Andy Roddick says Carlos Alcaraz has one skill which is exactly the same as what Roger Federer had

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Andy Roddick compared Carlos Alcaraz to watching Roger Federer after seeing the Spaniard win the French Open.

The 21-year-old further established himself as one of the game’s best players after he won the third Grand Slam of his career and first in Paris.

He overcame Alexander Zverev, who led by two sets to one, in five sets to triumph on court Philippe Chatrier on Sunday evening.

The World number two now has the same number of Roland Garros titles as Roger Federer, who claimed his only clay court Grand Slam in 2009.

Andy Roddick explains how Carlos Alcaraz is similar to Roger Federer

Alcaraz found himself down two sets to one after squandering a 5-3 lead in set three which Zverev won 7-5. But after taking a medical timeout Alcaraz went into overdrive and conceded just three games over final two sets as he overwhelmed Zverev with his power and mental strength.

He has often been described as having aspects of his game similar to Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic.

On his ‘Served’ Podcast, Roddick explained something he noticed about Alcaraz’s game that reminds him of the Swiss Maestro.

“Carlos Alcaraz has this insane thing to watch as he has all the shots, he can do everything, but he always takes his shot,” he said. “Roger, you always felt was playing on his terms. He was going to step in.

“Alcaraz still makes way more unforced errors than prime Nadal, Federer and Djokovic but most of them are on his terms. He’s trying to do something. He might miss a forehand wildly where you’re going that was probably the right shot, he just missed it.

“But it’s the shooters mentality, I didn’t have it, if I started missing I would go I’m trying to keep the ball on the court. But Roger was the same, he could dump a forehand half way up the net and then up the risk profile, almost. He would go and try the same shot, he just knew he’d make the same one.”

How did Andy Roddick compare Carlos Alcaraz to Pete Sampras?

Many aspects of Alcaraz’s game have been praised, but perhaps none more than the mental resilience he possesses at such a young age.

He is unbeaten in Grand Slam finals and has lost just one five-set match in his career. The 2003 US Open champion attributed this to his attacking game, similar to that of 14-time major winner Pete Sampras.

The 52-year-old, who won Wimbledon seven times and never lost a final at SW19, possessed a fearsome serve as well as precise volleys and elite athleticism that enabled him to play an offensive and fearless brand of tennis.

“He has that old school, shooters mentally like Pete Sampras, chips are down, I’m going to hit my second serve on a big point and live with it,” Roddick added. “It’s such a weird mental thing to be able to do, it’s just phenomenal.”