger Federer been at his best this year, he would have surpassed Pete Sampras’s record 14 grand slam titles this year. However, Sampras still thinks Federer would take over the record from him. Sampras also suggested Federer to stay on top and healthy in order to keep his momentum going.

Theaustralian reported:

“The amount of work he has to do to stay on top and stay healthy, I think that’s where Roger has a bit of an advantage because it takes a lot less energy for Roger to stay on top than Nadal,” Sampras said.

“Rafa puts so much effort into each point that eventually something will break. There’s a certain grind that he goes through, unlike Roger, who is a lot more fluid and wins matches a lot easier.”

Well, I also agree with Pete Sampras on the fact that Roger Federer needs much less effort to win matches than Rafael Nadal. That is obviously an advantage of the Swiss star. Nadal has lots of energy in him and he employed each an every bit of his energy to win matches and this is also a sign of great player, buts till Federer has some advantage in this regard. I think, Roger Federer will bounce back strongly in 2009.

Roger Federer Surpasses Pete Sampras’ Record Career Prize Money

Swiss world no. 2 Roger Federer still needs two more grand slam titles to surpass Pete Sampras’ record 14 grand slam titles. However, Federer has already surpassed Sampras in terms of career prize money in the ATP career money list. Sampras has earned $43,280,489 in his illustrious career. For a long time, Sampras was holding the record of highest prize money earner of all time, but recently Federer broke Sampras’ record after reaching quarter final of recently held Madrid Masters. Roger Federer’s current total career prize money is $43,317,870.

Federer does not see it as a special achievement. He thinks, money is important in life, but money is not everything. Federer also paid his tribute to the amateur great tennis players.

AP reported:

"It's not very special," Federer said. "It's very nice to have records. Sure, money is important in life but it's not everything."

"This is also the moment when you can thank the amateur greats for helping to bring the game to where it is today," he said. "They helped create the platform where we are today."

Rafael Nadal is the only other active player who made it to the top-10 career earning list. Federer has been leading prize money winner for last five years in a row. However, he might lose his place this year as Rafael Nadal has been more successful than Federer this season in terms of winning grand slam and other tournaments.