Roger Federer has said he would have loved to face Carlos Alcaraz or Jannik Sinner, but missed the opportunity because of his knee injury. The 20-time Grand Slam champion returned to Flushing Meadows this week for an exhibition match ahead of his induction into the International Tennis Hall of Fame.
A career cut short by injury
Federer retired from professional tennis at the 2022 Laver Cup, but his final singles match came more than a year earlier at Wimbledon. The knee first began bothering him after the 2020 Australian Open, and he retired more than a year later in Doha, playing just five events before shutting down his season to undergo a third surgery.
His next appearance was his farewell, and he never got the chance to play against Alcaraz or Sinner on the match court. Sinner, 25, began to make waves on the tour in 2020, after Federer ended his season. By November 2021, he had cracked the top 10, but their paths still never crossed.
Alcaraz's breakthrough
Alcaraz also enjoyed his first breakthrough in 2021, when he won his maiden title and stormed into the second week of the US Open. But it was in 2022 when Alcaraz truly had his crowning moment, winning his first Major title at the US Open and becoming the youngest world No. 1 in ATP history as a result. He also missed the chance to play against Federer.
The 45-year-old was asked who he would want to face among today's players. He said: "I mean, maybe Carlos. I think he's exciting. I never got a chance to play against him, or Sinner, the same. We only practised together a little bit as they were coming up, so I missed that generation, unfortunately, a little bit."
Looking ahead
Federer added: "There's a bunch of those guys I just missed just because of my knee issues. Obviously, Novak [Djokovic] would be cool too. He's still going strong and he's still hanging in there, which is cool. So I'm thinking mostly about obviously those guys."
While Federer is firmly retired and only came to Flushing Meadows to play a friendly, he has also been keeping an eye on the draw and is looking forward to Alcaraz's return from a four-month injury layoff. He said: "It's nice to see Carlos back, and I'm happy he made it in time, so we'll see how he's going to feel. But I don't have to worry about how I would play him because I'm not there in the draw, but I wish him the best."
