"Not all of us are Alcaraz, but we are very capable of winning this playoff"
Pablo Carreño sits down with Puntodebreak and focuses on the depth of the Spanish team, the key factor to defeat Denmark. "We are privileged."
Pablo Carreño returns to represent Spain. The track record would say these are great news: he already brought an Olympic bronze in the past and has been a regular in the Spanish Davis Cup selections. Tomorrow, the native of Gijón will step onto the court to face a high-level challenge: Holger Rune, the number one from Denmark and the main player tasked with trying to drown the patriotic hopes of reaching the Bologna Finals of the 2025 Davis Cup.
If there's one thing Pablo conveys, it's that he is more than prepared for his comeback. Prepared... and excited. He is a ray of hope in a season of ups and downs, alternating between major tournaments and descending to the mud of the Challenger circuit, dealing with the frustration of matches that he used to win easily and now require a bit more effort. He has admitted it himself in previous weeks, but this week is ideal to leave it all behind: the Davis Cup can be an important balm, a great opportunity to reconnect with his best version.
"It's a moment to enjoy. I am back in the team: after everything I have been through, seeing myself here again is very important to me. The captain has trusted me, believes I can pull off this match. Obviously, it's going to be very difficult, as the opponent is very strong, but it's a different competition, the Davis Cup is always special. Having the support of the crowd and playing at home is very important; we will try to pull off this match," he confesses to us from the ins and outs of the Marbella City Hall, where we had an exclusive chat with him. He can't help but smile when he recalls how much time has passed since the last time he played a tie at home.
"I missed this a lot, honestly. I don't remember the last time I played a tie like this, under this format." We do remember: 2017 semifinals, against France, at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille... a series, unfortunately, with infamous memories. "France, yes, I got injured. Bad memory (laughs).
What this competition has is that: playing at home or away is truly special, and lately, it has somewhat ended with the new format. We must take advantage of these ties to once again enjoy this. I will try to enjoy with the people and do what I can to help the team. I also think that it's not just my match, we have to win three out of five, it's a complete tie."
The series against Denmark is part of the tournament organization's latest experiment: taking a step back from the Finals format at a fixed venue, adding one more tie after the US Open, and eliminating the group stage format. After visiting Switzerland, Spain hosts a Davis Cup series again... with its pros and cons, especially concerning the accumulated fatigue in the calendar. "Well, the format... it's complicated (he smiles). Yes, an extra tie has been added, of course, and maybe now it's even harder to reach the Finals. I don't know, the format is tough, it's worth discussing at length in another conversation," concludes Carreño, who still struggles to decide between the two options.
NO ALCARAZ, NO PROBLEM
One thing that the native of Gijón does have very clear is the depth of the Spanish team, which despite the absences of Carlos Alcaraz, Alejandro Davidovich, and Marcel Granollers, could even be considered the favorite in the tie. An atypical position for other nations, which Pablo emphasizes for us to appreciate the team's level and the fortunate place we hold as a country, and also to look beyond the world number one.
"I think we are privileged: Spain is a country that has many players of a very high level. Take the number one, number two, and their doubles' number one from any other team, and they practically can't even come to compete. In the end, we are coming with players like Jaume, who is ranked 40th in the world and reached the fourth round of the US Open; Pedro, who has also been there; Carballés, who has won ATP titles... I believe that we have a lot of depth. It's clear that not all of us are Carlos Alcaraz, but I think we can compete and advance in the tie, which will be tough, of course, but we are more than capable."
Finally, this is not just any series for Pablo. He recently welcomed his first child into the world, a baby who has already seen various venues of the circuit and will also be present in Marbella. Does this profession change a lot when becoming a father?: "Things change. I'm not going to tell you that things change on the court... but off the court, believe me, many things change (laughs). My son is here, he came this week. My wife is here too, and we also have the help of my wife's mother, who will stay with him these nights so that I can be fully focused for the matches on Saturday and Sunday. It's a very nice motivation, indeed." There is no greater incentive to become one of the heroes of the qualification to the Finals. Go for it, Pablo.
This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "No todos somos Alcaraz, pero estamos muy capacitados para ganar esta eliminatoria"