Roger Federer established himself as one of the players to beat on the ATP Tour in 2001 and 2002, improving his game and obtaining his first notable results at Majors and Masters 1000. The Swiss reached his first Major quarterfinal at Roland Garros 2001 , picking up a boost and repeating that at the All England Club a few weeks later.
After winning the Wimbledon junior crown in 1998, Federer found his A game in the cathedral of tennis in 2001 and advanced to the last eight after a thrilling 7-6, 5-7, 6-5, 6-7 triumph. 7-5. over seven-time champion Pete Sampras in the fourth round.
A teenager prevailed at three hours and 40 minutes, enduring all obstacles and staying focused until the last point to emerge on top and make it to the last eight. Federer sealed the deal with a return winner in the 12th game to find himself in the quarters, facing Tim Henman in a battle for the semifinals.
The youngster dropped three tight sets against the Brit, struggling with a groin injury for the previous seven days and missing every tournament between Gstaad and the US Open. Roger got a chance to play the other American legend, Andre Agassi, in the fourth round in New York, losing in straight sets and failing to reach the third straight Major quarterfinal.
Federer and Agassi were the rivals at the Miami Masters half a year later, with the Swiss fighting for his first Masters 1000 trophy against the crowd favorite. Experience paid off in Florida, as Agassi defeated Federer in four sets to lift the trophy.
In the fourth set, Roger led 4-2 before Andre claimed the remaining four games to seal the deal and leave the 20-year-old empty-handed. Speaking of Sampras and Agassi, Federer said they are different players and gave the Wimbledon vs.
Sampras clash an edge over the Miami final against Agassi. Furthermore, Federer revealed that Pete was his favorite when he was young, while he couldn’t say the same about Andre due to his playing style.
Cahill pays tribute to Federer
Recalling a match between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi in 2003, Darren Cahill revealed that after losing, Agassi predicted the Swiss maestro would change the way tennis was played.
“I can’t remember the score but Andre lost, absolutely got thumped by Federer,” Cahill said. “I was shocked at the level that Federer played, just took the racquet out of Andre’s hand. It was one of the best displays of tennis and I walked into the locker room afterwards and tapped him on the shoulder. I just said, ‘Bad luck, mate. Roger was too good'”
