Sampras beat Roger Federer in Macau, November 2007

Seven-time Wimbledon champion Pete Sampras will compete in the BlackRock Tour of Champions event at London's Royal Albert Hall in December.

The tour is made up of former Grand Slam champions, world number ones, and Davis Cup winners.

The 36-year-old Sampras, who was world number one for six consecutive years, officially retired in 2003.

But in November 2007, he pushed world number one Roger Federer close in a three-match friendly event in Asia.

And Sampras is looking forward to playing in the UK for the first time since Wimbledon in 2002 and is eager to show he can still produce high-quality tennis.

"It's still fun for me to compete, it's still a challenge and I still want to hold that trophy up at the end," said the American.

SAMPRAS GRAND SLAMS Wimbledon titles: 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 US Open titles: 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 2002 Australian Open titles: 1994, 1997

"I still want to play well and still want to win. But now I'm a little more relaxed.

"People do want to see competitive tennis. The crowd still want to see me serve and volley the way I used to and pull off my shots, but with a slightly lighter atmosphere."

606: DEBATE Who would you like to see Sampras play?

Sampras won a total of 14 Grand Slam titles in his career and returns to the sport in May in the Grand Champions Brasil tournament, in Sao Paulo - his first ever matches in South America.