Carlos Alcaraz dreams of winning the Davis Cup Finals alongside his idol Rafael Nadal, to give his legendary countryman one last title before his tennis farewell. At the press conference following the defeat suffered against Alexander Zverev in the third and final round robin match at the ATP Finals – a match that officially decreed Carlitos’ elimination from the year-end Masters – the young Spaniard talked – among the various topics touched upon, precisely about Nadal’s upcoming retirement.
Alcaraz underlined how the Davis Cup Finals will be one of the most special tournaments of his career and Rafa’s last. He said he was with him in one of the last moments he will spend on the tennis court, highlighting how the Davis Cup remains a tournament that the 4-time Slam champion wants to win.
“I’ve dreamed of winning it since I was a kid. I’ll try to help the team, but I think it’s more important for Rafa. I really want him to retire with a title. It’ll be emotional and special,” he said.
Alcaraz, in the end, paid dearly for the defeat suffered in the first match of the ATP Finals against Casper Ruud. What could have become a direct clash for the first place in the John Newcombe Group against Zverev in fact turned into a sort of do-or-die challenge for him. A challenge, considering the excellent form of his opponent, complicated at the start and became very difficult due to the super performance of the German. Zverev played one of the best matches of his career, won the group and joined Taylor Fritz in the semifinal. In the other semifinal, Jannik Sinner will have to deal with Casper Ruud.
Alcaraz highlighted how the week in Turin was difficult for him, where he had to fight with some physical problems. At the same time, however, Carlitos said that it is always a privilege to play this tournament with the best tennis players in the world. The Spaniard revealed how he tries to make the most of these matches to learn and improve. In this case, facing one of the best tennis players in the world right now, who played fantastic tennis.
“I am disappointed but happy to have played the Finals again. The goal is to arrive at this part of the season as fresh as possible, also mentally. It is not easy for me, because I travel a lot during the year and I miss home. I would like to spend more time with the people I love. Next year I will try to do better,” explained the young Spaniard.