Novak Djokovic snubs Federer advice with ultimate 'Roger, Rafa, and me' compliment for Wimbledon champion Alcaraz

Ever since he broke into the scene, and even more so after his maiden Grand Slam title haul at 2022 US Open, Carlos Alcaraz has been compared with the Big Three. On Sunday, moments after the Spaniard notched up the biggest win of his career to claim a maiden Wimbledon and second Grand Slam title, Novak Djokovic, who he beat in an enthralling five-setter on Centre Court, dished out the ultimate compliment for the 20-year-old while snubbing Roger Federer's advice.

Heading into the tournament a fortnight back, on the back of his first ever grass court title at The Queen's, Alcaraz's coach Juan Carlos Ferrero had haled the youngster as a mix of Rafael Nadal, Djokovic and the Swiss. When the 20-time Grand Slam champion was made aware of the statement in a recent interview on CNN, he was surprised before opining that he would not like to put such a big pressure on a young player.

"[His coach] said that?" asked Federer. "It's a lot to live up to. I always don't like to put too much pressure on younger players, especially like, 'He's going to do this.' But he's the type of player who says, 'Well, I'm coming to Wimbledon, I'm coming to win. I'm coming to Paris, I'm coming to win'."

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Ignoring the advice from Federer, Djokovic was full of praise for Alcaraz, who ended his decade long dominance on Centre Court, as he called the Spaniard as a mix of the Big Three.

"I think people have been talking in the past 12 months or so about his game consisting of certain elements from Roger, Rafa, and myself," said the Serb. "I would agree with that. I think he's got basically best of all three worlds. He's got this mental resilience and real maturity for someone who is 20 years old. It's quite impressive. He's got this Spanish bull mentality of competitiveness and fighting spirit and incredible defence that we've seen with Rafa over the years.

"And I think he's got some nice sliding backhands that have got some similarities with my backhands. Yeah, two-handed backhands, defence, being able to adapt. I think that has been my personal strength for many years. He has it, too. I haven't played a player like him ever, to be honest. Roger and Rafa obviously have their own strengths and weaknesses. Carlos is very complete player. Amazing adapting capabilities that I think are a key for longevity and for a successful career on all," he added.

With the win, Alcaraz also retained his world no.1 ranking, extending his run into a 49th week at the top of ATP charts while Djokovic remains at the second spot.

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