That prediction comes from the man who set the tennis standard three decades ago.

``Pete is a fantastic player,'' Emerson said at the US Open.

``He's going to break my record. He's only 27. He has a lot of tournaments ahead of him. I have a lot of admiration for him, for his ability and the way he conducts himself on and off the court,'' he added.

Sampras, who has 11 Slams, one away from Emerson's record, turned into the second week of the US Open on cruise control, set for a round of 16 match on Monday against Marat Safin.

What Emerson likes about him is his versatility.

``He is more of an all-court player who can come in and stay back,'' he said. ``He is not one-dimensional.''

So how come Sampras has beenunable to figure out the French Open, the only Slam he has failed to win?

``Don't blame the slow clay of Roland Garros. He's solved that same surface elsewhere. He won the Italian,'' Emerson said. ``He can win the French.''

Emerson's dozen Slams include six Australian Opens, and two each at the United States, Wimbledon and French. His string began in 1961 with the Australian and US Championships and ended in 1967 when he won the last of five straight Australians and his second French.

He came closest to a single-season sweep of the Slams in 1964 when he won three, missing only in the French, the same tournament that has troubled Sampras.

It is tough to compare his string with Sampras' 11-Slam run which includes four US Opens, five Wimbledons and two Australian Opens and started in 1990.

``It's a different time,'' Emerson said. ``Most of my wins were on clay and grass. Now there are two other surfaces that suit Pete's game. Pete doesn't play doubles. I did. Maybe that's an advantage. Doubles can betough on the way to the finals.''

Emerson thought modern tennis offers more obstacles to Sampras, simply because there are so many high quality players on the professional tour.

``There's a lot of depth in the majors now,'' he said. ``Winning even one or two matches can be tough. We seeded eight players. They seed 16. He's done well.''

Sampras is a tennis throwback -- no earrings, no ponytail, no outrageous outfits. He'd feel perfectly comfortable in Emerson's era surrounded by players like Rod Laver, Pancho Gonzalez, John Newcombe and Ken Rosewall.

``He'd certainly be up there and admired for all the championships he's won,'' Emerson said. ``He's got an endless amount in him.''

Emerson's Slam titles record has lasted 31 years. The mark is tennis' version of American baseball's home run record, also under siege this year.

``I knew 12 would be hard to beat,'' Emerson said.