"David Ferrer said if Rafael Nadal was there, he'd go to death with him" - Carlos Alcaraz voices hope of playing Davis Cup Finals alongside idol
Carlos Alcaraz has suggested that if Rafael Nadal can be fit in time for the Davis Cup Finals knockout stage, Spain's captain David Ferrer would do everything necessary to ensure that the Spanish contingent lifts the prestigious trophy. Ferrer recently hinted at the possibility of Nadal linking up with the Spanish team for the knockout phase, which is set to commence on Tuesday, 19 November.
Alcaraz himself played a starring role for Spain in the recently concluded Davis Cup Finals group stage. The reigning French Open and Wimbledon champion first secured a walkover win over Czech Republic's Tomas Machac and then dominated France's Ugo Humbert. These wins immensely helped Spain to top their group and qualify for the knockout stage in Malaga.
Recently, Spain's Davis Cup captain since late 2022, David Ferrer, suggested that Nadal could be in contention to feature in the knockout phase. Not long after, Carlos Alcaraz told Marca that he had heard Ferrer say that if the 22-time Major winner makes it in time for Malaga, he will go all out in engineering yet another Davis Cup title triumph for Spain.
"I heard David say that if Rafa was there, he would go to the death with him," Alcaraz told Marca.
The World No. 3 went on to hope that he too could be fit for the knockout stage so he could have another opportunity to play with Rafael Nadal. The duo teamed up to play doubles for Spain at the 2024 Paris Olympics, eventually bowing out in the quarterfinals.
"I hope I'm also physically fit to be able to go to Malaga. It's something that I'm particularly excited about and I hope Rafa is there too," Carlos Alcaraz added.
In the same interview, Alcaraz also laid bare his disappointment at Nadal's 2024 Laver Cup absence.
Carlos Alcaraz is going to "miss" Rafael Nadal at Laver Cup 2024 in Berlin
Rafael Nadal was announced as one of the star names for Team Europe for the 2024 Laver Cup. However, on Thursday, 12 September, the former World No. 1 announced his withdrawal from the team tennis event. In a statement, Nadal opined that he is not in a position to help Team Europe as it aims to reclaim the Laver Cup crown.
In his interview with Marca, Alcaraz stated that he would deeply feel Nadal's absence in the locker room.
"It would have been super special to repeat here in Berlin. When they gave the team and I saw that Rafa was coming, I was really excited to share the locker room with him once again. Here at the Laver Cup, we are all much closer together and it would have been a unique experience. I am going to miss him and I hope he returns to the courts soon when he feels well," Carlos Alcaraz said.
After Nadal pulled out of the 2024 Laver Cup, the tournament announced that the legendary Spaniard would be replaced in the Team Europe lineup by Grigor Dimitrov.