Carlos Alcaraz’s Laver Cup team-mates revealed that the Spaniard was “blocked” from playing in the first singles match on Sunday.
Team Europe came into the final day with a four-points-to-eight deficit to their World rivals. But Alcaraz and Ruud won the opening doubles match to give them three more points.
However, the four-time Grand Slam champion was denied the chance to face Ben Shelton in the singles again as Team World used some clever tactics to stop Alcaraz from putting Europe in the lead.
At the Laver Cup, match wins are worth one point on day one, two points on day two and three points on day three. Coming into Sunday, it meant Europe needed to win three matches to clinch the trophy while World only needed two more victories.
Europe raised eyebrows when Alcaraz was picked to play the last match, especially as it may not need to be played. But Ruud and vice-captain Thomas Enqvist explained the choice.
Players aren’t allowed to face the same rival more than once. Each team also alternates the days on which they can be first to select their line-up. And Team World got to choose their players for the four matches – one doubles and three singles – for the final day.
They thought tactically, stopping Alcaraz from being able to compete in the first singles by picking Shelton – the man he beat on Saturday.
“I think it’s like matchups, for example, and also he played now doubles,” Enqvist explained after Alcaraz and Ruud beat Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.
“You had an option, for example, it looks like Ben wanted to maybe stay on, because that’s maybe the way — Isner always did that, as well, he likes to not have the break and come back, which maybe some other player wants to have some rest to be able to come back and feel strong again. So it’s a lot of extremely complicated equations.”
And Ruud added: “My guess is that given, like, kind of Carlos’ level yesterday, they didn’t maybe want him to have a chance to start off the singles, so they put Ben, because he couldn’t play Ben again because they played yesterday. You’re not allowed to have the same matchup again.
“I think kind of Team World was if there is one guy on Team Europe we don’t want to start off singles and kind of get a win, it would be Carlos maybe.”
After Alcaraz and Ruud won the doubles, Shelton beat Medvedev to put Team World ahead. It means that, if Tiafoe beats Alexander Zverev, World will be crowned the 2024 champions and Alcaraz won’t get to play singles.
But if Team Europe want to lift the trophy, Zverev will need to beat the American to give Alcaraz the chance to play Taylor Fritz with glory on the line.
