The meeting of Sinner and Alcaraz in the US Open final unexpectedly brought Federer back into the spotlight!

Before these two young stars born after 2000 reached the final, public attention was mostly on the anticipated battles of Alcaraz versus Djokovic and Aliassime versus Sinner, as people were curious about the challenges the Spaniard or the Serbian legend would encounter on their path to the final.

The reason the match between Sinner and Aliassime didn’t attract much attention was that many believed Sinner would advance easily, thinking the Canadian would struggle against the Italian.

However, after the results came out, many felt embarrassed to laugh, with some viewers bluntly saying during the live stream, “We overestimated 38-year-old Djokovic and underestimated Aliassime.”

The clash between Djokovic and Alcaraz generated huge excitement before the match, partly because neither player showed any sign of backing down beforehand.

Moreover, since their previous encounters were always intense and fiery, their semifinal showdown at the US Open promised a rollercoaster match that would keep fans on the edge of their seats.

Unexpectedly, after just one and a half sets, the outcome of this highly anticipated match was already clear. What was expected to be a close contest turned into a one-sided victory, with Alcaraz sweeping Djokovic in straight sets.

On the other hand, the underdog Aliassime, despite being heavily defeated by Sinner in the first set, showed tremendous fighting spirit; roaring back with a 6-3 win in the second set, he pushed the match into an intense climax.

What made fans and viewers talk about this match was that Aliassime never collapsed; instead, he troubled Sinner significantly, forcing the Italian to take risks on crucial points, which greatly enhanced the match’s excitement.

Although the Canadian eventually lost in four tough sets, his resilience and courageous fighting spirit left a deep impression on everyone. Losing only on key points or games is nothing to be ashamed of.

After the Sinner-Aliassime match ended, some viewers expressed concern in the live chat, noting that Aliassime brought out Sinner’s best form at critical moments, which isn’t good news for Alcaraz, who won relatively easily. They also eagerly awaited whether Sinner could break the US Open men’s singles defending champion curse and add a fifth Grand Slam title, tying with Alcaraz.

Besides making Italian fans happy with Sinner’s win over Aliassime, another achievement excited them just as much.

By defeating Aliassime, the Italian not only secured finals appearances in all four Grand Slams in a single season but also became the youngest player ever to accomplish this feat, a record previously held by Federer.

Some humorously remarked that this year’s US Open seems to be targeting Federer: after multiple records were broken by Djokovic, now near the tournament’s end, Sinner has surpassed yet another of Federer’s records.

Federer has become a hot topic in the current discourse, and this is also related to Alcaraz!

After beating Djokovic and declaring “He is my idol,” when asked if he would emulate the Serbian legend’s career longevity, Alcaraz voluntarily shared Federer’s five-year plan advice for his own career.

“There’s no need to worry about playing at 35 or 38; focus on the next five years, from now until 27; then at 27, plan the next five years,” Alcaraz candidly said. He believes Federer is the most qualified to give such advice because achieving five consecutive US Open titles and maintaining top competitiveness late in his career resulted from scientific and reasonable planning. Therefore, he finds Federer’s plan very sensible and practical.

Additionally, Alcaraz values Federer’s advice because Djokovic’s ability to compete at a high level even at age 38—reaching all four Grand Slam finals this year—is proof of this. This convinces the Spaniard that following Federer’s five-year plan is highly persuasive and he firmly believes it will yield good results, potentially allowing his career to be as enduring as those of the Swiss maestro and Djokovic.(Source: Tennis Home, Author: Moon River’s Starry Sky)