Carlos Alcaraz's Laver Cup success is about to have serious knock-on effect
COMMENT: Carlos Alcaraz's decision to play the Laver Cup could change things.
Carlos Alcaraz’s face was a picture of joy at the Laver Cup. The Spaniard had never played the team event until this year and his first appearance was one for the books.
He delivered the final blow to seal victory for Team Europe on Sunday and broke the record for most points earned by a single player across one edition of the tournament.
Alcaraz thrived in the team environment and his reaction said it all as Europe lifted the trophy. And it looks like his Laver Cup outing could have a real knock-on effect on the rest of his season at a time of the year where he typically struggles.
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Plenty of people see the Ryder Cup-style event as glorified exhibition matches and bemoan players like Alcaraz for competing when they complain about the demanding schedule.
The world No. 3 could have taken an extended break after his US Open second-round loss and wouldn’t have played for a month by the time he got to his next tour event in Beijing. Instead, he went to represent Spain at the Davis Cup before making his Laver Cup debut.
Getting Alcaraz was a huge coup for tournament organisers. So much so that they announced his debut last November - 10 months before the 2024 edition was staged in Berlin.
But it also appeared to be the best thing for Alcaraz. The 21-year-old has often burnt out by this point in the season. Since becoming a top player in 2022, there has been a pattern of post-US Open struggles.
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Two years ago, after capturing his maiden Grand Slam title, Alcaraz was stunned by David Goffin in his next match at the Astana Open. He also suffered defeat in Basel and got injured at the Paris Masters, pulling out and ending his season.
In 2023, Alcaraz’s first Asian swing ended in disappointment with a shock round-of-16 exit at the Shanghai Masters. It was the start of a three-match losing streak. And he confessed he needed to learn to keep himself mentally fresh at the back-end of the tennis season.
The Laver Cup seems to have revived that passion for the game. The unique format saw Alcaraz join forces with rivals he usually faces on the biggest stages - Alexander Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Casper Ruud, Grigor Dimitrov and Stefanos Tsitsipas.
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The 21-year-old loved being part of a team and got stuck in, cheering everyone on from the bench, coaching his colleagues and soaking up the advice they gave him in return. Once they took their champagne celebrations to the locker room, it was evident that the weekend would stay with Alcaraz for a long time.
“Comparing to other tournaments, I mean, it's a different feeling,” he said of his first Laver Cup. “Obviously having them supporting me behind me, so it's different. They try to just stay there and show me good energy all the time that makes me feel really comfortable on court and trying to pull out all the nerves and make good tennis.”
The four-time Grand Slam champion’s game will also benefit from his time in Berlin. He admitted his crucial, winner-take-all victory over Taylor Fritz was “one of his best matches so far”. And he looked just as good beating Ben Shelton on Saturday.
The confidence should carry him through the Asian swing, as he is set to return to the tour this week. And with the European indoor hard-court tournaments also on the horizon, Alcaraz has a head-start on the surface thanks to this weekend.
It seems all the makings are there for the world No. 3 to have his strongest finish to a season yet.
