Pete Sampras vs Patrick Rafter 1998 US Open SF Highlights

[@downtherabbithole1353]

Rafter is one of the best volleyer of all times.

[@teoma1918]

Samoras and rafter the best volley

[@mikerzisu9508]

Pete is better

[@1nalh]

@@mikerzisu9508 sure, but beaten here.

[@Rowlph8888]

No one was better. Probably as good as Edberg

[@jayteegamble]

@@Rowlph8888 Yeah, i've got Edberg and Rafter as the 2 best that i ever saw.

[@dawski4697]

Before this match, when asked about the difference between Rafter and himself, Sampras said “ten grand slams” and that a player had to come back and win another slam in order to be considered great. McEnroe referred to Rafter as a ‘one slam wonder’. Here Pat proved them and the American public both wrong in the best way

[@diegosotomiranda4107]

How times has changed, if Federer Rafa or djokovic said something similar to sampras they would get labeled as total jerks haha, loved the spicy rivalries back then

[@carlosandre9076]

They didn't like each other. Does anyone know why ?

[@dawski4697]

@@carlosandre9076 From what I've heard, Rafter didn't like Sampras' attitude, thought he was a crybaby and unsportsmanlike, so he went out of his way to try and piss him off wherever he could

[@thomasvoglis7063]

@@dawski4697 from what I remember, Sampras was considered cold and a bit arrogant by most of the tour, he and Rafter did not get along at all as players, but have apparently buried the hatchet long ago

[@aleksthegreat4130]

@@dawski4697 It's nonsense, Pete was always calm and a jentleman on courts.

[@KevinShoreHealthyEating]

2 of the great serve and volleyers. Sampras was like a machine in his prime, amazing flat powerful serves and if you did somehow get his serve back, he followed it up with crisp volleys and basketball dunk style smashes! Rafter didn't have the same wait of shot but more spin on his serve and a great all round game. Thought he could have won more slams, he was such a talent and very capable of beating the likes of Sampras and Agassi. Remember his semi final win at Wimbledon against Agassi in 01, such a great match.

[@Rowlph8888]

Sampras was, not in the same league as Rafter in volleying capability, he didn't need to be

[@1nalh]

@@Rowlph8888 sampras serve was really good. also had a great running forehand.

[@martydav9475]

@@Rowlph8888 Rafter had great Australian old-school volleying technique and ability - Laver, Rosewall, Newcombe, Roche and the rest - combined with great athleticism at the net.

[@nightrain132]

I was there in the crowd! What a match!

[@minitennisinsight1435]

I used to love watching both of these players , they are reason I play tennis today and coach.

[@willadkins7328]

I remember watching this match on TV in 98.. I love both players, but was actually happy rafter won. I remember sampras disrespected rafter before that match. Love rafters style, and positive demeanor

[@uncletony6210]

I remember Pete disrespecting Rafter a lot, but what did he say before the match?

[@jaimemm2299]

A master class of serve and volley

[@z1az285]

Rafter was an underrated baseliner. Not overpowering from the back but he had great returns, passing shots and an excellent transition game with tremendous footwork/ speed

[@thomasvoglis7063]

His slice backhand and dropshots were so underrated, really a great player to watch

[@donaldstancil4377]

He was like McEnroe in that way. Baseline skills were underrated due to the greatness of his serve and volley game.

[@z1az285]

@@donaldstancil4377 Indeed. McEnroe gave Lendl fits on red clay at the French even though he lost to him twice there. The matches were quite tight

[@donaldstancil4377]

@@z1az285 So true. In the beginning of his career his groundstrokes served the purpose of keeping him in the point until he could make his way to the net. But he gradually built a strong baseline and his slice and topspin backhands were phenomenal.

[@ronniep9272]

@@donaldstancil4377 McEnroe still won most of his rallies by rushing to the net at the end. Sampras is the greatest Serve Volley player who was also great from the back of the court. He's beaten a number of clay court experts like Bruguera, Courier and Kafelnikov in important matches.

[@Marekxxk]

I wish I had these volleys, even in today' s tennis, even on clay.👍

[@aemiliadelroba4022]

We don’t see anybody anymore to serve and volley like these two ! ❤❤❤

[@iggypopisgod9]

Rafter was a joy to watch. Incredible athleticism. He had Petes # that summer.

[@jschaeffer5549]

pistol would of won had he not pulled that quad

[@blake7871]

@@jschaeffer5549 It’s always something with him.

[@jschaeffer5549]

@@blake7871 yeah pistol wasnt the best condtion athlete

[@RossBayCult]

@@jschaeffer5549 Clearly it didn't affect his serve, volley or movement. Rafter was on peak form that year. HIs stats in the last 2 sets were off the charts.

