Roger Federer recently recalled an instance that helped him realize how it might have been if he had faced Jannik Sinner. The 20-time Grand Slam champion also likened his game to Carlos Alcaraz, noting that both have a similar mindset and compete firmly on their own terms.
Roger Federer Shares One Instance That Explained Him How He’d Play Jannik Sinner While Relating His Game to Carlos Alcaraz
Federer, widely regarded as one of the greatest in the sport with 103 tour titles, including 20 Grand Slams, recently spoke at a press conference ahead of the 2026 Australian Open. He revealed that watching Jannik Sinner take on Grigor Dimitrov at Wimbledon last year gave him a glimpse of how a matchup against the Italian might have unfolded.
Federer noted it was the first time he thought this way, as Dimitrov’s game bore some resemblance to his own.
“At Wimbledon, when Grigor was playing against Jannik and I was sitting there, that made it easy to think how it could’ve been because Grigor plays very similar to how I played. I think it was one of the first times I thought how would it have been to play Jannik in a match situation,” he said.
It’s worth noting that Dimitrov was in control against Sinner, leading 6-3, 7-5, 2-2, before a sudden pectoral injury forced him to retire mid-match and subsequently rule him out of action for a few months. Federer also cited Sinner’s 2024 Shanghai Masters final against Novak Djokovic, where the Serb fell in straight sets.
“When I saw Jannik play against Novak in Shanghai, I didn’t feel that way, I was just watching great tennis because they both played very different to how I play,” he said.
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Federer explained that watching Carlos Alcaraz helps him understand how aggressive or defensive to be, where to hit shots, and how to dictate play.
“Carlos, when I see him, I see more like okay, I feel like there is more similarity in terms of what we would do, in terms of where we would hit a drop shot when we would come to the net. How offensive, how passive do we decide to play. I think we like to play on our terms so I put myself more into Carlos’ mindset and skin when I watch him. Now with Sinner at one time I thought “Okay, now I understand how I would probably play against Jannik,” he concluded.
With the Australian Open fast approaching, all eyes will be on how Alcaraz and Sinner navigate their draws. However, before the Melbourne Major starts, Federer will compete in an exhibition event during its inaugural opening ceremony alongside Andre Agassi, Lleyton Hewitt and Patrick Rafter.