Carlos Alcaraz has admitted he will be making up for lost time as he plays his first matches in London in 2026 at this Laver Cup this week and he made an eye-catching comment about one of his European team-mate.
Alcaraz missed the English grass court season that should have featured an appearance at the Queen’s Club and Wimbledon due to a wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open in April.
The Spaniard made what many viewed as a surprise return to action at the US Open last month, as he turned in five impressive performances before losing an epic quarter-final against Ben Shelton.
Now the next phase of Alcaraz’s return to action will continue as he takes his place in the Team Europe side for the Laver Cup, where he will be playing alongside newly crowned US Open champion Alexander Zverev.
The German suggested he was ‘amazing’ by the quality of Alcaraz’s performances when he played alongside him in a previous Laver Cup, but this time it was the Spanish star pouring praise in the opposite direction.
More Tennis News
“I agree that he is probably the best player in the world right now,” Alcaraz said of Zverev.
“Having him by my side and on our team, it’s going to be a great weapon to have and we are going to use it.
“I missed lifting the (Laver Cup) trophy last year, so I’m going to do whatever it takes this year.
“The US Open was a great test for me and I can’t wait to play here.”
Alcaraz was beaten by Team World’s Taylor Fritz in last year’s Laver Cup and he has stated his ambition to try and reverse that result if the duo meet in London.
“He destroyed me last year,” added Alcaraz with a smile. “If I play against him, I will be down with it and I will be ready, for sure.
“It’s great to be back in London. I missed it this year, so it’s going to be the first time I am touching London this year, so I’m excited.
“It’s my first time playing at the 02 Arena and it feels great to be here. It’s a super beautiful stadium and I can’t wait to see it packed and hear the atmosphere from the people.”
Alcaraz has been criticised for playing too many exhibition events, but this year’s Laver Cup feels like the perfect platform for him to continue his comeback after that worrying wrist injury.
Want more from Tennis365? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for tennis coverage you can trust.
Playing best-of-three-set tennis in an event that doesn’t carry ranking points should be the perfect environment for him to entertain the London fans, while he will also collect a huge appearance fee for his appearance at the Laver Cup.
The event gets underway on Friday and will conclude with a final session at the 02 Arena on Sunday.
