Roger Federer Explains Why Men’s Tennis Looks Quite Different When Compared to His Playing Days

Roger Federer retired at the Laver Cup in 2022 after clinching 20 Grand Slam and many other trophies in his career.

Roger Federer Explains Why Men’s Tennis Looks Quite Different When Compared to His Playing Days

Roger Federer (Image via X/Tennis Channel)

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Roger Federer is in San Francisco for the Laver Cup, though he is not participating in it. It was here back in 2022 that Federer hung up his racket after playing the doubles match along with Rafael Nadal.

Federer also joined journalist Jon Wertheim and former rival Andy Roddick for the Served podcast. There, along with several other questions, Roddick asked him what he thinks has changed in men’s tennis today.

I think, more baseline, slugfest, just more heavy hitting. And it’s a forehand…It’s full on, baby. Forehand goes big, backhand goes big. Forehand goes big, backhand goes big. Back in the day, we used to have… every player used to have a little hole in their game where…I mean, our backhands to backhands were massive. We would slice it against each other. So there was a bit of feel to it. But it’s true, though. That’s what I think I see now. And I think it’s just getting more and more physical.

Tennis has become quite faster, and the players dominating the men’s tour are Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Federer is convinced the two youngsters will become legends of the game.

Roger Federer lauds Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz

Jannik Sinner is not in action as he is not playing at the Laver Cup. He, in fact, has never made his debut in the team event.

Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz
Jannik Sinner, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Jannik Sinner HQ)

Team Europe’s Carlos Alcaraz has made his second appearance and has lost his singles and clinched doubles with Jakub Mensik, defeating Team World’s Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen. On the final, Alcaraz and Casper Ruud will face the pair of Reilly Opelka and Michelsen, while in singles, he will square off against Francisco Cerundolo. Last year, his win over Fritz helped Team Europe clinch the title.

After the Laver Cup, Alcaraz’s next destination will be Tokyo, as he is set to make his debut at the Japan Open, choosing to skip the China Open and therefore not to bid for the title defense.

Sinner and Alcaraz have been dominating in Grand Slam events since the 2024 season, sharing six Majors between them. The Laver Cup, in fact, is the Spaniard’s first tournament since the US Open, where he stopped Sinner from defending his title. Sinner played the finals of every Grand Slam event this season, becoming the youngest man to do so. Roger Federer could see nothing but a bright future for them. He said during an interview with Tennis Channel:

They’ve made a name for themselves, and that begs the question, ‘Who’s going to be the next guy?’ … It’s going to be hard, and it’s going to take some time. It’s the question also, how long can they keep doing this? It’s not easy. I’ve been there. It’s hard, and they’re making it look very easy.

Sinner will next be playing the China Open to bid for his second title of the tournament as well as his third overall title of the season. The two titles he clinched were at the Australian Open and Wimbledon by beating Alexander Zverev and Alcaraz, respectively. Apart from the two trophies, the four-time Grand Slam champion also played the finals of four more tournaments, including at the French Open, losing the match to the World No.1.

Since the Italian Open, whether Alcaraz and Sinner are in the same draw, they have seen themselves face each other in the final. The next tournament that both will play is the Shanghai Masters. Alcaraz reached the quarterfinals last year, while Sinner will be bidding to defend his title. He defeated Novak Djokovic in straight sets last year.

Also read: Joao Fonseca Relishing the Laver Cup Experience After Raising Team World’s Morale With Key Victory on Day 1