World no. 1 Carlos Alcaraz led Team Europe at the eighth edition of the Laver Cup in San Francisco. The young Spaniard provided seven points for the blue squad, but it was not enough for the title defense.
Team World beat Team Europe 15-9 following a strong performance on day 2, clinching the third trophy and leaving Team Europe empty handed. World no. 1 shared a strong message with his fans following the setback.
Carlos congratulated therivals on their success. Despite the loss, the Spaniard experienced an incredible week in San Francisco, on and off the court. The 22-year-old will likely lead Team Europe in London next year, enjoying this competition very much.
Alcaraz was the hero of the blue squad a year ago in Berlin. The young gun debuted with impressive eight points and defeated Taylor Fritz in the decisive match to lift a trophy.
The Spaniard came to San Francisco following his sixth Major title at the US Open. On the first day, Carlos and Jakub Mensik defeated Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen.
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However, Fritz served revenge for last year's defeat on Saturday, besting world no. 1 6-3, 6-2 in an hour and 11 minutes following a stellar performance on serve and return.
Team World dominated the day and scored all four victories for a notable 9-3 advantage. On Sunday, Alcaraz and Ruud reduced the gap following a win overOpelka and Michelsen.
In the third match, Carlos dismantled Francisco Cerundolo for his sixth point of the day and a lifeline for Team Europe. The Spaniard had the upper hand on serve and return and brought his Laver Cup tally to 15 points.
However, Alexander Zverev fell to Taylor Fritz in the last match of the competition, with the American securing the trophy for the red squad. With 15 points on his tally, Alcaraz is among the most impressive Laver Cup players after only two participations.
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Will Carlos return to Team Europe next year in London? Very likely, as he enjoys everything about this competition, on and off the court.
"We fought until the very end, but it was not meant to be! Congrats to Team World on winning the Laver Cup in San Francisco! Despite everything, its been an amazing week together as a team!" Carlos Alcaraz wrote.
