N
nikdom
Guest
A couple of weeks ago on Sep 30th, I saw Sampras play Todd Martin for the Outback Series championship in Charlotte. I bought tickets months ahead and got to watch him 4th row behind the baseline. I count this as one of the best sporting experiences I've had, watching a former great, whom I'd seen so many times on TV growing up, play from that close 
I had promised in an earlier thread that I would report back to guys with how Pete is playing and how I think he would do against Roger in the upcoming exos.
Fitness
Firstly, Pete looked fit and moved pretty well. His age showed in his face and hair and although Todd has the trademark grey sideburns, I thought Pete looked older with his shaggy beard and receding hairline.
Serving
That was about all he showed for his age. He can still serve with great placement, spin and pace, although I thought I had seen more powerful serving at the USO. I think part of it was because the match was played on clay. Even so, I was very impressed with the fluidity of his service motion and how he bent his knees. I could tell for example, when I saw Wayne Ferrera the same day playing Courier, that his serve would go into the net whenever he got lazy and did not bend his knees on the toss. Pete did have a couple of double-faults, but I think his serve continues to be a weapon for him. He can still dig himself out of trouble with it and on a faster court, I think it can be even more imposing.
Forehand
Pete was playing with the nCode 90 and I tried hard to discern if he was using poly strings but I could'nt tell. His forehand is a very traditional, driving forehand without the kind of top spin that they put on the tour nowadays. He uses an eastern grip as far as I could tell. The two big things I noticed about his forehand were- 1) since he does not go for too much top spin, he can drive the ball cross-court or down the line, taking time away from his opponent. 2) He can change direction very well with the forehand, going cross-court or DTL. The only time he put more spin was when he passed with his forehand to create a cross-court angle. Very much Roger like I thought (or the other way round!)
Backhand
This was a surprising stroke to me since I haven't seen him play in years. He uses an almost continental grip on his backhand. That makes sense on the BH slice, but he went over the top with the same grip. I tried to replicate the stroke later myself and surprisingly, it can be done, although its a little awkward. He can go DTL or cross-court with his backhand over-the-top or with a slice, no problem. Just not a very pretty stroke. (Especially compared to Roger's)
Volley
Simply put, Pete can put most on the tour today to shame with his touch and confidence at the net. He is very authoritative in his approach and it was a sheer pleasure for me to see such S&V from both players actually (Todd and Pete). I tell you, Roger should do a little bit more of it himself, to improve on his average net skills (post 2001)
Roger vs Pete
Pete may still be in the process of training and getting better, but from what I saw, this is what I can say - Pete's serve will help him keep these matches from becoming a one-sided affair. He can dig himself out of trouble and create aces when he needs to. That said, I think Roger can handle the serve, its not unreturnable. On the groundstrokes front, Roger can take Pete to school. Pete will have to pretty much camp out at the net to avoid being embarassed by Roger's baseline game. ( I saw Roger at USO 06 from pretty close too). If Pete serves and volleys, he can hold his games with some effort. I don't know how well Pete can break Roger, cos Roger is no slouch in that department either. Overall, I think Roger matches or exceeds in every department except volleying.
Hopefully, we'll get to see some real good tennis and not a staged affair
I had promised in an earlier thread that I would report back to guys with how Pete is playing and how I think he would do against Roger in the upcoming exos.
Fitness
Firstly, Pete looked fit and moved pretty well. His age showed in his face and hair and although Todd has the trademark grey sideburns, I thought Pete looked older with his shaggy beard and receding hairline.
Serving
That was about all he showed for his age. He can still serve with great placement, spin and pace, although I thought I had seen more powerful serving at the USO. I think part of it was because the match was played on clay. Even so, I was very impressed with the fluidity of his service motion and how he bent his knees. I could tell for example, when I saw Wayne Ferrera the same day playing Courier, that his serve would go into the net whenever he got lazy and did not bend his knees on the toss. Pete did have a couple of double-faults, but I think his serve continues to be a weapon for him. He can still dig himself out of trouble with it and on a faster court, I think it can be even more imposing.
Forehand
Pete was playing with the nCode 90 and I tried hard to discern if he was using poly strings but I could'nt tell. His forehand is a very traditional, driving forehand without the kind of top spin that they put on the tour nowadays. He uses an eastern grip as far as I could tell. The two big things I noticed about his forehand were- 1) since he does not go for too much top spin, he can drive the ball cross-court or down the line, taking time away from his opponent. 2) He can change direction very well with the forehand, going cross-court or DTL. The only time he put more spin was when he passed with his forehand to create a cross-court angle. Very much Roger like I thought (or the other way round!)
Backhand
This was a surprising stroke to me since I haven't seen him play in years. He uses an almost continental grip on his backhand. That makes sense on the BH slice, but he went over the top with the same grip. I tried to replicate the stroke later myself and surprisingly, it can be done, although its a little awkward. He can go DTL or cross-court with his backhand over-the-top or with a slice, no problem. Just not a very pretty stroke. (Especially compared to Roger's)
Volley
Simply put, Pete can put most on the tour today to shame with his touch and confidence at the net. He is very authoritative in his approach and it was a sheer pleasure for me to see such S&V from both players actually (Todd and Pete). I tell you, Roger should do a little bit more of it himself, to improve on his average net skills (post 2001)
Roger vs Pete
Pete may still be in the process of training and getting better, but from what I saw, this is what I can say - Pete's serve will help him keep these matches from becoming a one-sided affair. He can dig himself out of trouble and create aces when he needs to. That said, I think Roger can handle the serve, its not unreturnable. On the groundstrokes front, Roger can take Pete to school. Pete will have to pretty much camp out at the net to avoid being embarassed by Roger's baseline game. ( I saw Roger at USO 06 from pretty close too). If Pete serves and volleys, he can hold his games with some effort. I don't know how well Pete can break Roger, cos Roger is no slouch in that department either. Overall, I think Roger matches or exceeds in every department except volleying.
Hopefully, we'll get to see some real good tennis and not a staged affair
