BERLIN: Carlos Alcaraz shot down comparisons with 20-time Grand Slam winner Roger Federer moments after his victory over Taylor Fritz won the Laver Cup for Team Europe on Sunday. The 21-year-old Spaniard, playing in the tournament for the first time, beat American Taylor Fritz 6-2, 7-5 to win the tournament in Berlin.

Team Europe had lost the past two events and needed a come-from-behind victory from local player Alexander Zverev against Frances Tiafoe, 6-7(5/7), 7-5, 10-5, to send the tournament to the final match between Alcaraz and Fritz.

After his win, the four-time Grand Slam winner was compared to peak Federer, but Alcaraz said such a comparison was "impossible”. "I’m too far away from that level,” he said. "I hope I’ll reach it one day, but it’s really impossible.”

Alcaraz, who won the French Open and Wimbledon this season, had not played the event before. "It’s great. We can feel proud, all of us. I’m really happy. All of us did a pretty good job over the days. It’s been a top one,” the Spaniard added. "We almost lost, but Sasha (Zverev) came with some really good tennis and gave me a chance to win the Laver Cup.”

The world number three won Sunday’s opening match, a doubles clash alongside Casper Ruud, 6-2, 7-6 (8/6), to help put his side on course to lift the Laver Cup for the fifth time. Alcaraz said he found it more difficult to watch matches with his Team Europe colleagues than to actually take to the court, saying "the nerves were killing us”.

"It’s really difficult to watch the matches from outside. I was trying to stay away a bit, watching on TV in the locker-room, trying to support from there. "The nerves were there.”

Former Wimbledon champion Elena Rybakina said she has pulled out of tournaments in Beijing and Wuhan due to a back issue but is aiming to return to action before the WTA Tour’s season finale in Riyadh in November. The world number four enjoyed plenty of success in the first half of 2024, winning titles in Brisbane, Abu Dhabi and Stuttgart, but missed several tournaments due to illness and injury thereafter.

After reaching the Wimbledon semi-finals she withdrew from the Paris Olympics due to bronchitis and pulled out of the US Open in August due to a lower back injury after winning her opening match. "Due to an ongoing back injury, I regretfully have to withdraw from the upcoming Asian tournaments,” Rybakina said in a statement.

"While I’ve been working hard on my recovery, my medical team and I have decided it’s best to prioritize my health at this time.” The 25-year-old, who split from her long-time coach Stefano Vukov just days before the US Open, is third in the WTA race to the Nov. 2-9 Finals. "This has been a challenging year and I am grateful for the support from the tournament organizers and all of my fans,” the Kazakh player added. "My team and I will work on getting me back on the court before the season finale.” — Agencies