19-Year-Old ROGER FEDERER defeats King Of Wimbledon (2001)

Federer, just 19 years old at the time, faced Sampras in the fourth round of Wimbledon. At the time, Sampras was considered one of the greatest tennis players of all time and had won seven Wimbledon titles, setting a tournament record.
The victory over Sampras represented a generational shift in tennis. Sampras was considered the dominant player of the 1990s, and his defeat of the young Federer marked the beginning of a new era in the sport.
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[@scrumpymanjack]

I know that the video is meant to be about Federer...but what a player Sampras was. And that serve!!!

[@verbfrombonsai8852]

You really appreciate how good federer's dominance knowing he still had to beat monsters along the way

[@brenthargreaves7085]

was this with bouncier balls?

[@Nirky]

His serve carried him far, except not so much on clay as it blunted his best shot. Still the best serve I've seen, and I've seen them all from Roscoe Tanner up to today.

[@ortiz5922]

Why one hand backhand is less and less common nowadays?

[@FelixBermudezJimenez]

J❤q❤

[@whatthefuck519]

I like the part where they serve and volley

[@Saperlipopette777]

Ahahah

[@granardgroup6315]

Preach

[@georgeoshea9961]

😂😂😂

[@nathangayner7592]

Seriously! So BORING!!! Hated this era/style. Rafa and Novak made the game fun to watch again.

[@eyezaggeh777]

@@nathangayner7592the finesse required to serve and volley at grand slam level is something to be admired though - defensive baseline games have become robotic and copy/paste in this era

[@Brudda97]

Damn 29 year old fed would probably bagel 19 year old fed. Thats crazy how the game evolves

[@Sy2023hk]

Sampras and Federer are my most admired, nobody can play forever, so enjoy the moments❤

[@jimleveilleur2510]

both goat of tennis ! the palmares don't make the goat ! orelse, the goat is jimmy connors with 109 titles ! the goat is the most talented player ever ! so, 1rst roger, 2nd sampras, 3rd nadal

[@fetusofetuso2122]

@@jimleveilleur2510 Aaah, he forgot Agassi.

[@jimleveilleur2510]

@@fetusofetuso2122 i think there is more talented players before agassi, djoko, alcaraz, ....but i loved andré

[@Deejaydanify]

Sampras was the consummate champion. He fought tooth and nail against a young and motivated Federer. Some of the shots like the diagonal placements when Federer was at the net were sublime. Just shows how mentally strong both players were. At 19, Federer showed great composure against a 7 time champion and Sampras, though he knew that age wasn’t in his corner, played tremendous tennis. The changing of the guard in a way I believe. Both of them gave us great joy and many unforgettable memories didn’t they?

[@jwxujerry]

I forgot how great Sampras was. The incredible net shots and backhands.

[@Brocktoon68]

Amazing fast-court player. Federer is such a power player though. Federer's assentation reminds me of Lendl v. McEnroe. Rather the same dynamic.

[@soultalksolutions7424]

And this is a vastly declined Pete.

[@Sanctified57]

@@soultalksolutions7424Not really. He was still only 29 and went on to win the US open a year later

[@johncraftenworth7847]

before playing this wimbledon he was already contemplating retirement, despite his talent he did *not* dedicate his entire adult life to tennis and was certainly as capable as any of winning 20+ grand slams. if they played all majors on grass like in laver's day, Sampras would currently have the most slams and most calendar year grand slams (and probably the Graf Golden Slam as well) @@Sanctified57

[@GholamFareed]

@@soultalksolutions7424 neither was this a prime Federer.

[@christiandenton2174]

Petes serve and volley game was a thing of beauty. Lost art. All time great probably my favorite behind Roger.

[@georgeclinton6833]

I started to love tennis with Agassi and Sampras, and then it was so good as a Swiss to watch Federer climbing up. Sampras was an absolute warrior.

[@Amplified435]

Sampras is so underrated and doesn’t get remembered enough. He and Agassi basically were 90’s tennis. He had the sweetest serve down the tee. Great serve and volley, just a dominant force not to be forgotten. I loved his play style.

