but as the years have gone by, I've slowly but surely become a Federer fan. And at this point, I really think there's nothing left to criticize. That final the other day sealed it - even in a losing effort, what he did in that match, ESPECIALLY to come back the way he did, was incredible. I can no longer hate on the dude, and I honestly wonder why I was so anti-Federer in the first place. I think it has something to do with not wanting to admit that someone might be better than Pete. He's a humble, gracious champion, and he's deserving of every accolade he's gotten over his period of dominance.

Sampras is my idol, my all-time favorite player, the guy who I looked up to as a kid (and still do)....and I guarantee you he would have lost that match in straight sets. I guarantee it.

Forget the competition, forget who's in Federer's generation as opposed to the people Sampras played (I fucking hate Jim Courier, anyway), toss all of that out of the window. It's not important. Pete was great, but I'm willing to bet that Federer would be just as successful if you stuck him in any era. All you have to do is sit back, relax, and enjoy the show. Besides, after that match, I don't know how Federer's "place in history" or anything like that could be the foremost thing on anyone's mind in the first place. When you're getting quality like THAT, who cares?