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Battle of the Ages: Fed and Sampras face off in Malaysia

3K views 42 replies 29 participants last post by  Sunset of Age 
#1 · (Edited)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Reuters) -- World number one Roger Federer will play Pete Sampras in an exhibition match in Kuala Lumpur in November to celebrate Malaysia's 50th year of independence, organizers said on Wednesday.

Swiss Federer, who trails the American's record of 14 grand slam titles by four, will take on the 35-year-old former world number one in a match billed as the 'Clash of the Times'.

"I hold the record for most Grand Slam titles ever but I am confident that Roger will break that record some day," Sampras said in a statement.

"For us to play each other while I am still young enough to play very competitively is truly special.

"Having this take place in Asia is remarkable for tennis," he said.

Federer and Sampras faced each other just once on the ATP Tour when the Swiss won a five-set match in the fourth round at Wimbledon in 2001 to end the American's 31-match unbeaten run at the All England Club.

"To play against Pete is a dream come true," Federer said in a statement. "I am so excited to play Pete and I am really looking forward to visiting Malaysia for the first time."

The exhibition match on Nov 22 is part of the Merdeka (Independence) Tennis Challenge that includes the inaugural Malaysia Open Championship and a second-tier Challenger tour event.


http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SPORT/05/23/tennis.exhibition.reut/
 
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#2 ·
Re: Fed, Nadal, Sampras? to play in Shah Alam

Shah Alam? :lol:

Damn I won't be home in time for that, then.
 
#7 ·
Re: Fed, Nadal, Sampras? to play in Shah Alam

I've decided to skip uni finals and fly home for this :devil: :lol:
 
#17 ·
Re: Fed, Nadal, Sampras? to play in Shah Alam

Yes, this season is sooooooooooooo long and soooooooooooo difficult and there's sooooooooooooooooo much travel...but of course, let's make sure we get in all these exhibition matches. :lol:
Exactly.
 
#11 ·
Re: Fed, Nadal, Sampras? to play in Shah Alam

Rogelio likes exos because when he loses to Rafa in them, it doesn't affect the official ATP H2H...
 
#12 ·
Re: Fed, Nadal, Sampras? to play in Shah Alam

What is hard to believe is: Fed and Rafa and Pete in the mix? How could this exho be possible? I really think it´s only a rumour but, who knows? :confused:
 
#18 · (Edited)
Thanks to Itachi75 for updating the info.
I have edited the first post.
 
#32 ·
:lol:

That will be the plot. And that's the reason why I don't like exhibitions. I remember when Becker and Connors played in Helsinki, I think it was 1991. I was a kid then and I enjoyed the match, but even then it bothered me to see that Becker wasn't giving his all. His serve was slow and he gave Connors plenty of opportunities for passing shots just to keep the match interesting.

I think it's just a waste of time watching exhibitions.
Well said.
 
#24 ·
I'll try :)

The thing is: it's not just one exhibition match. They'd be playing in Seoul and Macau too; my guess is they'd split the first two matches then go for the jugular in the last one :devil:
 
#28 ·
That will be the plot. And that's the reason why I don't like exhibitions. I remember when Becker and Connors played in Helsinki, I think it was 1991. I was a kid then and I enjoyed the match, but even then it bothered me to see that Becker wasn't giving his all. His serve was slow and he gave Connors plenty of opportunities for passing shots just to keep the match interesting.

I think it's just a waste of time watching exhibitions.
 
#22 ·
Lose Lose situation for Fed. He wins, well Sampras is old, he gets run close, this era sucks and such BS.

Obviously we will have plenty of idiots going on about how crap everybody today is when this goes the distance.

Actually I guess the money is the win for Fed here...
 
#23 ·
:lol: So now we've had the 'Battle of the Sexes', the 'Battle of the Surfaces', soon we're going to get the 'Battle of the Ages' - what'll be NEXT?

The 'Battle of the Wooden Racket versus Modern Equipment', or such?

Rogi, I hope you'll say NO to that one! :rolleyes:
 
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#26 ·
hard to imagine only a few years ago that even macau's getting celebrity tennis. how things have changed in asia...

btw in my infinite hurry this morning i saw a thread title about 'battle of the apes' and i missed it :haha:
 
#31 · (Edited)
When Federer blogged from Japan I said he had a lot of traits similar to Michael Jackson. This just confirms it. He no longer knows the difference between fantasy and reality. He will drag tennis below the World Wrestling Federation in believability if he keeps this up. What will the novelty be this time? One side of the court on your feet and the other side in a wheelchair?
In fact, why does he bother to play tournaments at all, when he could be taking his talents to new professional highs by scheduling matches with McEnroe, Navratilova and - oh - how about a match to decide the greatest of all time - Federer v Laver? That should be the ultimate. He could even have played Roche for double his salary or nothing, but it's too late for that.

I hope no-one buys tickets for this circus.

Note to moderators: Move this thread to non-tennis.
 
#33 ·
Sampras un-retires to play #1 Federer

Federer to battle Sampras in clash of legends

May 23, 2007
By PA SportsTicker

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (Ticker) -- Two of the greatest tennis players in history will face off in Kuala Lumpur when Roger Federer meets Pete Sampras as part of Malaysia's 50th anniversary of independence celebrations.

Federer, who recently ended Rafael Nadal's record-breaking 81-match winning streak on clay in the Hamburg Masters Series final on Sunday, boasts 10 Grand Slam titles and has been ranked No. 1 in the world since February 2004.

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Sampras, 35, dominated tennis throughout the 1990s, collecting a record 14 Grand Slam titles en route to six straight years atop the rankings, although Federer is well on course to surpass both marks.

Billed as the "Clash of Times," Sampras is looking forward to meeting the 25-year-old Swiss superstar as part of the Inaugural Merdeka Tennis Challenge on November 22.

The legendary duo will also square off in two other matches in Asia, including the Chinese gambling city of Macau on November 24. The site for the other match has yet to be determined.

"Roger and I playing each other is great for the game of tennis," Sampras said. "It will definitely create a lot of interest. I am sure I will be a little nervous as there is a lot of history there. I hold the record for most Grand Slam titles but I am confident that Roger will break that record someday.

"For us to play each other while I am still young enough to play competitively is truly special. Having this also take place in Asia is remarkable for tennis."

The pair only met once before Sampras' retirement in 2002, with Federer upsetting the American at Wimbledon a year earlier in five sets.

"To play against Pete is a dream come true. The only time I ever played him was in my first appearance at Wimbledon in that famous match which I won 7-5 in the fifth set," Federer said. "I was still very young and Pete was clearly dominant at that time.

"I felt we should share our brand of tennis with the fans. I'm really looking forward to visiting Malaysia for the first time. There is no doubt that we will play some great tennis."

The two practiced together in March at Sampras' Los Angeles home as part of Federer's preparations for the Indian Wells Masters Series tournament.

"After practicing with Roger in March, I felt that I really could hold my own," Sampras said. "And playing Roger will be so special. It will be two players who have a similar temperament playing some great tennis for the sake of history. Both of us like to let our rackets do the talking."
 
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