[@carkod]

Yeah but all he plays is serve and volley, he wouldn't be able to compete with the groundstrokes that people hit these days...

[@Amplified435]

@@carkod Maybe. He would be forced to improve his ground strokes and even his serve and volley if born in this era. He’s such a talent, I think he could have

[@love4lust7301]

Who the hell thinks Sampras is underrated... 😂😂😂😂

[@Amplified435]

@@love4lust7301 younger people who only grew up with Federer, Nadal, and Jjokovic etc.

[@jehushaphat]

I do. @@love4lust7301

[@Madero775]

Two of the purest tennis players that ever played the game.

[@alfredbenedek3398]

IN ALL FAIRNEE=SS, YET ONE OF THEM I S BETTER, THAN THE O T H E R!!

[@DrinkWater713]

What does that mean?

[@geemy9675]

means no grunting like an animal, extremely efficient shots. Sampras had the heaviest racket at 385g and the highest string tension on the tour, yet he was able to generate insane speed, without even trying hard. Hitting flatter forehand was a factor, but for serve he was generating more spin than most big servers AND lot of speed, with basically a wood plank, mostly due to his insane motion. you wouldn't even clear the net with his racket 😂 Federer had also the same way of making even the most difficult shots look easy.

[@DrinkWater713]

@@geemy9675 Humans are animals. Why so many people don't seem to understand this?

[@I-giveup-with-youtubesensors]

I've hit with the racquet that Sampras used. I was a pretty good player and coach, but his weapon was too heavy for me. ​@@geemy9675

[@thomassicard3733]

Wow. Don't forget how incredibly good Pete Sampras was. Amazing tennis talent!!

[@ShadeXH]

Wild how Federer's career spanned so many different generations and he had to change his playstyle and adapt to others so much over the course of it. Started off as a serve-and-volleyer, pioneered an all-court all-surface game, and ended his career with S&V dead, and tennis played mostly through long baseline rallies with heavy topspin. Not to mention how the surfaces changed as well. He did it all.

[@peeeko888]

Oh i miss the good old days when tennis was played so beautifully especially when players like Sampras make volley shot look so easy! Love it

[@th8257]

When Sampras won 14 grand slams it was seen as an amazing achievment that would last for decades, as Roy Emerson's previous record of 12 had. Amazing to think that three players coming up following him would all substantially break his record.

[@vanlendl1]

Roy Emerson won all his grand slams, when Laver, Rosewall, Gonzales, etc. were playing on the professional tour and were not allowed to play the grand slams.

[@johnp515]

@@vanlendl1Which is part of the reason people thought that his record would be difficult to beat

[@robertwebb3546]

@vanlendl1 You can only defeat the players in the field. Emerson still had to win those matches in the events in which he competed, and if you look at the draws a number of his opponents were future hall of famers.

[@th8257]

@@vanlendl1 I know. He still held the record.

[@mr.b.9890]

3 players in the same Era. I'm glad I had the privilege to see it.

[@TheTopspin77]

Here is a young 19-year-old Federer playing a relatively old Sampras and Sampras is holding his own although he loses. When I hear people like Nick Kyrgios saying Sampras could not play today, I think it is so wrong. Sampras could play in any era in his prime.

[@giannilarouone4702]

Pete with new racket strings even shoes 😅would crash all of them ,he should retire after 35,unlucky that he have retire early...

[@dirkiedoos8577]

How can you be “relatively old” at 29? 😂 Most players win Slams in their 30s.

[@dumitriuradu8481]

29 is old only for a gymnast,bro

[@jeffhermida4788]

Yeah Sampras hitting 121mph 2nd serves says a lot.

[@RS-tz2zn]

@@dirkiedoos8577 In the 1980's and 1990's things were very different than now where you have players age 33+ winning many of the slams. Back when there was better competition, those that did win slams won almost all of them in their 20's. John McEnroe, Mats Wilander and Stefan Edberg all played in 11 slam finals, none after age 26. Boris Becker played in his last slam final at 29. Ivan Lendl was in 19 slam finals, won his last slam at age 29 and was in one additional final at age 30. Even the great Jimmy Connors, who had the best longevity of the players of that time, was only in 3 of his 15 finals after hitting age 30, and none after age 31.

