Sampras predicts 15-18 GS wins for Federer

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barbadosan

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Pete Sampras predicts Federer will break his Grand Slam record

51 minutes ago

MACAU - Take it from no less an authority than Pete Sampras: Roger Federer is more dominant than he was and predicts the Swiss star will break his record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

Still, Sampras isn't prepared to cede his place in history just yet. Asked how Sampras in his prime would fare against Federer, the 36-year-old American said it wasn't a fair comparison.

"For me, in my prime, I felt unbeatable," Sampras said Friday. "In Roger's days, he's unbeatable. It's really hard to put one guy over the other. Having said that, I think Roger is dominating the game much more than I ever did. I think he's going to go on and past 14 and win 16, 17, 18 majors."

Sampras said at a news conference he thought Federer would remain No. 1 a "very, very long time." Federer has won 12 Grand Slams titles, two short of Sampras' mark.

"I think he's going to break all records," Sampras said.

The full article here:

http://canadianpress.google.com/arti...gTagpod2y-qMCw
 
Conservative estimate. 20 plus would not shock me at all.

He will have at least 3 next year, putting him at 15 or maybe even 16 if all 4. If its a HORRIBLE year he will have 14. That gives Fed the next (at least) 5 solid years to stack up majors. Only one major per year over that time will put him at 19-20 and I dont see him winning less than 2 majors a year for a while. Fed will be even more motivated since literally every slam win he will be re-writing the history books after 14.

Scary...
 
If Fed can maintain his health, motivation and overall level of play, I have little doubt that he will reach 20 before he's done. First, he's planning to play until he's 35, which gives him 9 years to win 8 more slams. Chances are that he will win at least 2 next year, so that means he'll then have 8 years to win 6 slams. Very doable. We also know that he has the skill and talent to be the GOAT. I think Sampras matches up well against him, but I still give Fed the edge if both were in their prime. That means that you would need another player with GOAT potential to come in and stop Fed from winning all of these Slams. I just don't see that happening anytime soon. I could be wrong of course, but none of the current crop of 19 year olds seem to have that potential so that means that Fed will have at least 3-4 years where he's playing against talent that is inferior to his own. So the key is to just stay healthy and motivated and 20 slams will be in his pocket soon.
 
wangs78 said:
he's planning to play until he's 35, which gives him 9 years to win 8 more slams.
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The fact that he is planning to play until 35 (which is IMO a bold prediction to make when he is just 26) doesn´t increase his chances to win more Slams, it only says that he would like to have a long career and maybe enjoy tennis not having the pressure to win everytime. He won´t be the same player he is now when he is in his 30´s. I would be surprised if he can win a Slam after 30.
18-20 Slams sounds accurate to me.
 
Zaragoza said:
The fact that he is planning to play until 35 (which is IMO a bold prediction to make when he is just 26) doesn´t increase his chances to win more Slams, it only says that he would like to have a long career and maybe enjoy tennis not having the pressure to win everytime. He won´t be the same player he is now when he is in his 30´s. I would be surprised if he can win a Slam after 30.
18-20 Slams sounds accurate to me.
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Close to 70% of all time greats win atleast 1 slam (often more) in their 30s.
 
federerfanatic said:
Close to 70% of all time greats win atleast 1 slam (often more) in their 30s.
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That´s an interesting stat but I think the game is more physical now than in the past so it´s going to be harder to win Slams at that age in the future. I am not saying he can´t do it, it will also depend on how the younger players can improve but I think it will be really hard for him.
 
Zaragoza said:
That´s an interesting stat but I think the game is more physical now than in the past so it´s going to be harder to win Slams at that age in the future. I am not saying he can´t do it, it will also depend on how the younger players can improve but I think it will be really hard for him.
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It is true the game is different now. It will be interesting in the future how many all time greats still win slam(s) at 30 or older. However up to now it has been quite a good ratio.
 
