Carlos Alcaraz told to copy Roger Federer after being left frustrated in defeat at the Shanghai Masters

The Spaniard was unable to continue this form into the Shanghai Masters, as Alcaraz was beaten by Zizou Bergs in just his second match at the tournament.

Alcaraz was clearly frustrated throughout the match against Bergs, and he has now been given some advice by former US Open finalist Greg Rusedski as to what he should do going forward.

Carlos Alcaraz to play fewer tournaments like Roger Federer did

Alcaraz has been vocal about his frustrations with the current tennis schedule, and has suggested he could miss some big tournaments in the future.

While Rusedski appears to be in support of this, he has advised Alcaraz to play an even more limited schedule like Federer did in his career and prioritise how he feels both physically and mentally on court, instead of appearance fees and prize money. Rusedski also suggested that Alcaraz’s former coach Juan Carlos Ferrero may have been better at helping his schedule than his current coach Samuel Lopez.

“Sometimes don’t worry about losing out on money and points if you’re not ready to play,” Rusedski said on his podcast. “I think the thing for Carlos Alcaraz which bothered him the most was the ball, he was complaining profusely about the ball against Bergs and that was a problem, because the ball was sliding, it was bouncing.

“He said, ‘I couldn’t feel what it was doing on the court’, and you had a quick court. I thought the ball and the court combination were brilliant, because you could attack, you could come forward, you could do multiple things. But when you change ball week in, week out, that can be a problem with a different court speed.

“So frustration there, missing some of the mandatory press conferences and appearances and stuff like that, not so sure about that, but I think it’s possibly frustration. You don’t always have to take the appearance money, you can find a way around the schedule. Last year, I think he made $60million, I mean that’s enough for a lifetime!

“So I think he’s okay. Let’s just get the balance right and find a way to manage it. Federer throughout his career played 12 events a year, he won seven of them and his ranking was one or two and he was winning majors. So play less, it’s as simple as that! And don’t worry about the mandatory events and sometimes take the fines and loss of points and find the balance.

“But this is where someone with experience like Juan Carlos Ferrero, for example, has more experience than a Sami Lopez. Sami Lopez has done a great job, no question about it, but he hasn’t lived the experience that myself or Juan Carlos Ferrero have as being Slam champions or being number one as Juan Carlos was, winning the French Open, and getting the balance of preparation right, especially when you’re at the very, very top of the tree.”

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Rusedski continued, “Carlos is such a big name that it doesn’t matter what his ranking is or whether he loses money or he loses certain points. Find the scheduling that works for you and makes you happy. Because the better you feel, the better you’re going to play, the better your schedule, the better your results. It is easier said than done when people are throwing millions of dollars for you to play every week, but still there is a question mark, how much do you need? Let’s find a solution.

“We love Carlos, for me he is the brightest light in the sport, I mean he’s the most exciting player to watch. He’s just got to be really smart with how he schedules himself as well. He’s got to be careful with playing the events outside from the tours, from the exhibitions to the Davis Cups and find the balance for himself.

“Roger Federer was the master at that, so is Novak Djokovic, those are two of the best of all time. Rafa [Nadal] was a human machine where he could play week in, week out, but his body took the punishment.

“I think if I’m looking at Carlos Alcaraz, I would have spent a little time with Roger Federer at the Laver Cup and said ‘Rog look, I’m not getting this scheduling thing right, how did you do it? What’s the secret, how do I manage this well?’. Just pick his brain a little bit, because we all want to see him play every week, but it’s not good for him and it’s not good for tennis when he’s that frustrated on a tennis court.”

How many more tournaments will Carlos Alcaraz play in 2026?

Rusedski has pinpointed 12 tournaments as the number Federer regularly played in a year. Alcaraz has played 10 tournaments so far this year, but he has also missed nearly five months of the season, missing both Roland Garros and Wimbledon.

Despite missing so much of the 2026 season, Alcaraz looks set to take his total over those 12 tournaments with a busy schedule to end the year.

Alcaraz could still play four more tournaments this year, having just received a wildcard into the Vienna Open. The Vienna Open is one of four events Alcaraz is likely to play alongside the Paris Masters, the ATP Finals and the Davis Cup Finals.

These are four tournaments that Alcaraz has never won before in his career, having previously struggled on indoor hard courts, relative to other courts and conditions.

Alcaraz’s next tournament is the ATP 500 event in Vienna, which begins on Monday, October 26.

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