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Federer Edges Sampras in 3; On Collision Course with History

NEW YORK - Roger Federer is on a collision course with tennis history and it's only a matter of time until he breaks through.

Federer, the 26-year-old Swiss native, has 12 Grand Slam titles, two short of tying Pete Sampras' all-time record of 14.

It isn't often that the current champ faces off against the former one, but that's exactly what happened Monday night when Federer beat Sampras, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 7-6 (6) in an exhibition before 19,690 tennis enthusiasts, including Federer's close friend Tiger Woods, at Madison Square Garden.

"I thought it was looking good at 2-0 in the third (set) and then all of a sudden it turned around and it was almost over," said Federer who trailed 5-2 in the third set after taking a 2-0 lead. "For me, it's a dream come true to be playing against Pete, my childhood hero, here at Madison Square Garden.

"I hope we can do it again. It would be absolutely fantastic."

The two men became friendly while playing a series of exhibitions in Asia late last year, and then arranged to play at the Garden, which once hosted the year-end Masters event featuring the world's top players but hadn't featured a men's tennis match since 1996.

Federer to Take on Sampras

When two of the greatest tennis players in history go head-to-head in front of 19,000 fans tonight at Madison Square Garden, they won't be playing for a Grand Slam championship or a Davis Cup title.
Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, winners of a combined 26 Grand Slam titles, will meet in an exhibition, but it could be intriguing nonetheless.
"I'm just looking forward to seeing the talent of these two guys because in my opinion they're two of the best players, if not the best players, of all time," said Ivan Lendl, the former world No. 1 who is helping to promote the event (7 p.m., FSNY). "And to be able to have them on the same court at the same time and display their skill, I think it's going to be a treat for any tennis fan."

Federer to Play Sampras; McEnroe Takes on Gimelstob

We take a quick break from March Madness for this tennis update. Roger Federer and Pete Sampras will play an exhibition Monday night before 19,000 fans at Madison Square Garden. The duo played three similar exhibitions last year in Asia, with Federer winning two and Sampras one.

Sampras, 36, retired after winning the U.S. Open in 2002, his 14th career Grand Slam victory, but returned last year to play World Team Tennis and the exhibitions. Federer, 26, owns 12 career Grand Slams, but has been slowed recently by a battle with mononucleosis. He lost in the semis of the 2008 Australian Open to Novak Djokovic, whom he vanquished in the '07 U.S. Open final, and then in the first round in Dubai last week to Andy Murray.

"The doctors said I must have had it (mono) for at least six weeks, which went all the way back to December,” Federer told Christopher Clarey of The New York Times.

Meanwhile, John McEnroe, a seven-time Grand Slam winner, has signed on to play New Jersey native Justin Gimelstob in the Kennedy Funding Invitational July 13 at the Dellwood Country Club in New City, N.Y. Last summer, Sampras played Gimelstob in a rain-shortened event that still raised $625,000 for breast cancer awareness.

Not Just a Pretty Face

I was on the couch at 4:43 a.m. to watch the big Maria Sharapova-Justine Henin match on ESPN2.

In an utterly dominant performance, the 6-foot-2 Russian bombshell blitzed Henin, the No. 1 player in the world, 6-4, 6-0, in the Australian Open quarterfinals. Sharapova will next play No. 3 Jelena Jankovic, who upset defending champ Serena Williams earlier in the day.

Sharapova, who is looking to add the Aussie Open to her Wimbledon and U.S. Open crowns, ended a 32-match winning streak by Henin with concussive groundstrokes, tremendous footwork and a bazooka of a serve. She broke Henin in the second game of the second set after a long rally with a backhand winner and then broke her again in the fourth set with a forehand winner.

The victory avenged a three-set loss to Henin in the year ending Sony Ericcson championships in Madrid.

