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No. 1 Alcaraz already back in Spain for Davis Cup Finals

Posted September 13, 2022 7:00 am

By TALES AZZONI

U.S. Open men's singles tennis champion Carlos Alcaraz poses in Times Square, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) The Associated Press

MADRID (AP) - It was a quick turnaround for tennis' new No. 1.

Hours after celebrating his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open, Carlos Alcaraz arrived back home to try to help Spain in the Davis Cup Finals.

'œI'm very proud to arrive as No. 1 and do my bit for the team,'ť Alcaraz said Tuesday. 'œPlaying the Davis Cup is always special. It's a unique atmosphere and I'm looking forward to being with the team.'ť

Alcaraz made it to Valencia the day before Spain was to debut against Serbia in the group stage on Wednesday.

It wasn't yet clear in which condition Alcaraz arrived after having to play a grueling series of matches on his way to the title in New York.

'œHopefully he can recover as soon as possible,'ť Spain captain Sergi Bruguera said. 'œWe don't know yet if he will be able to play on Wednesday.'ť

Many expected Alcaraz to skip the Davis Cup after defeating Casper Ruud in Sunday's U.S. Open final, which allowed him to become the youngest man to lead the ATP computerized rankings since they began in 1973.

The 19-year-old Alcaraz said following Monday's traditional Times Squad photo shoot that he 'œwoke up dead'ť after the four-set final against Ruud.

'œWe will see how he is feeling, we will discuss it with him,'ť Bruguera said. 'œThe sooner he can play, the better.'ť

Before the final, Alcaraz had three consecutive five-set victories, including a 5-hour, 15-minute quarterfinal match against Jannik Sinner.

'œWe all knew it was going to happen sooner or later,'ť Bruguera said. 'œBut the way he won three matches in five sets is an incredible effort mentally as well as physically. Being the youngest No. 1 in the world, there aren't any words."

After facing Serbia, which is without Novak Djokovic, Spain takes on Canada on Friday and South Korea on Sunday in Group B. The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals, which will be played in November in the southern Spanish city of MÃ¡laga.

Alcaraz made it to Spain's Davis Cup team for the first time last year, but had to withdraw from the tournament after testing positive for the coronavirus just before the competition was to start.

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U.S. Open men's singles tennis champion Carlos Alcaraz poses in Times Square, Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura) The Associated Press

Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, prepares to return a shot to Casper Ruud, of Norway, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) The Associated Press

Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, returns a shot to Casper Ruud, of Norway, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa) The Associated Press

Carlos Alcaraz, of Spain, reacts after scoring a point against Casper Ruud, of Norway, during the men's singles final of the U.S. Open tennis championships, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) The Associated Press

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