Carlos Alcaraz to play in Laver Cup: World number one set to feature for Team Europe in huge boost

Carlos Alcaraz is in the midst of an extremely busy schedule. Just coming off from the US Open success, he has confirmed that he will compete in the Laver Cup in a massive bosot for Europe.

Described as tennis's version of the Ryder Cup (golf), the Laver Cup is a tournament where Europe's best tennis players compete with the rest of the world. The top six players from each category would face off for glory.

The first team to reach 13 points wins the competition, which lasts over three days, consisting of singles and doubles. On day one, a win earns you one point, victory in day two will add two points to your tally whilst three points are on offer on the third and final day of action.

This is the eighth year it is being held, first starting back in 2017. Europe won the opening four events, before the rest of the world mounted an impressive run, winning the last three editions. This year's edition will be held between 19th-21st September at the Chase Centre in San Francisco.

Alcaraz recently clinched his sixth Grand Slam at Flushing Meadows, overcoming his arch-rival Jannik Sinner over four sets in a high-quality final. He played some incredible tennis, breezing past his opponents, including 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals. This is his second Grand Slam triumph of the year, and his first in New York since 2022, where he won his first.

Just before that, he got over the disappointment from losing his Wimbledon crown by defeating Sinner in the Cincinnati Open final, although being aided by the Italian's retirement halfway through.

After all this tennis, there was questions and speculation on whether the Spaniard would compete in the upcoming Laver Cup. There is still a whole-hos tof big tournaments coming up, including the ATP Finals, along with two Masters 1000 events in Shanghai and Paris.

Despite all of this coming up, the world number one will commit his time and energy to team Europe. According to Marca, Alcaraz will return to training six days after his US Open success to get in the best shape for the tournament. Alcaraz made his debut in last year's event and earned all eight of Europe's points in a 13-8 defeat. If he can show that same unstoppable form he has portrayed for much of this year, then Europe will be in the hot seat to clinch their first Laver Cup title since 2021.

Alcaraz is surrounded by a star-studded team as they travel to San Francisco. World number three Alexander Zverev will be looking to overturn the disappointment he suffered in New York, as Holger Rune, Casper Ruud, Jakub Mensik, and Flavio Cobolli complete Europe's lineup. The team is captained by Yannick Noah, with Tim Henman stepping in as vice-captain.

They will battle against world number four Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Francisco Cerundolo, Alex Michelsen, Joao Fonseca, and Reilly Opelka. The original line-up had American duo Ben Shelton and Tommy Paul in it, but they had to withdraw due to injury. They are captained by eight-time Grand Slam champion Andre Agassi and vice-captained by Pat Rafter.

On paper, Team Europe has an advantage with the higher-ranking players, along with the best player in the world. However, they should not count out their opponents who still field out an incredibly strong team, although it could have been stronger if not for poorly-timed injuries. It is set to be a thrilling contest in the USA, as Europe and the rest of the world once again clash for the eighth time.