IT is all set to be the hottest ticket for tennis fans when Spain and Denmark go head to head in the Davis Cup this weekend.
A sell out tie at Marbella’s Puente Romano hotel, could herald new World No 1 Carlos Alcaraz’s first outing after winning the US Open at the weekend.
But uncertainty now surrounds whether Alcaraz can make it, after he said he was suffering from ‘muscular and mental fatigue’.
While the Murcian admitted he ‘feels bad’ about not turning up, he said the three-week New York tournament had caused ‘tiredness’ and a ‘hectic diary’.
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It is not as if he needs the money, after picking up the highest ever winning cheque in tennis history, a cool $5 million, after dispatching rival Sinner in a four-set masterclass on Sunday.
Either way hundreds of Danish expats queued up to secure one of the much sought after seats at the expanded 5,000 seater venue.
Denmark’s chances are heavily relying on Holger Rune, 22, who at World No 8 is one of the brightest stars on the ATP Tour.
“He is a very exciting young talent who has beaten Alcaraz a few times,” said Marbella businessman Janus Nielsen, whose company AnyTech 365, sponsored three ATP tournaments at the venue from 2021 to 2023.
“I actually gave both Rune and Carlito wild cards in 2021 as they were such exciting talents,” he told the Olive Press.
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“Carlito was just 16 and at 150th in the world, while Rune was at 200th.
“It is amazing how they have developed and in terms of wins they are now neck and neck at about two each.
“The first time I watched Carlito play in our tournament in Marbella, an Austrian coach who helped me organise it said: ‘that boy will one day be World No 1’. He was right.
“He’s an extraordinary talent.”
The question remains whether captain David Ferrer will be able to count on him, alongside Olympic champion Marc Lopez.
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