Roger Federer had a pretty good day - even if he didn't get to play alongside his idol.
The anticipated Federer-Pete Sampras doubles pairing never happened Monday as Federer had hoped, but he still engaged in a war of an exhibition with Novak Djokovic in a match in the International Premier Tennis League in Delhi, India.
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Afterward, his idol Sampras said that Federer had become his idol.
According to zeenews.india.com, Federer and Djokovic, the Nos. 2 and 1 players in the world, engaged in a 6-6 tie in their match. Federer actually won a shootout after the match was tied 5-5 but because time was left on the clock in the IPTL match, the two played another game that Djokovic won.
Sampras played Goran Ivanisevic in the past champions' singles but struggled. His Indian Aces team captain Fabrice Santoro replaced him when it was 4-1. According to zeenews.india.com, Sampras' struggles forced him to miss the doubles match with Federer.
Thehindu.com asked Sampras how he felt to hear that he was Federer's idol when Federer was getting started on the professional circuit. Federer said that to thehindu.com a day earlier.
"Well, Roger is being very nice. We are good friends, and I think at some stage in his life, as a junior growing up or when he turned pro, he looked up to me. But I am at a stage when I am looking up to him. He has done great things. He is a great role model and ambassador of the sport. If there was someone who I saw breaking my records, it was Roger, because he is a good friend and a good man."
Sampras also handicapped 2015, saying that the WTA field would be hard-pressed to overcome Djokovic, Federer and Rafael Nadal.
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