federer is more like borg then sampras

[big ted]

after sampras won his 1st gs title in 1990 he felt alot of pressure to live up to his billing and after the 91 usopen loss he said he even felt relieved that he lost. it also took him 3 years to win a 2nd gs title. by the late 90's chasing the no 1 ranking sampras said the pressure was so great by the end that he took up smoking to calm him down (his 6th no.1 ranking in a row). sampras was clearly after breaking and making records.

federer on the other hand bloomed a little later but once he won the wimbledon 2003 there was no looking back, a year and a half later and he's still on a roll stronger then ever. the pressure doesnt seem to get to him i dont think he's playing for the record books i think he enjoys playing more then sampras. he says he'll quit when he's not motivated to play anymore which makes him sound alot like bjorn borg to me. after federer dominates for a few more years and somebody new comes along and beats federer soundly in the gs tournaments mabye he'll retire the way borg did too when he's 25 or 26, thats my theory.

 

[Camilio Pascual]

What you say makes a lot of sense, quotes like Roger's about motivation make me think he will be looking for a way out, a la Borg. It's too bad. I'm convinced Borg easily had 3 - 4 Majors left to win. If he hadn't retired so early, I'm sure he would be the undisputed GOAT, IF he would win one US Open.

 

[007]

I thought you meant that Fed was 'more like Borg' in that once he has assimilated all futile earthlings on-court he'll move on to another planet. It is inevitible and irreversible.

 

[@wright]

I could see Federer winning every tournament 2 or 3 times and then losing motivation to play. I think he loves winning something new. I just want to see him conquer RG, that would be incredible.

 

[finchy]

wright, i think he could sooner than you think. he grew up on the dirt.

 

[Kevin Patrick]

I agree with some of what you say big ted. Fed clearly loves playing tennis, not just the winning part. You can tell by the way he talks about the game.
I think Sampras was all about winning, he was obsessed with it. When many players retire, they play some exhibitions(or the senior tour), become commentators, stay involved, & still hit for fun. I wouldn't be surprised if Pete hasn't picked up a racquet in quite some time.
Borg was winning slams at 18, when he retired at 26, he was a lot older than 26 in tennis years.
I doubt Federer would retire early for any reason other than injury. I also think he would still play beyond his prime(unlike Sampras) because he loves the game so much & isn't just obsessed with trophys. We'll have to just wait & see.

Also here's an interesting record, only Laver & Emerson have won each slam twice. It would be amazing if Federer can pull that off.