Yannik Noah, Team Europe’s captain, at the Laver Cup, admitted he was worried that Carlos Alcaraz might not play at the Laver Cup. Alcaraz recently made a return to the tour after almost five months on the sidelines due to a wrist injury.
The Spaniard made a comeback at the US Open, where he lost in the quarterfinal clash against Ben Shelton in a thrilling five-set contest. During the New York Major, Alcaraz said he might skip some big tournaments because of the hectic schedule of the tour.
Alcaraz’s comments made Noah think that the Spaniard might skip the Laver Cup but it wasn’t to be the case.
“It’s always a pleasure to have Carlos in the team, I love the kid, he’s a great kid, ” said Noah on Gred Rusedski podcast. “…Carlos is great to be around, he’s a great athlete, person, champion. I love being around him.
“And yes I was worried, during the tournament when the players started to talk about too many tournaments, too much travelling. So I’m like, ‘Oh, no, I need my team.’ Of course we have so many players, but I just wanted to spend some time with them.
“You know, we have revenge to take. I just saw him earlier we had a talk, right now he’s on the court practicing. So really happy to have him in the team. Not only because he can win some points, but also because he’s a very good positive energy in the team.”
Rusedski, on the other hand, reckons Alcaraz could have opted out of the Laver Cup if he had gone on to win the US Open.
“It’s interesting, we haven’t seen [Jannik] Sinner lineup yet in the Laver Cup,” said Rusedski. “And for Alcaraz, you say ‘Okay, maybe he needs a few more matches’. He lost in the quarters of the US Open. Had he won the US Open would he have gone to play?
“[Alexander] Zverev’s a guy who likes to play almost every week, but doesn’t get injured. So he’s continuing his momentum right now. It’s a heck of a lot of prize money and it’s Roger Federer’s event, so it’s hard to say no.”
Alcaraz will look to be at his best at the Laver Cup.
