World number one and his illustrious predecessor set for casino arena clash
A friendly knockabout by legends Pete Sampras and Roger Federer two months ago will turn into the real thing in Macau in November.
The pair, who had struck up a friendship following Federer's win at the 2006 US Open, practised for two days at Sampras' Los Angeles home and enjoyed themselves so much they thought fans might want to see them in a competitive setting.
That concept has come to fruition with a multimillion-dollar series of exhibition matches in Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and, finally, Macau on November 24.
'We want to put on a good show but also make it competitive,' Sampras, 35, said yesterday from California. 'I think we can duplicate what we had on my court; we'll just have a few more people watching.'
If organisers have their way, it will be 15,000 people watching in a packed stadium at the Venetian Macau Resort Hotel.