"Pete Sampras was wonderful but he relied so much on serve" - When Tracy Austin picked Roger Federer over every other tennis player as her favorite

Former US Open champion Tracy Austin has made no secret about her love for Roger Federer, sharing how his elegant tennis inspires awe in her. In fact, the American has even picked Federer as her favorite tennis player to watch, even more than the likes of Pete Sampras.

Sampras was once considered the shoo-in for the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time), winning 14 Grand Slam singles titles and towering over Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Jimmy Connors. The arrival of Federer, however, pushed him to No. 2 on the list, with the Swiss overtaking him with his tally of 20.

In the years since, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic have surpassed that number as well, with 22 and 24 Major titles to their respectively. Yet, the magic of the Swiss maestro remains intact, especially among tennis professionals who watched him play at the peak of his prowess.

Speaking in an interview with the Guardian in 2005, Austin opined that Federer's grace on the court was like watching a "symphony," jokingly adding that some of his shots should be declared illegal.

"I've never enjoyed watching someone playing tennis as much as Federer," Tracy Austin said. "I'm just in awe. Pete Sampras was wonderful but he relied so much on his serve whereas Roger has it all, he's just so elegant, graceful and fluid - a symphony in tennis whites. Roger can produce shots that should be declared illegal."

18-time Grand Slam champion Martina Navratilova expressed a similar opinion, stating that it was magical to watch the former World No. 1 play and calling him a genius on the court.

"Every generation has its maestro, and for me that's what Roger Federer has been during the last year. He's been magic to watch, partly because he makes it all look so easy and that's always a sign of a genius, to make everything you do seem effortless," Navratilova said.

Roger Federer on the one shot he wished he had in his repertoire

Laver Cup 2024 - Previews - Source: Getty

Meanwhile, Roger Federer himself did not think he was complete as a tennis player, feeling he missed one of the most unique shots in his game -- the forehand drop shot.

Speaking to the press, the Swiss lamented how he did not have the confidence to pull off that shot in matches, even going as far as to not try them at all.

"I would like to have, you know, drop shot, this forehand drop shot all these Spaniards have. When they have this time, they just wait and wait and wait, in the end they play a drop shot. I could do it but I just don't have the confidence or I feel like, "Oh, if I lose the point, I look so stupid." So I don't even try these shots," Federer said (via the aforementioned Guardian interview).

After a glorious career lasting two decades, Federer retired in 2022, playing one last time at the Laver Cup in a doubles match with Rafael Nadal as his partner.