5 most emotional moments from Roger Federer's career so far

#4 Wimbledon 2001 – slaying an idol

Can’t believe it! Federer was in tears after beating his idol in their only meeting

At several occasions over his career, Federer has cited Pete Sampras as one of hig biggest idols. The grass-court icon won fourteen Grand Slams, half of them at Wimbledon – and it was Federer who equalled that record, winning his own seven titles on that surface.

In 2001, 19-year-old Federer faced his idol at perhaps his biggest stage yet – the fourth round of Wimbledon. Roger Federer was a talented but little-known face – and Sampras the defending champion. It was the first time Federer had been seeded at a Grand Slam, sitting well below Sampras as the #15 seed.

But at the Round of 16 at Wimbledon, the young Swiss put a spanner in Sampras’ plans to defend his title. Just to indicate how tight that match was going to be, the very first set went to tiebreak – one that Federer won.

After five long sets, it was Roger Federer who emerged victorious.

It was also the only time Federer and Sampras would ever play each other on court.