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November 22, 2007
Passionless Pete pales next to Roger's joie de vivre
By Jeff Wortman, The Age
IS IT just me or does everybody want to see Roger Federer wipe
the floor with Pete Sampras? The two tennis greats have just
completed the first of three exhibition matches in Asia. Despite
Pistol Pete firing down a couple of aces in his first service game,
Federer won their first encounter 6-4, 6-3 in 61 minutes.
Sampras dominated tennis in the 1990s the way Federer dominates
it today. He met Federer only once — in the fourth round of
Wimbledon in 2001. Federer won in five sets. Their records are
comparable but they were born 10 years apart. Retired since 2002,
Sampras is now 36 — 10 years older than Federer. He should be
the sentimental favourite.
When I heard the concept, it immediately reminded me of the
final Rocky movie, Rocky Balboa, in which a computer
simulation pits a younger Rocky against current world heavyweight
champion Mason "The Line" Dixon. The characters of this fictional
world are so fascinated by the comparison of the two champions that
a fight is arranged. Dixon is younger, faster and stronger but "has
no heart". Rocky must teach him a lesson.
Lincoln Venancio, managing director of the Hong Kong-based
promoter Entertainment Group Limited, draws a similar comparison:
"Some fans are comparing this classic to the Muhammad Ali v Joe
Frazier boxing match."
There is one major problem when it comes to selling the movie
rights in this case — we all want the younger, fitter,
favoured Federer to win. Where is the dramatic tension in that?
Perhaps it is the sheer beauty of the way he executes his shots.
A friend of mine who is a much better tennis player than me laughs
when I comment on how I'm awestruck by the beauty of Federer. He
observes that even people who don't know anything about tennis find
him delightful to watch. Maybe there is an innate aesthetic beauty
to the way he plays, he says.
When Sampras rose to greatness, we lamented his even temper and
monotonous consistency. The characters of the game like McEnroe and
Leconte were all gone, we protested. Focused and intent on being
the best, Sampras was unperturbed.
Federer, on the other hand, plays with joy. There is a flourish
to his groundstrokes and beauty to his movement. He just seems to
enjoy the game more than Sampras did. There is a sense that he
might not even mind losing once in a while, as long as he enjoys
himself. It's hard to imagine Sampras thinking this way.
This idea was elucidated in their press conference before the
first game. Federer was smelling the roses: "I'm just looking
forward to really playing a nice match and hopefully enjoying
myself as much as I can. I think it's going to be a lot of fun, and
I'm happy that Pete was able to make this long trip."
Sampras was all business: "Being a little bit older and retired
for five years, I'm maybe not quite as sharp as I used to be, but I
still feel like I can play well and I'd be competitive against
him."
Both approaches have proven successful. The pair have won 26
grand slam titles between them but Federer's approach is far more
appealing to fans.
At the conclusion of Rocky Balboa, the Italian Stallion
assures his younger opponent, "you've got heart". No such assurance
will be required when Sampras shakes Federer's hand in Macau on
Saturday.
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