Sampras feels Federer is the best athlete

Paris: Seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras believes Roger Federer could match his long stint as the world?s dominant tennis player.

Federer?s haul of three Grand Slam wins this year ? taking his overall tally to four ? has prompted suggestions that he could eventually surpass the American?s record haul of 14.

?I think so, yes,? Sampras, 33, who retired two years ago after beating Andre Agassi to win the US Open, told a French sports daily on Wednesday.

?Of course, he can have an off day in a big tournament and be surprised, but over the whole season, he is head and shoulders above the others.

?He is the best athlete, the one who moves best on court. What?s impressive is that he can play at the highest level without using too much energy while his main rivals use a considerable amount,? added Sampras, of the 23-year-old Swiss.

Sampras said the two had much in common. ?There are plenty of similarities. We have the same temperament, the same way of making it look easy.

?He can do just about anything he wants with a racket and he dominates everybody as I did several years before.?

Federer, like Sampras, has yet to win the French Open, though, and it may prove just as difficult a mountain to climb.

?There are really so many claycourt specialists who are capable of hitting it heavy from the back of the court that it will be the biggest challenge of his career.?

Sampras said he had barely picked up a tennis racket of any kind since his epic victory over Agassi at Flushing Meadow crowned his dazzling career.

Sampras, who finished year-end world No. 1 a record six times from 1993 to 1998, said he has no yearning to return to the game on a more regular basis.

?I?m not sick of a sport which made my fortune and my fame. But I am tired of tennis, it was all-consuming. All those years spent winning and keeping my place as number one; it was an enormous stress.

?During my career I never had a really good night?s sleep. That all finished at once (after retiring). I started to go to sleep without the least worry in my head, without telling myself that the next day I would have to catch a plane or play a very hard match.?

Sampras said he now devoted his time to his wife Bridget and son Christian. He has also found a new sporting passion ? poker.