Carlos Alcaraz Compared to Roger Federer by American Legend After Stunning US Open Triumph

“But he is the most relaxed person I’ve ever seen beside of Roger before a Slam final,” said Andy Roddick of Jannik Sinner. But when it comes to on-court action, Carlos Alcaraz usually steals the spotlight for being an analogue of Federer. You do remember what Andre Agassi said about him, right? “Alcaraz defends like Novak [Djokovic], has power and spin like [Rafael] Nadal, and has hands and finesse like Federer.” And at the end of the 2025 US Open final, even Roddick saw a glimpse of Federer in the 22-year-old.

During a conversation with Jon Wertheim on his podcast, Served With Andy Roddick, the former US Open champ opened up about his views on Alcaraz’s performance at the US Open final. He said, “I’m there in person and he was unleashing on the ball. The short, kinda Federer-esque slice was a different play. You have to think he kind of watched that Dimitrov match, or at least it made an impact where he was hitting that mixing it up out of the zones.” 

It’s not hard to imagine that Alcaraz would have drawn inspiration from Grigor Dimitrov’s clash with Sinner at Wimbledon. The Bulgarian was leading Sinner 6-3, 7-5, 2-2 in the fourth round, on the verge of what would have been the greatest upset at this year’s Slams. Though he was taken out by the untimeliest of injuries, his powerful first serves and working of the angles must surely have lain a blueprint on how to catch Sinner off guard. And with his own impeccable service game and varied shot making, Alcaraz was able to draw out 9 unforced errors from Sinner in the first set itself. 

Roddick, like everyone else in the tennis world was duly impressed with Alcaraz’s serve. He stated, “His serve is getting bigger and better, like all the time… It was intense, the way he served.” But that makes us think – How close are Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz to filling up the Big 3’s shoes? While many, including Roddick, believe that the duo has already filled the void left behind by Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic, and Roger Federer. But the list of believers doesn’t really include everyone. 

Stefano Tsitsipas previously opened up on the level of closeness that Sinner and Alcaraz had come to the Big 3. But are they actually better than the Big 3? 

Ex-Slam finalist’s take on Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz entering the land of the Big 3

Tsitsipas, during his interview with Tennis 365, claimed, “We will not be able to say that Sinner and Alcaraz are better than Federer, Nadal and Djokovic until they win the same number of tournaments, and for that it will take a lot of time. What can now be said with great certainty is that the level of Jannik and Carlos is very high.”

But he did not give up on the idea of the rising stars surpassing the bar set by the Big 3. He continued, “In the next five years, we will see new superstars with a different character than those who are currently at the top. That’s the way tennis works, in cycles. On the other hand, we can also say that Roger, Rafa, and Novak have raised a level that will not be easy to reach. They won many trophies.” 

To be fair, Carlos Alcaraz has never been fond of the label “Rafa’s successor.” While he admits it’s an honor to hear the comparison, he’s quick to remind everyone that he has no duty to replicate what the Big Three achieved. Still, anyone watching him play can’t ignore the signs—Alcaraz carries flashes of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic woven into his own unique game.