Coach Annacone Compares Federer and Sampras at Same Age

Written by: Staff on 11th July 2012

Coach Annacone Compares Federer and Sampras at Same Age

epa03300797 Roger Federer of Switzerland returns to Andy Murray of Britain during the men's final match for the Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis Club, in London, Britain, 08 July 2012. EPA/JONATHAN BRADY |

As the argument to distinguish the GOAT (Greatest of All Time) continue, few are better placed to make a valid judgment that Paul Annacone who coached Pete Sampras to many of his Grand Slam triumphs and last Sunday fulfilled the role of lead advisor to Roger Federer as a record 17th major singles titles was added to the imperious Swiss’ numerous list of achievements.

To make things more interesting the only two men in modern times to have won seven Wimbledon singles titles are currently tied at the top of the Most Time Spent as World No.1 Charts on 286 weeks. . . although come next Monday, Federer is guaranteed to take the lead in that contest.

But is it possible for as loyal a friend and confidante as Annacone to compare the two great champions? In fact it is and the 49 year-old American, born on Long Island and now a California resident, believes the greatest difference between Pete Sampras and Roger Federer is that the newest of the two seven-time champions still has more to come.

”The biggest similarity is that they’re both great and very driven,” Annacone said after Federer’s four-set finals defeat of Andy Murray equaled the All England Club record held by Sampras and Englishman William Renshaw, who won his seven titles in the 1880’s.

”And the biggest difference is they’re very different people, and Roger is much more in the middle of his career at [almost] 31 than Pete was at 31. And Roger just loves the game and loves the life, and his life is the road. He loves it, his family loves it, and he loves tennis, he loves who he’s become.”

Annacone worked with Sampras from February 1995 up to the end of 2001, and again from July 2002 until his fellow countryman retired later that same year. He was hired to be Federer’s full time coach on August 28, 2010 after a successful one-month trial period. Annacone advised the Swiss to two straight Barclays ATP World Tour Finals titles at London’s 02 Arena in 2010 and 2011. Wimbledon was the first Grand Slam title won by Federer since having Annacone in his corner.

”I think Pete – with all due respect at that age, to him – was a little bit tired, and had achieved what he wanted to achieve. Pete was his own barometer, and he felt like he didn’t have to prove anything to himself any more, so he preferred to be home and kind of go into a different phase of life. He was very different at that age than Roger is.’

“With Roger it’s kind of an endless pool of youthful exuberance that he has for the game that’s really amazing to be around.

”Roger, with all due respect to the smaller tournaments, wins a small tournament and is emotional and loves it, where Pete, I don’t want to put words in his mouth but Pete would be, ‘Why are you even playing that tournament?’ And so he loves the game; he’s at a different stage but a similar age.”

Topics: Paul Annacone, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, Sports, Tennis, Tennis News