Roger Federer addresses Ivan Ljubicic’s claim of Carlos Alcaraz being the ‘SICK combo’ of the Big-3

The Swiss ace expresses keen interest to watch Carlos Alcaraz play at Wimbledon.

Roger Federer addresses Ivan Ljubicic’s claim of Carlos Alcaraz being the ‘SICK combo’ of the Big-3

Roger Federer, Carlos Alcaraz (Images via Wimbledon)

Roger Federer acknowledged the praise from his former coach Ivan Ljubicic, who compared World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz to the Swiss maestro, Novak Djokovic and Rafael Nadal. Federer said that Alcaraz is doing incredible things at a young age.

The Swiss superstar received a rousing reception on Centre Court upon his return to the most famous arena in tennis. The former eight-time Wimbledon champion did watch Elena Rybakina and Andy Murray in action from the Royal Box. Top seed Carlos Alcaraz mischievously indicated that he was jealous that Roger didn’t watch him play.

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The 20-time Grand Slam champion was asked about his former coach Ivan Ljubicic’s comments on Carlos Alcaraz. Ljubicic had said prior to the start of Wimbledon 2023 that Carlos Alcaraz is a “sick combination of Djokovic, Federer, and Nadal.”

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Roger Federer was positively surprised by his ex-coach’s comparison. However, he acknowledged that Alcaraz is a special talent, and he said that the young Spaniard will have to deal with the burden of expectations.

Speaking exclusively to Christina Macfarlane of CNN, the Swiss ace said, “He said that? That is quite a compliment. It’s a lot to live up to. I think Carlos at his young age, the age that he is right now, he’s doing incredible things.”

Federer went on to praise Carlos Alcaraz’s mindset of entering Grand Slam tournaments with the goal of winning. He said that Alcaraz is willing to put that pressure on himself to achieve success.

“I always don’t like to put too much pressure on younger players, especially like, ‘He’s going to do this.’ But he’s the type of player who says, ‘Well, I’m coming to Wimbledon, I’m coming to win. I’m coming to Paris, I’m coming to win.’ So, he’s putting that pressure on his own, which is great,” said Roger.


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Roger Federer believes that Carlos Alcaraz will achieve incredible success

Carlos Alcaraz Wimbledon 2022
Carlos Alcaraz in action during his match against Jannik Sinner last year. (Image Courtesy: Wimbledon)

Lavishing further praise on the young Spaniard, the former World No. 1 said that he foresees Alcaraz winning many Grand Slam tournaments and being at the top of the rankings chart for many years.

Federer, who was honored on his beloved Centre Court, much to the delight of tennis fans worldwide, expressed his interest in seeing how Alcaraz plays in the ongoing tournament.

The 41-year-old said that he is interested to see how Alcaraz will perform at Wimbledon, especially in the first few matches. He explained that the grass at Wimbledon is often very soft and slippery in the early rounds, which can make it difficult for players to adjust their movement. This can lead to a loss of confidence, which can then impact a player’s performance. Federer believes that Alcaraz will be a strong contender at Wimbledon, but he is curious to see how he will handle the challenges of the early matches.

Concluding his perspective on Alcaraz, Federer added that he believes Alcaraz has the potential to be a champion because he possesses a variety of weapons in his arsenal. He said that Alcaraz can win matches in a variety of different ways, which is the hallmark of a great champion.

Carlos Alcaraz has never gone beyond the fourth round of Wimbledon. He is still very young and he will fancy his chances to go deeper this year as he prepares to face Alexandre Muller in the second round.

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