Will Roger Federer Beat Pete Sampras' Record?

After seeing Roger Federer have a poor season so far, tennis fans worldwide will be wondering: will Roger Federer ever beat Pete Sampras' record number of Grand Slam titles?

Federer has not won a Grand Slam this season, losing to Novak Djokovic in the semis of the Australian Open, and Rafael 'The Matador' Nadal in the final of both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

And now, after losing to James Blake in the quarterfinals at the Beijing Olympics—therefore being completely out of medal contention in the singles—all he has to show for his season is an Olympic doubles medal, albeit a gold one.

With the U.S. Open just a week away, Federer will be looking to save his season and defend his title. But with 'The Matador' looking better, and Federer looking worse, is Federer really in contention to defend his title? Only the performance of Nadal will tell.

Looking ahead to next season, if Nadal somehow improves his performance (which he probably will), will Federer even have a chance to win a Grand Slam? If he meets Nadal in the final of any of these Grand Slams, the answer could quite possibly be no.

But after all, we are all human, Nadal included, so if Nadal does ever slip up in a Grand Slam, the contest would then be between Federer and Novak Djokovic, at least for the U.S. Open and Australian Open.

With Federer having more experience and still being able to play an amazing array of shots, should he meet Novak Djokovic in a Grand Slam final, Federer will no doubt be the favourite, for a few seasons at least.

So providing he plays well on the hard court and doesn't meet Nadal in the final, Federer still has a chance of adding to his collection of grand slam titles, and could one day beat Pete Sampras' record.