WATCH: Roger Federer & Carlos Alcaraz enjoy each other's company with fun practice session at Shanghai Masters
Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz were captured practicing tennis with each other during their brief time together at the recently-concluded 2024 Rolex Shanghai Masters. The Swiss made his way to Shanghai to take part in an invitational doubles match. Once there, he met Alcaraz, who stayed on until the end of the ATP Masters 1000 event despite being eliminated in the quarterfinals.
The now-retired former World No. 1 and the young Spaniard also sat beside each other to watch the men's singles final unfold at the Shanghai Masters. Both of them were later lauded by title winner Jannik Sinner and runner-up Novak Djokovic during their respective post-final speeches.
Recently, a video showing Roger Federer and Carlos Alcaraz hitting with each other in an indoor practice court in Shanghai surfaced on social media. In it, the two can be seen interacting heartwarmingly. Later, they played forehands, backhand slices, and the 20-time Grand Slam champion's signature one-handed backhand could also be seen in action.
Watch the Swiss and the Spaniard enjoying each other's company while practicing in Shanghai below, as shared by Tennis TV:
Carlos Alcaraz followed up his trip to Shanghai by heading straight to Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, to participate at the Six Kings Slam; a high-profile exhibition event also featuring Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Jannik Sinner, Daniil Medvedev, and Holger Rune.
Meanwhile, Federer had mentioned in the build-up to the 2024 Laver Cup how he once rejected a practice session with Alcaraz.
"I'd rather warm up with Carlos Alcaraz's coach" - Roger Federer recalled snubbing Spaniard at Wimbledon training session
The 2024 Laver Cup marked the debut of Carlos Alcaraz in the team tennis event co-founded by Roger Federer himself. Before this year's edition commenced, the 20-time major winner revisited the 2019 Wimbledon Championships, where he hit with Alcaraz once but refused to practice with him again. Instead, the Swiss chose to practice with Alcaraz's coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero.
"I only practiced once with him at Wimbledon when he was still a junior, and then the next day, my coach said, ‘Do you want to warm up with him again?’ and I said, ‘No, it’s okay, I’d rather warm up with his coach, who was my generation, Juan Carlos Ferrero.’ I can apologize to Carlos this week," Federer said during an interaction with the media in Berlin ahead of the 2024 Laver Cup.
Carlos Alcaraz would eventually prove to be the most important player for Team Europe at the 2024 Laver Cup. The four-time major winner almost single-handedly turned things around for his team. Thanks to the reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion, Team Europe became Laver Cup winners again after Team World's two-year stranglehold on the trophy.