Roger Federer’s former coach says Carlos Alcaraz did something ‘ridiculous’ in his win over Felix Auger-Aliassime

Follow us on Google Discover

Carlos Alcaraz is into his first final at the ATP Finals, having beaten Felix Auger-Aliassime in straight sets.

It was a dominant display from the Spaniard, who quelled the threat of one of the most in-form players on tour with astounding ease.

Naturally, many have rushed to laud the 22-year-old for such a professional performance, adding another win to his unbeaten run at this event.

And now, it is just Jannik Sinner who once again stands between him and ultimate glory.

Heading into that showpiece showdown, intrigue has reached a fever pitch. Paul Annacone, who has enjoyed stints coaching some of the greatest tennis players of all time, has now offered his thoughts on the tale of the tape.

Carlos Alcaraz praised for his performance vs Felix Auger-Aliassime

Speaking to Tennis Channel, he wanted to preview Carlos Alcaraz’s clash with Sinner by reviewing the former’s win over Felix Auger-Aliassime.

However, he began by praising the Italian’s professional win over Alex de Minaur, noting: “You know, Sinner just hits the ball a little bit bigger. He can’t take his time away, even though he likes to stand in early, he can’t back Sinner up, and Sinner does such a great job of being able to absorb balls on a short hop, and then pushing Demon around. It’s kind of a matter of time before he breaks down. I thought Alex did a great job.

“He only had one shot really out of the three break points to break the first set, and then Sinner went on a roll. But I thought De Minaur did a great job. This is a huge hurdle for him to get past Taylor, get that win after such a horrible loss, and he was feeling so down. I felt really badly for him about the loss to Musetti, but the sport can be so, it leaves you so naked.

There’s just nowhere to go. It’s only you out there. So a great effort for De Minaur to get this far, but Sinner’s just a class above.

Annacone then turned his attention to the ‘new two’, adding: “Look, it’s the new two. These two guys are just better than everybody else. That doesn’t mean they can’t lose to them, but over a 12-month period, they’re just better than everybody else.

“So this is a fitting final, and after watching Alcaraz play so well, particularly the first set, that was a joke. To play that kind of offensive tennis and only have two unforced errors is ridiculous, but once again, Felix showed us why he’s so good indoors. Second set, dropped the first serve percentage, but won a lot more first serve points by hitting his targets. Just a couple mistakes at the end.

“So tomorrow, I’m gonna be here about three hours early with a huge bucket of popcorn. Hopefully Jim’s not gonna ask if you get me too involved in a match. I just want to watch.

“It is gonna be absolute theatre.”

Auger-Aliassime pointed out Alcaraz’s biggest improvement after the match, remaining measured despite such a disappointing loss.

Felix Auger-Aliassime finishes 2025 ranked inside the top five

Whilst many will deservedly rush to praise Alcaraz for his win last night, Auger-Aliassime deserves so much credit as well.

After all, the run he has enjoyed across the second half of this season has been mesmeric, and shot him not just into the ATP Finals, but now into the top five of the world rankings.

Few would have predicted that at the start of 2025.

He has laid down a phenomenal foundation for success in 2026, where he will hope to make himself a genuine threat to Alcaraz and Sinner’s pre-established dominance over the ATP Tour.