Sources of new inspiration, and solace, are hard to find for somebody who has dominated Wimbledon’s lawns as Roger Federer has. Only a handful of men living can empathise with the pressures and pride attached to being feted as arguably the greatest tennis player of all time, but the Swiss has found a sympathetic ear in the man he reveres as the best, Pete Sampras.

As Federer begins his quest for a fifth consecutive Wimbledon title, natural comparisons are drawn with the deeds of Bjorn Borg, winner from 1976 to 1980. But Federer has established a stronger bond with Sampras, who holds the record of 14 Grand Slam titles and won the All England Club’s cherished trophy seven years out of eight.

In the same way he has established a rapport with Tiger Woods, Federer has begun to use Sampras as a sounding board. In the absence of a coach after sacking Tony Roche more than two months ago, the top seed knows that if he requires advice over the next fortnight, all he has to do is pick up his mobile.

The pair formed their bond when Federer visited Sampras’s California home in March before the Masters Series event in Indian Wells. They practised together for two days and explored each other’s competitive outlook around the dinner table. “We had a lot of time to talk,” revealed Federer. “The conversation centred around how it is for me and how it used to be for him. We were just comparing the mindset.

“Maybe it all gave me a sense of security because, for me, Sampras was the best player of all time. That is not take anything away from [Rod] Laver, but when he won the Grand Slam, three of the tournaments were played on grass. Pete told me I was doing the right things and said he had a lot of admiration for how I handle things on and off the court. Having somebody like him backing me up made me feel good.”

Sampras will be absent from Wimbledon again this year. The memory of being shunted to Court No 2 for what turned out to be his last match at the tournament he most revered still rankles. Irked though he remains, he will be lured to his television to monitor Federer’s matches after telling the man with whom he has so much in common – including a lust for victory and an apparent inability to win the French Open – that nothing would please him more than to see the Swiss beat his record of Grand Slam titles.

“I don’t like to be the enemy of the past in breaking these records, so it feels better knowing the guys that hold them are happy for me,” said Federer, who always vowed that he would never even speculate on beating Sampras’s 14 Grand Slams until he got well beyond halfway. January’s Australian Open took his collection to 10, but he admitted that losing a second consecutive final at Roland Garros confirmed how difficult it is to win them. There are people who insist that he can never truly be regarded as the finest of all time until he wins on the clay in Paris, and it is difficult to believe Federer’s repeated assertion that once he brushes the brick dust off his shoes, he forgets about the gap in his CV until the next year. “I’m young enough,” he said. “Let’s see how my records are at the end of my career and then let’s see who’s the best.”

Although Federer clearly enjoys gauging the opinions of others, he made up his mind when coming to the conclusion that his 2½year relationship with Roche, which produced six of his major titles, had run its course. And unlike many of his peers, he did not ask his agent, Tony Godsick, to do the deed. Clearly the matter was weighing on Federer’s mind as he played possibly his most inept match since becoming world No 1 nearly 3½ years ago in losing to Italian Filippo Volandri in Rome. Three days later the split was revealed; only now will Federer talk about his decision.

He says the career of a top player is relatively short and although he is not an aggressive person by nature, he had to take the hard line. “We didn’t see or even speak to each other from Australia to Monaco,” he said, citing a gap of nine weeks.

“We didn’t have a phone call in the meantime, even though I lost in Miami and Indian Wells. That’s not the way I wanted the relationship to be. Communication was not that good any more.

“Maybe I wanted new information and thought it was time to move on. Things were getting into a routine and I didn’t want to let it get stale.

I have always been that way and my stay in the game is too short to waste time.”

When the pair reconvened in Monte Carlo to begin what Federer hoped would be a successful clay-court campaign culminating in the French Open title, he sensed that the atmosphere was not right. Roche, a former Roland Garros champion, is tight-lipped and many questioned their common ground, given the fact that there is nearly a 36-year age difference between them.

“In Monaco, I thought he was tired, and I had so many things going on,” said Federer, who reached the final there, only to lose to Rafael Nadal in straight sets. “We just spent time on the tennis court but not on the private side, and it started to bother me. I was like, ‘God, I can’t believe it’s gone this far and I’ve allowed it to happen. And I can’t fix it’.”

The lack of guidance in his player’s box does not worry the Wimbledon champion. For the time being, any vetting of a replacement coach has been put on hold, although he has instructed Godsick to log the number of applications. At present the list is more than 40 names long, but one that doesn’t appear is that of Sampras. He has the perfect credentials, but will remain simply an invaluable friend and confidante.

Vital stats

— Federer arrives at Wimbledon with a 100% record on grass extending over four years and eight tournaments. Before each of his previous Wimbledon titles he has won at Halle in Germany, an event he chose to miss this year

— Federer played 294 shots in last year’s final against Rafael Nadal, compared with the 595 he hit in losing to the same opponent in this month’s French Open final

— At Roland Garros, he also covered 41% more ground in the fi nal than he did last year at Wimbledon

— The only match in which Federer was forced into a fourth set at Wimbledon last year was in the final against Nadal, in which he lost the third set on a tie-break

Roger Federer at Wimbledon

Country: Switzerland 2004 winner, beat Roddick

Age: 25

Seeded: 1

1999 1st round

2000 1st round

2001 quarter final

2002 1st round

2003 winner, beat Philippoussis

2004 winner, beat Roddick 4-6 7-5 7-6 6-4

2005 winner, beat Roddick 6-2 7-6 6-4

2006 winner, beat Nadal 6-07-6 6-7 6-3

First-round opponent

Teimuraz Gabashvili 7-6 6-2 7-6 (Russia, age 22, ranked 85)