[@Romans8-9]

@@jschaeffer5549 He lost in Cincy too to Rafter that year. What was Pete´s excuse there?

[@thebigmonstaandy6644]

LOL.What a handshake from Sampras

[@JesusReyes-uu7yo]

A sore looser

[@antigravitytea]

I noticed that too. I wish Sampras handled himself better in that situation.

[@blucat4]

@@antigravitytea It was ok. I don't like Sampras but that was totally acceptable considering.

[@andystevenson8383]

Lovely warm handshake from Pete. Expected nothing less. A great champion but terrible loser.

[@farid1406]

19:53 dat reaction to the handshake lol

[@jonm2522]

As much I love Sampras, that was very unsportsman like to just shake hands like that, I know he had some injury but credit to Rafter as he was a formidable opponent.

[@willdarsow]

@@jonm2522 agreed. It was a disrespectful handshake, gesture and poor way to thank your opponent for a match. As supreme as Sampras was, I get the sense that this sort of attitude was with him for most, if not all of his career. Perhaps explains why Pete was massively respected by fans and players worldwide, but not necessarily liked that much. My 2 cents.

[@damianotero2511]

@@willdarsow you are absolute right! Sampras was an unrespectfull man. Rafter won the match without cheating. You have to be a good loser.

[@mtklaric]

@@jonm2522thats how dudes shaked hands in the 80s, 90s....not like today, hugs and kisses

[@petemikedennis]

@@mtklaric exactly what I was thinking :) kids these days. He looked him in the eye and gave him a nod - the 90s version of a hug ;)

[@jlrob85]

Rafter is my all time favourite player and the reason I picked up a racket!!! Pete was obviously the superior player

[@hehehehehahahaha2025]

Sampras is my all time fave, but Rafter was an amazing serve & vollyer.

[@jlrob85]

@Jorge Sepulveda Yep Fed is the GOAT but for me back in 1997 as a 12 year old Australian, Rafter was so inspiring to watch.

[@farid1406]

Pete's my fave, but I think Pat had the better hands and coverage of the net. He and Edberg were the best in that regard imho

[@z1az285]

@@jlrob85 I've always wondered why Rafter didn't have more success on the rebound ace surface at Melbourne? True, the surface was slower and higher bouncing but his kick serve would have been lethal since the surface responded really well to spin. His all court game had no weaknesses, if anything he would have returned and passed more easily on it. Did the surface Rob him of pace? Unable to hit thru the slower conditions? Using becker as an example, he won only one US open but two AO even though his game was more suited to decoturf (faster and lower bouncing). He had more firepower than Pat for sure, maybe more of a baseliner on second serves esp on hardcourts. Just curious. Thanks.

[@nordna]

@@farid1406 I would say that McEnroe was the best volleyer/ had the best hands... Edberg, Sampras and Rafter follow

[@joseluisolivos7021]

We miss these kinds of players and style on the tour!!! what a great serve an volley match

[@jonm2522]

We can’t see these type of games anymore because the courts have become slower, so the crowds are more entertained with a bs 15-20 shots rally.

[@JimChap]

Damn, that's a high-quality game of tennis!... Fantastic.

[@nma2853]

This kind of serve and volley talents are missed today. Even on grass courts we see rallies more than serve and volley . It was a nicematch

[@mikerzisu9508]

It is obsolete now

[@SuperBosbon]

@@mikerzisu9508 No,it isnt.

[@mikerzisu9508]

@@SuperBosbon yeah, it is

[@SuperBosbon]

@@mikerzisu9508 Maxime Cressy.Final in ATP tounament.4R at A0.And he is just starting.

[@davd1986]

@@SuperBosbon Yes it is. The courts are much slower, and you get long, grinding rallies, and people waiting for mistakes.

[@zeddeka]

Sampras and Rafter did not get on. As memory serves, Rafter went on record to say that he felt Sampras was quite arrogant and could be rude and disrespectful to other players.

[@thomasvoglis7063]

After Rafter beat Sampras at Cincinnati prior to the 98' USO, Sampras was asked by a reporter what the difference between him and Rafter was at the moment, Sampras responded "10 slams". Made this win all the more sweeter in my opinion even if Sampras largely dominated their h2h

[@Marekxxk]

@@thomasvoglis7063 You got it wrong buddy, Sampras was not arrogant to anybody, just a smart-ass sometimes meaning it as a joke. He respected Rafter a lot but had a hard time giving him all due respect in 98 because he was targeting to break the Connors record of 5 year end no 1. It was a lot of stress for him, they made it up in 99. I personally think Pat Rafter had best SV game of his time and is in top 3 ever with Edberg and Mc. And I love Sampras game.😜

[@thanghoang3198]

I mean, Pat Rafter essentially emerged out of thin, going from a journeyman to a champion in a short time period. One could say that the post-1996 tennis was vacuum caused by Becker's rapid decline in 1997, allowing folks like Rafter to have a place in the sun. It took a while for many folks to appreciate his talent.