I agree with Sampras where he said that Roger dominates the game more than he ever did, and the fact that he would win 16,17,maybe 18 grand slams in his career. Pete won 14 Grand Slams in his whole career. Roger is only two slams away from beating Pete, and he is still in his prime. Let's not forget that Roger Federer in only 26 years old. He is still a good 5 years from retirement. If he still keeps going at the pace of 3 grand slams per year, he can definately win at least 20.
 
Last edited:
Didn't Roger just turn 27?

But I think he will end around 20.

The coming 2 years he will at least get 5 or 6 I think. Hopefully with the Grand Slam.

So I think he will be at 18 by the time he is 29. After that he will still take a few, maybe ending at 20 GSlams.
 
I like this quote from the article:

"Playing against Pete is obviously a big honour because I grew up idolizing Pete, his game, the way he pulled off shots on big points, his beautiful technique, the way he ran on court. Everything is perfect," Federer said.
 
Fedace said:
I doubt it. with Djokovic and nadal coming up, i predict only 2 more slams for federer
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You should probably wait till Djokovic takes a set off Federer in the slams and till Nadal gets past the quarters of any hardcourt slam before you start predictions about Federer's decline.
 
In my mind there is no questions Federer is more dominant than Sampras when Sampras was at his pirme and no questions Federer will break Pete's record easily. But one thing needs to be brought up is when Federer approaches his 30's, he will have to dominate another generation who are 13, 14 now who look up to Federer's games, admire him but not necessarily intimidated by him like most current players. They will be more prepared, more motivated and not to mention more atheletic and better trained. Federer seems enjoy the chanllenge that Agassis had for "cross era". I will love to see a young Sampras coming out soon.
 
26 dob : 08.08.1981

jelle v said:
Didn't Roger just turn 27?

But I think he will end around 20.

The coming 2 years he will at least get 5 or 6 I think. Hopefully with the Grand Slam.

So I think he will be at 18 by the time he is 29. After that he will still take a few, maybe ending at 20 GSlams.
Click to expand...
 
Personally, I'm wondering how long Federer can keep up 2-3 Grand Slam titles per year. Cause, seriously, its a pretty amazing feat, and he's in his four year running of 2+ GS titles in a year, so how much longer will it go? You know, this has been his worst year, based on win-loss, in the last couple of years, so maybe he's going downward
 
zagor said:
You should probably wait till Djokovic takes a set off Federer in the slams and till Nadal gets past the quarters of any hardcourt slam before you start predictions about Federer's decline.
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Time to take a moment in realising this post is more than 10 years old - lol!
 
Shaolin said:
Conservative estimate. 20 plus would not shock me at all.

Scary...
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@Shaolin -- hats off to you! Great prediction from 11 years ago.
200w.gif
 
Yeah, true Fed was winning at a high rate, but he also had tougher competition than Sampras stopping him, that's why it took so long to reach 20.
 
Wow. Those were some amazing predictions. Back in 2007, I had projected Federer to win 16 slams. Fed’s W/L Record dipped quite a bit from his 2005-2006 levels. Nadal pushed Fed to 5 sets at Wimby. Djokovic’s level increased markedly in 2007. I figured that Fed’s age would catch up to him in a couple of years.

I remember the discussion that I had with friends. Here is what I came up with back then:

2008 2 slams
2009 1 slam
2010 0 slams
2011 1 slam-last one
Total: 16

20 is obscene. 20 is laughable. But somehow, 20 already happened.

Unbelievable.
 
Shaolin said:
Conservative estimate. 20 plus would not shock me at all.

He will have at least 3 next year, putting him at 15 or maybe even 16 if all 4. If its a HORRIBLE year he will have 14. That gives Fed the next (at least) 5 solid years to stack up majors. Only one major per year over that time will put him at 19-20 and I dont see him winning less than 2 majors a year for a while. Fed will be even more motivated since literally every slam win he will be re-writing the history books after 14.