[@jameswalker6864]

Sampras' backhand was a thing of beauty. So elegant, precise and efforless. No wonder why Federer acknowledged that the reason why he always played with a one-handed backhand is because he was inspired by his previous idols such as Sampras.

[@th8257]

Interestingly, Sampras had a two handed backhand when he was a junior and played more of a baseline game. He worked hard on his one handed backhand, but it was always the weakest part of his game. One of the reasons Federer switched to a larger headed racquet later in his career is because Sampras told him he wished he had as it would have helped his backhand.

[@kiki13121984]

I was just about to type - did Sampras actually (at least, asking myself after watching this match) ever use classic backhand as one of his stronger weapons? As far as I can see, he constantly used backand slice or variants of it, so I guess that's why Federer was able to return so many "close to the net" balls. Besides (but that's, perhaps, how they played in Sampras' era), Pete's backhand looks so weird compared to today's players - he looks like he wants to push (away) the ball with the racquet, istead of hitting it...

[@iceman1125]

not at all

[@georgemavrides3434]

Indeed, yet Roger perfected the single-hander and rewrote the tennis manual on what is possible with it.

[@drummersinger5324]

One handed backhand is so much more efficient as a striking tennis tool with any version of spin available. Such a better stroke than a limited two hander which obviously ruins backs too.

[@etingiwa-osagie2059]

I watched this match and this was the beggining of the making of Roger Fed the legend and my GOAT.

[@swerne01]

Federer's serving kept right up with Sampras's. After that it was just a mistake here or there that decided the match; they were pretty much even. What a great match!

[@wooddog7128]

Great edits. Very efficient. Thankyou.

[@eme.261]

I remember watching this live on TV. Seeing Federer play a mirror game to Sampras' brilliance and beat him was incredible. At the end of that match, it was clear that a changing of the guard had occurred and Federer was on his way to being the most sublimely brilliant tennis player ever. Yes, at his peak, Nadal was wonderful, and at his peak, so is Djokovic, but neither are sublime. Witnessing Federer in his prime was witnessing a maestro at work.

[@k.Newbbie]

Wow, I just watched Roger Federer beat Pete Sampras - Sampras Style 😮😮 I have watched Pete play for many years, but Roger, I've watched from his early days... Well, this match was like watching twins, identical swings, chips, slices, Aces, BACK HAND excellence 👌🏽 👏🏽 ❤ I miss Roger on the circuit 😢 so now I have to watch old matches ❤❤❤❤

[@sauronthegreat5799]

Both Sampras and Federer are legends. Both have distinctive style of playing. I always enjoyed watching both of them play win or lose.

[@ronmurray7349]

Nice to see two great champions who question bad line calls with a subtle eye roll and not a tantrum.

[@AC-wl7ve]

these two guys play some beautiful tennis. this game is so much different now

[@amitkar5316]

This kind of tennis - with more net approaches, more volleying, more all-court points - is so much more exciting to watch than the predominantly base-line game of today. If Wimbledon hadn't slowed down the grass over the subsequent years we'd still have more of it -- not to mention that Federer would probably have won ten titles there rather than "only" eight.

[@sergeylukianov9503]

Had to tell my tennis champion aspiring son to watch this in full. This is not a match, this is a war of gods. This is not a Sinner v Tsitsipas game. There are no unforced errors, they are all motivated. This is new vs old with old being as good as new. Incredible footage.

[@wanted4238]

Both have great serves, great backhands! One of the greatest matches ever watched!

[@BriceBriceBabyy]

sampras' jump at 14:03 is so insane. If you watch closely he body moves so far. a powerful athlete

[@Jay-dm4id]

The Pete Sampras Slam dunk! He has a lot of those

[@anacarpenter9254]

Younger world champions Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. Both have proven to be tennis magnates in more than one way. Roger Federer strived with a determination that fatherhood has proven with a days work. Success on the court. ❤❤😊

[@AL-ss4vr]

The best match of all time. A proper grass court match.

