Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev are gearing up for the upcoming Laver Cup, where Team Europe will face Team World at The O2 Arena in London. Both players are prominent figures in the tournament; Alcaraz clinched the Australian Open earlier this year, while Zverev has claimed two Grand Slam titles, at Roland Garros and the US Open.
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Ahead of the tournament, which begins on September 25, the duo participated in a practice session at The O2 Arena. In footage shared on social media, Alcaraz expressed his curiosity about Zverev's experience during the US Open final against Ben Shelton.
“Tell me what you were thinking,” Alcaraz asked Zverev regarding his match point win at the US Open. Zverev jokingly replied that he had “nothing in [his] head” during the match, adding, “that’s the benefit of being dumb.” Alcaraz responded, urging him not to say that, and suggested that it might have helped his performance not to realize it was the final set. Zverev took this further, stating he thought the score was 1-4 and claimed that knowing it was 2-5 would have caused him stress.
This conversation highlights their friendship and the unusual circumstances of Zverev's victory, where he was unaware that he had won until informed by his team. As they move past the US Open, both players are set to team up in the Laver Cup instead of competing against one another.
They will be joined by Rafael Jodar, Flavio Cobolli, Jakub Mensik, and Casper Ruud under the captaincy of Yannick Noah and Tim Henman for Team Europe. Team World will include Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Francisco Cerundolo, Learner Tien, Brandon Nakashima, and Alexander Bublik, with Andre Agassi and Pat Rafter returning as their captains after last year's win.