Why Roger Federer compares Carlos Alcaraz to Rory McIlroy

Dubai: Tennis seemed to have gone back in time on Thursday as Roger Federer met the press in Melbourne for the first time since 2020 and gave his valued opinion on a player who, according to Swedish former world No 1 Mats Wilander, would do well to hire the Swiss as his coach.

The 20-time Grand Slam winner and tennis royalty was at hand ahead of his much belated farewell tour to the tournament, saying Carlos Alcaraz winning the Australian Open to complete the career Grand Slam aged just 22 would be “crazy”.

“At his young age to be able to complete the career Grand Slam already would be crazy,” Federer said at Melbourne Park, where he will headline a “Battle of the World No. 1s” at the official launch of the 2026 Australian Open on Saturday.

“Let’s see if he’s able to do ‘crazy’ this week. I hope he does because for the game that would be an unbelievable and special moment.”

Federer, a six-time Melbourne champion, compared Alcaraz’s wait to lift the title there to Rory McIlroy’s agonising attempts to win a first Masters in golf.

The Northern Irishman finally did it last year to complete the Grand Slam.

“It’s like Rory going for the Masters. Those things are tough,” said Federer.

The now-retired Federer was then asked by reporters about Joao Fonseca, an up-and-coming Brazilian talent aged 19.

Federer spoke glowingly of the teenager, saying: “What separates him from a lot of the other guys in the draw is just his power — forehand, backhand, serve and just what he’s able to bring point by point.

“He’s exciting, he’s got good aura, he’s a very likeable character as well. I like watching him play.

“The sky’s the limit.”

The 44-year-old also spoke about Alcaraz’s rivalry with Jannik Sinner, saying: “The rivalry between Alcaraz and Sinner, I think, is a great one. They play incredible tennis. That French Open final was unreal. It just ended up in this most crazy fashion, maybe one of the greatest games we’ve ever had in our sport.”