Carlos Alcaraz has hailed Roger Federer as the Lionel Messi of tennis. Federer is regarded as one of the best players to have ever graced the sport and he was well known for his panache. The Swiss Maestro called time on his professional tennis career in the 2022 Laver Cup after playing alongside Rafael Nadal in a doubles match.

The veteran won 20 Grand Slams in his glorious career and took the sport to new heights. Federer was always a treat to the eyes and made it look all easy.

On the other hand, Lionel Messi led Argentina to glory in the FIFA World Cup to fulfill his childhood dream.

Speaking to the Argentine sports newspaper Ole (as quoted by Marca), Carlos Alcaraz said, “Yes, Federer is the Messi of tennis because of how easy he [looks playing]. Messi was the superhero in the World Cup and practically put himself in the entire country so that Argentina would consecrate itself in Qatar. I loved [Federer’s] tennis. I loved watching him play. I was watching his highlights all day, watching matches.”

Meanwhile, Carlos Alcaraz won the US Open 2022 and became the youngest to climb to the numero uno position in the ATP rankings. However, the Spaniard could not take part in the Australian Open 2023 due to a leg muscle injury and thus his number-one ranking was taken by Novak Djokovic, who went on to win the Happy Slam for the 10th time.

“I was not thinking of holding number one all year. It was clear to me that they were going to take it from me. I have not yet played as number two, so we will see what feel,” Alcaraz said.

Alcaraz last played in Paris Masters in 2022 and he will return to action in the upcoming Argentina Open this week. The youngster will play the Round-of-16 match on Wednesday.