Carlos Alcaraz, huh? He’s been a bit of a tennis enigma when it comes to picking his idol. Most of the time, though, he’s all about Roger Federer. You know, in terms of tennis vibes and all.
Back in the day, when Alcaraz was just breaking onto the scene, he kinda let it slip. He was all about the Swiss Maestro, idolizing Federer big time. There’s even this video floating around of a young Alcaraz singing Federer’s praises. And honestly? Not much has changed since then.
But then, as he started making a name for himself, Alcaraz began tipping his hat to Rafael Nadal too. It makes sense, right? Both being from Spain and all. Watching Nadal do his thing on the court, it’s no wonder he made it onto Alcaraz’s idol list.
Now, whether it’s Nadal or Federer taking the top spot on his idol podium, it’s kinda like, does it really matter? But, if we’re talking pure tennis speak, Federer seems to have the edge. Alcaraz himself spilled the beans to the Tennis Channel. He’s like, “Sure, Nadal’s my idol and all, but man, I wanna play like Federer.”
And then he goes, “I always say that my idol is Rafa but I really wanna play like Roger, you know? His style, his elegance on the court, it’s just something else.”
But here’s the kicker. Trying to pin down whose game Alcaraz mirrors the most is like trying to nail jelly to a wall. He’s got bits and pieces from all the Big Three. Yet, everyone’s buzzing about it. Alcaraz, though? He’s set on carving out his own legacy. “I wanna be the first Alcaraz,” he says, “not the second Federer or whoever.”
“I’ve said it many times my game is more similar than Roger’s game and I would like to play like him. I would love to play against him, at least just once,” he dreams out loud. But yeah, hope to do it, he adds with a hopeful glint.
Federer and Alcaraz have bumped into each other a few times, sure. But playing against each other on the ATP Tour? Hasn’t happened. Maybe we’ll catch them in an exhibition match down the line. For now, though, we’re all just hanging in suspense.
Takeaways
- ‣ Carlos Alcaraz has expressed admiration for both Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, but he has a particular affinity for Federer’s style of play, despite also considering Nadal an idol.
- ‣ Alcaraz aims to forge his own path in tennis, aspiring to be the first Alcaraz rather than emulating others, despite acknowledging the influence of Federer’s elegance and style on his game.
- ‣ While Alcaraz and Federer have met, they have not played against each other on the ATP Tour, leaving open the possibility of a future exhibition match between the two.