Carlos Alcaraz has achieved two significant milestones with his recent Laver Cup performance. Firstly, he defeated one of Team World’s strongest opponents, and secondly, he earned the praise of his childhood idol Roger Federer. While Federer’s expression clearly reflected his admiration for the Spaniard, he certainly had some unfinished business to take care of with the 21-year-old.

Just two days before the seventh edition of the tournament commenced, Federer revealed that he had a pending apology from 2019 to make to Alcaraz. The Laver Cup founder first admitted that this would be his first time watching the four-time Grand Slam champion play but he had “only practiced once with him at Wimbledon when he was still a junior.” Apparently, after his first encounter in practice, the 20-time Grand Slam champion refused to attend the Wimbledon practice session with Alcaraz the next day.

He further added with a laugh, “The next day, my coach said, ‘Do you want to warm up with him again?’ and I said, ‘No, it’s okay, I’d rather warm up with his coach, who was my generation, Juan Carlos Ferrero.’ I can apologize to Carlos this week.” With such hype going around before teams took to court, the audience was only going to get hooked after Team World managed to get a good lead on Sept 21 when Ben Shelton and Alejandro Tabilo defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud to put them 8–4 up.

However, on the final day of the tournament, Alcaraz teamed up with Ruud to defeat Shelton and Tiafoe 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) in the early doubles match to take three points (scores tallied 8–7). The winning chances tilted back in favor of Team World (7–11) when Shelton beat Daniil Medvedev, before Zverev brought in some class act to fend off Tiafoe and closely level the score at 10–11. It all came down to the final session when Alcaraz successfully defeated the 2024 US Open finalist Taylor Fritz, overpowering the American 6-2, 7-5 at the Uber Arena and defeating John McEnroe’s team’s third consecutive chance at winning the Laver Cup. This was when Team World decided to present Alcaraz a special moniker.

Team Europe’s Alcaraz’s play style reminded his opponents of Swiss legend Roger Federer, with them dubbing him “Fed05,” a term used to refer to Federer’s peak in 2005. However, the Spaniard politely declined the comparison, saying,

“I’m too far away from that level, hopefully I’ll reach it one day. But it’s gonna be impossible. They have to change my name because Fed 05 is gonna be forever for [Roger Federer],” said Alcaraz. Roger Federer, who was present at the match, seemed visibly impressed with Alcaraz’s response, smiling widely while listening to the ATP No. 3 and clapped for his victory. However, what caught people’s attention the most were the reactions of Federer’s daughters who were seated right behind the tennis legend. Digging deeper into the matter, fans have fueled a rumor that has left many curious: Do Federer’s daughters have a crush on Alcaraz?

Along with Federer, his two daughters, Myla and Charlene, were also seen, brimming with pride for their father. The girls glanced at their father during the interview and smiled while listening to the 2024 Wimbledon champion. At one point, they were also seen looking intently at the player as he praised their father.

For those unaware, Charlene Riva Federer and Myla Rose Federer are twins who were born in July 2009. Interestingly, Federer and his wife Mirka welcomed another set of twins—this time boys—Leo and Lenny in 2014. Like their father, the four kids have also taken up various sports…While Myla and Charlene have never been interested in tennis which the Swiss player is “relieved” about, his son Lenny has reportedly been “getting serious about tennis”. Post-retirement, the 43-year-old has even become more proactive in getting to know his children—he helps the quartet get ready for school, drops them off and even helps them with their homework.

The media couldn’t help but spotlight the moment. As soon as the clip was shared, tennis fans went wild. They felt Federer’s daughters gave off true fangirl vibes toward the Spaniard as he spoke about their legendary father.

Fans find Federer’s twin daughters smitten by Carlos Alcaraz at the 2024 Laver Cup

On X, a fan shared a picture of the moment when Alcaraz humbly responded to the comparison with Federer’s prime career. In the picture, Federer appeared quite impressed with Alcaraz, smiling broadly. Behind Federer, his twin daughters mirrored a similar reaction to Alcaraz. While Charlene appeared captivated by the ATP No. 3, Myla was also spotted with a shy smile. “Federer & his daughters#Federer #Lavercup,” the fan captioned the picture. It highlighted how much fans adored the Federer girls’ admiration for the Wimbledon champion.

Another fan directly pointed out that Myla and Charlene’s reactions hinted at the rumors of a possible crush. “Roger’s daughters might have a crush on carlos,” tweeted one fan. Now, Federer’s twin girls are fifteen, and it is an age where people may develop romantic feelings. Given Alcaraz’s impressive performance, it wouldn’t be surprising if the girls truly admired the Spaniard. Another fan agreed, commenting, “Yeah. It looks like it.”