Roger Federer is back in Melbourne: Jannik praises Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz before the Australian Open. The maestro recognizes himself in the Spaniard.
The most important thing in brief
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Roger Federer is back in Melbourne, he will be a part of the opening day.
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The Swiss raves about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz: “Their tennis is incredible.”
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The 44-year-old can obviously identify particularly well with the Spaniard.
Roger Federer is back in Melbourne. The six-time winner will play an important role on the opening day of the Australian Open. Even before that, he’s back at the facility Down Under – to the delight of the fans.
In a press conference, the Swiss said: “I never really had the chance to say goodbye to the tournament like I wanted. I have incredible memories here, especially the 2017 title.”
At that time, the Swiss ended a four-year dry spell in Grand Slam tournaments. A year later, at the age of 36, he won his 20th and final major title at the Australian Open.
Roger Federer raves about Carlos Alcaraz
This year the favorites are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz – Federer is also clear about that. He said at a press conference: “Your tennis is incredible. Their final in Paris was probably one of the greatest matches in history.”
The rivalry between the two is “fantastic” for the sport of tennis. Nevertheless, it is also clear with whom Federer identifies more: “When I watch Carlos, I see similarities to myself. How he throws in stop balls, comes to the net and varies…”
But it’s not just Alcaraz’s style of play that inspires the Swiss tennis icon: “His mentality – I feel a connection there.”
Federer on Alcaraz title: “It would be an incredible moment”
With a tournament win, the 22-year-old could achieve the “career Grand Slam” (title at all four majors). Federer says: “That would be completely crazy at his age. But let’s hope he pulls off the crazy thing – it would be an incredible moment.”
However, the Australian Open is not necessarily Alcaraz’s favorite tournament: he has never made it past the quarterfinals. Jannik Sinner, on the other hand, is competing as the two-time defending champion.
As world numbers 1 and 2, the two can only meet in the final at the earliest. It would be the fourth “Sinncaraz” major final in a row. Whether that happens will become clear from the start of the tournament on Sunday.
