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November 22, 2007
An exhibition of serving, forehands & passing shots
By Ron Cioffi, TennisReporters.net
Pete Sampras still has the serve-and-volley
game to take down any touring pro, even Roger Federer. In
the second Clash of Times exhibition, there was no doubt
that Pistol Pete can still cock, aim and shoot with anyone.
But, Federer still prevailed 7-6(5), 7-6(6).
Sampras was able to serve his way out
of two break points in the second set, like he did so often
in his heyday in the 1990s. His first serve blazed at up
to 134 mph, a speed he rarely reached on the ATP Tour. He
seems to be getting new pop – especially on his backhand
– from new racket technology. Throughout the match, he rushed
the net and easily put away first volleys and showed he can
still react like a teenager at the cords on challenging second
volleys. Plus his forehand shows the whip and accuracy that
tennis fans still remember.
So, why did Pete lose?
Federer's all-round game surpasses any
modern tennis player. While Federer might not get a chance
to pass often in today's game, he showed he's got the arsenal
to match passing shots with some of the greats of the Open
era: Ivan Lendl, Mats Wilander and Bjorn Borg. The Swiss'
nimble footwork and quick hands allowed him to launch winners
past Sampras whenever he got a decent look.
More importantly, this three-match exo
tour gives a look at two of the finest forehands in tennis
history. Federer sprinted into the corner and clocked a forehand
winner … to which a shocked Sampras shouted, "Hey,
that's my shot."
Hey, Pete: Put that in the past tense.
Federer went shot-to-shot with the Sampras forehand and the
competitors even had a chuckle when the Swiss won a battle
of the forays. This was a great opportunity to see these
two show off their forehand weapons and it's clear Federer
has the more potent shots because his foot speed allows him
to hit it with more variety, angle and deception.
There's another sidelight about these
matches between the 36-year-old Sampras and Federer, 10 years
his junior: In some sports they would not be exhibitions.
Baseball position players (non-pitchers) are often competitive
into their late thirties. Soccer standout Zinedine Zidane,
who retired last year, is only a year younger than Sampras.
This only shows tennis is an exceptionally
demanding sport where even the most talented pros can not
sustain the mental, physical and travel demands usually past
their 30th birthday.
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