Carlos Alcaraz has quickly turned into one of the most prominent tennis players in recent years. Taking part in Laver Cup’s Team Europe, the world number three made a strong complaint after his win against Ben Shelton.
Charly pointed to the packed schedules as one of the reasons behind the recent epidemic of injuries among tennis players: “Probably they are going to k— us in some way. Right now a lot of good players are going to miss a lot of tournaments because of that (injuries).”
He also spoke about his struggles to find motivation before entering tournaments: “Sometimes, you don’t want to go to a tournament,. I’m not going to lie, I have felt this way a few times already. Sometimes I don’t feel motivated at all. But as I’ve said many, many times, I play my best tennis when I smile and enjoy it on court. That’s the best option to keep motivated,” he added later.
Despite his clear discomfort, Alcaraz’s season has been a good one so far. The Spaniard has claimed two Grand Slams this year, winning Roland Garros and Wimbledon, and a silver medal at the Olympics in Paris. The first setback this season was his shocking second-round loss against van de Zandschulp at the US Open, losing in straight sets.
Carlos Alcaraz during his first round match at the 2024 US Open
Team Europe winners of the Laver Cup
After two consecutive Team World triumphs, Team Europe declared themselves the victors of the 2024 Laver Cup in Berlin. With Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev as the heroes, the team managed to stage a last-minute comeback in the tournament organized by Roger Federer.
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The Europeans had to face the tournament’s third day with a 4-8 result, being forced to win almost every single match. After Sascha dramatically defeated Francis Tiafoe 6-7 (7/5), 7-5, 10/5, it was up to Alcaraz to defeat the American Taylor Fritz and settle the comeback.
The Murcian left no doubts, crushing Fritz in straight sets 6-2, 7-5, and giving legendary Bjorn Borg his last title as the team captain. For next year’s edition, him and John McEnroe will be replace by French Yannick Noah and Andre Agassi.
