What slam would he have won though? He wasn't winning Wimbledon 2003 against Federer and I doubt he would have gotten through Roddick at the 2003 USO a year later. Once 2004 Federer emerged he would have had no chance atall. His only shot would have been 2003 AO maybe but even then I doubt he would have beaten Agassi.
Sorry but Sampras as great as he was, at that age he was done. The new generation was firmly established in 2003 and would beaten him.
I disagree. If Sampras stayed fit after the 2002 USO and primed himself for one last hurrah at Wimbledon 2003, and got some grass matches under his belt, a fired up Sampras with a nothing to lose attitude, with a hunter mentality and not the hunted mentality he had to carry at Wimbledon for years, could have proven too much of an obstacle for Federer in 2003. Sampras also would have had the support of 95 per cent of the crowd behind him. And if they met in the final or earlier, this time it would not have been Sampras vs nobody Federer, it would have been Sampras vs defending champion Federer, and all the pressure that goes with being defending champion would have been on Federer. and moreso, Sampras would have known what he was up against, unlike their actual one and only meeting.
All hypothetical of course. But it doesn't matter, if you have read Sampras' book, he said the day after he won the 2002 USO, he did not have a care or worry in the world, he felt totally content. Imagine a uni student walking out of his final ever exam knowing he kicked *** and knowing he never had to study for an exam again, it was that sort of feeling. And that's what I meant above, if Sampras played on until Wimbledon, he would have had that nothing to lose attitude and most likely would have gone on court swinging freely without that pressure he always had to cope with.
