Roger Federer has singled out Carlos Alcaraz as a ‘wonderful’ player who tennis fans are going to enjoy watching for years to come. The tennis icon admitted that there has been a “changing of the guard” at the top of the sport with several legends retiring.

Federer stepped away from tennis at the end of 2022. Since then, Serena Williams and Andy Murray have hung up their rackets. Rafael Nadal has now announced that he will retire after the Davis Cup in November.

Only Novak Djokovic remains of the Big Three that dominated men’s tennis in the late 2000s and the 2010s. But even the Serb, who is 37, could be on his way out in the near future.

Federer does not think tennis will be lacking quality at the top of the sport, though, pointing out that Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner are emerging as excellent players. The 20-time Grand Slam champion insists fans will “have a lot of fun” tuning into Alcaraz’s matches.

Speaking to the Shanghai Masters before Nadal had announced his impending retirement, Federer said: "You can feel the changing of the guard. Serena Williams and Andy Murray retiring, Rafa getting closer each time.

“Novak, obviously, having a tough year overall but then winning the Olympics and claiming what he always wanted to achieve, that difficult-to-reach Olympic gold. That was incredible for him.

“So, yes, you feel that everything is changing and Sinner and Alcaraz each winning two Slams, that shows you that the wave is really coming now.

“Changes are happening and they are consistent, fantastic to see. Watching Alcaraz live at the Laver Cup in Berlin was impressive. He is a wonderful player, and I think many people are going to have a lot of fun watching him in the future."

Alcaraz and Sinner have shared the four Grand Slams this year, winning two apiece. The Spaniard has now triumphed in four majors and recently defeated Sinner in the China Open final.

It remains to be seen whether Djokovic can add to his 25 Grand Slams before he retires. After winning gold at the Olympics during the summer, he admitted that the triumph was the greatest of his tennis career.

Djokovic currently sits on 99 titles and might want to seal a century before he departs the sport. He remains a force in the Grand Slams, reaching the final at Wimbledon, the semi-final at the Australian Open and the quarter-final at the US Open this year.