Sep 19, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; Team Europe player Carlos Alcaraz is in disbelief after missing a volley during a doubles match against Team World Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen during match four of the Laver Cup at Chase Center.

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‘His Handicap is Better Than Mine’ – Carlos Alcaraz Reviews Roger Federer’s Golf Skills After Laver Cup 2025 Win

Alcaraz is hoping to go back-to-back with Team Europe at the Laver Cup.

World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz delivered an honest assessment of Roger Federer’s golfing ability at the 2025 Laver Cup on Friday. The 20-time Grand Slam champion was seen engaging in a game of golf with Team Europe members, ahead of the three-day competition. Alcaraz, who picked up a crucial doubles win to round off Day-1 of the Laver Cup, lauded Federer for his stylish play on the greens.

Although Alcaraz and Federer never faced each other on tour, they have an amicable relationship off the court. The Swiss maestro was in attendance at the Chase Center in San Francisco, as Team Europe began their quest to retain the Laver Cup title over Team World. In the final match of the day, Alcaraz teamed up with Jakub Mensik to overpower Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen. Post the victory, the six-time Grand Slam champion debriefed their golfing escapade.

"It is crazy that everything he does, he does with a great style." 🏌️‍♂️@carlosalcaraz has high praise for @rogerfederer's golf game.#LaverCup pic.twitter.com/eRgvsTIHuK
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 20, 2025

“Roger is pretty good actually,” said Alcaraz. Meanwhile, Federer and the partisan American crowd were enjoying the light-hearted moment from the stands. “I’m being honest. It is crazy that everything he does, he does with great style. He swings really beautifully. The level he has is quite good; it’s quite good. I would say it’s better than mine. His handicap is actually better than mine so..”

Federer and Alcaraz on the golf course!

Father and son energy 🫶 pic.twitter.com/JD8qnBHx5a
— Bastien Fachan (@BastienFachan) September 17, 2025

Alcaraz and Mensik Give Team Europe 3-1 Lead

Competing in his first match since winning the US Open 2025 championship, Carlos Alcaraz delivered a strong statement. He partnered with Czech prodigy Jakub Mensik to defeat Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen of Team World in straight sets. The Spanish-Czech duo did not face a single break point throughout the match, and remained rock solid at the net to complete a 7-6(7) 6-4 victory. The win ensured that the defending champs completed Day-1 with a superior scoreline of 3-1.

20-year-old Mensik had already beaten Michelsen earlier in the day. In the initial stages of the men’s doubles clash, both pairs kept the rallies short and remained strong on serve. At 5-6 in the opening set tiebreaker, Alcaraz/Mensik faced set point, but managed to fend it off with aplomb. Having won five out of the seven Laver Cup editions, Team Europe knows what it takes physically and mentally to storm out of a tricky situation.

Double take✌️

The first doubles match of Laver Cup San Francisco brought all of the excitement, check out the match summary powered by Perplexity. #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/ntdmOIwnRv
— Laver Cup (@LaverCup) September 20, 2025

In the second set, all four players played their part in a captivating contest. Fritz and Michelsen naturally made the most of their powerful service motions. But despite having a superior ace count of 7-0, the Americans won only 68% first serve points when compared with 88% from Europe’s young guns. In the 10th game of the set, the World No. 5 was broken, handing Alcaraz and Mensik the win.

(Image Credits: David Gonzales, Imagn Images)

ATP

Carlos Alcaraz

Golf

Jakub Mensik

Laver Cup 2025

Roger Federer

Taylor Fritz

Tennis

Sankalp Harikrishnan

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.