Scary...
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Not a bad prediction ;)
 
-NN- said:
Time to take a moment in realising this post is more than 10 years old - lol!
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You're right! I had a bit of a turn there cos I knew I hadn't started any threads this week, and certainly not one quoting Pete Sampras. A trifle disconcerting:eek:
 
I thought at the time he'd win more than 20, at the end of 2007 there was little to suggest he was slowing down (this was pre mono.). Though i thought he'd win 1-2 every year until 2012 so in those years he did worse than i predicted. I assumed by 2018 he'd be retired so he's now making up for those years of not meeting my predictions :)

Nice to see a thread bumped where some predictions have actually come true :)
 
barbadosan said:
Pete Sampras predicts Federer will break his Grand Slam record

51 minutes ago

MACAU - Take it from no less an authority than Pete Sampras: Roger Federer is more dominant than he was and predicts the Swiss star will break his record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

Still, Sampras isn't prepared to cede his place in history just yet. Asked how Sampras in his prime would fare against Federer, the 36-year-old American said it wasn't a fair comparison.

"For me, in my prime, I felt unbeatable," Sampras said Friday. "In Roger's days, he's unbeatable. It's really hard to put one guy over the other. Having said that, I think Roger is dominating the game much more than I ever did. I think he's going to go on and past 14 and win 16, 17, 18 majors."

Sampras said at a news conference he thought Federer would remain No. 1 a "very, very long time." Federer has won 12 Grand Slams titles, two short of Sampras' mark.

"I think he's going to break all records," Sampras said.

The full article here:

http://canadianpress.google.com/arti...gTagpod2y-qMCw
Click to expand...
Crazy to think that Sampras was playing exhibition tournaments against Fed back in 2007 and Fed was likely gifting him points. Now Federer at the same age Sampras was in 2007 is beating up the rest of the tour.
 
barbadosan said:
Pete Sampras predicts Federer will break his Grand Slam record

51 minutes ago

MACAU - Take it from no less an authority than Pete Sampras: Roger Federer is more dominant than he was and predicts the Swiss star will break his record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

Still, Sampras isn't prepared to cede his place in history just yet. Asked how Sampras in his prime would fare against Federer, the 36-year-old American said it wasn't a fair comparison.

"For me, in my prime, I felt unbeatable," Sampras said Friday. "In Roger's days, he's unbeatable. It's really hard to put one guy over the other. Having said that, I think Roger is dominating the game much more than I ever did. I think he's going to go on and past 14 and win 16, 17, 18 majors."

Sampras said at a news conference he thought Federer would remain No. 1 a "very, very long time." Federer has won 12 Grand Slams titles, two short of Sampras' mark.

"I think he's going to break all records," Sampras said.

The full article here:

http://canadianpress.google.com/arti...gTagpod2y-qMCw
Click to expand...
Crazy to think that Sampras was playing exhibition tournaments against Fed back in 2007 and Fed was likely gifting
zagor said:
You should probably wait till Djokovic takes a set off Federer in the slams and till Nadal gets past the quarters of any hardcourt slam before you start predictions about Federer's decline.
Click to expand...
Well those two things sure happened soon thereafter!
 
Shaolin said:
Conservative estimate. 20 plus would not shock me at all.

He will have at least 3 next year, putting him at 15 or maybe even 16 if all 4. If its a HORRIBLE year he will have 14. That gives Fed the next (at least) 5 solid years to stack up majors. Only one major per year over that time will put him at 19-20 and I dont see him winning less than 2 majors a year for a while. Fed will be even more motivated since literally every slam win he will be re-writing the history books after 14.

Scary...
Click to expand...
Well, 2008 was more than horrible then!
 
@Shaolin definitely a legendary prediction from a decade ago.

In 2007, I had Fed winning 18 slams. I was following a very linear path of prediction where Fed would win 3,2,0,1 slams in the next 4 years and possibly retire by 2012.

