When Pete Sampras tells you Andy Roddick is the future of tennis, you sit up and take notice.

After all he should know. It was the man nicknamed Pistol Pete who found himself completely outgunned by the 18-year-old from Nebraska at last month's Ericsson Open in Miami.

Sampras, who succumbed in two sets 7-6 (2), 6-3, was the top scalp in a week when Roddick chalked up a number of impressive victories that saw his name on the lips of tennis fans the world over.

First came Israel's Harel Levy, quickly followed by Chilean Marcelo Rios.

Sampras was next to be knocked off, but Roddick wasn't finished there.

He then dispatched Romanian Andrei Pavel before falling at the quarter-final stage to another young gun in Australia's Lleyton Hewitt.

Asked for about the 1,000th time to look back on the match that shot him to prominence, the youngster, in Bermuda for this week's XL Open, smiles and remarks: "It was a lot of fun.'' That surely is an understatement. After all how many sports fans find themselves up close and personal with someone whose posters hung on their bedroom walls as a kid? To play and then beat them is beyond nearly all of our wildest dreams.

"I played very well,'' says Roddick, speaking at the end of a special clinic for young players at Coral Beach yesterday. "He's a great champion and a class act and one of my heroes, so it was fun to get a win.'' Though the result was a shock to many observers, Roddick approached the game with a great deal of self-belief.

"I went into the match to win it. I wasn't going in to just play or see what happened, I was going into it to win it and some days your game's on and good things can happen,'' he said.

With the match won, Roddick took the customary walk to the net to greet the legend as his victor.

"I didn't really know what to feel,'' he said. "I was kind of excited but I didn't want to show him up in any way so I kinda just took my hat off, shook his hand and saved the celebrating for later.'' Interviewed afterwards Sampras was full of praise.

"The future of American tennis is looking good,'' said the former world number one. "He possesses a big cannon. He's serving consistently in the 130's (mph) and making them. That's pretty tough to play against.'' That kind of accolade would weigh heavy on some people's shoulders, but Roddick is adamant it doesn't concern him.

"I have been hearing that in America for a year and a half now so I'm kind of used to it and it doesn't bother me too much,'' he said.

"People talk about it a lot more than I think about it. It's fun if people say good stuff about you. I just take it as fun and I don't really think about it at all.'' Since Miami, Roddick has been out of the limelight but he's ready to go back to work this week.

"I'm feeling good. I took a little bit of time off and relaxed a little bit, got over an injury. I feel good and I'm ready to compete here,'' he said.

However, he will not have an easy baptism with German Jens Knippschild standing between him and a place in the second round proper.

"He's a great player. He's been there for six or seven years now. It's definitely going to be a tough match,'' said Roddick.

"He has a pretty much an all round game and knows how to win matches.'' Roddick opens his Bermuda campaign with a doubles match tonight, partnering compatriot Paul Goldstein.

And one thing expected to be much in evidence is his serve, which, as Sampras will testify, is hard enough to blast holes in battleships.

But ask him how he generates such speed and Roddick finds it hard to explain.

Roddick's new found fame From Page 29 "I don't know. Honestly, I just kind of throw it up and hit it and I guess it goes kind of fast,'' he said.

"I'm 6ft 2in but there a lot of taller and stronger players so I guess it's racquet speed or something, I'm not sure.'' Roddick, however, is at pains to stress there is more to his game.

"People kind of pigeon hole me sometimes as just a server but you can't win matches with just a serve,'' he said. "I think my game is developing in other aspects too.

"I have a lot to improve on but that's exciting for me. I'm doing OK now but there is still a lot of room for improvement.'' If that is the case then just remember where you saw him first.

Man in demand: American Andy Roddick takes time out to sign autographs at a special tennis clinic for youngsters at Coral Beach yesterday.