Samprasfanz

Tuesday, March 11, 2008BY DAVID WALDSTEINStar-Ledger Staff NEW YORK No one will ever know how hard Roger Federer was trying, or how much his desire for a competitive match may have outweighed his hunger for victory, but taken at face value, it was definitely an exciting night of tennis. Federer and Pete Sampras, two of the best to ever swing a racket, transformed a sloppy exhibition match into a spirited duel of champions that went all the way to an extended third-set tiebreaker before it was finally settled in Federer’s favor. The two stars, who have a combined 26 Grand Slam titles between them, electrified a sellout crowd in a two-hour spectacle as tennis made a successful return to Madison Square Garden. Playing in front of 19,960 tennis-thirsty area fans who spurred the … Read entire article »

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By Harvey Araton Tuesday, March 11, 2008 Two to tie, three to transcend. Pete Sampras has already said he doubts this will be problematic for Roger Federer, who eventually will replace him as the men’s leader in Grand Slam tennis titles, by 15-14, at least. But isn’t it fascinating how Sampras, retired since 2002, restrung his rackets and recalibrated his serve just as Federer closed in? What has the restless competitor inside the Sampras subconscious been trying to say? What, if anything, has he set out to do, or undo? Their exhibition series, arrived with great fanfare to Madison Square Garden on Monday night and delivered with a 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6) Federer victory. The series has on the surface been a fun, intergenerational fantasy, pitting a couple of all-timers whose tour careers … Read entire article »

by: JOHN JEANSONNE, Newsday March 11, 2008 Masters of the universe and tennis superheroes Pete Sampras and Roger Federer last night brought some comic-book wish fulfillment to sold-out Madison Square Garden, a mighty collision of generations for the benefit of sports archeologists. Federer, rightful heir to the Sampras throne of the previous decade, needed all of his powers for a 6-3, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-6) victory amid the true dynamics of a champions’ showdown. Sampras offered glimpses of the old chain-saw serve and slam-dunk volley to make Federer earn his keep, which he did with his elegant athleticism, stylish as the faux-tuxedo black attire he favors. Sampras, as was always his custom, played the proven serve-and-volley fundamentals of an earlier era in the appropriate “classic whites.” And not raggedly, either. Merely an exhibition, the event … Read entire article »

Rawalnda Hercules just wanted to hit the tennis ball as hard as she could, even if it meant chasing it down herself. “I only know a little about tennis,” Hercules said. “I can’t hardly hit it.” She and her two sisters, Briana and Seychelle, spent a cold hour hitting foam tennis balls out in the parking lot of the Columbus Civic Center on Saturday afternoon courtesy of the Columbus Regional Tennis Association’s block party. Using the Quick Start format of teaching tennis, CORTA members and various other volunteers gave several hundred area youth a chance to warm up for the Pete Sampras-Todd Martin exhibition match by playing on small, improvised courts. Seychelle Hercules said she played tennis at the Girls, Inc., tennis camps and at her school, Clubview Elementary. None of the Hercules sisters knew … Read entire article »

Sunday, March 9, 2008 WASHINGTON (AP)- Roger Federer loves Pete Sampras’ game, even if the old guy last played a real match in 2002. “He’s so fluent, you know? His whole technique is so smooth,” Federer said. “And it was funny sometimes, because when I played him, it was intimidating. Because he reminded me so much of myself.” How’s that for a compliment? Similarly, Sampras loves Federer’s attitude, even if the youngster is fast approaching Sampras’ record for career Grand Slam titles. “I don’t think he gets too overwhelmed, too worked up,” Sampras said. Sound familiar? Sampras, the best of his generation, and Federer, the best of his, bring two eras of excellence together Monday when they play an exhibition match at a sold-out Madison Square Garden. It’s the first men’s professional tennis match at the … Read entire article »