What a match! Hope you guys enjoy! (NOTE: I do not own the rights to these footages. The intent of this video is to promote the sport and the player(s) showcased in this video)
What a beauty of a match, Safin was one of the best passers on the circuit, and Sampras' serve and volley were simply from another world, thanks for the video ♥
@@phantomaq mmm.. I don't know what to tell you, I think that from above it was just as difficult to beat Sampras at the net, he has a lot of size and is very good with smatch, he also loved the balloons to do his famous Smash with a jump, and with that hit All his rivals were afraid of him, I think that's why no one tried many lobs against him, they saw Sampras and the image of his Smash came to them hehehe anyway Safin passed him a lot of times both with diagonals crossed with the drive and with the backhand As with parallels, I was surprised that he passed it so many times, Alcaraz reminds me a lot of Safin in those passing shots.
I love matches where the opponent can return his serve because it forced him to use his superb athleticism and volleys to win and we could see just how outstanding both were. Some of his indoor matches are a lot of fun to watch since he's forced to hit incredible first volleys by his knees that come back almost as fast as his serve. Pete could be a lot of fun to watch if you actually made him play.
There was never any doubt in his overhead - you could tell he WANTED to hit them and it resulted in a great shot. If Djokovic had Sampras’s smash he’d be an even more complete player.
I admire the way in which Sampras tried to win his matches as quickly as possible by opting for serve n volley in all his service games and also bravely approaching the net at the slightest opportunity in his return games. This shows Sampras' wonderful sense of anticipation. Sampras was a ruthless player who never entertained rallies nor the crowd. Pistol Pete's bullet-like serve was a joy to behold.
I haven't watched tennis for 20 years and in that time have changed careers, married and had a kid. Nothing about my life is the same, yet I still remember some of these individual points. Crazy.
I hear ya. These close battles that could've gone either way become historic markers in our lives. I can still remember where I was when I watched some of those nail-biters.
Marat Safin was a great talent and if he had more mental control and focus he would have achieved alot more throughout his career. On his day one of a few players who could trouble peak Federer
I agree, he was very fun to watch when his game was on! I think he deserved more than just two grand slams throughout his career. Never forget his AO semi-final against Federer in 2005, one of the greatest matches of all time
I always knew that Sampras net game was massive but every time you watch these matches, you are still amazed how good his volleys were. From extremely difficult position.
Such a great match. 2 heavy weights, Safin in some of his best form that part of the season. Shows that Pete's game would hold up in the modern game as well.
There's no such thing as the modern game, just a different game because the tennis authority tinkered with court surface and balls to slow down the game. Then racquet and string technology allowed players to generate so much spin, and you have a new generation of baseline sluggers. But this came with a price too. There are so much injuries now because average rally length had increased. Players also swing harder because they can generate so much more top spin.
@@tomsd8656athleticism and professionalism (scientific training, nutrition and recovery methods) increased in the early to mid 2000s, which also changed the game, but has plateaued since then. It’s for the same reason athletics records aren’t being broken as much now as they were in that time. Regardless, anyone who was a great athlete or skilled tennis technician back then would do well today.
@@HonkyMonky Are You a psychiatrist? If You are, did You ever analyze Safin? Safin had plenty of talent, he just didn't train as much as his competition. I know this because I know some off his competitors.
I wish they didn’t slow it down, this match was a great example of the variety players had in the early 2000s. Now a lot of players play a similar style from the baseline, mostly bashing the ball as hard as they can :/
Completely agree. This match was great as the playing styles differed but the court gave both a fighting chance. Court speeds since 2001 would have made Sampras style of play impossible to win with. Current court speeds have played a huge role in determining the relative success of the 3 recent greats.
@@poiuypoiuy8034 I agree with that - they had to slow the courts because Fed was going to win 2-3 slams every year for another 10+ years if they hadn't.
Sampras volleying, that explosive rush to the net, net positioning - just wow... makes it look so so simple. Back then, I loved watching volleying skills of Edberg, Sampras, Stich, Krajicek and Rafter. They were all totally at home at the net.
It's incredible how 1-2 punch tennis is almost extinct, there are so many neutral rallies these days in pro tennis, the days of someone like Sampras always attacking and pushing the initiative are sadly over.
Such exciting tennis! The execution from Sampras was magical throughout his career. Safin was a GREAT player, shame he didn't have more success but he loved to party
Despite Sampras losed, I enjoyed so much this game. No grunts, attacking tennis, covering the net almost perfect, nice serves... Miss a player with the timing and class of Sampras playing at net.
I loved the 80’s and 90’s tennis games!! Served and volleyed and hit from the baseline too. But now only from the baseline back and forth and no net volleys anymore!! Sometimes it’s boring!!
