Carlos Alcaraz suffered a surprising defeat in his first singles appearance at the 2025 Laver Cup, falling to Taylor Fritz in straight sets. Following the match, the world No. 1 opened up about the loss and gave full credit to his opponent for an outstanding performance.
Alcaraz began his Laver Cup campaign in San Francisco on Friday with a positive start, teaming up with Jakub Mensik to defeat the American duo of Taylor Fritz and Alex Michelsen in doubles. However, his fortunes shifted on Saturday when he faced Fritz again—this time in singles—where the American delivered one of the best performances of his career to defeat Alcaraz 6-3, 6-2.
Despite being the heavy favorite, Alcaraz admitted he struggled with the court conditions and couldn’t find his rhythm, while Fritz thrived.
“It wasn’t the match I was expecting,” Alcaraz said after the loss. “But credit to Taylor—he played great tennis. I wasn’t as solid as I wanted to be, and the conditions here are pretty slow. The balls are really heavy, so I had to be more patient and consistent, and I didn’t manage that today.”
The 22-year-old was quick to praise Fritz’s aggressive and consistent play, acknowledging that the American adapted far better to the San Francisco conditions.
“Taylor played a great match—really solid, really aggressive when he had the chance. Everything went his way, and he deserved the win,” Alcaraz added.
Rather than focusing on his own shortcomings, Alcaraz emphasized how well Fritz executed the key moments of the match.
“I felt like he was more present in the rallies than I was. The first or second shot was really crucial, and he did a much better job than I did there. In these slow conditions, it’s tough to turn defense into offense, and he made sure I was the one doing all the running.”
Alcaraz isn’t done at the 2025 Laver Cup just yet. On Day 3, he’s set to team up with Casper Ruud in a doubles match against Alex Michelsen and Reilly Opelka, followed by a singles clash against Francisco Cerundolo—giving him another chance to contribute to Team Europe’s campaign.
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