Roger Federer has remained in close contact with the tennis world even after he retired in 2022. The former world number 1 – who played the last official match of his career at the Laver Cup two years ago – is very busy even if he is no longer a professional tennis player, dedicating himself to activities with his sponsors and spending much time with his family.
It is not uncommon to see the 20-time Grand Slam champion attend the main tournaments of the ATP tour, as demonstrated by his recent appearance at the Masters 1000 in Shanghai. The former Swiss champion has seen live action in the last few days of the Chinese tournament – which saw him win in 2014 and 2017 – interacting mainly with Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz.
King Roger even took part in a practice session with the young Spaniard, giving many tips to the 4-time Grand Slam champion. According to many fans and insiders, the style of play of Carlitos is the one that most closely resembles the way of playing Federer, especially with regard to the search for the winners and the ability to play near the net.
Alcaraz pays tribute to Federer
The Spaniard and the Swiss had already met in September during the Laver Cup in Berlin, with Alcaraz having been absolutely decisive for the triumph of Team Europe over Team World at the Uber Arena. Despite being Spanish and having grown up with Rafael Nadal as an idol, Alcaraz has never hidden his love for Federer’s style of play. The four-time Grand Slam champion often seeks out spectacular solutions on the tennis court and is considered the most complete player of the new generation.
In a recent interview with Eurosport, the Spaniard talked about King Roger: “I think one of the first tennis players who brought these kind of shots, making the impossible possible, was Roger. I watched him many, many times, his matches. He hit shots, unbelievable shots. Every kid wants to imitate him a little bit, and that’s why I’m trying in every practice, in every match, trying to bring some good shots in the match, to make the people enjoy watching tennis a little bit.”
Carlitos also reflected on his practice session with the Swiss Maestro in Shanghai: “It was an unbelievable experience for me. Having the chance to play with him, it was great. I just enjoyed so much, every shot, watching him playing the shots so easily. It was a dream. It was a great experience. I had the chance to talk a lot with him, ask him some questions about when he was playing. It was a masterclass honestly from him.”
Federer has had an impact that has transcended tennis, becoming a global icon that has contributed to the growth of this sport in every corner of the world. His outstanding rivalry with Rafa Nadal and Nole Djokovic has helped tennis further, serving as inspiration for almost all young boys who approached tennis.
Comparison to the Big 3
In an interview with ‘Tennis365’, top coach Patrick Mouratoglou made an interesting comparison between Jannik Sinner and Carlitos Alcaraz and the Big 3: “I think they have completely different tennis, to put them in the same group is difficult. Yes they are the two best by far at the moment and Carlos can do anything. Everything he does he does it perfectly. Forehand is unbelievable, backhand, I don’t see any weakness in that backhand.
He can play flat, slice, his drop shots are incredible, his net play is incredible, he can serve and volley, he serves incredibly well for a guy of his height and physically he’s a beast. If you look at the package, it’s unbelievable, he almost has too many choices and sometimes he can lose his way, and he is super aggressive and he makes many more unforced errors than Sinner.
Then Sinner is a machine. He does less things and at the moment he’s trying to add new weapons to his game. He’s not as good as Carlos in many fields but what he does, he does is unbelievable. Taking time away from the opponent, taking the ball early, hitting the ball incredibly hard, with so much security because he doesn’t miss and movement is amazing, that’s crazy.
That’s why those matches are so close because whenever Carlos drops a little bit, Sinner is always at the same level, from the start to the end. Do they hit the ball harder than the Big 3? Maybe, it’s possible, I wouldn’t define them like that. Alcaraz and Sinner are much more than just hitting the ball hard.”