Pete Sampras, the seven-time former Wimbledon champion, has dismissed suggestions that Roger Federer is on the decline.

Federer, who has won five straight Wimbledon titles, is just two short of Sampras' all-time record but was recently well beaten by Rafael Nadal in the French Open final. The Swiss remains world No 1 and top seed for Wimbledon but Nadal is widely tipped to deny him a sixth successive title at the All England Club.

However, Sampras has no doubts about the 26-year-old's enduring quality.

"He's created this monster of winning so many tournaments and so many majors and doing it with ease," Sampras said. "As great as Roger is, he's going to have his losses and his bad days. It's just human nature to go through some lulls.

"The media need a story and something to grab onto, like he's lost his edge. He hasn't lost his edge. If he goes through the next few months and he's losing a lot and he doesn't contend for tournaments then maybe, but I don't see that happening. I think when push comes to shove in the majors, he's still the guy that's most likely to win them.

"He's lost a couple and, if anything, that'll do him some good, it'll get him going and fired up. He'll be just fine."

The 36-year-old added that he would like to be present if Federer does eventually eclipse his record of seven Wimbledon wins.

"There is a burning desire in Roger to break my record," Sampras said. "And when he does it, I would like to be there. I have respect not just for his game but for the way he carries himself on and off the court. Just the fact that we get along great and I respect him is the reason I'd want to be there to see him break the record."