Federer warns Alcaraz to stop running for every ball
Tennis icon Roger Federer has nothing but praise for Carlos Alcaraz's game but e has noticed one thing that he believes the 21-year-old needs to change going forward because it could potentially hurt his health and ultimately career.
Last week, the former 20-time Grand Slam champion was in Berlin for the Laver Cup. During his time there, he had a chance to watch live the four-time Grand Slam champion. And the Spaniard certainly didn't disappoint, having claimed a straight-set win over Ben Shelton before also beating Taylor Fritz in a match that sealed Team Europe's victory over Team World.
From his VIP position, the 43-year-old enjoyed Alcaraz's tennis as the cameras even caught him once approving a stunning shot made by the Spaniard.
While Federer loves what the current world No. 3 brings to the table, he warns him that he must learn how to be more selective where he runs to the fullest since he has noticed that the 21-year-old also goes with the full strength even in "unnecessary" situations. And by stating that, the Swiss aren't saying that he should relax or anything like that but simply accept that going 100 per cent in every situation does more harm than good.
"His intensity, the power in his shots already, and his physical capabilities. Obviously, he's got to be careful, you know, (that) he doesn't run basically for every ball because it's not necessary. But he'll learn that with age and with time. But also very strong (mentally) when it matters the most," Federer told Stan Sport, via Nine's Wide World of Sports.
Going into the 2023 grass season, the Spaniard insisted that he didn't have big expectations because he felt he still needed to learn a lot about playing on the trickiest tennis surface. But then, he ended up going perfect and winning back-to-back titles at the Queen's Club and Wimbledon.
His first triumph at The Championships was particularly impressive since he managed to edge out Djokovic in a marathon 1-6 7-6 (6) 6-1 3-6 6-4. By doing so, Alcaraz became the first player to beat the Serb at The All-England Club since 2017. This past summer, the 21-year-old repeated as Wimbledon champion but this time beat the 37-year-old in three sets in the final.
"Fifth set, this is stuff that we know that Novak thrives and plays at his absolute best. And for Carlos to come through that, I mean, for me, that's when he showed like 'OK, he's the guy' and he's going to be around for a very long time... incredible movement and power," Federer reflected.