[@RagingUtai]

@@thomasvoglis7063 sampras also sad that a player must come back and win a grand slam, to be considered great. And rafter did just that by beating him and winning the US final, which made it even more sweet.

[@Rowlph8888]

Winners mindset. I guess

[@pierrefomete3816]

Sampras meilleurs joueurs de tennis de tout les temps

[@bigjim8233]

The Real tennis

[@spirg]

2 Great talents

[@ericlnorton1399]

Pete played our small local tournament and while losing (2nd rd?)said "I didn't even want to play this shitty tournament". An insult to fans and tourney volunteers; total lack of class.

[@Romans8-9]

which tournament?

[@ericlnorton1399]

Pilot Pen New Haven

[@Romans8-9]

@@ericlnorton1399 Oh I see he lost to Leander Paes, no wonder he was annoyed. haha

[@blucat4]

Yes, Agassi didn't like him either, they were at war.

[@alexalva-carreno1886]

Rafter un espectáculo verlo jugar !!!

[@robertwonkang2825]

Enormous power and excellent returns from the boys~

[@AL-sb3qg]

Sad we have not player like Rafter nowdays. It would be amazing to see him on fast courts in Wimb, US and ATP finals.

[@ronniep9272]

He'd get slaughtered especially with a relative weak serve.

[@AL-sb3qg]

@@ronniep9272 You can see Cressy a very tough opponent for everyone. Rafter was more aggressive and had more experience.

[@martydav9475]

@@ronniep9272 Not if the courts were as fast as they used to be - he'd take the likes of Djokovic and Nadal (and the rest of the baseliners) out of their comfort zone and rush them in a way that they're not used to. Remember serve-and-volleyers are constantly looking to get to the net and not stay on the baseline as today's players do.

[@ronniep9272]

@@martydav9475 the racket technology today allows the baseliners to return servers easier at pace and hit passing shots. Even when the courts were fast Hewitt was destroying Sampras, Rafter, Henman with his counter punching style. Djokovic and Nadal are better versions of Hewitt.

[@incredibleXMan]

Pete was pretty salty in losing this. I think he lost another match to rafter in the US open series that year. He wasn't happy.

[@JCStorm76]

He was never the best loser

[@Romans8-9]

Yeah he lost to Rafter in cincy

[@nikolasb5111]

This has to be the "last" great pure serve and volley match in tennis history.

[@SonateSonate]

Rafter/Sampras Wimbly 2000 Rafter/Ivanisevic Wimbly 2001

[@Nitrate900]

What are you saying? There were plenty of great S&V matches after this.

[@CJZM7777]

Beautiful tennis. I think Rafter was a tremendous athlete in his prime. The movement around the net was incredible.

[@martydav9475]

It was - old-school volleying technique and ability combined with great athleticism.

[@blucat4]

And on the baseline, he was so fast!

[@Joseph-be3tv]

When you consider how many guys have played in the ATP and Pete still places 4th for grand slams all time, that says a lot. I think Pete is absolutely just as good as the big 3, many aspects of his game are better ( serve, overhead,volleys, could argue forehand even)

[@soundar4270]

Pete Sampras played in different era. In current era, Nadal, Djokovic would have crushed Pete Sampras in 3rd or 4th Rounds. Nick Krigosis, Bernetti are few Serve & Volleyers left in the Tennis circuit, they find difficulty to reach Quarter finals in modern Tennis.

[@keaneoRX7]

The best Serve and Volley Players of the 90's ! at the time, it was still the most efficient way to win US Open and Wimbledon...

[@michael57603]

I remember watching this live. It was a great match. Sampras was the more talented player, but Rafter could trouble Sampras because of his excellent serve/volley play. He also knew Rafter was extremely fit and could last the distance.

[@jessetaylor6976]

What a masterclass!

[@opencurtin]

I remember fans got bored of the big serve volleying players but now its gone the opposite direction too many base line rallies ,,,

[@sadiemellow]

Yeah. Very short play. Hit run to the net, I know that annoyed me about Sampras. So boring.

[@senorgato70]

It's really too bad that sportsmanship didn't exist back in this era the same as it does today. Thank god for the respectful tennis legend of Roger and Rafa. To me, Novak's sincerity is questionable but at least he, too, publicly demonstrates respect. As great as Sampras' accomplishments are, it's too bad he didn't have a humble bone in his body. Rafter would have fit in perfectly with Roger, Rafa, and Novak today and I kind of wish he was part of this era, though he definitely would have to pick up the firepower in his game. Despite only winning 2 GS (he should have won his 2 Wimbie finals, but he didn't), Rafter is easily one of my favorite players ever, right up there with Borg and Federer.

