Carlos Alcaraz: What it feels like to have the Spaniard on your side at the Laver Cup | ATP Tour

Making Cup

What it feels like to have Alcaraz on your side: Team Europe stars tell us all about it

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

September 21, 2024

Most weeks of the year, Carlos Alcaraz’s ATP Tour rivals are focused on how they can beat him on some of tennis’ biggest stages. This week at the Laver Cup, some of those same rivals are discovering what it’s like to have the Spaniard’s sublime talent on their side for once.

In his singles debut in the team event on Saturday in Berlin, Alcaraz defeated Ben Shelton in straight sets to earn two crucial points for Team Europe. As his teammates cheered from the court, the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings reminded them why he is such a tough opponent.

One of those watching from the Team Europe bench was Casper Ruud, who is still without a win in four Lexus ATP Head2Head clashes 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 against me. He’s great. He’s going to come out explosive, as always, and I hope he gets some important wins for Europe. We all know how big he is and it’s his debut, so for sure he’d like to do well.”

Alcaraz lines up alongside fellow former World No. 1 Daniil Medvedev, World No. 2 Alexander Zverev, 2017 Nitto ATP Finals champion Grigor Dimitrov, and former Grand Slam finalists Ruud and Stefanos Tsitsipas for Team Europe this year. A stellar line-up, though the presence of the Roland Garros and Wimbledon champion has had a clear impact on his team’s morale.

Competing in his fourth Laver Cup in Berlin, Tsitsipas is a relative veteran of the annual team event compared to newcomer Alcaraz. The Greek had only good things to say about the latest addition to Team Europe.

“I think he’s having a lot of fun. I think he’s enjoying the format,” Tsitsipas said of Alcaraz, a four-time major champion. “These are the rare occasions when you can have a teammate like that. To have the opportunity to be on the same side and fight for the same result and the same achievement, that’s something I would never have thought of. That’s what makes the Laver Cup stand out, and I’m definitely loving it so far.”

Bjorn Borg captains Team Europe for the seventh and final time in Berlin. The legendary Swede could hardly have asked for a bigger weapon in his arsenal as he plots his team’s bid for a first Laver Cup title since 2021.

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

So how did Alcaraz himself adapt to the unique dynamics of his ATP Tour rivals in cheering him on Saturday against Shelton?

“It was fun. Honestly it was a great feeling to have them behind me supporting me, being like coaches,” the Spaniard told ATPTour.com after his 6-4 6-4 triumph. “Having Bjorn on the bench as well, it’s a great support for me. I usually look at my team after every point. Here I am looking at my teammates and Bjorn. [en lugar de] to my team. So it’s a different feeling.”

“For me it has been a unique experience that I have enjoyed very much. Having, for example, Grigor [Dimitrov] “They were always training me, telling me the tactics I have to do during the match, it was crazy. Having Stefanos and all the players behind me at all the breaks, it was great for me. I’m going to take this experience for a long time and honestly, I learn a lot from them too.”