Carlos Alcaraz returns to tennis after Wimbledon victory with Hopman Cup appearance

World No. 1, and Wimbledon champion Carlos Alcaraz continued his winning ways at the Hopman Cup on Friday, four days after winning Wimbledon.  

What rest? The world number one Carlos Alcaraz was back on the court four days after his Wimbledon triumph. The 20-year-old played in the Hopman Cup against David Goffin on Friday and helped Spain level with Belgium after a 4-6, 6-4 (10-8) victory. However, it wasn’t enough as Spain fell to Belgium 2-1.

Alcaraz entered fresh off winning his second Grand Slam title by defeating 23-time grand slam champion Novak Djokovic 1-6, 7-6(6), 6-1, 3-6, 6-4 in 4 hours and 42 minutes at Wimbledon, on Sunday.

No practice, no problem for Carlos Alcaraz in Hopman Cup debut:

During his tournament debut, Alcaraz struggled on the clay courts in Nice, France. Perhaps it was because this was the first time he was picking up a racquet since his grass glory.

But he showed incredible determination and fought back in the second set, eventually leveling the match at one set each. The serve, power, speed, and smile were all present. Then came the super tiebreak, where Alcaraz was down 0-4, but he managed to turn things around and secure a thrilling victory.

Yet, the momentum was short-lived as Alcaraz and his teammate Rebeka Masarova fell 6-3, 6-1  to Goffin and Elise Mertens in the mixed doubles rubber match. Despite the defeat, Alcaraz and Spain still have Saturday to look forward to. On Saturday, Alcaraz will face 15th-ranked Borna Coric of Croatia in singles. He will pair up with Masarova in the nightcap and battle Donna Vekic and Coric in mixed doubles.

In the other match on Friday, Switzerland defeated France 2-1 after  Celine Naef and Leandro Riedi beat Alize Cornet and Richard Gasquet 6-4 7-5. The victory puts Switzerland in Sunday’s final, against a Denmark side featuring the world number six, Holger Rune.

The Hopman Cup is an exciting tournament where players represent their nations, playing as a team in singles and doubles matches. It’s unique and provides a different experience from other events. The matches are best of three sets, with the third being a ten-point tiebreaker.

The tournament is back after a four-year absence, as it lost its spot ahead of the Australian Open due to the short-lived ATP Cup men’s team event. It began in 1989 and was named after the Australian legend Harry Hopman. The 2019 edition saw Roger Federer lead Switzerland to glory against Germany.

There were concerns about Alcaraz playing in this tournament, given he had just won Wimbledon. After all, you don’t get ATP points for winning this. But the Spaniard persisted. He didn’t want to pass up the chance to represent his country. Again, what rest?