[@stoolpigeon4285]

good comment

[@ahmedisa3723]

To me, Federer's sincerity is questionable but at least he, too, publicly demonstrated respect in the last stages of his career. after his loss to novak in 2011 US open semis He showed nothing but arrogance and indicated that Novak's victory was due to luck. so he needed a second and final slap, and it came to him in the 2019 Wimbledon final, to learn to respect his opponent and be more humble.

[@z1az285]

Sampras was more respectful towards becker, stich and goran. krajicek too but yeah i didn't care for his behavior towards Rafter

[@blake7871]

@@z1az285Ironically, Agassi and Rafter got along great. Agassi has said Rafter was his favorite opponent.

[@z1az285]

@@blake7871 Rafter was generally acknowledged as a great player and a class act. becker, agassi, goran all got along well with him from what i read

[@SuperBosbon]

Que jugador Rafter!

[@zeddeka]

On some levels, Rafter perhaps slightly the more natural, instinctive serve volleyer. Sampras more of an all court player. It's interesting that Sampras started out as a junior as a baseliner with a two handed backhand.

[@dunsdonjone1537]

rafter had the volley part of serve and volley. sampras had the serve part

[@princesorlo6366]

amazing how sampras evolved his game to match the best serve and vollyers

[@farid1406]

@@dunsdonjone1537 Sampras had both parts, so did Rafter.

[@taylorpack7705]

Rafter was a better volleyer and had better reflexes but Sampras had the greatest serve of all time and was a great volley player but he was a sucker for passing shots if he didn’t put the ball away real quick. Rafter was like playing a wall at the net.

[@johnrenehan7406]

Rafters win here is even more impressive when you understand , he didnt have the easy 90% success rate on his serve as did sampras - but he had a nice kick serve to both wings of Sampras return - exposing his inability to blast returns particularly on his backhand . And , as others point out here - Rafter was a GREAT vollier 🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[@preciousjey]

Nice did not know they met in the semis.

[@connorism69]

18:39: Far too good for that!

[@AAE724]

What a battle of Volleys 😁😁

[@rafapedrozo22]

top 5 de melhores partidas de todos os tempos ...

[@darkeneydarkeney8092]

McEnroe commenting here saying Pete is only concerned with preserving his records now for the history books. Kind of funny... just a few years later, hello Federer, Nadal, Djokovic.

[@TheDeadlyKnight]

I watch Sampras & I’m struck by 2 things: 1.He rushes the net WAY MORE than I remember. 2. ppl use to say Federer was a clone of him; They don’t play similarly whatsoever imo

[@Rowlph8888]

They did when Roger first started

[@Dante-vf4sd]

Watch Sampras earlier games

[@TheDeadlyKnight]

@@Dante-vf4sd & @The Harlequin. Would you ever have thought that Federer would end up having MORE career aces than Sampras? Their serves imo are the only similar parts of the 2 players’ games

[@Dante-vf4sd]

@@TheDeadlyKnight Fed played way more matches to get those aces, the game and courts have dramatically changed. Watch ch Sampras earlier games plus highlight videos of Sampras best plays and you'll see there's quite a few similarities, even their return stance and racket spin is similar

[@TheDeadlyKnight]

@@Dante-vf4sd Sampras’s serve was a little more effective than Fed’s imo. But, in terms of variety, placement, spins & ace-capability Roger’s serve approaches Sampras’s level. I watched the entire career of both guys. I think Serve-Bots are the only servers that have ever been more effective than these 2

[@connorism69]

We used to produce Rafters, Hewitts and such... Now Australia is best known for Tomic and Kyrgios....

[@nordna]

An embarrassing shame

[@farid1406]

For what its worth, Laver came from you too, so you've got the GOAT on your resume of players as well.

[@darkeneydarkeney8092]

To be fair to Australians, you also produced Ashleigh Barty. The best class act of the WTA tour in my opinion. Don't be too hard on yourselves... we've all got our bad apples.

[@arsalanrazzaq127]

How come you didn't mention Rod Laver, Ken Rosewall and Roy Emerson?

[@iamshadowbanned699]

No love for Margaret Court?

[@MarioCindric]

I was so pissed because I couldn't watch this match as kid. Frickin time difference and not having satelit TV.

[@bilders6701]

Mary kept calling them a couple of jocks all match. She was loving it.

[@luisrubencifuentescarrillo4041]

Rafter en todo su esplendor, quizá este haya sido es mejor match de su carrera.

