Does Federer have any heirs? These “different” players who can take up the torch

Carlos Alcaraz, the hybrid

Age : 19 ans
Ranking: world number 1
Standout performances: Titles at the US Open, Madrid and Miami in 2022

• What brings him closer to Federer

Systematically compared to Rafael Nadal because of his nationality and his precocity in excellence, Carlos Alcaraz had yet another idol at 12: Roger Federer. And for good reason, he also shares many things with him: first, his desire to take the game on his own in the forehand and this ability to accelerate his racquet head to make the difference. Added to this is an undeniable creativity with frequent use of the drop shot or even the feint drop shot transformed into a long forehand shot, a Federian inspiration. Not to mention impeccable behavior on the court, an example of fair play which the Swiss had also made his trademark.

Very explosive, Carlos Alcaraz also releases a lot of power and brute force, much more than Federer. On the other hand, it is less fluid and airy than the Basel who has no equal in this area. The biggest technical difference between the two men is obviously to be found on the backhand side since the Murcian plays with both hands. “Carlitos” has finally found its cruising speed much faster than its illustrious elder. His challenge will now be to last at the top and to keep the flame alive for as long.

The eye of Arnaud Di Pasquale: “It’s a sweet mix of the three monsters. From Federer, he has this desire to be very offensive, to go forward. And it may be caricatured to say it like that, but for a Spaniard to be so attracted to the net is special. He became the youngest world number 1 in the history of the game. Perhaps he has the ability to meet the staggering standards of the ‘Big 3’. In view of his passing time, we can imagine him sticking to these three ogres and writing the next pages of tennis history..”

Stefanos Tsitsipas, the daring

Age : 24 ans
Ranking: 5th
Outstanding performances: Final at Roland-Garros n 2021, titles at the Masters in 2019 and at Monte-Carlo (2021 and 2022)

• What brings him closer to Federer

He has boundless admiration for Basel and recently said that Federer made him want to become a professional tennis player. Naturally forward and the net, Stefanos Tsitsipas has developed an attacking spirit that brings him closer to his childhood idol. And he never ceases to draw inspiration from it, like this little cross-cut backhand slice recently added to his arsenal to attract his opponents to the net and break the rhythm. He shares with the Swiss a pronounced taste for variety in the game and tries never to give his opponent the same ball to play twice. His ability to stay focused from start to finish in a match is reminiscent of the mask sometimes worn by the “Maestro”.

If he is able to take the ball early and does it from time to time, he sometimes finds it difficult to force himself and cut the trajectories, especially when doubt assails him. In difficulty, he has fewer strings to his bow than Federer, or does not always choose the appropriate solution. To put it more simply, Tsitsipas is less autonomous and able to find solutions on his own. He is perhaps just too much in his bubble and, when something comes out of it, too easily disturbed. We remember as such his 3rd round of Wimbledon against Nick Kyrgios. At the All England Club where he has still not passed the round of 16, he is still very far from the king of the grass.

The eye of Arnaud Di Pasquale: “Tennistically, it’s very beautiful, very clean with this one-handed backhand. There is also a lot of ambition, all that is very visible. But Tsitsipas seems to have trouble taking defeats and learning all the lessons to bounce back. I find him a little more fragile, much more dependent on coaching. This need to be supported, to be carried was not so intense with Federer. Obviously, we are not talking here about the little supporting gaze. The strength of the greatest is to be alone on the court and to find solutions.”

Nick Kyrgios, raw talent

Age : 27 ans
Ranking: 21st
Outstanding performances: Finals at Wimbledon in 2022, in Cincinnati in 2017, titles in Washington (2019 and 2022)

• What brings him closer to Federer

A certain innate talent, which could be described in English as “flair”. Tennis seems so easy, almost childishly simple when played by Nick Kyrgios. It is perhaps this relaxation, this ease which brings him closer to Federer for whom he has always had a certain deference (unlike the other two members of the Big 3). “Federer can do things so quickly, give you the impression that the court is shrinking and make you want to leave it”, had also considered the Aussie a few months ago, admiringly. This ability to stun the opponent with a few strokes of genius is certainly a characteristic common to both men.

Beyond technical considerations such as differences in backhand (two-handed for Kyrgios), in service or in the way of moving, their behavior on the court is diametrically opposed. The Australian is a veritable chatterbox who sometimes even likes to evolve in a certain chaos. Nothing to do with the “poker face” of the Swiss, even if the latter was angry and capable of breaking many rackets in his youth. They also have a different approach to tennis: Federer quickly assumed his ambition to become the best and to remain so as long as possible, when Kyrgios decided to exploit (partly) his potential this season only. If the latter can win a Grand Slam, his goal is not to dominate the game.

