Federer and Sampras first and only meeting on the tour in the 4th round of Wimbledon.
This was Federer’s first time on Centre Court. Despite the huge stage, facing his idol Sampras, (notice how his service motion imitated Sampras’ with the rocking motion of his left foot that he would abandon shortly after) he was cool and composed throughout the entire match, two qualities he often lack during his first years on tour. 19 at the time, he was a talented prospect who was starting to find consistent results, having won his first ATP title in Milan in February and reached his first grand slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros a few weeks prior. He was ranked and seeded 15th.
Sampras had won the Championships 7 times in 8 years, 53 of his last 54 matches and was considered, almost undoubtedly, the best grass court player ever. He was a veteran and the most successful player ever at the time. He was 29, number 6 in the world and seeded 1st.
Despite the age gap, with Federer a bit immature, and Sampras just past his prime, the two produced a quality thrilling match that would go on as a classic. Both dominated on their service games lots of serve&volley (this was the last year Wimbledon's grass was truly fast and with low and less regular bounces).
0:00 match intro
1:27 1st set
6:43 2nd set
11:18 3rd set
15:21 4th set
22:05 5th set
