Alcaraz beats Fritz to seal Laver Cup for Europe
Published: 04:09 PM,Sep 23,2024 | EDITED : 08:09 PM,Sep 23,2024
Australian former tennis player Rod Laver (3R) holds the trophy as he poses with Team Europe's captain Bjorn Borg (L), Greece's Stefanos Tsitsipas (4L), Spain's Carlos Alcaraz (5L), Bulgaria's Grigor Dimitrov (5R), Germany's Alexander Zverev (4R), Russia's Daniil Medvedev (R) and other players of Team Europe during the awarding ceremony at the end of the 2024 Laver Cup tennis tournament in Berlin, Germany on September 22, 2024. Spain's Carlos Alcaraz won the last match of the tournament 6-2, 7-5 against USA's Taylor Fritz of Team World. Team Europe won 13-11 against Team World.
BERLIN: Carlos Alcaraz shot down comparisons with 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer moments after his victory over Taylor Fritz won the Laver Cup for Team Europe on Sunday.
The 21-year-old Spaniard, playing in the tournament for the first time, beat American Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 to win the tournament in Berlin.
Team Europe had lost the past two events and needed a come-from-behind victory from local player Alexander Zverev against Frances Tiafoe, 6-7(5/7), 7-5, 10-5, to send the tournament to the final match between Alcaraz and Fritz.
After his win, the four-time Grand Slam winner was compared to peak Federer, but Alcaraz said such a comparison was 'impossible'.
'I'm too far away from that level,' he said. 'I hope I'll reach it one day, but it's really impossible.'
Alcaraz, who won the French Open and Wimbledon this season, had not played the event before.
'It's great. We can feel proud, all of us. I'm really happy. All of us did a pretty good job over the days. It's been a top one,' the Spaniard added.
'We almost lost, but Sasha (Zverev) came with some really good tennis and gave me a chance to win the Laver Cup.'
The world number three won Sunday's opening match, a doubles clash alongside Casper Ruud, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), to help put his side on course to lift the Laver Cup for the fifth time.
Alcaraz said he found it more difficult to watch matches with his Team Europe colleagues than to actually take to the court, saying 'the nerves were killing us'.
'It's really difficult to watch the matches from outside. I was trying to stay away a bit, watching on TV in the locker-room, trying to support from there.
'The nerves were there.' — AFP
The 21-year-old Spaniard, playing in the tournament for the first time, beat American Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 to win the tournament in Berlin.
Team Europe had lost the past two events and needed a come-from-behind victory from local player Alexander Zverev against Frances Tiafoe, 6-7(5/7), 7-5, 10-5, to send the tournament to the final match between Alcaraz and Fritz.
After his win, the four-time Grand Slam winner was compared to peak Federer, but Alcaraz said such a comparison was 'impossible'.
'I'm too far away from that level,' he said. 'I hope I'll reach it one day, but it's really impossible.'
Alcaraz, who won the French Open and Wimbledon this season, had not played the event before.
'It's great. We can feel proud, all of us. I'm really happy. All of us did a pretty good job over the days. It's been a top one,' the Spaniard added.
'We almost lost, but Sasha (Zverev) came with some really good tennis and gave me a chance to win the Laver Cup.'
The world number three won Sunday's opening match, a doubles clash alongside Casper Ruud, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), to help put his side on course to lift the Laver Cup for the fifth time.
Alcaraz said he found it more difficult to watch matches with his Team Europe colleagues than to actually take to the court, saying 'the nerves were killing us'.
'It's really difficult to watch the matches from outside. I was trying to stay away a bit, watching on TV in the locker-room, trying to support from there.
'The nerves were there.' — AFP