How wrong I was! It is just unbelievable what happened since then.

- The spark was lit by Nadal when Fed lost the legendary 2008W and 2009AO finals. Somehow, even in those dark days (2008-2010), Fed still managed to win 4 slams.
- In 2011 and 2012, it was painfully obvious Fed was the 3rd best player and Murray could even push him from that spot. Somehow, Fed still managed to win 1 slam and return to number 1.
- In 2013, Fed looked all but finished.
- In 2014 and 2015, Fed returned to being the second best player on the tour. He was so lose to winning slams again...thwarted 3 times by the ultron!
- In 2016 again, Fed looked all but finished.
- Then, 2017 and 2018 happened. And here we are.

It has been a roller coaster ride. There is no pattern of a gradual drop and bowing out one last time perhaps on a high (much like Sampras). Nope...that wasn't the way it was to be with Federer. It is just unbelievable, and a testament to his utter love and devotion for this game. To have outlasted a prime Nadal (it will happen, perhaps as early as this year), a prime Murray and the prime ultron and have returned at the top of the world with 20 titles...this simple takes the cake. Straight up Hollywood material.
 
Nadalgaenger said:
Crazy to think that Sampras was playing exhibition tournaments against Fed back in 2007 and Fed was likely gifting him points.
Click to expand...

I think we can omit the word "likely." As Agassi said at the time, "The Federer-Pete match scores will be as close as Roger allows them to be." It was clear Fed was playing at about 80% of his real level in those exos.
 
it was a good prediction by Pete, though getting a little worse by the day :)

still, it fits his personality and style perfectly because he always tends to praise the other talent, especially the up and comers, many times going overboard...Safin comes to mind immediately
 
The way Rogi was going in 2007, everyone thought he would get to 20, surely. I think what NO ONE saw coming was Fed playing till 36 and playing such great tennis, and he's nowhere near finished atm. Ridiculous
 
The way Rogi was going in 2007, everyone thought he would get to 20, surely. I think what NO ONE saw coming was Fed playing till 36 and playing such great tennis, and he's nowhere near finished atm. Ridiculous
 
Apun94 said:
The way Rogi was going in 2007, everyone thought he would get to 20, surely. I think what NO ONE saw coming was Fed playing till 36 and playing such great tennis, and he's nowhere near finished atm. Ridiculous
Click to expand...
Well, I saw it coming. I considered him better than Agassi and he still had room to improve, so I was expecting him doing even better than Agassi considering Fed's style.

I never really thought about the slam count at the time, I figured he would have easily broken Pete's record and destroy all the records.

The big surprise is for me that he doesn't have more weeks nr.1, I thought he would get 400 easily considering how he was good on all surfaces. I guess I never saw Djokovic and Nadal coming.
 
JackGates said:
Well, I saw it coming. I considered him better than Agassi and he still had room to improve, so I was expecting him doing even better than Agassi considering Fed's style.

I never really thought about the slam count at the time, I figured he would have easily broken Pete's record and destroy all the records.

The big surprise is for me that he doesn't have more weeks nr.1, I thought he would get 400 easily considering how he was good on all surfaces. I guess I never saw Djokovic and Nadal coming.
Click to expand...
Then you probably saw him winning 30+ slams
 
marc45 said:
classic Andre, classless as always when it comes to Pete :)
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Not always. Yes, he was stupid for example at „Hit for Haiti“ 2010 with his personal attacks, but on the other hand in his autobigraphy he speaks positive about Pete as a tennis player from start to finish while he just accepts that they are extremely different persons.
 
BeatlesFan said:
I think we can omit the word "likely." As Agassi said at the time, "The Federer-Pete match scores will be as close as Roger allows them to be." It was clear Fed was playing at about 80% of his real level in those exos.
Click to expand...
What's more crazy is that if you reversed their ages and put 1997 Sampras vs 2017 Federer and let them play a proper match Federer wouldn't be without chances depending on the tournament.
 
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