[@HCaulfield115]

Rafter’s serve was so nasty before his shoulder injury

[@mikerzisu9508]

Pete’s was better

[@HCaulfield115]

@@mikerzisu9508 thanks Mr Obvious 🙄🙄🙄

[@mikerzisu9508]

@@HCaulfield115 well maybe point that out in a Sampras rafter match vid versus just swing from rafters nuts

[@HCaulfield115]

@@mikerzisu9508 Why? Wtf does Pete’s serve have to do with Rafter’s serve prior to his shoulder surgery. You make 0 sense. Just scroll on

[@mikerzisu9508]

@@HCaulfield115 just saying you are creaming your shorts about the rafter serve when the Sampras serve was far superior.

[@gregoryphillips3969]

How many Aussie champions has Tony Roche coached? Not just Aussies l know that he's worked with an awful lot of players who have had great success. I know that the other side of that coin is that great players seek him out. That's still the ultimate compliment. Rafter was fantastic and he should have won Wimbledon at least once. From all reports he was a good guy who treated everyone with respect.

[@jonmcclane7433]

Pete definitely celebrated differently against Pat Rafter compared to anyone else he played. Pete was certainly the best of his era, but he was so awkward from a social standpoint that I can see why he rubbed people the wrong way. That and of course him being so good.

[@MeMe-td1ye]

Sampras was jealous of Rafter's looks & how popular he was in the usa

[@sadiemellow]

Good looks. Polite. I would rather watch Rafter serve & volley rather than Sampras.

[@ChosenOne563]

This US Open hard court is so lightning fast and even faster than the grass courts, but sadly they slowed down the court and ultimately killing the beautiful game of Serve & Volley Tennis, because of these fast hard courts Rafter had won Back to back US Opens in 1997 and 1998 even beating the great Sampras with classic S&V game, it’s shame on ATP that they killed the great game.

[@alexanderthomas542]

When your this hungry gr8 opportunities take place!!

[@JCStorm76]

Pretty ordinary handshake from Sampras.

[@NinaKale-i4t]

Did you know that in computer programming there is a forehand and backend programmer?

[@Mitch-z1t]

Rafter SV game was as devastating as they come

[@jonm2522]

Serve and volley at its best, Sampras was a sook at the end, bad handshake.

[@brianbarrett192]

I like the video. However, the audio interferes with appreciation of the sound of the ball being struck AND the "ki-ai" of the martial artists. Original audio, please!

[@tomloft2000]

Rafter was the second coming of Pat Cash.

[@JCStorm76]

Rafter was better I feel

[@z1az285]

not even close. rafter was two levels higher

[@scottmcmillan6794]

There was some gunslingin' going on there.

[@vagsancho]

Rafter was better in volleys than Sampras. But Sampras was a better player because he Also had a good volley, a very good forehand and the best serve of all Times.

[@tomsd8656]

I really think that if the players today play with same court conditions like in the 90's, no one is going to get to 20 Slams. Nadal could still break Sampras's Slam record just by his clay prowess alone. But he's not going to win two of every Slam.

[@mezanine10]

Agreed. Slowing down the courts was a dumb move. No parity at all. 3 guys won nearly every GS for 20 years.

[@rolfbernserke4735]

I never understood how Rafter didn’t win more Grand Slams

[@martydav9475]

@easyscore Also perhaps, Rafter had a great backhand volley which could stand up to even intense pressure but his forehand volley could get wobbly, at times, under similar pressure.

[@JCStorm76]

Two is pretty good. Probably should have been 3. Was just two points from winning Wimbledon

[@MeMe-td1ye]

Injury

[@tabscoobrealestate6061]

Sólido Rafter en USOPEN 97-98!

[@niceguy1774]

It's impressive to behold Rafter's athleticism, and Sampras' lack of conditioning, but Thank allah this archaic style of play was killed-off by Evolution.

[@Romans8-9]

"allah" is a false god.

[@niceguy1774]

@@Romans8-9 amen! "Religion of peace"? Lol

[@aemiliadelroba4022]

Commentators annoying 😮

[@melthoidserendipity1332]

Sampras couldn't even beat Pat in the advertising stakes - Pat's very comfy undies ad (for Bonds) was far superior to Sampras/McEnroe silly Pizza Hut commercials...game-set-match Rafter!

[@zebduggan5961]

Lol this deserves a like

[@billpoulakis1741]

I think the handshake was more of a reflection of his own frustration with the leg injury than disrespect to Rafter

[@MarcoValentinLetelier]

Saque y volea, ambos tenian ese juego. Por lo tanto el partido es fome, no hay fantasía, no hay sorpresa. Basta ver un juego, para saber como va a ser todo el partido, para aburrirse de lo lindo.

