Former world
number one
Roger Federer has urged the tennis community to show some patience
when it comes to Spain’s
Carlos Alcaraz.
The 20-year-old
is often regarded as one of the most highly-rated young tennis players
currently playing in the men’s singles category alongside Italy’s Jannik Sinner.
Despite achieving
so much success so early, with some recent failures many have started to doubt whether
Alcaraz will become the heir to the likes of Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafael
Nadal.
Federer, who is
often regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s singles
tennis in the Open era, having won as many as 20 Grand Slam titles, was
recently quoted in a report where he backed Alcaraz to win silverware again and
urged the fans to show some patience as well.
“He is number
two in the world, but a 20-year-old tennis player cannot always be expected to
win,” he said. “Now Carlos is in a year of transition, a year where it is
logical that there will be more pressure because you have to maintain the high
level and also because his rivals know him more.”
“He is
intelligent, he is conscious and evolves, that is why I say that he is a
special player, of the stature of Rafa, Roger or Novak. He still has a lot of
time and can't be asked to win everything. I don't remember Rafa, Djokovic or
Federer winning everything at that age.”
