Spain’s Davis Cup captain delivers verdict on Carlos Alcaraz’s ‘tough’ withdrawal
Spanish Davis Cup captain David Ferrer has revealed he still has “faith” in his squad despite the significant blow of Carlos Alcaraz’s pre-event withdrawal.
World No 1 Alcaraz officially withdrew from the Davis Cup Finals on Tuesday, with the 22-year-old forced to pull out of the men’s team competition due to a hamstring issue.
The Spaniard’s hamstring problem first emerged during his defeat to Jannik Sinner at the ATP Finals on Sunday, and, after arriving in Bologna for the Davis Cup, scans showed he had a muscle edema.
Alcaraz was reportedly eager to play in the event but has decided to follow advice from his team and doctors, and will instead rest ahead of the start of the 2026 season.
His withdrawal comes as a huge blow for Spain, with the nation looking to secure its first Davis Cup triumph in 2019.
With Alcaraz in their squad, they were considered favourites to lift the title, though with only one top-10 player in action across the whole event — Germany’s Alexander Zverev — the race to the title is now considered wide open.
Spanish captain and former world No 3 Ferrer was a three-time Davis Cup champion as a player, and admits that Alcaraz’s absence is “tough” for the nation’s chances.
However, speaking to Punto de Break, he also revealed his belief that Spain could still win the tournament in 2025.
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He said: “Of course, Carlos came, and at first we thought he would be able to be there, then he had the MRI, and after talking with the doctor, Ángel Cotorro, he told me it wasn’t going to be easy.
“We’re talking about a very important player, the world number one, and someone I knew we needed, in a way, to win the Davis Cup — and he can’t be with us.
“It was tough, but this morning [Tuesday] has been different. I’ve always believed that I handle these kinds of problems well: as the hours go by, you see what solutions you can come up with.
“Besides, I see my players training very well. They’re very, very enthusiastic, and that gives me confidence, because with this format, it’s also true that everything is more even.
“I have faith, I have faith, I have faith. I have faith today, even more so tomorrow, and on Thursday I’ll be incredibly motivated. That’s my character, and it always will be.”
Spain’s Davis Cup campaign will not begin until Thursday, with the nation facing fourth seeds Czechia in their quarter-final.
In Alcaraz’s absence, singles action will now likely be led by Jaume Munar and Pablo Carreno Busta, with Pedro Martinez and doubles specialist Marcel Granollers also in the Spanish squad.
Spain face a tough quarter-final against a strong Czech team, which includes world No 17 Jiri Lehecka, world No 19 Jakub Mensik, and world No 32 Tomas Machac.
The winner of the quarter-final will face either Germany or Argentina in the semi-final on Saturday.
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