Carlos Alcaraz says he was ‘enchanted’ by ‘magnificent’ Roger Federer and ‘admires’ Rafael Nadal

Carlos Alcaraz says watching Roger Federer play was like “looking at a work of art” and that he became “enchanted by him”.

Alcaraz, 19, made his big breakthrough last summer when he won the US Open and became the youngest No. 1 in ATP history.

Alcaraz and Federer never faced each other on tour, but Alcaraz clearly has deep admiration for the 20-time Grand Slam champion, as well as his fellow Spaniard Rafael Nadal.

“I admire him a lot. But Federer, the class he had, the way he got people to see tennis: That was beautiful.

“Watching Federer is like looking at a work of art. It’s elegance, he did everything magnificently. I became enchanted by him.”

Nadal and Federer have, along with Novak Djokovic, been the dominant force of men’s tennis over the last 20 years.

They have won 64 Grand Slam titles combined and have broken numerous records in the sport.

“What Rafa, Roger, and Djokovic have done is almost impossible,” added Alcaraz.

“I think when you’ve won your first Grand Slam you realise how complicated that is.”

Alcaraz clinched his maiden major in memorable style, winning three successive five-set matches before beating Casper Ruud in the final with the world No. 1 ranking on the line.

But his form for the rest of the season was patchy and he missed the Nitto ATP Finals due to injury.

He admits it was tough to return to his top level after experiencing such a high at the US Open.

“I had a bad period after I won the US Open,” he said. “That sounds like I’m making it up, but…well, I enjoyed that moment a lot, but the truth is, when I had to go back into competition, there was a point when I went: ‘Stress!’ You know?”

“Maybe I hadn’t fully taken on board what had happened. Or maybe, instinctively, I lost a little hope. I think what happened was, when I saw that I’d achieved what I’d dreamed of since I was a little kid, unconsciously that aspiration dimmed a bit. And that was hard. Because no one was enjoying it – I wasn’t, on the court; Juanki [coach Juan Carlos Ferrero] wasn’t, seeing me so shut down and lacking in spark. I thought, Where do I go now?”

Alcaraz also missed the Australian Open in January due to injury but returned in impressive fashion at last week’s Argentina Open as he won his seventh career title.

Coach Juan Carlos Ferrero says there are still areas of his game to improve.

“Those of us who are on the inside like to be a bit more cautious. I think Carlos has qualities that make him tremendously well placed to be one of the best in history. That’s clear to me. But obviously many things can happen.

“He’s young. There are a lot of things he doesn’t see. We all know what the risks are: partying, getting distracted, not concentrating on tennis. When you’ve got the opportunity to meet the rich and famous it’s easy to get disoriented.

“Now a lot of people will tell him that he does everything very well. But those of us around him have to try and see the reality. He’s got to get better at everything—consistency, attitude at difficult moments, maturity on the court. We’ve got to work on his weaknesses.”