Liam Llewellyn
Carlos Alcaraz was thrilled with his latest Davis Cup performance as Spain won their second group stage tie.
The 21-year-old and teammate Roberto Bautista Agut both won their singles match to give their country an unassailable 2-0 lead against France.
Their opponents won the doubles match which proved to be nothing more than a consolation as Spain claimed a 2-1 win to move into the Davis Cup final 8.
Carlos Alcaraz and Spain are now one step closer towards trying to win the prestigious team event for the first time since 2019.
What did Carlos Alcaraz say about his latest Davis Cup performance?
Alcaraz has been struggling to produce his best tennis since losing a tight Olympic final to Novak Djokovic in July.
He entered the Davis Cup with just one win under his belt following his Olympic Games debut, but he claimed his second successive singles win this week while representing his country.
Alcaraz backed up his win over Tomas Machac by defeating France’s Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-3 in what was their second career meeting.
He looked far more comfortable on court and produced the type of tennis fans have grown accustomed to seeing from the four-time Grand Slam champion.
While assessing his performance, Alcaraz rated it very high. “I was pleased with the level I played from the beginning until the last ball. I was really focused. It was a high level of tennis,” he said during his on-court interview.
“I was really, really intense. Probably one of the best matches I’ve played this year. Seeing my last month, I need these kinds of matches. I’m really really happy with my performance today.”
Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images for ITF
Who will Carlos Alcaraz and Spain play in the Davis Cup next?
Though Spain have already qualified for the Davis Cup final 8 in November, they can still play for the opportunity to finish top of their group.
Following a 3-0 win over Czechia and beating France 2-1, Spain will face Australia on Sunday for the chance to finish the group stage undefeated.
Australia also won their first two group matches by the same score lines as Spain and they will face the task of trying to defeat their next opposition in front of their home fans.
Spain are trying to win the Davis Cup for the seventh time, while Australia are going for their 29th title and a first since 2003.
John McEnroe makes prediction about when Rafael Nadal is going to retire
John McEnroe assessed when Rafael Nadal may retire from professional tennis.
Father time eventually catches up with all athletes and the Spaniard appears to be nearing the end of a truly illustrious career.
After sustaining injury at the 2023 Australian Open he missed the rest of the season and played sparingly in 2024.
Nadal has played just 19 singles matches this season, with the most recent of these coming against great rival Novak Djokovic in the second round of the Olympic Games.
It does not appear that he will compete for the rest of the season and it remains to be seen how much longer Nadal will play beyond 2024.
How much longer does John McEnroe think Rafael Nadal will keep playing?
Rafael Nadal announced via a statement posted by the Laver Cup that he will no longer be taking part in the team event.
This would have been his fourth Laver Cup appearance but with him no longer set to compete, Nadal’s future in tennis is unclear.
As he gets older and becomes even more susceptible to injuries, this prompted John McEnroe to guess when Nadal may hang up his racket.
“He still seems like he has an appetite to play. It seems like he is trying to get the body up to a level where he feels like he can play. Maybe see what he can do at the start of next year?,” McEnroe said.
