Roger Federer makes Carlos Alcaraz feelings crystal clear as tennis star suffers dip in form
Carlos Alcaraz has struggled for consistency since winning Wimbledon earlier this year
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Roger Federer has lavished praise on Carlos Alcaraz and thinks he's got a bright future ahead of him.
The Spaniard won Wimbledon earlier in the year, beating Novak Djokovic in July to secure a second Grand Slam title of his career.
Ever since that stunning triumph, however, Alcaraz has struggled to achieve his usual consistency.
He was unable to win the US Open, having secured that prize last year, while the 20-year-old was sent crashing out of the Shanghai Masters by Grigor Dimitrov last week.
Roger Federer has lavished praise on Carlos Alcaraz and his tennis exploits this year
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Some are wondering whether Alcaraz is merely a flash in the pan in the wake of his recent issues.
But Federer has lavished praise on the youngster and made it clear just how highly he rates the tennis star.
“Alcaraz is great," the 42-year-old, who retired from the sport last year, told the ATP Tennis Radio Podcast.
"He's still young and everything that he has achieved is fantastic, not just on clay or the hard surfaces.
“Winning Wimbledon against Novak [Djokovic] in the final is no joke.
"He didn't need to really prove that point but that's another super asterisk in his CV. It’s mighty impressive.
“Of course, as it was with Rafa [Nadal], Novak, myself, and [Andy] Murray, we all expect now every generation to produce their best tennis every single week, but it's hard to do that.
“I think Carlos has done as well as he possibly could have so far.
"And he's going to lose sometimes, like here in Shanghai, but he's doing fantastic.
“He's got a great game and obviously an unbelievable future ahead of him.”
Touching upon the Wimbledon final in July, Federer revealed he was too busy to watch the entirety of the match.
He admits to missing a 'great' match and has hailed both Alcaraz and Djokovic for their exploits on the court this year.
“The Wimbledon final, I only literally saw a couple of games that day because we are running around with the kids and doing stuff," he said.
"Then at one point, like I quickly checked just to say ‘Okay, I saw the Wimbledon final a little bit’, you know?”
“Of course, I was curious.
"I was checking the scores from time to time, but for me to sit down was just hard.
"But I was happy that the match was as great as it was, of course.
"And I love when great stories come out of the game and what Novak and Carlos have done again this year has been incredible.”
Federer was also asked whether he'd return to tennis after quitting the sport last year.
He feels that chapter is over, however, and has no qualms with being retired.
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Carlos Alcaraz is in the spotlight after his early exit from the Shanghai Masters
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“I didn’t have any plans per se as I was always trying to come back and then all of a sudden I realised that was it," he said.
"And then I was just 'okay, it is over, what now?'
"I think now I feel I am more in control of my schedule as before I was just… the afterburn of having just retired, so it has been good, honestly.
“I have to be careful I don’t do too many things, but at the same time I'm really happy to be busy, I like being with other people, love being with my family, I love to travel.
"But I guess sometimes you just have to make sure to find the right balance and I feel like I have that, so it's great."
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