Pete Sampras Gets W In His Third Attempt vs. Roger Federer

Pete took his first W against The Roger in the third and final exhibition match in Macao, China. Once again, Sampras was facing a set point against him, but this time Sampras was serving and his big gun did not let him down. The change in this match came at 3-3 in the first set tie-breaker when Sampras charged a Federer second serve whipping a forehand cross-court service return winner. Although Pete could not consolidate the mini-break, it set the tone that kept him in the tie-breaker until Roger hit a high backhand volley wide. When asked his thoughts on losing, Federer hesitated as if not prepared for the question. “Sort of surprised… This guy can play tennis you know…” Federer replied. Sampras’ response was also clearly unplanned… “I can still play a little bit..” “I guess one for the old guy” Sampras said with a grin. In response to the question he gets after each match… Pete responded “sorry to disappoint, but I’m not coming back.. “ For all the fans that wonder how could Roger miss a crucial volley during the tie breaker or have two unforced errors in one service game in the second set, remember that Roger’s sparing partner in Switzerland said he could always beat Federer in their practice matches as a kid, but never could beat Roger in a single tournament match. This exhibition was a practice match for both, but very entertaining for the fans. Full reviews on the matches can be found at tennisnetwork.org