Carlos Alcaraz has just become the youngest world number 1 in tennis history after winning the US Open. It seemed a bit obvious that the young Spanish player would have played the Laver Cup alongside Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray for Team Europe. However, he and his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero decided not to play.
The reason for skipping the prestigious competition is that Carlito played a lot of tennis in the previous weeks. Alcaraz won the US Open after playing 19 sets in the last 4 matches. He didn’t get a break after the American major to also compete in the Davis Cup the following week.
During a recent interview, Alcaraz explained why he decided to skip the Laver Cup:
“We [Carlos and his coach] thought about it and talked about it, but for sporting reasons, we are not going to go, as I have been competing for a long time and I had to rest.
Playing the Laver Cup, which is a beautiful competition, would have been nice, but we decided it was better to think about the future.”
Carlos’ coach Ferrero also posted on Instagram: “It has been 7 long and tough weeks on tour. It is time to rest a bit and recharge batteries for what it’s yet to come”
Carlos Alcaraz in 2022
LWWWWWWWWW Now ranked no.1, Alcaraz played his last match on the 18th of September when he defeated world no.74 Soon-Woo Kwon 6-4 7-6(1) in the Rubber 2 of the Davis Cup (draw).
At the moment, during this season Carlos has managed to achieve a 52-10 record. Carlos conquered 5 titles in 2022 in Rio de Janeiro, Miami, Barcelona, Madrid and U.S. Open. Carlos got to the final in Hamburg and in Umag.
He is also scheduled to play in Nur-Sultan (Astana Open). The main draw will start on the 3rd of October.
Roger Federer in 2022
Ranked no.97, Federer played his last match on the 7th of July 2021 when he was defeated by world no.10 Hubert Hurkacz 6-3 7-6(4) 6-0 in the quarter in Wimbledon (draw).
Until now, during this year Roger has an overall 0-0 record.
Carlos Alcaraz and Roger Federer have never clashed against each other.
Rafael Nadal in 2022
Ranked world no.3, the Spaniard played his last match on the 5th of September when he was defeated by world no.19 Francis Tiafoe 6-4 4-6 6-4 6-3 in the 4th round in the U.S. Open (draw).
At the moment, during this season the Spaniard has a 38-5 match record. Nadal conquered 4 titles in 2022 in Melbourne, Australian Open, Acapulco and French Open. The Spaniard was the runner-up in Indian Wells.
Andy Murray in 2022
LWWLWLWLWL Ranked world no.43, Andy played his last match on the 18th of September when he beat world no.219 Dmitry Popko 6-4 6-3 in the Rubber 1 of the Davis Cup (draw).
Presently, during this year Murray has a 26-16 win-loss record. Andy Murray’s best result of the year was reaching the final in Sydney and Stuttgart.
Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray played each other 24 times. The head to head is 17-7 for Nadal. Previously, the last time they competed against each other, Andy Murray won 7-5 6-4 in the semifinal in Madrid (Mutua Madrid Open) in May 2016.
You can see them in action in the following highlights.
Carlos Alcaraz, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray |
| Embed from Getty Images |
