We often hear about parents or spouses being a pillar of support in the careers of tennis greats. But Carlos Alcaraz has a unique story. While his parents supported him during his early days in the sport, it was in fact his brother, Alvaro, who is often seen with the Spanish sensation nowadays. The two travel together across the world at tennis tournaments, and Alvaro can be seen cheering for Carlos Alcaraz from the stands. While the younger sibling has been garnering all the attention, it was the big brother Alvaro who became a talking point on social media as his pictures with Roger Federer went viral.

Last week, Alcaraz played in the Shanghai Masters where he lost in the quarterfinals against Tomas Machac. Interestingly, Federer also made his way to Shanghai and watched a few matches there. During Federer’s time at the tournament, he also had a wonderful interaction with Alcaraz’s elder brother, Alvaro. The latter also played competitive tennis once but quit the sport, as he chose to be by his younger brother’s side.

Further, Alvaro’s wish also got fulfilled as he played a few rallies against Federer in Shanghai. The pictures of Federer and Alvaro hitting it out together went viral on social media. While thanking Federer for his time, Alvaro said, “My dream come true,” as he was left emotional at Federer’s humility.

While Federer and Carlos Alcaraz haven’t crossed paths often, the two grabbed eyeballs while being seated together during the Shanghai Masters finals between Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner. The duo enjoyed the match as Sinner emerged victorious in a tough encounter. One of the reasons why Federer and Alcaraz appeared together was that both of them were being sponsored by Rolex, the tournament’s title sponsor.

At 21, Alcaraz has gone on to become one of the best players of the current generation. However, Federer issued a piece of advice to the high-flying Spanish superstar.

Roger Federer on Carlos Alcaraz: ‘He’s got to be careful’

Last month, Federer watched Alcaraz play live at the Laver Cup in Berlin. The Spanish sensation was at his best as he defeated the likes of Ben Shelton and Taylor Taylor Fritz in straight sets. Eventually, Alcaraz played a pivotal role in helping Team Europe lift the Laver Cup trophy. While Federer was impressed by Alcaraz, he cautioned Alcaraz to move with care ahead.

Federer revealed, “His intensity, the power in his shots already, his physical capabilities that he has. Obviously, he’s got to be careful, you know, (that) he doesn’t run basically for every ball because it’s not necessary. But he’ll learn that with age and with time. But also very strong (mentally) when it matters the most.”

The Swiss maestro very well knows what injury setbacks can do. Toward the end of his career, Federer suffered from knee injuries which eventually became a big reason for his retirement in 2022. Similarly, Rafael Nadal also decided to call time on his illustrious career after this season as injuries have taken a toll on him. Thus, Alcaraz will have to be wary of injury setbacks as he looks to dominate the ATP Tour.