Carlos Alcaraz compared watching Roger Federer to “looking at a work of art” and noted that the Swiss “did everything magnificently.” Alcaraz, 19, grew up watching and idolizing fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal but always had a soft spot for Federer.
Unfortunately for Alcaraz, he never got a chance to play Federer as the Swiss played the final singles tournament of his career at 2021 Wimbledon. “Rafa is someone I’ve always watched. I admire him a lot. But Federer, the class he had, the way he got people to see tennis: That was beautiful.
Watching Federer is like looking at a work of art. It’s elegance, he did everything magnificently. I became enchanted by him,” Alcaraz told Vogue.
Alcaraz on Federer, Nadal & Novak Djokovic: They have done impossible
Last September, Alcaraz became a Grand Slam champion after beating Casper Ruud in the US Open final.
Alcaraz, who has one Grand Slam title in his collection, admits the Big Three having 20+ Grand Slams is simply astonishing. “What Rafa, Roger, and Djokovic have done is almost impossible. I think when you’ve won your first Grand Slam you realize how complicated that is.
I’m going to keep wanting to make my dream come true, even though I already have,” Alcaraz said. Going into the US Open final, Alcaraz had two major feats at stake – if he beat Ruud, he would win his first Grand Slam and also become the world No 1.
By winning the US Open, Alcaraz also reached the top spot and became the youngest No 1 in tennis history. But after accomplishing his two biggest goals at a young age, it took some time for Alcaraz to find a source of motivation again.
“I had a bad period after I won the US Open. I think what happened was, when I saw that I’d achieved what I’d dreamed of since I was a little kid, unconsciously that aspiration dimmed a bit. I thought, Where do I go now?” Alcaraz recalled.
