Carlos Alcaraz “calls out” Jannik Sinner: the Murcia native knows exactly what he wants
The Laver Cup, which he just won with Team Europe, has whetted Carlos Alcaraz’s appetite. The Murcia native, a standout in the competition held at London’s O2 Arena, is already looking ahead to his next major goal of the season: the Davis Cup. After contributing to the European team’s success with a doubles victory alongside Jakub Mensik and a singles win over Taylor Fritz, Alcaraz spoke openly about his ambitions ahead of the November Finals, which will be held in Bologna.
“At the end of the day, indoor tournaments are always useful. The best players are in Turin, and winning there gives you a huge confidence boost heading into the Davis Cup,” he told reporters on the sidelines of the team tournament, which is modeled after golf’s Ryder Cup. “This year we have a fantastic team, with Rafa Jodar, Marcel Granollers, Pedro Martinez, Dani Merida, and Jaume Munar. It’s a shame we can’t all be there, but we’d deserve it. In any case, we have a great opportunity this year, and the Davis Cup is a very important goal for me.”
Alcaraz’s words sound like a true declaration of intent. The current world No. 3 has never won the Davis Cup with Spain, and last year he was forced to miss the Finals due to an injury. In his absence, the Spanish team reached the final, where they were defeated by Italy (which was also without Jannik Sinner, in that case due to a decision agreed upon with the FITP).
Precisely for this reason, the reference to Sinner seems inevitable. The Italians will arrive in Bologna as defending champions, but they are still waiting to see what condition the world No. 1 will be in. The South Tyrolean player has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in the weeks following his Wimbledon triumph, and his participation in the Final Eight has not yet been confirmed.
The feeling, however, is that Alcaraz is hoping to face his great rival on the other side of the draw. A matchup between Spain, led by the Murcian, and Italy—potentially spearheaded by Sinner—would indeed be one of the most intriguing storylines of the Davis Cup Finals.
