'Not Fair To Say That': Federer Refuses To Says Alcaraz Is Mix Of Big Three

Monday, 16 October 2023 at 22:33

byEvita Mueller

During a recent interview on the ATP Radio Podcast, Roger Federer refused to call Carlos Alcaraz a mix of himself, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic.

Federer and Alcaraz never got to play against each other in a competitive match, which remains a huge regret for the young Spaniard, but it's not something he had control over.

Alcaraz grew up idolizing Federer and wanted to play him when he grew up, but ultimately, he arrived a little too late for that. He'll be delighted to know that Federer is a huge fan of his and likes how he plays, which should be consolation enough.

However, during a recent appearance on the ATP Radio Podcast, he refused to call him a mix of himself, Nadal, and Djokovic while admitting that he has elements of all.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, for sure. I see, I mean, a bit of the power obviously on the forehand side, Rafa’s style a little bit. Maybe also mine, like you say, more the technique maybe from me potentially. Obviously you see the dropshot, you see he’s using slice, he can play from back like Rafa can

— Federer on the comparisons<br>

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And then he’s got obviously some defensive skills that rival Novak’s but Novak’s obviously at an elite level because when you do it for so many years, you stand alone basically. Like Rafa on clay and all that.

He's been called a mix of the Big Three by several people, including Novak Djokovic. Federer explained why those comparisons are made; however, he prefers to be looked at as an individual. Federer agrees with that, preferring to simply call Carlos 'Carlos.'

Maybe there’s a combination but it’s also not fair to say that because Carlos is Carlos, like Novak is Novak and Rafa is Rafa. I don’t like it when there is just too many comparisons, I like when they stand alone.