Carlos Alcaraz is playing the Laver Cup this weekend and he’s having a lot of fun with his teammates. The young Spaniard made his debut in doubles yesterday with Alexander Zverev, but the two champions were defeated by Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton in the last match of Day 1.
The former world number 1 will play the single today against Shelton and try to help Team Europe against Team World at the Uber Arena in Berlin. The four-time Grand Slam champion is slowly recovering after having gone through a difficult moment, caused mainly by the defeat against Novak Djokovic in the final of the Paris Olympics.
The 21-year-old from Murcia disappointed in both Cincinnati and especially at the US Open, where he stopped in the second round to suffer a very painful defeat against Botic van de Zandschulp. The current world number 3 is far from the top position in the ATP ranking occupied by Jannik Sinner, who had a much more regular season than his.
Carlitos hit some high peaks during the summer winning the French Open and the Wimbledon Championships, but he wasn’t as brilliant at other times of the season. The Spanish ace also had some physical problems that prevented him from playing his best tennis during the spring.
Casper Ruud praises Carlitos
Alcaraz wants to help Team Europe in the 2024 edition of the Laver Cup, before flying to China for the tournaments in Beijing and Shanghai. Carlos will also play the prestigious ‘Six Kings Slam‘ next month, scheduled in Saudi Arabia.
During the Laver Cup, former US Open and French Open finalist Casper Ruud paid tribute to Carlitos: “I can only say positive things about Carlos. Having the opportunity to spend time with him this week is great because he is a fantastic guy. What he is doing is incredible; having a young player like him is a great news for tennis. He can do amazing things on the court; he has a talent rarely seen in this sport, and I have great admiration for him because what he is doing is remarkably meritorious. I hope he can continue to improve and be able to defeat him in future battles, but I expect him to continue to have great success for many years to come.”
The Spaniard, despite not having lived his best season, for continuity of results, he put on the board Roland Garros and Wimbledon, as well as the silver medal at the Olympic Games in Paris. Although it is already an established and complete specimen, the Spaniard still has some defects, probably due to his young age.
Roger Federer, who is in Berlin as the tournament organizer, gave his opinion on the 21-year-old. The Swiss gave some advice to smooth out some problems that he has highlighted in the last period: “His intensity, the power of its blows, its physical abilities. It is obvious that you must be careful not to run on every ball, because it is not necessary. But he will learn with age and time,’ said the former World No.1.
The 20-time Grand Slam champion did not hide his desire to see him in action for the first time live: “But he is already very strong when it comes to the important points. Beating Novak in five sets when he was at his best at Wimbledon, he proved that day to be that player and to be here to stay for a long time. I’m excited to see Carlos play here because I’ve never seen him play live yet,” Federer concluded.
The four-time Grand Slam champion suffered a lot for his defeat in the final of the Paris Olympics, where he was the big favorite to win the gold medal. At the end of that match, Alcaraz was consoled by his illustrious compatriot Rafael Nadal, who missed the Laver Cup not being at his best.
The Spanish ace is very humble
In an interview with Marca, the young Spaniard praised Rafa: “Rafa is one of the greatest in the history of our sport. For me, he is my idol, he is the one I watched the matches with when I was a child. I have tried to learn from him as much as I could during the time we were together. I will miss him in Berlin because it was a unique opportunity to continue learning from him.
It would have been super special to repeat here in Berlin. When they gave the team and I saw that Rafa was coming, I was really excited to share the locker room with him once again. Here at the Laver Cup we are all much closer together and it would have been a unique experience. I am going to miss him and I hope he returns to the courts soon when he feels well. I hope we meet at some tournament soon.”