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Sampras Wins in Return; Nadal-Federer Play on Hybrid Court

It's good to see that Pete Sampras is back playing competitive tennis. The 35-year-old played his first competitve match since beating Andre Agassi in the 2002 U.S. Open final on Thursday night, and easily dispatched Petr Korda 6-1, 6-2 in the opening round of the Champions Cup in Boston.

"It was fun -- it was nice playing in the crowd," Sampras, 35, said. "I felt excited walking out there with a nice ovation. This is why I decided to play."

Feeling "Invincible," Roger & Tiger Share Some Dom Perignon

Roger Federer's Q-rating is so low with the American public that it surely helps him to be associated with Tiger Woods, perhaps the biggest sports star on the planet. The two have been compared more and more in the past year, and Woods told Federer he would come watch the finals of the U.S. Open if Roger got there. Federer did, and there was Tiger sitting in his box in Arthur Ashe Stadium yesterday when Federer won his third straight U.S. Open with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5, 6-1 win over Andy Roddick. After the match the two men shared champagne in the locker room and traded thoughts on what it's like to feel "invincible."

Both men are IMG clients...now we wonder how long before some clever advertisers figure out how to put them in an ad together...."I Feel Invincible, oh so invincible."

Click here to read my full story in today's issues of the Herald News.

"Alright, Let's Pee"

It isn't all glamorous for big tennis stars after a match at the U.S. Open. Both Andy Roddick and Martina Navratilova headed into the Anti-Doping Room at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center to give urine samples after their last matchs.

"Alright, let's pee," Roddick, wearing camoflauge shorts and untied red sneakers, said as he headed into the room outside the locker rooms. The Anti-Doping room has a sign on its door that reads, "Please Knock and Wait For a Response Before Entering."

Roddick had just lost a four-set final to Roger Federer and then given his post-match press conference.

Navratilova, 49, joked about how glamorous her final U.S. Open was. After winning the mixed doubles title on Saturday night, she also headed to take a pee.

Maria Wins the Open

It's time to give Maria Sharapova her due. She is the highest paid female athlete on the planet, and she has some game, too. Sharapova dispatched Justine Henin-Hardenne, 6-4, 6-4, on Saturday night to win her second Grand Slam title and her first U.S. Open.

All the money Nike put into that "I Feel Pretty" ad campaign wasn't for naught. Sharapova proved that she could be tough and pretty, owner of a blistering forehand and a winning smile. And that is more than her special "friend" Andy Roddick could handle last year when AmEx made him the focus of an ad campaign featuring his mojo, only to watch as Roddick got bounced in the first round.

In taking out No. 1 Amelie Mauresmo and No. 2 Henin-Hardenne in back-to-back matches, Sharapova served notice that she can play with anyone in the world. Serena and Venus, are you listening?

After the match, Sharapova climbed into the stands, a la Pat Cash at Wimbledon in 1987, and spent a seeming eternity searching for her father, Yuri. The same father who coached her on when to eat bananas and when to drink. But hey, that's not really violating the rules, is it? It's not really coaching her on strategy.

Now if only Roddick can somehow pull off the improbable and beat Roger Federer for just the second time in 12 matches in the men's final on Sunday, maybe the pretty couple can dance together in a Nike or AmEx ad. Hey, way back when Chris Evert and Jimmy Connors did the hold and sway at the Wimbledon Ball when they were engaged. Two generations later, Connors has morphed into Roddick's coach and Chrissy teases him about standing next to Johnny Mac without getting into a fight. Who know where Roddick and Maria will be 30 years from now, but if they both can win it sure would make one helluva fairytale.

Last Chance to Catch Martina

The legendary Martina Navratilova will play what she says is the final match of her career tonight when she teams with Bob Bryan in the mixed doubles final at the U.S. Open. Martina and Bryan will face Kveta Peschke and Martin Damm of the Czech Republic in a match that follows the primetime women's final between Maria Sharapova and Justine Henin-Hardenne. The mixed doubles final will be broadcast on The Tennis Channel, so catch it if you can. It's your last chance to see a legend.