Alcaraz at Laver Cup: Djokovic Best Ever, Nadal Role Model
Carlos Alcaraz said ahead of the Laver Cup in London that Rafael Nadal is his role model, but Novak Djokovic is the greatest tennis player of all time. Alexander Zverev agrees.
In a press room in London, two days before the start of the Laver Cup, Carlos Alcaraz leaned back with a smile and took on a question that keeps following players of his generation these days. Reporters wanted to know who he would pick for his own team if he could choose anyone. He did not need long to answer.
“That’s Rafa. He’s Spanish and for me he’s everything. I’d pick him, although it would be interesting to play with Federer too, since we never shared a locker room,” Alcaraz said.
Moments later came the question that has trailed him ever since people started comparing him to Federer, Nadal and Djokovic: who is the best of the three of all time. The world number three did not hesitate.
Nadal is my role model, someone I look up to, but when you look at the numbers, there’s no doubt Djokovic is the best ever. He’s won everything, not just once, but twice.
Behind that sentence sits a fact Alcaraz did not need to check. Novak Djokovic has won every Grand Slam tournament and every Masters title at least twice in his career, a feat no other tennis player in history has managed.
Alcaraz was also asked about Jannik Sinner, with whom he has built a rivalry over the past few seasons and who is sitting out this edition of the Laver Cup while recovering from a knee injury.
“He won almost everything early in the season and, of course, I miss him. I want to see him and play against him because he pushes me to be a better player every day,” Alcaraz said about Sinner.
The Laver Cup runs from September 25 to 27 in London, with Yannick Noah captaining Team Europe and Andre Agassi leading Team World. Alongside Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev, Europe’s colors will also be defended by Cobolli, Hodar, Mensik and Ruud, while Team World lines up Alex de Minaur, Taylor Fritz, Learner Tien, Brandon Nakashima, Alexander Bublik and Francisco Cerundolo.
Zverev, who along with Alcaraz will carry the main load for Team Europe, shares the same view on who ranks as the greatest in the sport’s history, even though picking a favorite among Federer, Nadal and Djokovic is harder for him.
“Statistically speaking, it’s Novak Djokovic. He’s won the most, and spent the most weeks at number one in the ATP rankings,” Zverev said.
The German has won two Grand Slam titles this season, and his current form puts him among the Laver Cup favorites, so his assessment carries his own numbers alongside everyone else’s.
Djokovic will not play at the Laver Cup. His next match comes in Beijing starting September 30. Alcaraz and Zverev look up to different players, but when the conversation turns to numbers, both point to the same name, and that is something London will not change this weekend.
