Carlos Alcaraz Refuses to Call Himself Ambassador for Tennis: “I Don’t Feel Any Pressure”

Carlos Alcaraz will be making his debut at the Japan Open following the Laver Cup.

Carlos Alcaraz Refuses to Call Himself Ambassador for Tennis: “I Don’t Feel Any Pressure”

Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/Carlos Alcaraz 4K)

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Carlos Alcaraz, who is representing Team Europe, suffered a defeat in singles for the first time at the Laver Cup. Although the team of him and Jakub Mensik beat Team World’s Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen on Day 1, Alcaraz suffered a straight-set defeat to Fritz on Day 2.

Team World now leads 9-3 after the conclusion of the second day. Alcaraz and Casper Ruud will be up against Alex Michelsen and Reilly Opelka, and later in singles, the 22-year-old will lock horns with Francisco Cerundolo. The Laver Cup is the first tournament since the US Open, which the Spaniard ended in his favor with a four-set win over arch-rival Jannik Sinner.

This helped him reclaim his No.1 ranking for the first time since September 2023 and also made him the second youngest man to reach the six Grand Slam titles tally, surpassing Rafael Nadal. Nadal and Laver Cup’s creator, Roger Federer, have called time on their respective careers.

The third member of the Big 3- Novak Djokovic– last won a Grand Slam title at the 2023 US Open and since then, only at the 2024 Wimbledon he reached a final. He was defeated in the semifinals of all four Majors this year, twice by Sinner (Wimbledon and French Open) and by Alcaraz at Flushing Meadows.

At the pre-tournament press conference in San Francisco ahead of the Laver Cup, Alcaraz was asked whether, after the Big 3, he considers himself an ambassador for tennis. Alcaraz refused to give him this title.

I don’t consider myself the best ambassador for tennis, and I don’t feel any pressure to be. I think all of us, tennis players in general, are ambassadors for tennis, simply by contributing to the excellence of tennis and encouraging people to watch it. Obviously, I always give my all in every match. I love playing tennis. That’s why I play with so much joy and a smile. I like to hit good shots, score good points, and I try to show that in matches.

The next tournament in Alcaraz’s schedule is the Japan Open, which he will be playing for the first time. Alcaraz will be skipping the China Open, which he won last year by defeating Sinner.

Carlos Alcaraz reflects on his defeat to Taylor Fritz at the Laver Cup

At the Laver Cup, Carlos Alcaraz suffered a defeat for the seventh time this season and first since Wimbledon, as Taylor Fritz snapped his 13-match winning streak. Later at the press conference, he blamed the conditions for his defeat and also lauded Fritz for the way he played.

Taylor Fritz, Carlos Alcaraz
Taylor Fritz, Carlos Alcaraz (Image via X/The Tennis Letter)

I just wasn’t as solid as I wanted in the match, and I think these conditions, you know, it’s pretty slow. The balls are really big, so I had to be patient, I had to be solid. I didn’t play that match today. So I told Taylor that he played a great match, really solid, playing aggressively when he could. I think everything went to his side, so I had to congratulate him and tell him that he played a much better game than I did.

It was the American’s first win over the six-time Grand Slam champion after three defeats, and it was also his first win against a World No.1. Fritz will feature in the final match of the Laver Cup and will lock horns with Alexander Zverev, against whom he is on a five-match winning streak.

So far this season, Alcaraz has played nine finals and lifted seven titles, including five Big Titles: two Majors at the French Open and US Open, and three Masters 1000 titles. Fritz has lifted two grass-court titles so far.

Also read: Joao Fonseca Relishing the Laver Cup Experience After Raising Team World’s Morale With Key Victory on Day 1