The newly-crowned US Open champion Carlos Alcaraz has decided to compete in Team Spain for the upcoming Davis Cup group stage matches. Those games are set to take place in Valencia on Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday, according to Diário Record reporter Jose Morgado.
The young Spaniard will take a private plane from New York to Valencia on Monday, arriving on Tuesday to join his team for this match.
Alcaraz is expected to lead the Spanish team in their bid to win their seventh Davis Cup title. Spain, which is in Group B of the tournament, consists of Alcaraz, World No. 21 Roberto Bautista Agut, World No. 40 Albert Ramos-Vinolas, 25-year-old Pedro Martinez, and veteran Marcel Granollers. The team will face Serbia, Canada, and Korea.
“Carlos Alcaraz confirms he WILL play the Davis Cup group stage in Valencia next week. Spain got matches on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. Crazy… but tennis never stops,” Morgado tweeted.
Tennis fans responded strongly to the news, advising Alcaraz to rest after spending 23 hours and 39 minutes on the court during the US Open the previous two weeks.
One tweet read, “He should rest and relax, enjoy the victory for at least two weeks.”
On Sunday, the Spaniard defeated Casper Ruud in four sets to win his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open. In a three-hour and twenty-minute championship match at Arthur Ashe Stadium, the 19-year-old won 6-4, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-3. He had three consecutive five-set matches prior to the final battle.
A fan also encouraged him to emulate his senior, Rafael Nadal, who won five Davis Cups for Spain.
“Nadal helped his country win 5 Davis Cups when he was young and old, now he is only 19, cannot imagine if he refuses to play,” a fan wrote.
Kid can't even take a little rest… 🥲 All the best for him. https://t.co/frVvo3feUp
— Paul 🌷 (@polontoy) September 12, 2022
Alcaraz: ’Hungry for more’
Many people, including Alcaraz, were astounded by his dominant season in New York and his unexpected ascension to the world No. 1 spot by demonstrating his ability on the hard court. He expressed his delight during his press conference.
“Well, it’s crazy for me,” Alcaraz said. “I’ve never thought that I was going to achieve something like that at 19 years old. So everything is came so fast. “
“For me it’s unbelievable. It’s something I dream since I was a kid, since I start playing tennis. Of course, lift this trophy today is amazing for me.”
There is little chance of him slowing down now; while the Spaniard said that he is having fun, he also insisted that he is “hungry for more.”
“Well, right now I’m enjoying the moment,” Alcaraz said. “I’m enjoying have the trophy in my hands. But, of course, I’m hungry for more.”
“I want to be in the top for many, many weeks. Hope many years. I’m going to work hard again after this week, this amazing two weeks. I’m going to fight for have more of this.” the youngest Grand Slam winner said.
The Davis Cup
The 2022 Davis Cup by Rakuten Finals will be held in Glasgow, Bologna, Hamburg, and Valencia from September 13 to September 18, with the Knockout Stage taking place later in the year on November 22–27. Each group’s top two teams will advance to the final eight, which will be held in Malaga.
🇪🇸 TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT 🇪🇸
The Spanish team has been updated to:
– Carlos Alcaraz
– Roberto Bautista
– Marcel Granollers
– Albert Ramos-Vinolas
– Pedro Martinez#DavisCup #byRakuten | @rfetenis pic.twitter.com/Ap0EksqI9G— Davis Cup (@DavisCup) September 8, 2022
Former World No.3 and Spain’s Davis Cup team captain Sergi Bruguera also confirmed Alcaraz’s appearance at the Pabellon Municipal Fuente de San Luis.
“He’s going to come here on Tuesday and hopefully he can recover as soon as possible to play,” Bruguera said.
Spain will begin their Davis Cup Finals campaign against Serbia on Wednesday. However, the Serbian star player, Novak Djokovic will not participate in this tournament due to personal reasons, according to Serbia captain, Viktor Troicki.