roger federer
Federer talks Alcaraz-Sinner and AO return as ‘one of the most important points in my career’
The Swiss legend spoke to the media at Melbourne Park on Thursday
January 15, 2026
Kelly DeFina/Getty Images
Roger Federer during a press conference at Melbourne Park on Thursday afternoon.
Andy West
Even in a career as full of highlights as Roger Federer’s, some moments still stand out.
The Swiss icon, a six-time Australian Open champion, spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of attending the opening ceremony of the 2026 hard-court Grand Slam tournament. However, Federer considers his fifth title in Melbourne to be the most notable one for a number of reasons.
“I guess it must have been 2017, because that’s how it ended against Rafa in the final.” Federer recalled that he was 35 years old when he came to the Australian Open that year and had not played a tour-level match for six months. “It’s so surreal. I came here without any expectations… I’ll probably be happy with this quarter. I think Sevi [Luthi]my secret coach, Ivan [Ljubicic]believe I can do it. My reaction was more like, ‘Yeah, no, not 17, haven’t played in six months, stuff like that’.
“I played really well in the Hopman Cup. It feels good to be here. But I knew I had a tough draw and had to go through some big names to get close to winning. I think the way the final went it made it probably one of the best special finals I’ve ever experienced in my career.”
Federer capped his 2017 campaign at Melbourne Park with a thrilling five-set victory over his arch-rival Rafael Nadal. The two sides played 26 shots in this match. In the fifth set, Nadal’s serve was tied at 3-4. Federer won with a beautiful forehand serve. This shot remains deeply etched in the memory of tennis fans.
“I’ve seen it many, many times,” said Federer, who won the Melbourne title in 2004, 2006-07, 2010 and 2018. “All my friends are sending it to me. It’s on the algorithm of people I know. It’s [keeps] At the time of passing. This is a great point, perhaps one of the most important in my career. What a game, what a celebration, what a moment. ”
A new Lexus ATP head-to-head match between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner is integrating into the tennis world in a similar way to Federer vs. Nadal. The pair have won eight Grand Slam singles titles in the past and have competed in the last three Grand Slam title matches in 2025, including an exciting five-set battle at Roland Garros where Alcaraz saved three title points in the third set to win.
“It’s a great rivalry against Alcaraz and Sinner,” Federer said. “They played unbelievable tennis. I thought the French Open final was unreal. I thought the match, not because it needed it, but because it was great that we had it. I felt like for a moment the world stood still in sports and looked at what happened in Paris, that epic fifth set, because obviously for Jannik it could have ended much, much earlier.
“Then all of a sudden, it ended in the craziest way. Probably one of the greatest games in our sport. Glad we still kept that momentum going. And then they played each other in all the other finals to back that up. Everybody’s trying to keep up, they’re trying to pull away. We’ve seen their improvement over the last few years, and it’s been awesome. I’ve been training with those guys a little bit. They’re unbelievable hitters. There’s obviously more to come.”
Sinner, who is No. 2 in the PIF ATP rankings, will come to the Australian Open this year as a two-time defending champion. World number one Alcaraz, meanwhile, has the chance to become the youngest man to complete a career Grand Slam (win all four majors) if he can lift his first trophy at Melbourne Park.
“[Carlos] Know this. Just like Rory [McIlroy] Go to the Masters. These things are tough,” Federer said when asked about Alcaraz’s prospects. “At the end of the day, the momentum changed after the first round. Then there’s the peer-to-peer mentality. Indeed, trying to complete a career Grand Slam is crazy now.
“So let’s see if he can do ‘Crazy’ this week. I hope he does because it will be an incredibly special moment for the game. He’s got a hundred other players saying, ‘We don’t agree with these plans’. They’re probably going to try to stop him.”