@@YorgiGolfs what did I just say wrong here? It’s my opinion and you have your opinion. I did not say the whole tennis world was boring! I said, sometime it was boring because two guys hitting back and forth from the baseline! That is what I was saying. The word, sometimes okay! That’s big difference than the word ALL or WHOLE or EVERY ONE!!
It's like a different sport altogether. Balls were much faster back then. It's amazing how much faster the game was, compared to today It was simply spectacular!! The powers that be killed it just for money.
gosh tennis has gone down since these guys and some of the greats left... i wouldve LOVED to see this match live. sampras was playing amazing but safin was showing some early signs of developing weaponry as well! 😮
I have never seen or heard of this match before, but this is probably the best match I've ever seen. Two masters with contrasting styles at 100% competence. Neither player daunted by the competition. And I wanted Sampras to win, but he didn't. Facts. Truth be told Sampras had the match twice but he couldn't go for the kill. This implies that he wanted Safin to give up mentally, but he wouldn't. Sampras just couldn't bring himself to humiliate Safin in front of all those people ;) Safin really never came up with any kind significant of tactical change to cope with Sampras' serve and volley technique. He just made sure to win his service games and exploited mistakes by Sampras. He probably should have lost.
Long time Sampras fan…. Wanted Sampras but his drop shot on this day covered beautifully by Safin…. Agreed both at the top of their game, safin respectable at net but mostly power game…. Safin easily had talent to dominate, but never demonstrated the mental focus and commitment to deliver results when he had the opportunity and the ability to collect trophies….. wonder if he regrets not doing it differently
Sampras era servicio y volea porque sus golpes de fondo eran regulares, su revés discreto en comparación a Federer y otros revés a una mano de otros jugadores.
I don't see anybody near the top of the ATP rankings at the moment with the volley touch of Sampras. Roger had it... it seems it's a thing of the past. Possibly the result of much more powerful strings and rackets.
These tall heavy body guys have hard time with wear and tear on their joints, losing speed and hence concentration as it becomes a constant worry( Becker, Delpo, Safin) all their careers were 6-8 competitive years.
when anybody says the big three are the best...in my opinion Sampras towers over them...his 14 grandslams are worth more than Federers 20....the big three havent had a solid competition for two decades, thats why they divided so many slams between them...
Are you dense, you just contradict yourself in the same comment two times, Federer's slice alone is better than Sampras whole game, and you seem to have brain damage since you forgot that Federer played and beat them all.
You forget the 90s were replete with clay court specialists, especialy from the spanish guys, I could name ten of them, adding from Sanchez, Bruguera, Corretja, Clavet, Mantilla, Albert Costa, Carlos Costa, Berasategui, Moya, etc...to Courier, Agassi, Muster, Kuerten, Rios....imagine if you are the big three and have to overcome these guys on clay...😂😂 forget about 14 slams for Rafa, forget about one RG from Federer...😂
Not sure if there was anyone in men's tennis who played better at the net than Pete Sampras. However, even back then his backhand and backcourt game were mediocre, and now it's a hole. Well, how much older was Pete Sampras in appearance even than Nadal and Djokovic, who were 37-38 years old... He already looked heavy. But I really like his lack of emotion and focus on the game, in contrast to the unpleasant manner of today's tennis players to celebrate almost every point won.
Safin and Delpo hovered around Six-Six. In the late 70s there predictions that guys like Safin and Delpo would dominate tennis but it seems the wear and tear on the bodies of these giants curtailed that thinking. Sinner and Zeverev are a lot thinner.
@@aaronaragon7838 I think in tennis, being tall gives some advantage, until a certain level, maybe the ideal size is between 1.84 and 1.95. Short players or taller than 1,95 very seldom win big tournaments. The 3 big are around 1.85-1.86- Rod Laver in this epoch would not be very succesful. Zverev overpasses the limits, he gets injuries. Delpo only won one, Slam, (maybe without his wrist injury he could have won 2 or 3 more). Karlovic and others very tall never won a Slam. I think having the ideal height in tennis is like having punch in boxing, it is a good advantage.
Yeah, you're correct, sir...Laver, Rosewall, Borg, Connors, wouldn't win at all in the 2020s. I played in the wood racket 70s and wood blunted a big man's power. The Big 3 had the perfect size for their Era. Carlos Alcaraz has trouble with the taller Sinner but lets see who has the longest career.
1:00 can any pro hit this volley today? Difficult low forehand volley caressed right into the corner. And Sampras wasn’t even the best volleyer in his era
My god. Safins talent was off the charts. Effortless strokes. Moved very fast for 6 ft 4 frame. Sampras obviously had the discipline to train harder. Although that Sampras backhand is so ugly.
Becker and Laver swung the best backhands out of the serve n volley era. The goal was get into the net after one or two strokes, so ground strokes weren't necessary. Borg and Connors exploited the weakness of that style, but it wasn't till graphite rackets made it all but impossible to rush the net and not have good ground strokes.
