Carlos Alcaraz: What’s it like to have a Spanish player on your side in the Laver Cup | ATP Tour

The Laver Cup

How it feels to have Alcaraz on your side: The stars of the European team weigh in!

The Spaniard won his first Laver Cup singles on Saturday in Berlin

September 21, 2024

For many weeks of the year, Carlos Alcaraz’s ATP Tour rivals focus on how to beat him in some of tennis’ biggest divisions. This week in the Laver Cup, some of those rivals are finding out what it’s like to have top Spanish talent on their side once and for all.

In his singles debut at Saturday’s team event in Berlin, Alcaraz took down Ben Shelton in straight sets to earn two crucial points for Team Europe. As his teammates cheered him on court, the number 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings reminded them why he is such a tough opponent.

A winning smile 🙌

With a 6-4 6-4 victory over Shelton, @carlosalcaraz helps the European Team to level things with the World Team.@LaverCup | #LaverCup pic.twitter.com/Ty8oCsfsWK

– ATP Tour (@atptour) September 21, 2024

One of those watching on the bench for Team Europe was Casper Ruud, who has yet to win four Lexus ATP Head2Head matches against Alcaraz, including the 2022 US Open final.

“I’m happy to have him on my team, that’s for sure,” Ruud told ATPTour.com ahead of Alcaraz’s match against Shelton. “He’s an unbelievable player, so I’d rather have him on my team than fight me. That’s right. He will come out with a bang, as always, to get important wins for Team Europe. We all know how great he is and it’s his debut so I’m sure he’d like to do well.”

Alcaraz is lined up with fellow former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov, and Ruud and former finalist Stefanos Tsitsipas -Grand Slam in Team Europe this year. An amazing actor, however the presence of Roland Garros and the Wimbledon champion had a clear effect on the spirit of his team.

Competing in his fourth Laver Cup in Berlin, Tsitsipas is a veteran at the annual team event compared to the upstart Alcaraz. The Greek had good things to say about the latest addition to the European team.

“I think he is very happy. I think he appreciates the way he plays,” said Tsitsipas who is the Alcaraz grand champion. “These are rare times when you can find a partner like that. To have the opportunity to be on the same side and strive for the same result and achieve the same, that is something I would never have thought about. That’s what makes the Laver Cup stand out, and I’m really enjoying it so far.”

Bjorn Borg captains Team Europe for the seventh and final time in Berlin. The legendary Swede couldn’t have asked for a bigger weapon in his arsenal as he plans his side’s quest for a first Laver Cup title since 2021.

“I’m very happy to have all these guys on my team, and having Carlos for the first time is exciting,” said Borg. “People are happy, and I hope he wins a few games.”

So how has Alcaraz adapted to the unique dynamics of his ATP Tour rivals cheering him on Saturday against Shelton?

“It was fun. Honestly it was a good feeling that they were supporting me from the back, like the coaches,” the Spaniard told ATPTour.com after his 6-4, 6-4 victory. “Having Bjorn on the bench is also very supportive. I usually watch my team after every score. Here I look at my colleagues and Bjorn [instead of] my team. So it’s a different feeling.

“For me it was a unique experience that I really enjoyed. Being, for example, Grigor [Dimitrov] he always coached me, told me the tricks I should do during the game, it was crazy. Having Stefanos and all the players behind me at every break, it was great for me. I will take this experience with me for a long time, and honestly I am learning a lot from them as well.”