Carlos Alcaraz pulls out of Davis Cup after US Open defeat

Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz pulled out of the Davis Cup finals group stage on Saturday after his US Open semi-final defeat by Daniil Medvedev.

Veteran Albert Ramos will replace the 20-year-old world number one for the matches in Valencia between September 12-17, said the Spanish tennis federation in a statement.

Alcaraz had been set to lead Spain and clash with rival Novak Djokovic, named in Serbia’s team, whom he beat in a thrilling Wimbledon final in July.

Spain will also face the Czech Republic and South Korea in the group stage, aiming to qualify for the last eight, played between November 21-26 in Malaga. The top two will progress.

As far as the US Open semi-final was concerned, Medvedev held his nerve under constant pressure from Alcaraz in the opening set, elevating his level in tie-break to claim the final four points.

“I totally lose my mind on that set, and fighting for 50 minutes and then, you know, for four points lose my mind. It was really tough for me to handle it,” said Alcaraz.

Alcaraz didn’t face a single break point in the first set, but Medvedev totally dominated the second set — dropping just two points on serve and breaking the top seed twice.

The 20-year-old Alcaraz kept his hopes alive with a break in the fourth game of the third set enough to extend the match to a fourth set.

He saw three break points come and go at 1-1 before Medvedev administered the fatal blow with a superb backhand return, breaking for a 4-2 lead.

A routine hold moved Medvedev to the cusp of victory, which he eventually sealed after an epic final game in which Alcaraz saved three match points but also failed to convert three break points.

“I thought that right now I am better player to find solutions when the match is not going in the right direction for you,” said Alcaraz.

“But, you know, after this match, I gonna change my mind. I’m not mature enough to handle these kind of matches. So I have to learn about it.”