Carlos Alcaraz speaks with CNN after US Open win over Novak Djokovic.
The United States was still reeling from the shock of losing to Serbia in the first round of the Davis Cup final on Sunday, when Roger Federer took the court with the world No. 1 Serb in the lead.
Just three days later, in a match that set the tone for the rest of his season, Federer produced his finest performance yet, claiming a 6-3, 6-1, 6-2 victory to become the seventh man to win at least one title at the major championships.
It wasn’t the first time the 30-year-old had been on the top of his game in recent months, but it was the first time in the past nine months that he had produced a win against a player ranked outside the top 20.
Federer, a man whose remarkable consistency — he has won the title four times and more than any other man in the career of any player, male or female — was often talked about as the next Andy Murray but never actually had the chance to compete with him on a tennis court, was dominant as he entered the match and never looked back as he went on to win his seventh Grand Slam title at the age of 38.
“That’s what the best players in the world do,” the four-time Grand Slam winner told CNN after the win, his fourth of the season. “They have to do it over and over and over again. I’ve been waiting for this day. It’s my favorite day of the year.
“I like all the matches that I play more because I have the confidence of playing those matches. I know that they don’t really matter once I have the win, and when I have the win I feel very good.”
Federer was the first American to win a Grand Slam since Andre Agassi turned pro in 1981 and only the second since Davis Cup play was introduced in 1975.
“I was really not sure how many Grand Slams I could play in my career, but I am more excited about this one than I have been,”
