Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal are two of the biggest icons in the entire sport, and they both grew up idolising the same player.
Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer dominated the sport in the 2000s and 2010s, and often collided in gigantic Grand Slam finals.
Their final at Wimbledon 2008, in particular, is recognised as one of the greatest tennis matches of all time.
As the leaders of their generation of tennis, the pair each picked the same player as their biggest hero in the game.
Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal named Pete Sampras as an inspiration
Nadal and Federer each picked tennis icon Pete Sampras as one of their biggest inspirations in the sport during the Core Values Campaign for Louis Vuitton in 2024.
“As a tennis player, for me, Sampras was a good inspiration,” said Nadal about the tennis player he looked up to most.
Federer named Sampras alongside his former coach Stefan Edberg. He described both icons as ‘special people in my life’.
Federer and Nadal likely grew up watching Pistol Pete, who won 14 Grand Slam titles between 1990 and 2002.
Nadal never had the chance to play the US icon, but Federer did share the court with the giant at a Grand Slam.
Federer knocked Sampras out of Wimbledon in 2001, squeezing the American out of the tournament he won on seven occasions in a five-set epic.
Who else did Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal name?
Federer and Nadal also named inspirations from other sports, with the Spaniard opting for a footballer and the Swiss star naming basketball greats.
“I mean, I loved basketball growing up as well,” Federer explained. “So, clearly, Michael Jordan and then also actually Shaquille O’Neal, I looked up to.”
Nadal, meanwhile, opted for a Brazilian football legend. “When I was a kid, Ronaldo Nazario was a huge inspiration. And then I had the chance to spend some time with him,” said the Spaniard.
Both men have stepped away from tennis in recent years, with Federer retiring in 2022 and Nadal waving goodbye in 2024.