[@AntuTalleres]

Great! Great game and great editing. Incredible aces, both.

[@westlibra86]

Though I have never been a Federer supporter, I am going to miss seeing this man playing so much.

[@janlewis567]

I so miss seeing Roger play today - a class act ♥

[@PaulyinParis619]

I like this editing…quick and right to the points and a few replays here and there. Great!

[@margotconway8605]

I agree- 5 sets in 35 minutes WOW

[@user-eu2vz8uz3f]

One is the reason I started watching Tennis and the other is the reason I started loving tennis

[@peters6119]

I think I had forgotten just how great a shotmaker Sampras was, although I remember his serve being fantastic. Federer's serve wasn't as great yet at only age 19, but his overall game was allready good enough to beat Sampras in this match. The way he held off those two break points at 4-4 in the 5th set was just indicative of how hard it would be to beat him in the coming years.

[@sherparoyale]

Wow, never saw this game. This really is exceptional tennis by two greats. Classic.

[@732mojo]

This match and the 2008 wimby final and Miami final of Krygios vs Roger are my most loved matches in tennis since i started watching in 2002.. Roger imo is the most graceful athlete ever for me in many sports i have watched..

[@scottamolinari]

Wow. At 19, I was such a hothead. Amazing how cool Federer was. This was a sure indicator of a great player for the future and boy he was!!! So, all you young tennis players out there, if you wish to learn from this video, make 100% certain you take negative emotions out of your game. Don't get frustrated. Don't get flustered. Don't doubt yourself. Keep giving the game your best and if you have the talent, discipline and work ethic, you can also do great things.

[@veclubby]

The Golden days of Sampras and Agassi.

[@timwong580]

This game could have gone either way. Both very competitive.

[@kenjispencer3874]

Great old-school tennis.

[@PaulyinParis619]

I still play with this racquet…

[@oggo62]

The changing of the Wimbledon guards. What a match between these two legends! Classic tennis 🎾

[@PaulyinParis619]

Two of the best one handed backhands ever…now not one in the ATP top 10

[@granardgroup6315]

Had Wimbledon left the courts at this speed, Federer wins 12 titles at SW19...

[@robertwebb3546]

@granardgroup6315 Slowing the Wimbledon courts and changing the balls made the event just another boring baseline slugfest. We don’t need homogeny across tennis. Having variety of surfaces made the tour more interesting.

[@Askaa88]

This match is how tennis should be played. Also a tiebreak set in under 50mins, fast pace attacking tennis. Now, a tiebreaker is at least 70min long because of the baseline bashing with no variety but ripping the ball crosscourt with occasionally a SLICE backhand, and that, they call variety nowadays😂😂

[@MelvinLew]

Or more!

[@JDL1115]

They both put up a good show for the audience.❤

[@darrylem6157]

Amazing duel by an amazing duo! Wow! Pete sampras was incredible. At that age to compete at that level! Incredulous!

[@brattpack]

As a Sampras fan, it was this match that set me on the path to be a Rafa fan. The way Roger played this match, I could not see anyone in that men's roster that could beat him. So I started looking to the youngsters. That's how I found Rafa. Though entertaining, he did not look anywhere near beating Roger. But I started watching whatever matches I could of his.

[@2028end]

Dang, Sampras was a grown man, huh? Those serves were coming in HEAVY! And ALL DAY LONG! Like shot out of a cannon. Crazy!

[@harkirehal258]

The commentator was spot on. That one missed overhead cost Sampras the match. Boy, Sampras's serve and game are phenomenal. I had forgotten how lethal he was.

[@richarddrake5454]

Never realised Federer served and volleyed that much back then.

[@CK-iv1lq]

He did it a lot even as late as 2003/2004. It kinda phased out from being the optimal strategy due to court and racket technology changes so he started sticking closer to the baseline around the tail end of 2004.

[@TheTopspin77]

Back then most players served and volleyed on grass.

