Roger Federer has emotionally admitted that his 2001 Wimbledon showdown against Pete Sampras remains his favourite tennis match of all time.
The 43-year-old won eight titles at Centre Court during his playing days, making history in the process.
Federer won his first crown at the All England Club back in 2003 when he defeated Mark Philippoussis in four sets at the age of 21.
Two years previously, the Swiss maestro faced Pete Sampras in his first match at Centre Court.
Roger Federer has emotionally admitted that his 2001 Wimbledon showdown against Pete Sampras remains his favourite tennis match of all time
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Now, speaking to Eurosport Spain, Federer has emotionally admitted that his match with Sampras is the one that stands out the most.
He said: "The first one I would like to remember is clear: Wimbledon 2001 and my match against Pete Sampras.
“That match was facing the hero of a whole generation, my first time on Wimbledon’s centre court, without knowing everything that tournament would bring me in my career."
Sampras had gone into Wimbledon that year with many expecting the American to win the tournament for the fifth year on the trot.
However, Federer produced the best performance of his career to that point to end his rival's hopes of glory.
When asked about his other two favourite matches, Federer referred to when he won the French Open in 2009 - with Robin Soderling beaten in the final on that occasion.
And he also looked back fondly on his 2017 Australian Open triumph, where he defeated Rafael Nadal after battling injury problems.
He continued: "Second, I would choose the 2009 Roland Garros final.
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Roger Federer cut an emotional figure after beating Pete Sampras at Wimbledon in 2001
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"I chased that tournament for a long time, until this season when the floodgates opened with Rafa’s [Nadal's] elimination.
"I felt like everyone was behind me; they really wanted me to win; it made me feel very special.
"Finally, I will stick to the 2017 Australian Open final, right after my knee problems.
"It was a complete match, it had everything. I would like to relive all those emotions."
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Federer's first Wimbledon triumph in 2003 opened the floodgates.
He won four more in a row after overcoming Philippoussis before meeting Nadal in the final of the 2008 competition.
Nadal raced into a two-set lead, only for Federer to reel his nemesis in.
However, Nadal was able to regain his composure to secure the first Wimbledon title of his career in near-darkness on Centre Court.
Roger Federer won eight Wimbledon titles during his career
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Federer did, though, win three more majors at the All England Club.
The Swiss icon beat Andy Roddick, Andy Murray and Marin Cilic in finals in 2009, 2012 and 2017 respectively.
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