Article by Cezar Titor – published Monday, September 22, 2025, 17:25 / updated Monday, September 22, 2025 17:37
Roger Federer, 44 years old, winner of 20 Grand Slam tournaments, number one in world tennis for a total of 310 weeks, of which 237 consecutive, opened a delicate tennis debate: the surfaces and balls would be adjusted to favor the great rivalries, offering the example of Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.
In a discussion at Andy Roddick's podcast, quoted by “Corriere della Sera”, the Swiss compared his era with the current one, explaining how tournaments prefer to provide top matches between athletes who dominate world tennis.
The Swiss said that, by slowing down the surfaces and using heavier balls, more favorable conditions are created to top players, especially for the current rivalry between Iberian and Italian.
Most recently, the Spanish Alcaraz and the Italian Sinner met in the final of the last Grand Slam tournament of the year, the US Open, Carlos being in 2 hours and 42 minutes, 6-2, 3-6, 6-1, 6-4.
Roger Federer: “This is how the chances of Sinner and Alcaraz increase in finals increase”
“I understand tournament directors who, based on some instructions, make the surfaces slower. This is how the chances of Sinner and Alcaraz increase in finals. From a point of view, it works for tennis”, Pelged Roger Federer.
He also made a parallel with the period when he dominated by the other two representatives of “Big Three”, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic: “In my time, only 12 tournaments really counted and each played better on his favorite surface. They met completely different styles: the striker against the defender. Now everyone plays the same because tournaments have allowed the balls and surfaces to be almost identical from one week to another. ”
In total, 15 games were played between the two, Alcaraz clearly departed on the peninsular: 10-5. Alcaraz leads 7-2 on the hard and 3-1 on the slag, while Sinner is better on the grass, 2-0.
3 finalsSinner and Alcaraz, all in 2025, played great Slam: Roland Garros, Wimbledon and US Open. Alcaraz won in France and the US, Sinner prevailed on the London grass.
“It would be interesting to see a Alcaraz – Sinner on a very fast ground and then on a very slow one.”
Federer believes that a greater diversity would increase the show: “It would be interesting to see an Alcaraz – Sinner on a very fast ground and then on a very slow one, to compare the result.”
Even though he emphasized these technical aspects, Federer did not challenge the value of current rivalry. On the contrary, he was impressed: “I knew they were very good, but I probably didn't expect to dominate so quickly. It's extraordinary for tennis. However, I wonder how long I can maintain this level. It seems easy but I went through it and I know how hard it is. ”
66 distinctionsof great Slam have together Federer, Djokovic and Nadal
