Carlos Alcaraz will have bittersweet memories of his opening 2024 Laver Cup match at the Uber Arena in Berlin.
John McEnroe says Alcaraz has ‘everything’, but it was a losing start for the Spaniard at this year’s Laver Cup.
McEnroe wants Alcaraz to play poorly at the competition, but it was more of a matter of his opponents shining in the opening encounter.
Representing Team Europe alongside Alexander Zverev, Alcaraz lost in straight sets to Team World duo Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton.
It was, however, the very first time that Alcaraz had played a match in front of legendary figure Roger Federer.
What Roger Federer said to Carlos Alcaraz in private Laver Cup meeting
The pair had met on the practice court in the build-up to the Laver Cup, but the Swiss icon finally got to see the four-time Grand Slam champion in action.
As per the ATP Tour website, Alcaraz has now shared his thoughts on the 20-time Grand Slam winner, saying: “It was great, honestly, playing in front of him.
“It’s the first time that he watched one of my matches in real life and I’m really happy that he was there watching our doubles.
“I think I’m good [at doubles], but I’m not as good as [I am at] the singles, I guess. I hope to see him tomorrow in the singles.
“I hope he enjoyed the doubles match, and obviously it was great seeing him in the practice. He didn’t tell me any tactics, any advice.
“But he just told me that he’s really happy about watching me in real life, that I’m here. It was a great time for me. I wished [for] that moment for a long time.”
Team Europe tied 2-2 with Team World after Laver Cup day one
Alcaraz is clearly delighted to have shown off his skills to Federer, who is, of course, a Laver Cup legend for Team Europe.
The Spaniard will now be doing his best to emulate the Swiss star’s achievements in the team tournament.
But it wasn’t meant to be for Alcaraz and home favourite Zverev, who currently sit third and second respectively in the ATP Tour rankings.
READ MORE: Everything to know about the 2024 Laver Cup from prize money to players
American duo Fritz and Shelton combined superbly on the court, with the pair winning 7-6(7-5), 6-4 in the final match of the opening day.
The win brought the scores to 2-2 after day one, with Francisco Cerundolo having scored the first point of the tournament against Casper Ruud.
But his straight sets win was followed by similar victories for Stefanos Tsitsipas and Grigor Dimitrov over Thanasi Kokkinakis and Alejandro Tabilo respectively.
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