Carlos Alcaraz will play the Laver Cup for the first time, an event in which his legendary countryman Rafael Nadal will not be present. The 22-time Slam champion was one of the most anticipated tennis players at the Uber Arena in Berlin but, a few weeks ago, he announced that he would not participate in the event founded by Roger Federer, as he was not yet ready to return to the court.
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At the media day of the event, Carlitos remembered the first match played against Rafa: it was 2021, when in Madrid he managed to collect only three games in a match in which he appeared blocked and emotional.
"When I played against him for the first time, at times, it was a bit of a nightmare. Playing against him is always tough. But it was always a privilege to share the court with him. When I had the chance to play against him, I tried to be good enough to beat him," he said.
Carlitos will represent Team Europe in the Laver Cup for the first time in his career. An experience he wants to live with the aim of learning from tennis players who have made history such as Bjorn Borg, John McEnroe, Rod Laver and Roger Federer.
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"For me it is a privilege to be surrounded by Borg, McEnroe and Laver. They are legends of our sport. I will try to learn from them here in the Laver Cup. I think it is a really nice tournament that I will try to enjoy as much as possible. Usually we fight against each other on Tour; now, instead, we will encourage each other. It will be a beautiful thing," he said.
In the final part of the season, Alcaraz will also try to gain more confidence with indoor tournaments, where he has not always shone.
"I'm not used to playing many indoor matches, so it's important to add some to try to always do better. The Laver Cup is not an official ATP tournament, but I will behave as if it were. I want to play my best tennis. Until the ATP Finals I will try to play as many indoor matches as possible," he added.
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The exhibition tournament that sees Roger Federer among its main founders, sees the young Spaniard as the most anticipated man. We are told it will be his first time and there is great curiosity to see him in the clash between Team Europe and Team USA.
In an interview with EFE, Alcaraz revealed an anecdote about when a few years ago he had the opportunity to train with Roger Federer, thanks to his current coach Juan Carlos Ferrero. On that occasion Alcaraz was unable to express his admiration for the one who was probably his great idol.
"I had the opportunity to warm up with him thanks to Juan Carlos, he had trained with Roger a few days before and told him that he was working with a junior and that he wanted this opportunity. Unfortunately at that time I still did not know how to speak English well and this thing, in addition to my normal nervousness, the truth is that I was unable to say almost anything. All I could say was a Hello, how are you and little else", he said honestly.
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Regarding the young Spaniard, Roger himself revealed an anecdote: "I barely know Carlos Alcaraz, Federer said, so I'm really excited to see him play here for the first time. I only trained with him once at Wimbledon when he was still a junior, and then the next day, my coach said to me: Do you want to warm up with him again? And I said: No, that's fine, I'd rather warm up with his coach, who was from my generation, Juan Carlos Ferrero. I definitely want to apologize to Carlos this week for that situation."
Federer has already arrived in Berlin. This weekend, from today - Friday 20 September 2024 - to Sunday 22 September, there will be the Laver Cup, a team event in which a team Europe and a team World will compete. The Laver Cup in this 2024 edition will see among the protagonists, among others, the four-time Slam champion Carlitos, under the gaze of captain Bjorn Borg and the eye in the crowd of Swiss Maestro: an unmissable event.
