Rafael Nadal and Pete Sampras have both gone down as legends of the game, boasting 36 Grand Slam titles between them.
Sampras predicted Nadal would break his Grand Slam tally, with the American having once led the way with 14.
Roger Federer broke Sampras’s record with his 2009 Wimbledon victory, where he beat Andy Roddick in the final.
Roddick jokingly apologised to Sampras on court after that defeat, with Federer going on to win 20 Grand Slam titles.
Novak Djokovic also overtook the American and currently has 24 to his name, more than any other ATP player.
Rafael Nadal ‘humble’ amid talk of Pete Sampras’s Grand Slam record in 2009
Nadal meanwhile won 22 Grand Slam titles, and was asked about breaking Sampras’s record after his sixth such success when he won the 2009 Australian Open.
Asked in his winning press conference how far he could go amid the talk of Sampras and Federer coming near his record, Nadal replied: “Well, I have six right now, no?
“Happy with my six. Well, for sure I am going to continue my best, try every day to improve my tennis and try to continue winning matches and titles.
“But I know it is very difficult, everything, no? Every title, I know how tough it is to win every one. I don’t know if I am going to win more, but for sure I am going to continue trying.
“But, you know, when I won my first one I didn’t know if I was going to win more. You never know when that stops.
“So you have to be always with precaution and you have to be humble for continuing work like all my life, no?”
Rafael Nadal delighted after ‘very special’ 2009 Australian Open final win
Nadal produced a superb display to win the 2009 Australian Open final, in which he beat Roger Federer 7–5, 3–6, 7–6(7–3), 3–6, 6–2.
It represented his sixth Grand Slam title, but significantly represented his first on hard courts, and completed the set across all surfaces.
At that stage of his career, the Spaniard had already won four French Open titles on clay, along with one on the Wimbledon grass.
Also asked how special it was to win the Australian Open title, he responded: “Well, very special, no, for me.
“It is a dream win here, one Grand Slam on hard court. I worked very hard the last… well, all my life for improving the tennis outside courts, well, outside of clay.
“Very happy, no? Very happy for the title. Today was really a lot of emotions on court. I was there with the best player I ever saw, like is Roger.”
