Carlos Alcaraz is set to make his Laver Cup debut for Team Europe, stepping into the spotlight and showing he’s ready to hit the ground running in Berlin. However, the motivation behind his participation goes beyond the mere fact that he is making his debut in the tournament. The Spaniard recently revealed that he is driven by a strong desire to help Team Europe secure victory.
Alcaraz is one of the few men in the Open era who have won both Wimbledon and Roland Garros in the same year, joining an elite group of players that includes Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, and Novak Djokovic. And now, the 21-year-old is excited to add another professional milestone to his CV, as he gets ready to compete in the Laver Cup in Berlin as a Team Europe player.
Alcaraz has long enjoyed watching the Laver Cup from the sidelines, captivated by its unique format and the dynamic interplay between rivals-turned-teammates. Now, his focus is clear: he is not merely there to enjoy the event but to achieve a specific goal for Team Europe.
He said, “I love it, and I wanted to be part of it. It’s a serious competition. I think we have to represent Europe, you know, in the best way possible. The prestige that this tournament has, and, being a Laver Cup champion is a huge thing.”
The Wimbledon champion further added, “I love it and I wanted to be part of it,” expressing his excitement for the Laver Cup. Alcaraz’s enthusiasm for competing in the Laver Cup is probably because of the special structure of the tournament where he will get the opportunity to team up with his rivals. Although Alcaraz admitted that it might seem “weird,” he is looking forward to spending a week with his competitors.
The Spanish star is looking to connect with his competitors on a personal level as well. He stated, “Having a lot of time with them and speaking with them about something else, not only tennis, is going to be different … and I like different things.” At the Laver Cup, Alcaraz will get the opportunity to work with Bjorn Borg whom he admires immensely.
Carlos Alcaraz talks about his admiration for Bjorn Borg
Alcaraz is excited about the opportunity to work together with Björn Borg and pick his brain. He has previously acknowledged his admiration for the tennis icon, mentioning that his father was a big Borg fan. “A legend from tennis and from the sport in general. My dad is a huge fan of him as well. So being, you know, a coach from Bjorn Borg is going to be a really important moment for me, for my career, for my life,” Alcaraz said.
This will be Borg’s last season as the captain of Team Europe, as Yannick Noah, the 1983 French Open champion, will captain the team in place of the Swedish superstar from the next season onward. But that’s for the future. This season, a star-studded Team Europe line-up with Alcaraz, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, and Stefanos Tsitsipas is ready to take on Team World which has three American superstars Frances Tiafoe, Taylor Fritz, and Ben Shelton.
Looking at the two line-ups and the overall experience of the players, Team Europe looks a bit stronger, but Team World can’t be written off either with the recent form of Fritz and Tiafoe. Do you think Carlos Alcaraz can help Team Europe win the Laver Cup? Let us know in the comments below.
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