[@jackautumn35]

I am a Sampras fan but he could have done a better job at the post match hand shake

[@hogehoge1878]

7:35　Trump??

[@Romans8-9]

Think Sampras didnt like Rafter because he was perceived as a journeyman until 1997, indeed Pete won 8/9 of their matches until Rafter broke through as a top pro.

[@MeMe-td1ye]

Coz rafter was better looking & maybe more popular even in usa

[@Romans8-9]

@@MeMe-td1ye No doubt. Sampras disliked Rafter for no valid reason.

[@aureliee787]

7:35 it's Trump, right ? he looks like him

[@The5thBranch]

Sampras was a great player but Rafter called him out as a real tool. When a nice guy like Rafter says you’re a dick H, there’s more than a grain of truth there. The public didn’t see it, but the players do.

[@Rowlph8888]

Bad sportsmanship from Pete

[@JCStorm76]

Terrible

[@Casatoman]

That comment by Mary Carrillo did not age very well where she said he's been watching McGuire and trying to be an American hero like androsterine steroids guy. Sorry but my hero growing up was Magic Johnson or Pete Sampras definitely not Mark McGwire

[@preciousjey]

Pitty Pat.

[@nicolasesteban2103]

ctmmm que partidoooo

[@paulblade6064]

never liked sampras not really sure why.

[@JCStorm76]

Very arrogant and not a great loser either. Just look at his handshake here

[@bobmalack481]

Sampras was a sefish player, never played and represented the the U.S. in Davis cup doubles and only put out his best effort in 'slams where most of the self glory is.

[@farid1406]

the guy literally collapsed from the effort he gave to get America the win in Davis Cup over the Russians in '95

[@michael57603]

I think it's true to some extent. And no doubt he saved himself for the big ones. Sampras didn't have the ability/stamina (?) to play well consistently through the year across the ATP tournaments. He has not won nearly as many titles as Lendl, Connors, Federer, Djokovic, or Nadal, for example. He was the best player of his era but has since been surpassed by Federer, Nadal, Djokovic (each of whom has won more ATP titles and grand slam titles).

[@mahalakshmid8613]

@@michael57603 only federer is much better player than sampras as he has the most complete game than any other player ever & can win many tournaments in any era, where as claydal & joker are much much less skilled players than sampras as these 2 are boring defensive players, very less talented players,vonly benefitted due to very much slowing of all courts, no stiff competition at all from year 2013onwards. Very lucky 2 fellows winning almost all grandslams from year 2013 onwards. Weakestvera emperorsc of all times. These 2 lucky fellows would have perished in other eras

[@michael57603]

​@@mahalakshmid8613 the history books only records results- not what talent level a player had. It's also hard to compare eras. I do think Sampras had a better serve than the great players of this era. But other parts of his game (like return of serve and overall stamina) is not as good as the greats of today.

[@taylorpack7705]

Sampras was Federer with a worse backhand and more powerful strokes but he couldn’t consistently keep up with the guys today, the game has changed too much.

[@saheribrahim5124]

sampras got injured at the end of the third set , he refused to retire and completed the match with limited abilities he relied on his serve and served 33 aces , would he have been injury free he would have won definitely

[@liamsilver4843]

7:35 Donald Trump?

[@martydav9475]

Could well be, the hair and eyebrows suggest so and possibly Ivana Trump behind in the lime dress? I think they divorced in about '92 but it does look quite a lot like her.

[@soundar4270]

2-1 set advantage for Sampras and again serving first in 5th set advantage, Still Sampras was unable to win. Rafter was much superior player. Look at Sampras body language during handshake with Rafter. Why did Sampras look upset when he was beaten by good player. not a a good sportsmanship

[@aleksthegreat4130]

soundar I like Pat Rafter,but there is no way he was a superior player to Pete,they are 12:4 head to head )),as for their titles,it’s not even close,plus Sampras was always a good sportsmanship and gentlemen,in and out off court.

[@soundar4270]

@@aleksthegreat4130 Yes, head-head record is correct. The point is Pat Rafter peaked late in his carrier. When Pete Sampras was dominating tennis world between 1993-1997, Pat Rafter was out of top 20 players. , No player could challenge Pete Sampras Serve and Volley on Grass and Hard court even the grass court specialist Becker. Edberg was the one who counter attacked Pete Sampras by perceptually approaching net. But, he also could not reach semi finals regularly and retired early. Pat Rafters developed perfect Serve and Volley with kick service to neutralize Pete Sampras volleying at net. This can be seen from this highlights also Had Pat Rafter peaked in 1993 /94, Sampras would have faced huge challenge in US and Australian open, and he would not have won 14 Grand Slams, I am sure

