Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz: a thread that unites two generations of tennis that have gone from a champion to another. Two tennis players of undisputed talent; a situation that has led many to compare the Spaniard to the legendary Swiss.
In fact, there are many media and insiders who see in the qualities and in some shots of Carlos numbers that only Federer could do. Roger has written the history of tennis, Carlitos is the present and the future of this sport, considering that he is only 21 years old he has already won 4 Grand Slam titles.
The two met in recent days at the Laver Cup, where the former Swiss tennis player spoke in a long interview with Stan Sport about the young Spaniard, making a huge prediction.
“What surprises me most about Carlos is his intensity, his athleticism and his shots, which are always very powerful. I think he needs to mature to measure his energy and not give it his all on every ball, but I think he will understand this with age and experience will be a great help to him,” he said.
Carlitos talked about Roger on the sidelines of the Laver Cup, showing his humility and respect for the 20-time Grand Slam champion.
“I’m very far from that level. I hope to reach it one day but it’s impossible. They will have to change it because that’s Roger’s. I’m really happy, obviously our goal was to win the Laver Cup. We did it. It was a good feeling. I’m not going to lie. Celebrating with the other guys on the team is an even better feeling. So personally I’m really happy. After Zverev’s match that he did really well it was time for me to do my job. “I was a little bit nervous. I tried not to show Taylor that I was nervous but I think I played one of my best matches so far. I tried to be as calm as possible. Obviously having the other guys on the team supporting me behind me, it’s something that gives energy and helps you get the most out of it,” he explained.
Meanwhile, former French tennis player Julien Benneteau has harshly attacked the Swiss Maestro, who is among the creators of the Laver Cup that was held last weekend and was won by Team Europe. In a recent episode of the French program Le Grandes Gueules du Sport, Benneteau went straight to the Laver Cup with very harsh words.
“The Laver Cup has no sporting value because the selection is made by the good will of Roger Federer and his agent Tony Godsick, there are no sporting criteria. Tiafoe and Fritz do not play the Davis Cup in China because there is no money but they play the Laver Cup because they get a huge check,” he analyzed.
Benneteau, formerly number 25 in the ATP ranking and current captain of the French national team of the Billie Jean King Cup, then continued to attack the event, which has tried to introduce a format similar to the historic Ryder Cup golf in tennis, leading to two opposing teams of athletes from Europe and the Rest of the World.
Benneteau argued his reasoning in which money is relevant but not everything because in his opinion the sporting value also counts:
“There is no emotion. When you win even an ATP 250, there is sporting value. The Laver Cup has no sporting value because the selection is made at the discretion of Federer and Godsick, there are no sporting criteria. At the Ryder Cup there are six players qualified thanks to their results and another six chosen by their captain.
But these are sporting choices, not based on who you are represented by on the ATP Tour, which agency you are managed by. Tabilo was in the World selection. Is he the best? There are no sporting criteria. Tiafoe and Fritz do not play the Davis Cup in China because there is no money but they play the Laver Cup because they get a big cheque. The players participate only because the prize awarded to them is huge,” he said.