Carlos Alcaraz spearheaded Team Europe’s comeback victory over Team World in the Laver Cup on Sunday, winning both his singles and doubles matches. Heading into the final day in Berlin, Europe trailed 4-8, but Alcaraz turned the tide by defeating Taylor Fritz in straight sets and earlier teaming up with Casper Ruud to win against Ben Shelton and Frances Tiafoe.
This marked Europe’s fifth Laver Cup title and their first since 2021. “It’s great, obviously. We all came here with the goal to win the Laver Cup,” Alcaraz said. “We were close to losing, but Sascha (Alex Zverev) stepped up with fantastic tennis, giving me the chance to clinch the title. We’re really, really happy with everything.”
Zverev, despite dropping the first set against Tiafoe, rallied to secure all three points for his team, winning the pivotal tie-break 6-7(5) 7-5 10-5. This set the stage for Alcaraz to sweep aside US Open finalist Fritz with a commanding 6-2 7-5 victory, finishing the tournament with a record-breaking eight points.
The 21-year-old Spaniard faced a tough month, exiting early in both the Cincinnati Open and the US Open—his earliest grand slam exit in over three years. Yet, he seemed to regain his confidence at Berlin’s Uber Arena, showing remarkable composure during his crucial match against Fritz.
Both Alcaraz and Zverev entered their matches knowing they had to deliver for Europe after Daniil Medvedev’s disappointing defeat to Shelton, which he described as “some of the worst tennis of my life.”
Europe’s victory capped a successful campaign for team captain Björn Borg, who, along with World captain John McEnroe, will step down after leading their teams since the inaugural Laver Cup in 2017. “Just a few hours ago, I thought, ‘We’re not going to win this,’” Borg admitted after the matches. “But the guys came through and played fantastic tennis. Spending time with these players in Team Europe is a lot of fun. We have great team spirit, and they give everything. I’m incredibly proud of my team.”
Borg will be succeeded by former French Open champion Yannick Noah, while eight-time major winner Andre Agassi takes the helm of Team World for next year’s competition in San Francisco.