[@aleksthegreat4130]

@@soundar4270 But again,their record after the 1997 UsOpen final,when Pat became top-3 player is 7:3 for Pete,i like Rafer,but there is no place on Earth,where he is better than Sampras

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@ Aleks The Great. Sampras was not always a "good sport". He made the excuse of his leg injury in the 3rd set of his 1998 U.S. Open loss to Rafter as the reason why he lost that match! He also made the excuse of the chair umpire overruling the service linesman's out call on match point for Rafter in the Sampras vs. Rafter Cinncinati Masters' final match when the chair umpire called Rafter's serve a service ace ending the match! Sampras never learned that how a champion handles defeat is equally important as how he or she handles victory! Borg, by contrast, did not make the excuse of his deep thumb blister on his right (racket) hand as the reason he lost to Connors in the 1978 U.S. Open final. Navratilova also made the lame excuse that she and her coach Mike Estep "overstrategized" prior to the 1985 French Open final match against Chris Evert which Evert won 7-5 in the 3rd set. Navratilova should have simply given Evert the full credit for simply playing better than Navratilova did in that match! Steffi Graf gave a very perfunctory handshake to Navratilova at the net after she lost 7-6 in the 3rd set of the 1986 U.S. Open women's semifinals. Graf also made the lame excuse of either a toothache or her period after she lost the 1987 U.S. Open women's final to Navratilova. Some champions simply do not know how to lose gracefully. Rafter has stated that he doesn't like Sampras because Sampras never gave him credit when he defeated Sampras in their matches.

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@ soundar. Boris Becker was not a "grass court specialist" as you mischaracterize him! Becker won the 1989 U.S. Open (against Lendl) on the hard court, DecoTurf2 surface at Flushing Meadow, NYC and the 1991 and 1996 Australian Opens (against Lendl and Chang, respectively) on the rubberized Rebound Ace surface at Flinders Park in Melbourne Australia. Becker also won the 1988 Masters final at Madison Square Garden in NYC against Lendl on the fast indoor supreme court surface. So he was not a grass court specialist!

[@saulmadrileno8529]

🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@ldrobarts]

That was like watching Sampras play himself

[@worawatsr9803]

Sampras was heavily injured in this match. It would have been an easy win for Sampras without the injury.

[@JSmith-zr2ve]

Worawat Srisawasdi Maybe

[@michaelbarlow6610]

@ Worawat Srisawasdi. Even if Sampras had not injured his leg in the 3rd set of the 1998 U.S. Open final against Rafter it would not necessarily have been an easy win for Sampras! Rafter was a very good serve-and-volley player who frequently gave Sampras a very tough match!

[@Romans8-9]

He lost the Final in CINCY a few weeks earlier. Was he also injured then?

[@allahousalami]

serve and volley I loved this era

[@mashencia1]

Sampras was the superior player and was in total control of the match when he injured himself at the end of the 3rd. He managed to pull out the 3rd but wasn't the same afterwards. USO98 was definitely one that "got away" from Pete.

[@hehehehehahahaha2025]

His service motion all the way from the beginning of the match caught my attention, there's something different about it compared to 1997. Made me wonder if he was already feeling an injury from the get go and thus modified the motion. But it could also just be one of the many natural changes he made to his service motion over his career, and because I haven't watched much of him from '98 I have no frame of reference

[@blake7871]

Sampras has a history of overplaying injuries. His ankle wasn’t that bad. He just used it as an excuse after Rafter kicked his ass.

[@mashencia1]

@@blake7871 Iol I don't think a 5 set come from behind victory qualifies as "kicking ass". Sampras owned Rafter throughout his career (their record was 8-2 for Sampras coming into this match and then 4-1 for Sampras after this match) so I don't think Sampras needed any excuses against Rafter. Try again.. And if you wanna see what Sampras was able to do with Rafter when he was at his best and injury-free just watch their Davis Cup match a few mths earlier when Pete absolutely ripped him to shreds.

[@blake7871]

@@mashencia1 I'm not arguing Sampras's greatness. He was one of the best ever. But, he didn't like Rafter for some reason (even though oddly enough everyone else did) so he tended to "play up" these so-called injuries when things weren't going his way. Remember when he was supposedly sick against Courier but serving 130mph heaters? Yeah BS. Don't forget Rafter didn't peak until the end of his career as well, so yeah, Sampras got the better of him most of the time, but I would've like to seen those two battle in New York circa 2000-2001ish.

