Carlos Alcaraz is set to feature in Europe’s defence of the Laver Cup in San Francisco, having recently regained the world number one ranking in a statement year from the Spaniard.
He has reached nine finals this year on the ATP tour, losing just two of them, with the most painful one coming at Wimbledon, as he lost his crown to his on-court rival Jannik Sinner. Previously, he did defeat the Italian in the Roland Garros final, making a courageous and stunning comeback to win his second title.
Alcaraz recently added the US Open title to his arsenal, raising his tally to six, along with the three Masters 1000 titles he has clinched this year. This is something that he has worked towards for his whole career, voicing the efforts he has put in at the Chase Centre ahead of the Laver Cup, which begins on the 19th September.
“My whole life, I’ve been working so hard to be in this position,” The world number one said. “Taking care of the tennis, resting well, everything; working on and off the court the best I can. It’s not an easy path. You have to work 100 percent every day. Even on the days you don’t want to train, you have to go for it. It’s been a really long, tough path, but really beautiful, as well.”
Alcaraz not always the best
Surprisingly, Alcaraz revealed that when he was younger, he was not steamrolling every competition. Despite not being the best, his love for tennis and work ethic propelled him above the rest.
When asked if he thought he would become the number one in the world, he said “I didn’t know, to be honest,” said Alcaraz. “A lot of players, when I was 13, 14 years old, were better than me. A lot of players achieved more than I did. But, for me, tennis was everything. It was my life. It was just in my head to at least try it. I just wanted to try to be professional.”
He was not spoilt for choice when searching for tennis idols in his upbringing. Fellow countryman Rafael Nadal was the obvious candidate, with the pair sharing the court at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “Rafa was my idol since I was a little kid,” Alcaraz said. “The way he approached the game. And, obviously, Roger, the way he played, the style, the elegance he had on the court. He was somebody I looked up to, too.”
Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz
Nadal has helped Europe clinch many Laver Cup titles, with Alcaraz hoping to do the same this weekend. Despite still getting his head around playing on the same side as some of his rivals, it is one of his favourite events on the tennis calendar.
“It was weird. My rivals, one week ago I was fighting against them on the tennis court, and now they were my teammates. But I loved it. I loved the energy, the atmosphere. We’re all together just to try to bring the Cup to Europe. To get to know them off the court, as well, was a great experience for me. I couldn’t miss it this year.”
Captains praise Alcaraz
Yannick Noah will be captaining Europe for the first time, and has not wasted anytime in lauding his star player. “He’s near perfect,” Noah said. “His game is amazing for 22: So fast, he attacks, forehand, backhand, he’s quick. Mentally, he’s extremely strong, he comes in.”
It was not just his captain speaking highly of him, but the oposing captain Andre Agassi also having his say on the six-time Grand Slam winner. As the Spaniard closes in on the American’s eight major titles, comparing him to Novak Djokovic, Nadal, and Federer.
“We’ve come off a generation with Novak, Roger and Rafa, and if you take the best of what each of them do, it’s like it’s turned into one person,” said Agassi. “He can defend like Novak. He has soft hands and feel like Federer, and he can generate RPMs and pace like Rafa. And you’ve got the speed — offensively and defensively. You’ve got the passion that keeps him fired up the whole time. He kind of has the whole package. The thing you have to hope for is that he gets too creative out there. You hope he crosses that line every now and then to give you some hope.”