The players competing in the Laver Cup definitely care. Of course they do — they are professional athletes and competitive beasts; put them all together in a game of minigolf and they’d take it extremely seriously. But the event’s lack of accumulated pressure from the rest of the tennis calendar feels germane in the context of Alcaraz’s comments.

This year, Nole completed the puzzle during the summer by winning the gold medal at the Paris Olympics. The Serbian legend failed to win its 25th career Major title, reaching the final only at the Wimbledon Championships and losing to Carlos Alcaraz after a match dominated by the Spaniards.

Carlos Alcaraz beat Taylor Fritz 6-2 7-5 to hand Team Europe a 13-11 victory over Team World in the Laver Cup in the last session of the tournament on Sunday. Four-time Grand Slam champion Alcaraz romped through a one-sided first set before finishing off U.