Carlos Alcaraz makes his feelings clear about practicing with Roger Federer in Shanghai Masters: "It was unbelievable"
Carlos Alcaraz expressed his excitement over practicing with Roger Federer at the 2024 Shanghai Masters, describing it as a dream come true. He shared that it was an incredible experience to not only train alongside the Swiss legend but also to engage in an in-depth conversation with him.
Federer had a long-overdue practice session with Alcaraz, as he had once snubbed him at the 2019 Wimbledon Championships. Two months before at the Laver Cup, the 20-time Grand Slam champion acknowledged this and expressed his desire to make it up to the young Spaniard.
Federer made good on his promise as he hit the balls alongside Alcaraz in Shanghai, where the latter had reached the quarterfinals. The two were also seen together in the stands, sharing in the excitement of the championship match between Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic.
Currently competing at the Paris Masters, Carlos Alcaraz shared his thoughts on his meeting with Roger Federer in Shanghai during an interview with Eurosport, saying:
"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," he added.
Carlos Alcaraz to face Marcos Giron or Ugo Humbert in Paris Masters 3R
Carlos Alcaraz kicked off his campaign at the 2024 Paris Masters in impressive fashion, securing a solid 7-5, 6-1 victory over Nicolas Jarry in the second round on Tuesday, October 29, having received a first-round bye. He is now set to face either Marcos Giron or Ugo Humbert next.
In the same interview with Eurosport, the second seed expressed his enthusiasm about returning to Paris, a city where he lifted the French Open trophy and won a silver medal at the Olympics this year.
"It is great to be back here in Paris," Alcaraz said. "I thought honestly a lot about my time in Roland-Garros, my time in the Olympic Games."
"I'm just happy to show my level once again in front of the Parisian crowd, hopefully they're gonna enjoy the game. It is great and it is an extra motivation coming to this tournament," he added.
Alcaraz had a run to forget in Bercy last year, exiting in his opener after losing to Roman Safiullin. However, he has improved his performance significantly this year, making it intriguing to see if he can win the ATP Masters 1000 tournament.