"Federer has better things to do" - Tennis fans taunt Carlos Alcaraz after Spaniard brushes off hypothetical proposal of the Swiss being his coach
Carlos Alcaraz recently emphasized his respect for his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero while knocking off questions about being coached by Roger Federer.
During the course of a Spanish talk show last year, Alcaraz was asked whether he would accept Federer as his coach if he was offered the opportunity. The Spaniard respectfully denied the hypothetical proposal and maintained that he would not trade his current coach Ferrero for anybody.
"I couldn't [replace Ferrero with Federer]. I've always said that Juan Carlos is my second father, I wouldn't change him for the world," Alcaraz said.
As the statement from Alcaraz resurfaced last week, a few tennis fans misconstrued the Spaniard's refusal and went on to taunt him for his words. They questioned the worthiness of the World No. 2 on getting the opportunity to be coached by Federer.
One fan opined that the Swiss had better things to do than coaching Alcaraz.
"Federer has better things to do with his time," a fan said.
@gigicat7_ Federer has better things to do with his time 🙄
Another fan sarcastically suggested that Alcaraz would think the Swiss would "go and beg" to be his coach.
"He thinks Fed would go and begging to be his coach," the fan tweeted.
@gigicat7_ He thinks Fed would go and begging to be his coach 😭
Federer prefers "artsy players," suggested another user, as they claimed that the Swiss will never coach Alcaraz.
"Fed doesn‘t want to be your coach. Period. he prefers artsy players with a 1 handed backhand haha," a user opined.
he prefers artsy players with a 1 handed backhand haha@gigicat7_ Fed doesn‘t want to be your coach. Period. 😂 he prefers artsy players with a 1 handed backhand haha
Here are a few other fan reactions:
@gigicat7_ Lol why would Federer want to coach him lol? He’s got better things to do.
@gigicat7_ Fed's game is long gone, no one wants it. It looked great, he made it look prefect but it showed to be ineffective... Alcaraz has a completely opposite approach, different game and it works great for him..
@gigicat7_ Fed doesn‘t want to be your coach. Period. 😂 he prefers artsy players with a 1 handed backhand haha
@gigicat7_ This boy @carlosalcaraz is too young.
We can understand his immature comment.
He should concentrate on his play.
He has a bright future.
He should work hard to realise his ambitions.
@gigicat7_ What’s that? federer did not even propose him to be his coach.
@gigicat7_ We’ll see how long you keep JCF as your coach. Players always change their coaches someday, not if today.
"I loved watching him play" - Carlos Alcaraz on Roger Federer
While tennis fans ridiculed Carlos Alcaraz for his remarks on Roger Federer, Alcaraz has often conveyed that he has nothing but respect for the eight-time Wimbledon champion.
Speaking to Argentine sports newspaper Ole recently, Alcaraz opened up about having "loved" watching the former World No. 1 play back in the day. He even compared the Swiss maestro to Lionel Messi in terms of their ability to put up exceptional performances effortlessly.
"Yes, Federer is the Messi of tennis because of how easy he [looks playing]. I loved his tennis. I loved watching him play. I was watching his highlights all day, watching matches," stated Alcaraz.
Alcaraz was last seen in action at the 2022 Paris Masters, where he retired midway through his quarterfinal match against eventual champion Holger Rune. He is all set to make his comeback at the ATP Buenos Aires.
The Spaniard will take on either Fabio Fognini or Laslo Djere in the second round on Wednesday (February 15). He received a bye in the first round.