Posted on: March 11th, 2008
Federer beats Sampras in match at MSG
- petepageby: 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 was a brilliant bit of egonomics for both men. Sampras, 36, and six years past retirement, assured by his presence that reports regarding the death of his Grand Slam tournament record - an unmatched 14 major titles - was premature. Federer, 12 times a major champion at 26 who only this winter gave glimpses of human frailty with two consecutive tour losses, sought to pre-empt discussion that he has any rival other than history.
Surrounded by the furniture of 21st Century entertainment - the protagonists stepped through a wall of smoke onto the Garden court to rollicking introductions, pounding music and fireworks; there was an obligatory celebrity row and some decidedly hokey scoreboard-led chants of "Let's Go Pete!" as well as in-match interviews on the public address system - the tennis was pleasantly real.
Especially when Sampras resurrected himself from an early third-set break to win four straight games and take a 5-2 lead as Federer, insisting he is "perfectly fine" after a recent bout with mononucleosis, began to bumble around. (A mano a mono development?)
Then, with the crowd of 19,690 rocking, Federer's game suddenly got healthy again, four straight aces bringing him back to 5-5 and setting up the deciding tiebreaker. Whereupon a searing Federer passing shot brought him to a second match point at 7-6 before Sampras hit a backhand wide.
"I don't know," Federer said, "if winning or losing is going to put a dent in either of our careers."
On the contrary, the event took on a surprising naturalness, not merely because of the players' histories, their passing-of-the-torch tennis dominance, but also because Sampras sees something of himself in Federer.
"He's going to get my record," Sampras said. "He's a credit to the sport. He's not brash, he doesn't show up his opponent, he doesn't lose his cool. He's my sort of player. Some people might call that boring. I love it."
The two met only once in an official pro match, like ships passing in the night, with Federer winning a five-setter at Wimbledon in 2001 that sent Sampras toward his 2002 retirement and Federer toward the top. But, as Federer steadily closed in on Sampras' major-title mark and Sampras began playing exhibitions last year, Federer proposed they cross swords in public.
A three-match tour of Asia late last year - Federer won the first two, Sampras the third - left Sampras asking that they meet in the United States and, in a chaotic 90 days, last night's match was cobbled together. Sampras said he was "shocked" to learn their show sold out in two weeks - top ticket $1,000, cheapest $50 - and sports agent Jerry Solomon said he had calls from the likes of Tiger Woods, Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, Vogue editor Anna Wintour, jazz musician Wynton Marsalis, tenor Placido Domingo (and Solomon's wife, Nancy Kerrigan) for tickets.
"Roger's been the man," Sampras said, "so we're linked. He doesn't have to do these exhibitions. I know, in my day, when I was No. 1 in the world, I'm not so sure I'd have done it. I'm pleased it's been pulled off here."
"Maybe this is the last time we do this," Federer said. "But I hope not."
Source: Newsday.com
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