LONDON — Team Europe captain Yannick Noah has revealed he was concerned that Carlos Alcaraz might withdraw from this year’s Laver Cup. The apprehension stemmed from Alcaraz’s recent public remarks regarding the demands of the professional tennis calendar and his intention to prioritize his health by skipping future tournaments.
“I was worried during the tournament when the players started to talk about too many tournaments, too much travelling,” Noah said on the Off Court with Greg Rusedski podcast. “It’s always a pleasure to have Carlos in the team. I love the kid. He’s a great kid... and Carlos is so important to us.” Alcaraz, who recently returned from a wrist injury sustained at the Barcelona Open in April, reached the quarter-finals of the US Open before a narrow loss to Ben Shelton.
Alcaraz has been vocal about the necessity of managing his workload to avoid further injury. “In the future, I’m going to take some breaks, some long breaks,” Alcaraz stated during a US Open press conference. “Maybe not four months, but one month, two months, missing some tournaments, because it’s impossible to play them all.” Noah has opted to rest Alcaraz for the opening day of the Laver Cup, saving the Spaniard for the second and third days when match points increase in value.