Roger Federer passes over Carlos Alcaraz when picking the world’s best tennis player
Roger Federer recently shared his thoughts on the rivalry between tennis stars Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. Having won 20 major singles titles, Federer is one of the greatest players ever, so he knows a lot about what makes top players stand out.
In a chat with Eurosport at the Laver Cup, 45-year-old Federer said he might rate Sinner the highest right now because of how well he played in the Masters 1000 tournament before getting injured. However, he also mentioned that Alcaraz’s best form could give him an edge. Alcaraz won his seventh Grand Slam at this year’s Australian Open but, like Sinner, has struggled with injuries in 2026.
Alexander Zverev also had a great year, winning the French Open and the US Open, while Sinner kept his Wimbledon crown. Federer said Zverev finally became the Grand Slam winner everyone hoped for. He even suggested that if Zverev and Alcaraz played right now, Zverev might have the upper hand since Alcaraz is coming back from injury. Still, considering Sinner’s strong season, Federer called him a very tough competitor.
So far in 2026, Zverev has two Grand Slam titles, but Alcaraz and Sinner lead when it comes to major wins overall. Sinner has five Grand Slams, though he’s yet to win at Roland Garros. He beat Zverev in Wimbledon 2026 and the 2025 Australian Open finals, while Alcaraz won two of the three finals against Sinner last year.
Alcaraz leads their head-to-head with 10 wins out of 17 matches, but Sinner has more career titles—30 compared to Alcaraz’s 26. Federer finished his career with 103 titles, and Novak Djokovic is just two behind him.
Speaking of majors, Djokovic (24), Rafael Nadal (22), and Federer (20) hold the top spots. Djokovic, now 39, won his last major at 36. Sinner and Alcaraz still have a long journey ahead to catch up, especially while dealing with injuries, but they’re still young and have plenty of time to grow.