Exactly two years ago, in September 2022, Roger Federer played his last match as a professional tennis player alongside Rafael NadalThe star was going out of the man who revolutionized tennis at the beginning of the century, the player who took the racket sport to a dimension unknown until now.
But exactly two years ago, also in September 2022, a star began to shine. It was Carlos Alcaraz’schampion of the US Open in those days and crowned as the youngest number one of all time. A door closed, but a window opened. A huge window.
As Federer had not competed for over a year when he played that magical doubles at the Laver Cup and Alcaraz was just taking his first steps, The Swiss and the Spaniard barely met on the circuit. They never faced each other in an official match and only shared the court once.during Wimbledon 2019, when Alcaraz, who was still a junior, had the privilege of playing with the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
Federer didn’t know it at the time, but The Swiss would end up falling in love with Alcaraz’s tennis, with his power, of his styleAnd there was a day, years later, also at Wimbledon, when Federer realized that Alcaraz was not going to be just another tennis player.The former player himself explained this during an interview with Australian broadcaster Stan Sport in Berlin, where the Laver Cup kicks off this Friday with Alcaraz, 21, as the main attraction.
“What strikes me most about Carlos is his intensity, the strength of his punches, the physical abilities he has. Of course he has to be careful. and he can’t run to every ball, because it’s not necessary. But it’s something he’ll learn with time and age,” said the former number one player inside the Uber Arena.
“It’s also that he’s a very strong player when it matters most. I’m thinking right now when he beat Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final (2023), in that fifth set“We know that those are moments when Djokovic always comes through and plays his absolute best tennis,” Federer continued.That Carlos was able to overcome that situation… For me it was the moment when I said ‘this is him, this is the guy who is going to be here for a long time’.“. Djokovic crushed Alcaraz in the first set of that final, but the Murcian ended up turning the score around to win 1-6, 7-6 (8-6), 6-1, 3-6 and 6-4.
Although Federer has been very present on the circuit since he retired, visiting some of the best tournaments in the world, He has never been able to enjoy Alcaraz’s tennis live. That wait will end this weekend in Berlin.
“I’m really excited to see Carlos play here because I’ve never been able to see him live before. We only trained once at Wimbledon when I was still a junior and I was already with Ferrero as a coach. And I was more excited to see Ferrero again, to be able to talk to him about the good times. “So I’m really happy to be able to watch him at the Laver Cup and see how he plays, because one thing is on television and another thing is live,” Federer said.
Federer’s prediction with Alcaraz
The Swiss has also predicted that Alcaraz will end up completing the ‘career Grand Slam’, that is, winning at least once each of the four majors.The Murcia native currently has a US Open (2022), two Wimbledons (2023 and 2024) and a Roland Garros (2024) under his belt. The only thing missing is the Australian Open, the next edition of which will be held in January in Melbourne.
“He has many years to be able to do it and of course he can do it next year. If you have already won the other three Grand Slams, you can also win Australia. In addition, you will arrive in Australia in perfect physical condition, you will be ready“, said the Basel native before elaborating his response by drawing on personal experience.
“It’s not a tournament like Wimbledon, where you might have to skip Roland Garros if clay is not your best surface and if you want to give yourself the best chance, you don’t have to make an extra effort. Hard courts are very natural for him, so he’s going to have a very good chance of winning,” Federer continued. “The best matches are also played at night, which makes the conditions a bit slower. Alcaraz is sure to win the Australian Open, the question is when. He’s had the most incredible career so far. It’s fantastic that he already has four Grand Slams, and that’s not counting all the other things he’s also achieved.“.
2024-09-19 15:28:37