[@kenarthur6253]

Most Epic victory of this Century. Changing of the guard

[@ronrondrewthat]

Used to have newspaper cutouts from Sports page on my folders and books in HS 94-95 my favorite player. So many great players in that era before and after but 😬 Sampras 👑 🎾 🐐 and look what that 19yr old became 🐐

[@margotconway8605]

Love them both playing 1 handed backhands. Those were the days. REAL tennis. Also love all the volleys, don't see many players coming in to attack anymore. All baseline and power but no more finesse anymore

[@andredutoit1131]

"I know that the video is meant to be about Federer...but what a player Sampras was. And that serve!!!". I am a Roger Federer fan, but I agree 💯!

[@cccpredarmy]

You can say whatever you want. Sampras in 2001 with 29 years was a monster and remained one until his career end at 32. It's an insane achievement of a 19 year old "school boy" (compared to expereinced master like Sampras) outplay such beast of a player!

[@travelshomeandabroad3221]

The best two players ever my opinion

[@jeycalc6877]

Neither are even top two anymore if we are being objective

[@humbecano1959]

El GOAT es NOVAK DJOKOVIC 24 GS 410 semanas como no. 1 y 40 masters 1000

[@truthtruth9056]

​@@humbecano1959goat of weak era ! Weak era goat Novak started winning slams in 2011 when court was slowed down and when federer was about 30 age old out of prime, back when federer was still younger and court was still fast from 2006-2010 federer easily annihilated djokovic in h2h and slam wins, novak was lucky enough to win 1 slam that time, check h2h facts all you want to see the truth, even from 2006-2014 weak era goat Novak only had like 7 slams and from 2015-2023 weak era goat novak got most of his achievements and stats and 70% of his slams and rank 1 record and the so called stats was achieved from 2015-2023 against the weak gen era ! and when federer was 34-40+ age old out of prime grandpa ! And nadal injury prone visibly slower ! Facts !

[@oc6840]

@@truthtruth9056 ? Novak Djokovic is the GOAT, what are you talking about? Tennis skill level is raising and raising from time. Even number 20 from today would beat prime Sampras. You have no clue what you are talking about.

[@xav9258]

It's so stupid to try and compare players from different generations.

[@p42uynot59]

Pete allowed Roger to hang around too many times. This was a terrific match and a passing of the torch in some ways.

[@djm9524]

Pete would have won Wimbledon that year had he won that match! Federer was still developing and became a superstar 2 years later.

[@felipetorrejon5789]

Thanks for this video!!! I will proceed to watch your complete channel, hopefully you upload some more soon!

[@BOZ_11]

Fed's serve was a thing of beauty even at age 19

[@uditha4865]

The rise of a legend

[@DonYang73]

The era of single backhands! Yeah

[@rohankumardas55]

A new legend's era started

[@SamuelABudiono]

Terima kasih bu Anni buat ucapan selamat dan doa berkatnya...Salam "jazz" dari Korea! 😍😍😍

[@mattcharles8240]

Wow how Pete seemed old at 29 then. Totally different mindset existed back then.

[@sreethoz]

Watching the 5th set. Both Fed and Pete are worn out. Yet, no growls and grunts. Just forceful shots, artistic volleys, laser focused serves and crisp finishes to end the points. Much in contrast to the Djokovian orgasmic sounds that became the norm in the generations that followed.

[@edinmilenko1340]

nadal is even worse than djokovic...

[@kx5517]

lol Sampras was relentlessly aggressive off the serve. Incredible player

[@user-hd5ee2rc6g]

I find that many young people who never got a chance to see Sampras play do not know how great of a player he was especially on grass and fast hard courts.

[@bsktballman08]

Googled their ages. They’re almost exactly 10 years apart, 4 days away. I thought that was kind of cool.

[@jeremypearson6852]

Incredible level of tennis. This was just the beginning of Federer’s greatness.

[@opticustoma]

And then comes Novak and dedeats King Roger 3 times in a row....

[@UltimateAlok]

7:19 1st set tie breaker - 9:45 Set 1 Breaked 16:49 2nd set Breaked 22:05 3rd set breaked 27:04 4th set tie breaker - 28:48 set 4 Breaked 33:06 Final Game of Match - 34:03 Match Point - 34:19 Final Serve of Match - & History Created

[@sfincione2000]

What an EPIC match that was. Amazing from both players.

