Roger Federer is the Lionel Messi of tennis: Carlos Alcaraz
In a recent interview, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz sang the praises of Roger Federer and even called him the Lionel Messi of the tennis world.
Alcaraz believes Federer brings the same elegance to the tennis court that Messi brings to the football ground. Speaking to Argentine sports newspaper Ole (as quoted by Marca), the Spaniard touched on the exploits of Lionel Messi at the recently concluded FIFA World Cup in Qatar, where the No. 10 led his team to glory.
Scoring two goals in the final, Messi also dispatched a penalty in the shootout to keep his team in the hunt for the title, which they eventually won.
Carlos Alcaraz referred to Messi as a "superhero" who took it upon himself to take his country all the way to the World Cup. Alcaraz stated that he enjoyed watching the Argentine play as much as he used to enjoy watching Roger Federer in action during his playing days.
Federer, a 20-time Grand Slam champion, finally hung up his racquet last year with a final hurrah at the Laver Cup. He was joined by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray among others in an emotionally-charged farewell ceremony.
"Yes, Federer is the Messi of tennis because of how easy he [looks playing]. Messi was the superhero in the World Cup and practically put himself in the entire country so that Argentina would consecrate itself in Qatar," Carlos Alcaraz said. "I loved [Federer's] tennis. I loved watching him play. I was watching his highlights all day, watching matches .
Alcaraz relinquished his World No. 1 spot to Novak Djokovic last month after the Serb won the Australian Open. The Spaniard commented on that as well, claiming that he had always known it would leave his grasp at some point.
Not to be dismayed, however, the teenager is now looking forward to adapting to life on tour as the World No. 2.
"I was not thinking of holding number one all year. It was clear to me that they were going to take it from me. I have not yet played as number two, so we will see what feel," Alcaraz said.
Carlos Alcaraz set to make his comeback at the 2023 Argentina Open
Carlos Alcaraz was last seen in action at the 2022 Paris Masters, where he retired midway through his quarterfinal encounter against eventual winner Holger Rune. The recovery for the abdominal injury forced him to pull out of the ATP Finals as well as the Australian Open, but he has now returned to full fitness.
The Spaniard is set to make his comeback at the Argentina Open, where he is the top seed. After receiving a bye in the first round, he will take on either Fabio Fognini or Laslo Djere in the second round.
Awaiting him down the road are potential clashes with fourth seed Diego Schwartzman and second seed Cameron Norrie, in the semifinals and final respectively.