Sampras hints Federer 'finest' player of his time despite losing record against Nadal

American tennis great Pete Sampras has indicated that Swiss star Roger Federer is the finest player of his time, despite holding a losing career record against top-ranked Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

Sampras will not be joining fellow former greats such as Ivan Lendl, Boris Becker, Stefan Edberg and Michael Chang on the celebrity coaching circuit, having only now been coaxed back to the Australian Open for the first time since his last appearance at Melbourne Park in 2002.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Sampras said that he believes every decade has their best player, adding that like Rod Laver and he had their moments in the decades they respectively played, Federer and Nadal are having their moments now.

However, Sampras hinted that Federer has the qualifications to be the best player of his time as he was No.1 for a long time, has a strong record of 17 Majors, and was dominant on all surfaces, adding that had Federer played Majors when he was in his prime five years ago, he could have had 20 Majors by now.

During Federer-Nadal semi-final, Sampras' allegiance was clearly with the Swiss, describing as a 'good match' Federer's association with Stefan Edberg, and a 'smart move' his switch to a new larger-headed racquet; the technology appearing to be assisting his service speed and high backhand.