New Delhi, Dec 8 (IANS): Tennis legend Pete Samapras acknowledges the shrinking gap between the top three of men’s tennis - Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal - and other players but believes they will continue to dominate the sport in the coming season.
World No.1 Novak Djokovic, No.2 Roger Federer, No.3 Rafael Nadal along with 2013 Wimbledon champion Andy Murray comprise the so-called 'Big 4' of modern day tennis, who between them have won 36 of the 39 Grand Slams from the 2005 French Open to the 2014 US Open.
But Swiss Stanislas Wawrinka’s Australian Open victory, coupled with Croat Marin Cilic’s US Open triumph in 2014,have raised the spectre of the dominant guys losing their grip at the pinnacle of the sport. But Sampras doesn’t feel that would happen next season.
“I still see those three guys dominating next year. I see guys threatening them, pushing and shoving but those three guys are still ahead. But I still feel those guys will be ahead, they have the experience. They are hungry and they will be tough to beat,” Sampras said here at a press conference.
"Guys like Grigor (Dimitrov) are ready to take the next step, he is showing signs but he needs to know how to win. Stanislas Wawrinka is going to have an interesting Australian Open defence. Marin Cilic is also improving after winning US Open. But those three guys will still be the man to beat,” the former World No.1 said.
He felt among the dominant three, Djokovic starts with a slight advantage because of his supreme physical condition but felt the ascendancy was marginal.
“Novak is the obvious choice, Roger is motivated to be number one and Rafa will be in the mix again if he is fit,” the American star said.
He also said to succeed in modern tennis one needs to have a strong forehand to dominate from the baseline as variety in the game has decreased since his playing days.
“You need to have a good forehand. Guys like Roger (Federer), Novak (Djokovic), Rafa (Rafael Nadal) all have a strong forehand. If you don’t have that shot or some sort of weapon it becomes very difficult to dominate from the baseline,” the 42-year-old said.
“Obviously a powerful serve helps to set it up but you need a strong forehand. You have to be in good shape, move very quickly. In the 90s each match was different as players had a lot more variety but now matches are the same with the style of play almost similar.”
The 14-time-Grand Slam winner expressed his desire to continue playing in exhibition matches and said he wasn’t keen on coaching or captaining the US Davis Cup team. His contemporaries Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg, Goran Ivanesevic and Ivan Lendl all have successfully took to coaching.
“I don’t feel like travelling on the tour or coaching. Maybe when I will be a bit older, then maybe I will be open to it. But right now I am not opening to travelling,” he said.
“I am happy playing exhibition tennis couple of weeks a year and stay home. I am not ruling anything out. Maybe in the future I will coach but not right now.”
He also likened the format of the inaugural International Premier Tennis League (IPTL) tournament where he is playing for Indian Aces, terming it “exciting”.
“The format is different; you have to be on your toes. You need to get off to a good start, just a different energy. This is much quicker. I think it is fine; it is exciting for the fans. It is an exciting format,” he opined.