T. FRITZ/C. Alcaraz
6-3, 6-2
Team Europe - 3
Team World - 7
THE MODERATOR: Carlos, not quite the result you wanted. Do you want to just tell us about the match?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, yeah, I mean, it wasn't the match that I was expecting, but you know, I think I have to look a little bit, you know, to him that I think he played great tennis.
I just wasn't as solid as I wanted in the match, and I think these conditions, you know, it's pretty slow. The balls are really big, so I had to be patient, I had to be solid. I didn't play that match today.
So talked to Taylor that played a great match, really solid, playing aggressive when he could. I think everything went to his side, so I had to congratulate him and that play much better game than I did.
THE MODERATOR: Let's have some questions.
Q. Tough match out there. Taylor was saying he was particularly proud of the fact that he was committing to an aggressive game, and he stuck with his game plan. Did you feel that a little bit out there that he was going all-out, he was swinging through the court?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Yeah, I feel like he was more on the court than me. Yeah, I think that the first or second shot of the rally was really important, and I think he did it much better than I did. I think that was the key, because as I said, in these conditions, I think the first shots are really important.
When you are defending, when you are running on the court, it is really difficult to turn around the situations. It is really difficult when you are defending, turning to attack is really difficult because of the balls and the conditions that are really slow.
As I said, Taylor was right. He was more aggressive than me. He did much better the first shots than me, and I was running more than him. I think that was the key today.
Q. Carlos, you mentioned the conditions in there slower than you were perhaps expecting. How does that impact your tactics going into a match like today? Did you have to adjust accordingly? If you could go back, was there an adjustment you were thinking of that maybe just the execution wasn't quite there today?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I mean, I think in conditions like this, you need more on time on court. Okay, I played doubles last night, but you know, it's totally different than a singles.
You have to see everything, and I think I didn't see the ball quite good, let's say. So I was feeling that I was a lot of time too far from the ball, that I didn't keep in the right position, in the right place, which sometimes is annoying.
But, you know, I think today I needed more time on court. I needed more practice. I needed more everything just to be better. I think that was an important thing that I need more sets, more points, more rallies.
I think just having one court is pretty difficult, you know, for the teams to have the practices you wanted before, you know, the matches. But it isn't an excuse, but I think I feel like I needed more time to adapt my game to these conditions.
Q. I'm curious how you felt actually going into the match today. Did you feel like you hadn't practiced enough? Just overall, how did you feel?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: I think before a tournament, before the first match you have to practice. You have to play sets. You have to play points. Here, as I said, having just one court to both teams, and we are seven in the team to both teams, I barely practiced one hour per day, which for me I'm not used to do that.
I used to practice more and coming to the first match with hours, hours on the court, feeling the ball. You know, I think here the conditions are quite different than we are used to play on the tour, so I just feel like I could have loved to have more time on the court playing singles, because I played doubles, but it's not the same thing.
So I prefer to have more time playing singles before coming for the first match.
Q. As the world No. 1, do you feel more responsibility to win your points when you're playing in a team match? It was a little different last year with Davis Cup. Rafa was still around. I'm sort of curious now that you're world No. 1 and you're the top player on the team, does it feel different?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, not really. Today I feel like I had to win the point, because the way that the day is going, so with the two loses, I feel like, okay, I had to win my match. It was a little bit of extra pressure, because of the way that the day was going on, but it wasn't because I'm the No. 1 in the world.
I think the ranking, it is just a number. It shouldn't give you the pressure that you have to win everything and every match. It's just, okay, I'm there, but you have to still doing the things that you was doing before. But with the two loses, I felt like a little bit of extra pressure.
Q. Carlos, not many players in the world have had success dictating points against you. Taylor came to the net 20 times today. What do you think allowed him to do that today and have success, especially kind of given how well you pass in general?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Coming into the net? Well, I think, as I said, he was really aggressive, and I think he had a lot of chances to go to the net. You know, I think I improved my passing shot a lot, but sometimes it's really tricky. It depends on the position you are.
I think Taylor made a great decision to stay on the court, playing aggressively, and trying to go to the net, because I think he saw it was great for coming to the net.
I couldn't do that, but in general, I think it was -- I mean, overall playing aggressively, it was the key in the match for him.
Q. Carlos, how much time did you take off after the US Open without touching a racquet at all? When did you start ramping up for this?
CARLOS ALCARAZ: Well, I had four days. I had four days without touching a racquet. Then I started a little bit, you know, to come -- to play again, to feel the ball again a little bit.
I don't know. Is it enough? I don't know, but yeah, I just took four days, which means one was right after the match, the final, that I had to do interviews, photos, and all that stuff and travel.
For me when you're traveling such a long travel, it isn't a day off. You know, four days, it was.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports