After Roger Federer said he was going to apologize to Carlos Alcaraz for snubbing him for a practice during 2021 Wimbledon, the Spaniard star has responded to the Swiss comments ahead of the 2024 Laver Cup.
The four-time Grand Slam champion had only lovely things to say about Federer, who is also in Berlin for the Laver Cup. “I remember Wimbledon training as if it was yesterday. I will never forget it. It was a unique moment,” he told Spanish media on Thursday.
“I will never forget the first time I met Federer. I have the photo in my room,” he said on their 2021 meet-up. The 20-time Grand Slam champion said that while he had practiced with Alcaraz, he decided to not hit up with him in a second practice, preferring to do so with Alcaraz’s coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero.
“I barely know Carlos Alcaraz so I’m really excited to see him play for the very first time,” Federer said on Wednesday. However, since then, the stars have already started to bond on Thursday, during previews. With Federer even helping Alcaraz, who is 21 years old, with his tie:
While Alcaraz and Federer didn’t meet in an official match on the ATP Tour, tennis fans have a chance to see them interact this weekend as Team Europe and Team World battle for the seventh edition of the Laver Cup. It’s Alcaraz’s first time in the tournament.
Team Europe wants to recover the Laver Cup trophy
Team Europe dominated the Laver Cup by winning the first four editions, but Team World responded with victories in 2022 and 2023. John McEnroe’s squad secured a commanding 13-2 win in Vancouver, Canada, last year.
This year, Carlos Alcaraz will join Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov, and Stefanos Tsitsipas on Team Europe. Team World will feature recent US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Ben Shelton, Alejandro Tabilo, Francisco Cerúndolo, and Thanasi Kokkinakis.