What makes Roger Federer so special

What remains of Roger Federer after the end of his career? How does it affect subsequent tennis generations? To answer that, you have to look at what made Federer what he is.

UAmid all the anecdotes, photos and especially videos that flooded the internet as the great Roger Federer announced the end of his career, there was one that showed a slight boy with bushy black hair. The boy is sitting on a bench in the sunshine. He looks a little timidly into the camera and answers the series of questions that are put to him in a child’s voice as clear as a bell. “Who is your biggest role model?” the interviewer finally wants to know. The boy doesn’t even hesitate for a millisecond. “Roger Federer,” he says. Then a smile crosses his face.

The boy in the video is Carlos Alcaraz, then 12, now 19 years old. Less than a week ago, he won his first Grand Slam title at the US Open, making him the new number one in the tennis world. Many recognize him as his Spanish compatriot Rafael Nadal. In his energetic game, his youthful force, his exuberant fighting spirit. Nadal has won more Grand Slam tournaments than anyone else, has long been number one, has been a folk hero in Spain for many years. And yet Alcaraz sat on a bench as a hopeful tennis talent and beamed at the thought of his biggest rival.