Carlos Alcaraz and Roger Federer sadly did not coexist on the ATP Tour for very long at all, and we therefore never got to see them play.
However, the mutual respect between these two legendary champions remains abundant, with the two waxing lyrical about one another whenever given the opportunity.
The Spaniard has already been backed to achieve great things within the sport, and is currently on a path to break every record set out before him.
If he is to truly become recognised as the greatest tennis player of all time, Carlos Alcaraz will have to surpass plenty of accolades set by Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, and last but not least, Roger Federer himself.
Fortunately, the 23-year-old has had a big head start.
Comparing Carlos Alcaraz’s achievements to Roger Federer’s at 23
Alcaraz is currently 23 years of age, and will turn 24 next May.
With that in mind, there is still plenty of time for him to extend his current lead when it comes to all three of our main metrics: total titles, Grand Slam titles and weeks at world number one.
What would have happened if Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner played at the same time as Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal?
In comparison to one another, the Swiss superstar was a slightly later bloomer, as at the age of 20, Federer had only just won his first tour-level title. Alcaraz, meanwhile, had already won nine, one of which was his first major, whilst enjoying 22 weeks at world number one.
By 21, he had added another Grand Slam title and had 13 titles compared to Federer’s three.
And even at 22, Federer had only just won his maiden major, whilst Alcaraz had doubled his tally to four, with 18 tour-level titles in total.
Now, at 23, the current world number three boasts 27 total titles, an astounding seven Grand Slam titles and 66 weeks at world number one.
However, on the latter figure, Federer had begun to catch up. He was the standing top-ranked player, having enjoyed a spree which saw him claim 30 total titles and five majors by his 24th birthday.
This is all well and good, but if Alcaraz is to remain ahead of Federer, or even keep pace, the next two years will be crucial.
Why the next two years are key if Carlos Alcaraz wants to surpass Roger Federer
The reason why these coming years are particularly important for Alcaraz, not least as he hopes to recover from his recent long-term injury, is because this is the period when Federer truly exploded.
Between the ages of 23 and 25, he added 21 titles, five slams, and roughly 104 weeks at number one. This also marked the start of his record 237 consecutive weeks on top, from 2004 to 2007.
| Age | Player | Titles | Grand Slams | Weeks at No. 1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Federer | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Alcaraz | 9 | 1 | ~22 | |
| 21 | Federer | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Alcaraz | 13 | 2 | 36 | |
| 22 | Federer | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| Alcaraz | 18 | 4 | 36 | |
| 23 | Federer | 18 | 3 | ~27 |
| Alcaraz | 26 | 7 | 66 | |
| 24 | Federer | 30 | 5 | ~79 |
| Alcaraz | 27 so far | 7 so far | 66 so far |
What makes this so special is who he had to fight off to retain that spot: a prime Nadal, with a rising Djokovic to soon enter the fray.
If Alcaraz can stay fit in the coming years and remain as successful as he has been thus far in his career, there’s no reason why he can’t feel confident about breaking every record Federer had set before him and more than earning his spot at the table with the greatest of all time.
