Miami Open: Carlos Alcaraz rival questions Spaniard’s ‘Roger Federer’ comments after recent meetings
French ATP Tour star Arthur Rinderknech has questioned comments Carlos Alcaraz made about playing ‘Roger Federer’ in every match after a recent contest between the two.
World No 1 Alcaraz has beaten Rinderknech twice already in 2026, though the Frenchman has not made life easy for the reigning Australian Open, French Open, and US Open champion in either of those contests.
Alcaraz defeated world No 27 Rinderknech in straight sets at the Qatar Open back in February, claiming a hard-fought 6-4, 7-6(5) win over the Frenchman in his opening match at the ATP 500 event, which he would go on to win.
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The pair then met again just weeks later at the opening Masters 1000 event of the year in Indian Wells, with the Spaniard forced to rally from a set down to claim a 6-7(6), 6-3, 6-2 victory in round-three action.
Rinderknech impressed many with his high level in both matches against the seven-time Grand Slam singles champion, particularly in their Indian Wells contest.
Alcaraz was asked about players raising their game against him in the aftermath of beating Rinderknech in Indian Wells, and revealed he was “tired” of players raising their level.
He said: “To be honest, I just sometimes get tired of playing Roger Federer every round. Sometimes just feel like, yeah, they playing really an insane level.
“I don’t know if I’m feeling not the right way, but I feel it’s just against me all the time. If they play like, you know, that level every match, they should be higher in the ranking. But, you know, obviously is something that concerns me. When I’m just playing, I think about that.”
Alcaraz’s comments raised a few eyebrows at the time, and he later made similar comments in the aftermath of his Indian Wells semi-final loss to Daniil Medvedev, in what was his first defeat of 2026.
However, the world No 1’s view has now been questioned by Rinderknech, who has lost all six previous meetings against Alcaraz.
Speaking to L’Equipe, the 30-year-old claimed that Alcaraz would be in “more trouble” if players always peaked against him in matches.
Rinderknech said (translated from French): “I’m not sure he’s always playing against guys who play like Federer.
“If that were the case, Alcaraz wouldn’t be winning all these matches like he does. When you see him thrashing everyone most of the time, if those guys played like Federer, I think he’d be in more trouble in his matches.
“It’s a bit like all the Ligue 1 teams when they play PSG; it’s kind of the match of the year.
“And occasionally, some of them will play a match that’s, let’s say, a little above their usual level.”
Alcaraz has also been beaten at the Miami Open this week, falling in three sets to Sebastian Korda on Sunday, with the American claiming a 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win.
And, the world No 1 maintained his previous stance when speaking post-match, suggesting that his opponents often faced less “pressure” than he did.
“When you are in that spot [world No 1], and you are winning tournaments, everything is easier with pressure for the opponents when they are playing against the best players in the world,” he commented.
“It feels like they have more to win than to lose, and it feels like they are playing without pressure. That’s how I feel.
“I try to play my best, but my opponents don’t have the pressure that they have when they play against another player.”
Rinderknech has also been beaten early in Miami this year, with the 26th seed falling in the second round to Terence Atmane.
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