September 09, (THEWILL) – Spanish tennis star, Carlos Alcaraz, has withdrawn from Spain’s Davis Cup team for the group stage matches taking place in Valencia between September 12-17, the Spanish Tennis Federation confirmed on Saturday.
The 20-year-old, current world number one, has pulled out following his defeat by Daniil Medvedev in the semi-finals of the US Open last week. Veteran Spanish player, Albert Ramos, will take Alcaraz’s place in the squad for the important group ties. Spain are drawn against Serbia, the Czech Republic and South Korea, with the top two teams progressing to the quarterfinals in November.
Alcaraz had been expected to lead Spain in Valencia and face rival, Novak Djokovic, who he defeated in a thrilling Wimbledon final in July. Instead, the 34-year-old Ramos will now shoulder the responsibility of spearheading the Spanish team. He has previous Davis Cup experience, having been part of the squad that won the title in 2019.
The loss of Alcaraz is a big blow for Spain, but they will be hopeful the experienced Ramos can step up in his absence. Spain’s ties against Serbia and the Czech Republic are likely to be their toughest tests. Serbia can call on former world number one, Djokovic, while the Czechs have quality players like Jiri Vesely. But Spain will still fancy their chances of progressing from the group if Ramos performs well.
Alcaraz has decided to take a break after his breakthrough Grand Slam performance at the US Open. It is a shame for fans he will not participate in the Davis Cup, but his health and fitness must come first at this early stage of his career. Spain will hope to qualify without him and that he can return fresh for the knockout stages later this year.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
