NEW YORK (AP) — Pete Sampras believes Rafael Nadal has a chance to break Roger Federer’s record of 16 Grand Slam titles if he stays healthy and maintains a smart playing schedule.
Sampras said in a conference call Thursday that the 24-year-old Nadal is “in the middle of his career, he could do a lot more great things.” Nadal recently won his ninth major at the U.S. Open.
Sampras will meet his former rival Andre Agassi for a best-of-three sets match in the BNP Paribas Showdown on Feb. 28 at Madison Square Garden. John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl will play one set.
When Sampras and Agassi met in a Hit for Haiti exhibition in March, verbal volleys were exchanged between the two players. Sampras described their relationship as “fine” and said they recently spent time in Costa Rica.
