It was an all-Wilson Wimbledon battle.
In a coming-of-age moment, Federer toppled a champion for the ages. The Swiss snapped Pete Sampras’ 31-match Wimbledon winning streak and denied the defending champ’s quest for a record eighth title.
Sporting a ponytail, necklace, and baggy white Nike shirt, this was Federer long before he unveiled the trademark "RF" branding, but he displayed the distinctive strokes and shrewd court sense we'd come to see in later years. The 2001 season was a breakthrough for Federer, who claimed his first career title indoors in Milan, then led Switzerland to an opening-round Davis Cup victory over the United States before reaching his first career Grand Slam quarterfinal at Roland Garros.
Anticipation for this match reached a fever pitch, as some former champions touted Federer as a future winner at the All England Club. Sampras squeezed out the second set after losing the first in a tiebreaker, but Federer converted his 11th break point hitting a backhand return pass up the line for a 2-1 third-set lead. The 15th-seeded teenager played confident and composed, serving with authority (Federer hit 25 aces in all, just one fewer than Sampras) and showing the serve-and-volley skills the American displayed so effectively in winning four consecutive Wimbledon crowns.
The match is a reminder that the young Federer was a more emotionally-expressive player than today, given to punctuating some key points of this match with a lion's roar and clenched fist. At 3-3, 30-all in third, Federer flicked a full-stretch backhand pass up the line and celebrated with a semi-roundhouse right fist.
Serving for survival at 5-6 in the fifth, Sampras saw Federer blast a backhand return winner cross-court before pushing a forehand volley long to trail 0-30. After netting a volley, Federer had double match point and history in sight. Calmly turning his racquet in his hand while waiting to receive serve, his eyes riveted on the ball, Federer took one step to his right, turned his shoulder then drilled a forehand return winner down the line to topple the top seed.
As Sampras watched the ball go by in disbelief, an ecstatic Federer fell to his knees in exhilaration before rolling forward and wiping welling tears from his eyes.
"He was very relaxed," Sampras said. "His demeanor on court is similar to mine. He has a great backhand, serves well and there are no holes in his game."
Nearly three years to the day after Federer swept the Wimbledon singles and doubles junior titles, he registered the greatest victory of his career. At 19 years old—the same age Sampras was when he won his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open in 1990—Federer solidified his status as a future star in handing Sampras his first five-set loss at Wimbledon.
"I didn't know Pete's record in five sets," said Federer, who would fall to Tim Henman in the quarterfinals. "I felt in five sets I was really good. This match will give me as much confidence as I can get. This is the biggest win of my life."
Federer's Most Memorable Wimbledon Moments
—No. 5: Toppling the top seed, and his idol (2001, vs. Sampras)
—No. 4: First Championships, first major (2003, vs. Philippoussis)
—No. 3: Bending but not breaking, for five straight (2007, vs. Nadal)
—No. 2: The greatest loss of all time (2008, vs. Nadal)
—No. 1: The king's coronation (2009, vs. Roddick)
