Tennis News Today: Carlos Alcaraz aims to give Rafael Nadal the perfect send-off at Davis Cup; Paula Badosa jokes Iga Swiatek “ruined” her birthday at BJK Cup
Spanish tennis star Carlos Alcaraz expressed his desire to retire his idol Rafael Nadal on a high note with a Davis Cup Finals trophy. In other news, Paula Badosa jokingly teased Iga Swiatek for “ruining” her birthday after losing to the Pole in the Billie Jean King Cup Finals.
Meanwhile, Dominic Thiem and his girlfriend Lili made a stylish appearance at Carlos Alcaraz vs. Alexander Zverev’s ATP Finals showdown in Turin, Italy. Iga Swiatek’s confidence grew under new coach Wim Fisette as Poland reached the Billie Jean King Cup Finals quarterfinals.
Carlos Alcaraz hopes to send idol Rafael Nadal off in style with Davis Cup title
Carlos Alcaraz has shared his dream of retiring his idol, Rafael Nadal, with a Davis Cup trophy at the 2024 Finals. After starting his ATP Finals campaign with a loss to Casper Ruud, the third seed bounced back to defeat Andrey Rublev but fell in straight sets to Alexander Zverev in his final round-robin match on November 15.
Alcaraz will join Nadal in Malaga for the Davis Cup Finals, which he described as an “emotional and special” event, marking their last tournament together.
“I think it’s most important for Rafa, for his last tournament. I really want him to retire with a title. It’s going to be really, really emotional and a really special tournament for me,” Carlos Alcaraz said in a press conference in Turin.
“It is the last tournament of the year for me, probably one of the most special tournaments that I’m going to play,” Alcaraz said. “Last tournament of Rafa, I’ll be able to be next to him in the last moments on a tennis court for him.”
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“But I would think that it is the Davis Cup. It is a tournament I really want to win one day. When I was a kid, I’d dream about winning the Davis Cup, for Spain. This year we have a really special chance to win it. I will try to help the team to win the Davis Cup for me
Paula Badosa jokingly blamed Iga Swiatek for spoiling her birthday with BJK Cup defeat
Paula Badosa humorously claimed that Iga Swiatek “ruined” her 27th birthday after the Pole defeated her in their Billie Jean King Cup Finals match, resulting in a loss for Spain. In their group tie, Poland’s Magda Linette first won against Sara Sorribes, followed by World No. 2 Swiatek defeating Badosa 6-3, 6-7(7), 6-1.
After the match, Badosa playfully blamed Swiatek for spoiling her birthday in an Instagram Story, sharing a photo of them embracing at the net.
“Too good @iga.swiatek thank you for ruining my bday… It was very nice to share the court with you again. You made me realize I still have to work my a** off a bit more keep inspiring,” Badosa wrote.
Iga Swiatek led Poland into the 2024 Billie Jean King Cup Finals quarterfinals with a victory over Spain’s Paula Badosa.
Following her North American swing, the World No. 2 ended her long-standing collaboration with coach Tomasz Wiktorowski and brought in Wim Fissette, formerly Naomi Osaka’s coach. Their partnership debuted at the WTA Finals, where Swiatek fell short in the group stage.
After the win, Swiatek praised Magda Linette for her strong opening match and called her win over Badosa her best since the US Open, crediting the Spaniard for pushing her to elevate her game.
“I wouldn’t say I pushed us to the QF. Magda played an amazing match in the morning. We both did it. The whole Polish team. We’re here as team Poland. I’m happy we won a match on Billie Jean King Cup finals. My match with Paula was super intense,” Iga Swiatek said.
“I felt like it was my best match since I came back after US Open. But later she pushed me. There was a lot of pressure. The tiebreak, I knew every point mattered. It went her way, but I knew I could be back in the third set and try to win it for Poland,” she added.
With a straight-set win over Carlos Alcaraz, second seed Alexander Zverev reached the year-end championships semifinals for the fourth time. The German tennis star will take on fifth seed Taylor Fritz in the last four on November 16. The winner of this match will face either top seed Jannik Sinner or sixth seed Casper Ruud in the championship match.
