INDIAN WELLS, California, March 15, 2010 (AFP) - Novak Djokovic didn't realize just how star-struck he could be.

But when tennis' current world number two met boyhood idol Pete Sampras for the first time while tuning up for the Indian Wells Masters 1000 that old hero-worship kicked in.

"I surprised myself," Djokovic said Monday, after winning his third-round match at the Indian Wells Masters 1000. "I thought, it's not going to be a big deal. I'm on the tour for many years. I'm grown up. But it was incredible."

Djokovic, 22, was introduced to Sampras after the US great had hit with Roger Federer on a court in La Quinta, a desert community just up the highway from Indian Wells.

For Djokovic, the brief conversation "fulfilled somehow my childhood dreams.

"He's the one that gave me a lot of motivation to become a professional player," Djokovic said of Sampras, winner of 14 Grand Slam titles. "I've seen him winning Wimbledon when I was four, five years old."

Serbia's Djokovic, whose only Grand Slam title to date came at the 2008 Australian Open, said he admired Sampras' commitment and his mental approach to the game - and his serve.

"His serve was not that fast, but it was so precise," Djokovic said, "and he gave himself a lot of opportunities for easy next shot."

In their brief conversation, Djokovic said, Sampras told him "You win with your mind and your heart - and that's something that's very true."

"I wish one day I can hit with him," Djokovic added. "He promised me he's going to hit with me, so I'll keep him for his word."