Nous ne sommes pas tous Alcaraz, mais nous sommes très bien préparés pour remporter cette éliminatoire

Pablo Carreño is back representing Spain. The history would say these are great news: he already brought an Olympic bronze in the past and has been a regular in Spanish Davis Cup calls. Tomorrow, the native of Gijón will step onto the court to face a formidable challenge: Holger Rune, the Danish number one and the main player tasked with trying to crush 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 getting down to the grind of the Challenger circuit, dealing with the frustration of matches that he used to win easily and now require a bit more effort. He 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 time to enjoy. I'm back in the Team: after all I've been through, it's very important for me to see myself here again. The captain has trusted me, believes I can pull off this match. Obviously, it's going to be very complicated, as the opponent is very strong, but it's a different competition, The Davis Cup is always special. It's very important to have the support of the crowd and to play at home; we will try to pull off this match," he confides from the depths of Marbella City Hall, where we spoke with him exclusively. He can't help but smile when he recalls how long it has been since the last time he played a tie at home.

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"I missed this a lot, honestly. I can't remember when was the last tie like this, under this format, that I played." We do remember: 2017 semi-finals, against France, at Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille... a series, unfortunately, with dismal memories. "France, yes, I got injured. Bad memory (laughs).

This competition has that: the fact of playing at home or away is something truly special, and lately it has somewhat ended with the new format. We must make the most of these ties to enjoy this again. I will try to enjoy with the people and do what I can to help the team. I also think it's not just my match; we have to win three out of five, it's an entire tie."

The series against Denmark is part of the tournament organization's latest experiment: taking a certain step back regarding the Finals format in a fixed venue, adding another preliminary round after the US Open, and eliminating the group stage format. After visiting Switzerland, Spain hosts a Davis Cup tie again... with its pros and cons, particularly due to the accumulated fatigue in the schedule. "Well, the format... it's complicated (smiles). Yes, another round has been added, of course, and maybe now it's even harder to reach the Finals. I don't know, the format is difficult, it's worth discussing at length in another conversation," Carreño concludes, still finding it hard to decide between the two alternatives.

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NO ALCARAZ, NO PROBLEM

One thing the Gijón native is very clear about is the depth of a Spanish team that, 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 and one that Pablo emphasizes, firstly, for fans to appreciate the level of their team and the fortunate position we hold as a country, and secondly, to look beyond the world number one.

"I think we are privileged: Spain is a country that has many players of a very good level. You take away the number one, the number two, and their top doubles player from any other team... and they can hardly even come to compete. We, in the end, are coming with players like Jaume, who is 40th in the world and made the fourth round at the US Open; Pedro, who has also been there; Carballés, who has won ATP titles... I think we have a lot of depth. It's clear we are not all Carlos Alcaraz, but I think we can compete and advance in the tie, which will be difficult, of course, but we are more than capable."

Finally, this is not just any tie for Pablo. He recently welcomed his first child into the world, a baby who has already seen several venues on 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, things change a lot (laughs). My son is here, he came this week. My wife as well, and we also have the help of my wife's mother, who will stay with him these nights so that I can be 100% focused on the matches on Saturday and Sunday. It's a very nice motivation, indeed." No greater incentive to become one of the heroes of the passage to the Finals. All in, Pablo.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "No todos somos Alcaraz, pero estamos muy capacitados para ganar esta eliminatoria"