Pete Sampras enjoyed a glittering career, with only Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer ahead of him for men’s Grand Slam titles.
Sampras would have liked his chances of beating Federer in their primes, with their one meeting involving the latter shocking the former at Wimbledon in 2001.
Federer would end his career with 20 Grand Slam titles, with Sampras having won 14, behind the 24 of Djokovic and 22 of Nadal.
Novak Djokovic is prioritising Grand Slams this season, although he failed in his early efforts after falling in the Australian Open semi-finals.
It was a step further than he managed at the 2014 Australian Open, a tournament in which Sampras was asked to compare the likes of Federer and Nadal and indeed himself and legendary figure Rod Laver.
Pete Sampras called Roger Federer the ‘best player for the last 10’ years at 2014 Australian Open
The Swiss icon finished his career with six titles in Melbourne compared to the three of Laver, with Nadal and Sampras both triumphing on two occasions.
“That’s a tough question for me to answer, but I’ll do the best I can,” Sampras said in a 2014 press conference in Melbourne.
“I believe when you look at the history of the game, each decade has their player. Obviously Rod was the best in his time.
“I certainly had my moments in the ’90s. Rafa and Roger are having their moments now. Is there one greatest player of all time? I don’t know.
“I think if you look at the numbers, you have to look at Roger, what he’s been able to do: 17 majors, been No.1. He’s had a tough record against Rafa.
“You can talk about it for 20 minutes on the different comparisons, what Rod did back in the ’60s. Five years he didn’t play any majors when he was in his prime, so he could have had over 20 majors.
“I feel like every decade there’s the guy. Certainly Roger has been the best player for the last 10 years. Rafa is up there with him. Djokovic is pushing. So it’s really hard to say.
“I mean, there’s not one greatest player. When you look at the numbers, Roger has been so dominant. He’s won on all surfaces. He’s a phenomenal player. It’s nice that he’s playing well. Should be a good one tonight.”
Stan Wawrinka beats Rafael Nadal to win star-studded 2014 Australian Open
It was Nadal who took the latest bragging rights between him and Federer at that moment, with the Spaniard winning their 2014 Australian Open semi-final.
In a star-studded Grand Slam, the top seed had beaten Grigor Dimitrov in the quarter-finals, with Federer having knocked out Andy Murray.
At the same stage, Tomas Berdych beat David Ferrer, while Stan Wawrinka overcame second seed Djokovic.
And it was indeed Wawrinka who went on to lift the trophy, beating Nadal 6-3, 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 for his first major title.
Wawrinka is still impressing Murray, having recently played out an intense battle with Daniil Medvedev at the Rotterdam Open.
With three Grand Slam titles each, Wawrinka and Murray may not find themselves at the centre of the greatest-of-all-time debate, but one certainty is that it will continue for many years to come.
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