Carlos Alcaraz was on the losing side at the 2025 Laver Cup, where he lost to Taylor Fritz as Team World clinched the title.
Fritz admitted to being worried against Alcaraz, but he overcame that worry to defeat the Spaniard 6-3, 6-2.
It was his first-ever win over Alcaraz on the ATP Tour, and helped Team World claim a commanding 9-3 lead over Team Europe after day two.
That was then extended to 15-9 as Team World secured their third title at the Laver Cup, led in San Francisco by captain Andre Agassi.
Fritz was indeed among the top performers at the event, scoring five points for his team, the second-highest total for Team World.
Carlos Alcaraz still deserves big credit despite Laver Cup loss to Taylor Fritz
Alex de Minaur topped that pile with seven, and he was joined on that figure by Team Europe star Alcaraz.
He played four matches, one of which was a loss to Fritz, but he still managed to clinch three wins for his side.
The world number one won his singles battle with Francisco Cerundolo, with three points having been on offer in that day three clash.
He partnered with Casper Ruud to defeat Alex Michelsen and Reilly Opelka for another three points, with a further one secured alongside Jakub Mensik in their win over Fritz and Michelsen.
Alcaraz may have lost to Fritz, but he certainly made up for that elsewhere, which incidentally helped maintain his stunning Laver Cup record.
He was also the star man at the 2024 tournament in Berlin, when his eight points helped fire Europe to the title.
Was Frances Tiafoe’s Laver Cup withdrawal a blessing in disguise for Team World?
While Alcaraz had a dream week in San Francisco, he was perhaps outshone by De Minaur, who didn’t lose a single match.
He made three appearances, winning both of his singles ties and his only doubles tie to end his event with a points win-loss total of 7-0, with Alcaraz finishing on 7-2.
But making the Australian’s efforts that more impressive was the fact that he was only called up to play at the Laver Cup at the very last minute.
De Minaur was announced on the team earlier this month, coming in for Frances Tiafoe following his withdrawal.
It will never be known how the American would have performed at the Chase Center, but De Minaur certainly deserves praise for stepping up the way he did after his late entry.
Tiafoe incidentally wasn’t the only withdrawal that captain Agassi was forced to deal with, as American duo Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul also pulled out of the Laver Cup.
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