[@mashencia1]

@@blake7871 hold it-- Sampras was up 2:1, fully in control of the match and playing against a player he had owned throughout his career... How is that things "not going his way"? 🤔 In sets 4 and 5 his level clearly dropped off, something that was noticed by everyone including the commentators which could only be explained by injury on a play towards the end of the 3rd set. Also, not sure what you are on about saying "Rafter was at his best at the end of his career" when his only 2 majors came in 97-98... But in any case, Sampras had a dominating record against him throughout their careers and when they were both playing at their best Sampras was clearly a far superior player (again just watch the 97 Davis Cup match if you haven't already -- it's available on KZbin). Pete did have a bit of a chip on his shoulder when it came to Rafter (once replying to a question "what's the difference between you and Pat?" with an arrogant "10 majors", finding the question almost insulting) but it's true that Rafter wasn't on Pete's level, as evidenced by their career H2H and major titles.

[@martingunzel7913]

It was the injury (11:37) that decided the match. Until this point of return Sampras had Rafter.

[@stephenhumble7627]

Even injured Sampras is still difficult to beat - the serve volley game style keeps the points so short.

[@martingunzel7913]

@@stephenhumble7627 not sure about this, because serve volley is extremely tough for your body: run, stop, jump... ask becker.

[@-music2023]

@@stephenhumble7627 Sampras could still hold serve but it was impossible to break Rafter with a leg injury

[@JCStorm76]

Excuses excuses

[@zeddeka]

There was a lot of controversy at the time about the injury.

[@nordna]

Rafter was a good volleyer.... but he always looked off balance... lunging, stabbing and jerky. He somehow always looked like he was in trouble

[@martinhudecek8886]

I couldn’t disagree more. His Wimbledon finals saw some of the most beautiful netplay in the latter stages of the tournament’s history. But of course his inconsistent second serves, returns and passing shots were the real culprit for why he remained a slam hard court specialist.

[@nordna]

@@martinhudecek8886 Rafa is by no means a hard court specialist. What works for him is his left handed heavily whipped forehand.. extremely dangerous...that's a shot that opponents need to time perfectly in order to not be pushed back by it...and he's very speedy and has great recovery. A problem for him is he stands so far behind that baseline that it seems that he just always works so much harder to win, and always seems to be scrambling in a point, even when he was in control. He is a pure clay courter who because of his hustle aggressive play has had some success on hard court.. He's a really good volleyer.... always thought he should have employed that much more in his game.

[@martinhudecek8886]

@@nordna I’m lost why Rafa is being mentioned. I’m talking about pat the mini legend here.

[@nordna]

@@martinhudecek8886 I'm sorry.. I'm literally losing my visual perception... It is written Rafter, but I saw Rafa...🤦‍♂️

[@Romans8-9]

@@nordna Never seen Rafa referred to as a hard-court specialist. haha

[@giannilarouone4702]

He was injured at the leg otherwise things would be diffrent..

[@aemiliadelroba4022]

That’s too much nonsense talking 😮

[@peterbedford2610]

Sampras beat rafter 12 out of 16 meetings

[@blake7871]

After watching the handshake, glad he lost here. I wish Rafter would’ve kicked his ass after the match to be honest.

[@melthoidserendipity1332]

Rafter beat Sampras three times in a row in 98/99. This was the 2nd of them

[@Romans8-9]

Rafter was a journeyman until 1997. Indeed Sampras won 8 of their 9 first meetings. From then on Rafter went a respectable 3-4 in their last 7 meetings.

[@peterbedford2610]

Sampras had back problems from 1998 on...

[@leebrandt8597]

If Sampras doesn't twist his ankle during the game, he wins the whole tournament

[@melthoidserendipity1332]

Completely untrue...Philipoussis had beaten him in the Australian Open and went on to beat him in the French Open in 2000

[@leebrandt8597]

@@melthoidserendipity1332 Nope. Who cares about that. Sampras was playing way better in this tournament than anyone. That injury got in the way. Rafter won the tournament only because Pete got injured

[@melthoidserendipity1332]

And Becker doesn't have a bad day against Peter Doohan at Wimbledon 87 and there's no way Pat Cash wins. And Rafael Nadal becomes an accountant instead of a tennis player and Federer wins 30 Grand Slams. I saw Stefan Edberg badly hurt his back in the last set of an Australian Open against Pat Cash and he still won. There are no ifs in sport - the best team wins on the day. Rafter was the best on the day.

[@leebrandt8597]

@@melthoidserendipity1332 Nah, wrong

[@Romans8-9]

Rafter beat Sampras in Cincy a few weeks earlier with no injury. lol

[@carlosmunoz9056]

Que juego más aburrido puro saque y red

[@edwinjeyachandran3373]

That match Sampras have aleg injury

[@fededambrosio7720]

Rafter e' sontuoso! 👍👏👌💯

[@Factexplorer007]

Wow!! Arrogant Pete shown hos place....😂