"That's when he showed he's the guy": Roger Federer praises Carlos Alcaraz for his heroics in Wimbledon 2023 final

Switzerland’s legendary tennis star Roger Federer has heaped praise on world number three Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz. The 21-year-old is already regarded as one of the best players currently playing in men’s tennis in the singles category, along with Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Serbia’s Novak Djokovic.

Federer, who is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of men’s tennis in the singles category, having won as many as 20 Grand Slam titles in his illustrious career, has been recently quoted in a report where he praised the young Spaniard. The former world number one was of the opinion that Alcaraz showed his class in the final of the Wimbledon in 2023 — which was his second Grand Slam triumph — when he got the better of in-form Djokovic in a five-set thriller with a score of 1–6, 7–6(8–6), 6–1, 3–6, 6–4.

Federer stated that Alcaraz’s intensity has never been in question but in that encounter, he showed that he can play a waiting game against arguably the greatest player in the history of men’s tennis, that too probably at the biggest stage in London.

"I think his intensity, the power in his shots. Already his physical capabilities that he has - obviously he has to be careful that he doesn't run basically for every ball because it's not necessary,” he said. "He'll learn that with age and with time. But also very strong when it matters the most. Thinking back now when he beat Novak in the Wimbledon finals. Fifth set, you know this is stuff we know Novak Djokovic thrives and plays at his absolute best, and for Carlos to come through that. For me that's when he showed like he's the guy and he's going to be around for a very long time. I'm actually very excited to see Carlos play here because I haven't seen Carlos play live ever."