[@ChrizYT]

For me.. part of the the golden era of tennis.

[@debg1424]

Rare to see such big services nowadays. Even Nadal/Djokovic doesn't have this level of services

[@thefridgeman]

Lol. Kyrgios, etc.

[@debg1424]

@@thefridgeman I meant legends. Otherwise there are many including isner , roddick, goran and all.

[@nguyenai1337]

​@@thefridgemanof course 😂. When he said "even great legends can not", fully mean every other tennis players.

[@zabaleta66]

How awesome was Sampras' serve! Forgot what a great player he was. Roger was still quite a developing player, he seemed to have issues with Sampras' power at times but all the quality was obvious!

[@sam_az187]

absolutely amazing both of them

[@tellthestoryphotography-th7216]

I loved Pete's serve. No long, drawn out bizarre rituals. Shake shake done.

[@RobinSharmaRobinSharma]

अद्भुत स्पर्धा ! अन्त तक निर्णय किसी भी ओर जा सकता था ! ९०-दशकीय युवाओं के लिए सैम्प्रस् और अगसी ही टैनिस् थे ❤

[@mrmo4059]

Honoured to have watched tennis through the sampras and federer epochs.

[@vivekchavan2579]

I have seen this exact thing happened with Federer....😢 As they say history always repeats itself

[@keaneoRX7]

When Wimbledon was still Wimbledon, fast court serve & volley matches...

[@egumoorthy]

What a player Sampras was. He lost this match due to one insane mistake. The way he competes with young 19 year old champion player was amazing

[@nidhingecb]

വിംബിൾഡണിന്റെ രാജകുമാരൻ😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@madhavyu]

This Federer kid looks good. If he continues to develop, he might be able to win a Grand Slam or two.

[@moaningpheromones]

Fantastic point by point and no bs. Now I could appreciate where Pete really did have big chances to go ahead and maybe serve for the match. It's so clear to see here. It was his own errors that were so costly on the big points.

[@johnvanbreugel2569]

Watching a retired Federer play a long retired Sampras and at the bottom of the screen I see the score for some unknown lad called Gael Monfils. Still bloody going! 🎉

[@KrishnenduKes]

The courts then used to be amazing. Sampras plays great tennis here. We see the rise of Federer at Wimbledon here. His volleys are simply superb.

[@teddy2738]

Roger Federer comenzó a jugar ya en el circuito PROFESIONALMENTE en 1998 con sólo 16 años a cuestas y se retiro creo el 2018 o 2019 con 37 años , ya muy afectado por lesiones propias de tenistas profesionales !!

[@einfachiggi]

it was so intense, the 30min video felt like watching a 3 hours game, amazing game !

[@janethu9169]

Beautiful.

[@drummersinger5324]

What a great tennis match.

[@johannesfunk5734]

Interesting to see how much Federer has improved his strokes (much shorter swings) and his footwork and overall court movement (much more dynamic) later on

[@antonyc3676]

I love how it used to pure tennis, no grunting, no shouting.

[@TheCEOXPerience]

Sampras serve was ridiculous. and back when grass courts were fast

[@rathy_v]

I watched this match in a lifetime .it was a great match. First time hearing about Roger Federer name

[@nataliavargassabean4225]

Comes to show how much this era depended on having a great serve. A game like this isn't really seen now a days, matches go way longer with equally strong returns and rallies that go for ages, and depends heavily more on athleticism, consistency and strength.

[@thefridgeman]

You mix and match. Tennis back then was a lot slower than today.

[@H0lyFr0ggy]

it also was much faster court back then. so much more viable

[@jparg5546]

@@thefridgeman It's the opposite actually, courts are much slower today, favoring long points instead of these quick ones that relied much more on a good serve.

[@randomshi7298]

I think it's insane that in 2001, this was top tier camera quality. Like, we have it so easy when it comes to replays and action just gameplay in general.

[@RobertJWaid]

Great editing for a super match.

[@Adhbutham]

That's greatness loading❤