Carlos Alcaraz has said he is ready to make up for lost time as he prepares for his first matches in London in 2026 at the Laver Cup this week, while also offering a striking verdict on one of his European team-mates.

The Spaniard was forced to sit out the grass-court swing in England, missing planned appearances at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon after suffering a wrist injury at the Barcelona Open in April. He returned at the US Open last month, a comeback that many viewed as a surprise, and produced five strong performances before falling in an epic quarter-final to Ben Shelton.

His next stop is Team Europe at the Laver Cup, where he will line up alongside newly crowned US Open champion Alexander Zverev. Zverev had previously praised Alcaraz as ‘amazing’ after they played together in an earlier edition of the event, but this time it was Alcaraz who returned the compliment.

“I agree that he is probably the best player in the world right now,” Alcaraz said of Zverev.

“Having him by my side and on our team, it’s going to be a great weapon to have and we are going to use it.

“I missed lifting the (Laver Cup) trophy last year, so I’m going to do whatever it takes this year.

“The US Open was a great test for me and I can’t wait to play here.”

Alcaraz was beaten by Team World’s Taylor Fritz in last year’s Laver Cup and has made clear that he wants to put that right if they meet again in London.

“He destroyed me last year,” added Alcaraz with a smile. “If I play against him, I will be down with it and I will be ready, for sure.

“It’s great to be back in London. I missed it this year, so it’s going to be the first time I am touching London this year, so I’m excited.

“It’s my first time playing at the 02 Arena and it feels great to be here. It’s a super beautiful stadium and I can’t wait to see it packed and hear the atmosphere from the people.”

Although Alcaraz has faced criticism for playing too many exhibition events, this year’s Laver Cup offers him a useful setting to continue his comeback after the wrist problem. The best-of-three format, with no ranking points on offer, should suit his return while the event also brings a significant appearance fee.

The competition begins on Friday and finishes with the final session at the 02 Arena on Sunday.

The Davis Cup has returned to the spotlight during qualification, and the debate around its identity has only intensified. The current structure remains unpopular with many observers, especially after the move away from best-of-five sets and home-and-away ties in the Finals, replaced instead by an eight-team event staged at the end of the year.

Alexander Zverev has already made clear where he stands. After Germany’s recent win over Croatia, he voiced his frustration with the competition’s current direction, saying: “I hope that the Davis Cup decision-makers will eventually wake up and see what the real Davis Cup is,” Zverev said after Germany’s recent victory against Croatia.

“Because this weekend was the real Cup. What we’re playing in Bologna is absolute rubbish. I hope we return to the old format.”

Now Yannick Noah has added his voice to the criticism. A central figure from one of the Davis Cup’s most respected eras, Noah said the competition no longer reflects what it once was.

“I find it a bit difficult to talk about the Davis Cup today, having experienced the authentic Davis Cup. For me, this isn’t the real Davis Cup. From the beginning, I was against this format,” “I don’t recognize the spirit of the Davis Cup,” said Noah.

“I don’t recognize the spirit of the competition. In my day, and for the generations before and immediately after mine—before this change occurred— we were prepared to do anything to be selected. We were prepared to do anything to play in the Davis Cup.

“Because it was a competition that meant something. It was part of history. There was a tradition. And, overnight, all of that disappeared. And we see that the best players no longer participate.

“It’s true that, back then, there were some players who considered the schedule too demanding and didn’t play. But that was something entirely different. As a spectator today, I find it difficult to be interested in this competition.”

Noah’s relationship with the event is deeply rooted. He reached the final as a player, then later guided France to victory as a coach. He was part of the French side beaten by the United States in the 1982 final, before finally winning the trophy nine years later.

He led Guy Forget and Henri Laconte as France defeated a United States team featuring Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi to claim their first Davis Cup title since 1932. If anyone understands the competition’s place in the sport, it is Noah.

After years of close calls, Alexander Zverev finally completed his Grand Slam breakthrough in 2026.

For much of his career, the German had been viewed as one of the strongest players never to win a major. That changed in June when he captured Roland Garros, then reinforced the moment by adding the US Open title in September. With two Grand Slam trophies already in hand, his attention has now shifted to another milestone: reaching world No 1 for the first time.

Yannick Noah, who will coach Zverev again at the Laver Cup this year, offered a glowing assessment of the turnaround. Speaking to Eurosport, he said: “It’s extraordinary. It’s very inspiring for us, but especially for tennis fans, to see this player—whose path to Grand Slams was blocked by the generation of Federer, Nadal, and Djokovic — become convinced that his time would come; and to see how, just when he thought he could finally dominate, new players like Sinner and Alcaraz emerged… He felt very frustrated, very frustrated, especially mentally.

“But it also shows that he’s someone who never gave up. In fact, he never threw in the towel, not even in the most difficult or tense moments. He never managed to climb higher than third or fourth in the world rankings.

“And as soon as an opportunity arose—thanks precisely to that fighting spirit—as soon as the path opened up, as soon as the occasion presented itself, he seized it. This year has been magnificent for him. I was especially delighted to see him win in Paris.”

Before his victory in Paris, Zverev had lost three consecutive Grand Slam finals. He was beaten by Dominic Thiem at the 2020 US Open, by Alcaraz at Roland Garros 2025, and by Sinner in the 2025 Australian Open final. He also lost to Sinner in the Wimbledon 2026 final, leaving him 2-4 in major finals, a record that looks far healthier than it did earlier in the season.

His next target is Sinner’s world No 1 position. The gap between them stands at 1370 ranking points heading into the final stretch of the year, and the race could tighten further if Sinner does not play Beijing or Shanghai before the Paris Masters and the ATP Finals.