The eye of Arnaud Di Pasquale: “Kyrgios shares with Federer this ability to create, to distance his opponents with two ball shots by playing half-volley. I remember his second set against Rublev in Miami, it was amazing: winner after winner against a Top 10. The danger for Kyrgios is either to fall into extravagance or into a kind of dilettantism. He can go for a Grand Slam, if he maintains the course of professionalism. But will he want to win several? We don’t seem to. There is a side: ‘A Grand Slam, and then I bow out.’“

Grigor Dimitrov, the cursed copy

Age : 31 ans
Ranking: 24th
Highlights: Semi-finals at Wimbledon (2014), Australian Open (2017) and US Open (2019), titles at the Masters and Cincinnati in 2017

• What brings him closer to Federer

Technically? Almost everything. So much so that when he landed on the circuit, Grigor Dimitrov inherited a nickname that stuck with him (too much for his taste) for a long time: “Baby Fed”. It must be said that the gesture mimicry is obvious and the technical execution of the blows almost as precise, from the service to the forehand, through the backhand slice and the volley. The Bulgarian thus has a very wide range of shots. His flashes made many stadiums stand up. When he is in the “zone”, it is an experience of beauty as was the man with 103 titles on the circuit.

The copy is always worse than the original. And that was always a bit of Dimitrov’s problem. Very quickly compared to absolute excellence, he had to face excessive pressure which undoubtedly restrained him. If his hard work is not debatable, he certainly did not fully exploit his potential, for lack of clear direction on the tactical level. When you are so complete, it is sometimes difficult to make the right choice at the right time, especially under pressure. Combining aesthetics with efficiency is absolutely complex. Dimitrov was world number 3, won the Masters, reached the last four in three of the four Grand Slam tournaments, but he certainly does not have the special character of an extraordinary champion. Now in the second phase of his career, it is hard to see him acquiring it.

The eye of Arnaud Di Pasquale: “Tennis is not just a technique. It’s physical and mental behind. It’s nice to be able to do everything Federer does, it’s pretty crazy. But you have to do it at the important times, manage to be mentally stable enough. Not everyone is able to keep their cool. Hasn’t he suffered too much from this incessant comparison? When young, he imitated Federer, he wanted to be a tennis player. He was definitely a fan, but he wanted to be Dimitrov. It’s super hard to be expected as the new Federer. Federer, there is only one.”

Lorenzo Musetti, the equal

Age : 20 ans
Ranking: 28th
Outstanding performances: Round of 16 at Roland-Garros in 2021, title in Hamburg in 2022

• What brings him closer to Federer

A certain mastery and his touch of the ball. Whether at the level of amortization, volleys, small game, Lorenzo Musetti knows how to do everything. He is not stingy with brilliant inspirations when it comes to playing cat and mouse with his opponent. But it is on the backhand side that he is closest to Federer: he knows how to lift, play flat as well as slicer. His variety at this level is quite fascinating for such a young player, where Tsitsipas has only recently incorporated the slice into his paraphernalia. He is perhaps the only one to perform as well as his Swiss model the half-volley backhand passing with this famous wrist stroke signature of the Federian genius.

A lot of things. First, technical elements such as his closed racquet grip on the forehand and his much more jerky and less efficient gesture on serve. Then, and perhaps above all, his forward game. Since his emergence in Rome in 2020, Musetti has flourished above all on clay – a surface on which he won the first title of his career in Hamburg this summer in the final against Alcaraz, and stands less close to his line than Federer. The doubts about his physical resistance have not yet been lifted. After brilliantly leading two sets to nothing in the round of 16 at Roland Garros against Djokovic, he collapsed. He met the same fate against Tsitsipas this year. To become a great champion, he will have to progress in this area.

The eye of Arnaud Di Pasquale: “He is a great player, very interesting. But will he manage to have the same consistency, the same motivation? He has already had a period of trough and he has opened up about it. These are signals. He may make shots, but will probably be less regular. When Federer was very young, when you played against him, you said to yourself: ‘If this happens, it will be a phenomenon.’ And I don’t tell myself that of Musetti all the same. When all the pieces of the puzzle are assembled, he will necessarily be stronger than today, but to say that he will win one or more Grand Slams…“