Federer is dialed in to Sampras’ wavelength

Roger Federer, bound for Los Angeles and looking for fresh competition, flipped through his mental rolodex and stopped at S.

As in Pete Sampras, who has more Grand Slam tournament titles, 14, than any other player. Federer is closing fast with 10.

“I’m thinking who’s around in L.A.?” Federer said Friday. “So I rang up Pete and said, ‘Any chance?’ He was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ I’m totally excited. He was one of my favorite players when I was growing up, and beating him in his backyard in Wimbledon was so special to me. So I wanted to try to beat him in his house.”

Federer reported they played some games, sets and tiebreakers this week at Sampras’ Southland home. He also refused, while smiling, to report the score but did offer a scouting report of Sampras’ current form.

“Very good, surprisingly,” Federer said. “Very good, you know. Not good enough to beat me.”

Federer-Sampras would have packed Stadium Court in the Pacific Life Open at Indian Wells on Friday, the opening day of men’s play. Alas, Sampras, 36, is retired, and Federer, 26, the three-time defending champion, probably won’t play until Sunday.

Still, Federer-Sampras comparisons are always irresistible.

“Looking head to head, I thought Sampras had the better shot for me,” Gustavo Kuerten said. “As he [Federer] has been growing better and better, I’m sure he’s getting close.... By the record and the numbers, he’s breaking down one after the other. I think ... in one or two years, he’s going to be the best player in tennis ever.”

As for Kuerten, a former No. 1 and three-time French Open champion, his current goals are modest. He had hip surgery in September 2004 and played only one match on the ATP Tour last year. He needed a wild-card spot to enter this tournament, and has not gone past the second round in three previous events this year on the main ATP Tour.

There were flashes of the old Kuerten form in his opening match here. But it wasn’t enough as rising youngster Juan Martin Del Porto defeated Kuerten, 7-6 (5), 6-2, in the first round.

“I had my chances,” Kuerten said. “... Overall, I think [it] was very good. I think he’s a good player. Probably this year, he will finish around top 50 or better.

“That means my average is getting closer to where I want it. I just need to get a little bit more consistency, and then maybe some more endurance.”

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Top-seeded women’s defending champion Maria Sharapova, playing her first match since early February, shook off the rust to defeat Michaella Krajicek, 7-6 (5), 6-4, in the second round.

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