Paul Annacone on Roger Federer and Pete Sampras: "They were the two best grass players of all time"
Paul Annacone , who was in the pits of both Pete Sampras and Roger Federer , speaks in an interview with ATP about the differences in the game between the two.
by Michael Rothschädl
last edit: Jul 12, 2020, 07:30 am
Fifteen Wimbledon titles are difficult together for Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, both of whom have won more trophies in the classic London lawn than any other before and since. "They were the two best lawn players of their own era," says Paul Annacone, who also coached both series winners once. "The turf fields played very differently in their times," Annacone emphasized to the ATP .
It is therefore not surprising that Federer and Sampras have quite different play areas. " Roger is chasing you from the back of the court with good position and first strike tennis. Pete overwhelms you with his serve," Annacone sees clear differences between the two. For him, Sampras was probably the best at playing his serve games, while Federer, in addition to his "incredible" serve, differed from most other players in particular because of his options in the rallies.
"They trusted their game in the big moments"
Not everything differentiates the two former world rankings from each other, emphasizes the American: "In lawn tennis, where you have so little time to get used to, both players were really good at thinking at lightning speed, and they ultimately trusted in the big moments on their game. " In addition, they would both have been very good at getting their game and game schedule through quickly, which is a hugely important factor in lawn tennis today.
Today, according to Annacone, you can implement your own style of play on the different surfaces, which would not have been possible before. In the days of Pete Sampras, for example, it would have been more like "Bang-Bang-Tennis". Nevertheless, he was convinced that Sampras and Federer would have been quite successful in the other era: "I simply believe that big players understand that they know what to do and that they have adapted to other circumstances, if they were in that era. " And Roger Federer still has the chance to add to his Wimbledon Siege account.