By the time Casper Ruud had completed his typically tenacious comeback to capture victory in the opening scuffle of this year’s Laver Cup, Carlos Alcaraz was on the floor. The Spaniard had worked harder than any other player on the sidelines as he repeatedly cheered, animated the crowd and offered a steady stream of thoughtful tactical advice to his teammate. He reacted to Ruud’s triumphant final smash with a jubilant scream, his legs dramatically giving way as he slid down his seat on to the ground.
Alcaraz is well aware of his status as the leading star of this year’s event, and in his third Laver Cup outing, the seven-time grand slam champion at times practically took on the role of Europe’s third coach behind Yannick Noah and Tim Henman. This provided a number of insightful glimpses into the way he sees the sport. During one exchange with Ruud, Alcaraz suggested that the Norwegian should attempt more down-the-line backhands and drop shots to draw Francisco Cerundolo, his opponent, into uncomfortable positions on the court. Whether Ruud possesses the skillset to follow Alcaraz’s tactics is another question, but the reasoning he gave for those suggestions was particularly interesting: The ultimate goal, Alcaraz said, should be to “make [Cerundolo] think a little bit more.”
