There was only a brief crossover between Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz’s careers in tennis, as the Swiss star retired just as the Spaniard was becoming a Grand Slam titan.
Federer and Alcaraz never got the chance to play each other on the ATP Tour as the elder star’s career faded out before he retired at the 2022 Laver Cup.
Alcaraz had just won his first Grand Slam, at the 2022 US Open, as Federer waved goodbye to the sport he dominated for two decades.
The Spaniard did not play at Federer’s final tournament, but that didn’t stop the Swiss star from talking about one of his natural successors.
Roger Federer turned down a practice session with Carlos Alcaraz
Federer appeared at the same tournament as Alcaraz in 2019, when they both competed in different formats of Wimbledon.
Alcaraz competed in the juniors, where he was defeated in straight sets in the quarter-finals by Martin Damm.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
Federer, meanwhile, reached the final of the grass court Grand Slam, which saw him lose in five sets to Novak Djokovic.
During the tournament, Alcaraz and Federer shared a practice session but the Swiss star did not take him up on the offer again.
Speaking at the 2024 Laver Cup, Federer revealed: “I barely know Carlos Alcaraz so I’m really excited to see him play for the very first time.
“I only practiced once with him at Wimbledon when he was still a junior, and then the next day, my coach said, ‘Do you want to warm up with him again?’ and I said, ‘No, it’s okay, I’d rather warm up with his coach, who was my generation, Juan Carlos Ferrero.’ I can apologise to Carlos this week.”
The advice that Roger Federer gave Carlos Alcaraz
Federer and Alcaraz might not have crossed over very much on the ATP Tour, but the Swiss star is still moulding the next generation, the Spaniard included.
Who would you like to see become Carlos Alcaraz’s new coach?
Speaking ahead of his US Open semi-final match against Novak Djokovic, Alcaraz revealed: “One person once told me that you don’t have to think about 35, 38 years old, still playing at that age.
“He told me, ‘You have to be focused on the next five years’, from here to when I am 27. And then, when I get 27, then think about five years more.
“It’s not about thinking in 15 or 20 years. It’s just about going year by year or just thinking about just five years maximum. We will see. We will see until what age I will try to take care about my body as good as I can.”
Asked about who told him that sage piece of advice, Alcaraz replied: “Who told me was Roger. So I think that’s the best person [who] could tell me that, and I will try to follow his words.”
