A former ATP professional has rubbished the comparison between Carlos Alcaraz’s win over Novak Djokovic and the one achieved by Roger Federer over Pete Sampras in 2001.
Federer’s win is a clear changing of the guard moment for tennis but Robbie Koenig doesn’t feel that Alcaraz has assumed the mantle of dominator of Wimbledon or tennis as a whole just yet.
Koenig feels that Djokovic is far from done and Alcaraz won’t have things all his own way just yet either.
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He would add that Alcaraz also did not achieve the same kind of dominance in beating Djokovic that Federer did when he blew past Sampras to deny him another title.
While Sampras would go on to win one more Grand Slam after that loss to Federer it became clear that his time as king of tennis was clearly over.
Koenig doesn’t believe that the same is true of Djokovic at this stage.
“[A] couple of commentators here were talking about the Federer-Sampras match being similar to that,” Koenig told the Tennis Channel.
“It’s not similar at all.
“Djokovic has won two majors here by the way and Alcaraz has just and only just sneaked out this one
“He’s [Djokovic] has such a disrupted last couple of years that, if he’s going to be in full flow and play the schedule he wants for the next three or four years he’s going to be challenging at the shop.
“I mean look how easily cruised through the draw at Wimbledon.
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“But there’s definitely no passing of the torch I don’t even think it’s remotely comparable to the Sampras-Federer match that everybody was talking about.”
Koenig is not willing to go out on a limb as to how many Grand Slams Alcaraz will end up with but believes he is more than capable of notching 15 or so if things go well for the Spaniard.
He feels that Alcaraz might have to guard against complacency to get the most from his career.
“If Carlos Alcaraz plays until he is 33. So, he has got 13 years. Let’s just say he plays for 12 more years, that is 48 more slams.
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“And if he doesn’t get too full of himself, I would say 15.”
“That is if he doesn’t think he doesn’t have to go out and work hard and it’s gonna come easy.
“He needs to continue what he’s doing now and looks like he will.
“He has that passion, that smile, that excitement, and that feel for what he’s doing.”
