Carlos Alcaraz’s near-flawless tennis at the Laver Cup has drawn Roger Federer comparisons from his teammates. The Spaniard, however, was quick to dismiss the remarks in his on-court interview after helping Team Europe lift the trophy.
Following his straight-set victory over Taylor Fritz, which secured Team Europe’s come-from-behind, Alcaraz was asked about being dubbed ‘Fed05’ (a reference to Roger Federer during his peak in 2005) by his teammates.However, the young sensation responded by humbly acknowledging that he felt “too far” from the extraordinary level that the Swiss legend exhibited in the mid-2000s. Alcaraz expressed his aspiration to reach such heights at some point in his own career.
In a heartfelt tribute to Federer, the 21-year-old suggested that his teammates would need to come up with a new nickname, as such legendary titles should be reserved exclusively for the Swiss maestro.
“I’m too far away from that level,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll reach it one day. But it’s gonna be impossible. They have to change my name because Fed 05 is gonna be forever for [Roger Federer].”
Commenting on Team Europe’s 13-11 victory over Team World in the prestigious Laver Cup, Alcaraz expressed the team’s immense joy and satisfaction in reclaiming the title after two consecutive losses.
“It’s obviously, we came here with a goal, all of us, it was to win the Laver Cup,” he said. “I mean we I think I’m really happy. I think everybody for us… we are really, really happy about, you know, reaching the goal, winning the Laver Cup.”
“We are really, really happy with everything” – Carlos Alcaraz after winning Laver Cup
Carlos Alcaraz further praised his teammates for their exceptional efforts throughout the three-day tournament. He expressed his belief that the 2024 Laver Cup was right up there with the best tournaments in terms of the tennis quality.
He lauded Alexander Zverev for keeping Team Europe alive in a must-win match against Frances Tiafoe and thus giving him the opportunity to finish things off in the tournament’s final match.
“All of us did a pretty good work over the days, I mean, it has been a really top one. I’m gonna say we almost lost, you know, but Sascha came up with really good tennis, you know, giving my give me the chance to win the Laver Cup. So I think we are really, really happy with everything,” he said.
Federer had played the final tournament of his career at the 2022 Laver Cup. He had previously helped Team Europe lift three consecutive titles between 2017 and 2019.
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