Carlos Alcaraz helped Spain qualify for the Davis Cup knockout stage in November, but reports indicate he will not play in their final tie against Australia.
Alcaraz suffered a shocking defeat in the US Open second round against Botic van de Zandschulp. It was one of the biggest upsets in Grand Slam history, helping to open up the draw for the eventual winner, Jannik Sinner.
Although it was disappointing for Alcaraz, it gave him additional time to prepare for the Davis Cup group stage. The Spanish team was undoubtedly thrilled to have their best player fit and ready to play.
Alcaraz's presence in Valencia for the Davis Cup group stage went against the advice some gave him. John McEnroe felt the four-time Grand Slam champion should have rested for two months after the US Open to avoid burnout.
The 21-year-old helped Spain collect their first point after Tomas Machac retired in the third set of their singles match. He also won the doubles match with Marcel Granollers, and Alcaraz explained why he played doubles despite feeling tired afterward.
The world No. 3 secured Spain's place in the knockout stage by beating Ugo Humbert 6-3, 6-3. It was one of Alcaraz's best performances of the season, allowing him to banish any demons from his US Open loss.
Both Spain and Australia have already qualified for the knockout stage. The only question when the countries compete on Sunday is which team will finish top of Group B.
However, MARCA reported that Team Spain will need to try to overcome the Australians without Alcaraz's quality because the young star has decided not to compete in the final tie of group B.
Alcaraz has a busy schedule between now and the end of the season. His next appearance is at the Laver Cup, which starts on Friday. He will not compete alongside Rafael Nadal after his compatriot withdrew from the tournament.
The two-time Wimbledon champion then flies to Asia to compete in Beijing and Shanghai. Alcaraz did not play his best tennis last year in China and will hope to rectify that this year at both tournaments.
His busy spell does not end there. The former world No. 1 is one of the players scheduled to play at a lucrative exhibition event in Saudi Arabia. Admittedly, that is purely optional, and it would be tough to sympathize with him if he is feeling fatigued by then.
That schedule means it would be unsurprising if the reports about Alcaraz not competing against Australia are correct. It gives one of his teammates an opportunity to shine in front of a home crowd.
Spain's Davis Cup captain, David Ferrer, and the rest of Team Spain are undoubtedly already grateful to Alcaraz for playing at the tournament. They will hope to have him back for the knockout stage in November.
Alcaraz will certainly need some downtime during the off-season after a very busy 2024. However, he has already agreed to play at an exhibition event alongside Ben Shelton at Madison Square Garden in December.
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