Carlos Alcaraz was, unsurprisingly, unstoppable at the Laver Cup, winning eight of Team Europe’s 13 points on their way to winning back the trophy from Team World.
He continues to establish himself as one of the best players in the world, and blends that cutthroat winning ability with an entertainment factor seldom seen in someone so prolific.
Despite this effectively only being an exhibition event, he still managed to get his job done whilst providing more than enough flair to enthral the Berlin crowd.
Alas, he did make one nervy admission about Alexander Zverev, the hometown hero, who played just before he clinched the title for Team Europe.
Carlos Alcaraz makes Alexander Zverev admission
Speaking in his on-court interview immediately after he won the Laver Cup for Team Europe, Carlos Alcaraz cut an upbeat figure. Although, when doesn’t he?
The Spaniard spoke with delight, once again the man of the moment, as he stepped up when his teammates needed him to overcome Taylor Fritz in straight sets.
However, whilst reviewing the competition, he admitted that he found it near-impossible to watch Zverev play in the match just before him, where a loss would have instead handed the trophy to Team World.
Alcaraz claimed: ‘It’s great. Obviously we came here with a goal: to win the Laver Cup. I’m really happy and I think we’re all really really happy. All of us, a really tough one. We almost lost, Sacha came with really good tennis and gave me the chance to win the Laver Cup so I think we’re really really happy with everything.
‘The first set I was there supporting [Zverev]. It’s really difficult to watch the matches outside, there’s a lot of nerves, killing us. Then I tried to stay away a little bit. Obviously, I was watching the TV from inside the locker room. Trying to give my support from inside. I had to warm up.
‘I didn’t know if I was going to play or not but I’m really happy that Sacha won at the end and gave me the chance to play once again.’
In that same interview, Alcaraz also admitted that Team Europe will have to change his nickname they have created despite his triumph.
The 2024 Laver Cup was a raging success
It’s fair to say that, despite so many late pull-outs on both teams, the 2024 Laver Cup was a raging success.
After all, the event had everything, with the production value unsurprisingly second to none, and the drama completely unparalleled.
Heading into that final day yesterday, Team World boasted a commanding lead, needing just two wins from the four matches that were scheduled.
There was an expectation that they had the doubles in the bag, and in the singles, it was widely believed that they could have gone either way.
However, Casper Ruud and Alcaraz kickstarted the day with a stunning win, and despite Daniil Medvedev failing to beat Ben Shelton, it always felt like Europe had, on paper, the better chance of success.
And succeed they did, winning in Berlin and reclaiming the trophy after a two-year absence.
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