‘Impossible’: Carlos Alcaraz shoots down Roger Federer comparisons after Laver Cup win

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 Sept 22.

The 21-year-old, playing in the tournament for the first time, beat American Fritz 6-2, 7-5 to win the tournament in the German capital Berlin.

Team Europe had lost the past two editions 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 Federer at his peak, but Alcaraz said such a comparison with the Swiss great was “impossible”.

“I’m too far away from that level,” the world No. 3 insisted. “I hope I’ll reach it one day, but it’s really impossible.”

Alcaraz, who won the French Open and Wimbledon in 2024, had not played the event before and paid tribute to his team for their triumph.

“It’s great. We can feel proud, all of us,” the Spaniard added. “I’m really happy. All of us did a pretty good job over the days. It’s been a top one. I mean, it’s been a really tough one... We almost lost, but Sasha (Zverev) came with some really good tennis and gave me a chance to win the Laver Cup.”

Team World looked in a commanding position on Sept 21 when Ben Shelton and Alejandro Tabilo defeated Stefanos Tsitsipas and Casper Ruud to put them 8-4 up.

However, captain Bjorn Borg’s Team Europe came into the final day of competition full of fight and Alcaraz teamed up with Ruud to defeat Shelton and Tiafoe 6-2, 7-6 (8-6) in the early doubles match to take three points and reduce the deficit to 8-7.

Team World extended their lead when Shelton beat Daniil Medvedev 6-7 (6-8), 7-5, 10-7, putting the team captained by John McEnroe within touching distance of a third consecutive title.

However, Zverev gave the Europeans hope when he overcame Tiafoe to send the competition into a thrilling final session, where Alcaraz wrapped up the 13-11 victory.

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,” he said.

“The nerves were there.”

In other tennis news, 2022 Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina has pulled out of tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan due to a back issue but is aiming to return to action before the WTA Tour’s season finale in Riyadh in November.

The world No. 4 enjoyed plenty of success in the first half of 2024, winning titles in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart, but missed several tournaments due to illness and injury thereafter.

After reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals, she withdrew from the Paris Olympics due to bronchitis and pulled out of the US Open in August due to a lower back injury after winning her opening match.

“Due to an ongoing back injury, I regretfully have to withdraw from the upcoming Asian tournaments,” Rybakina said.

“While I’ve been working hard on my recovery, my medical team and I have decided it’s best to prioritise my health at this time.”

The 25-year-old, who split from her long-time coach Stefano Vukov just days before the US Open, is third in the WTA race to the Nov 2-9 Finals.

“This has been a challenging year and I am grateful for the support from the tournament organisers and all of my fans,” the Kazakh player added.

“My team and I will work on getting me back on the court before the season finale.” AFP, REUTERS