What Spain Davis Cup captain said about Carlos Alcaraz's absence and how it affected team in final loss vs Italy

Without the presence of World No. 1 Carlos Alcaraz and World No. 2 Jannik Sinner, Spain and Italy went against each other in the Davis Cup Final at Bolgona. The 2-0 result went in favor of Italy, who won their third straight and fourth overall Davis Cup title.

It's easy to criticize the absence of Alcaraz after Spain fell short of winning their seventh Davis Cup title. The ATP Finals runner-up missed the tournament as he suffered an edema in his right hamstring and Doctors advised him against competing. He reportedly suffered the injury during the ATP Finals match against Sinner when he asked for a medical timeout and had his leg strapped.

In the aftermath of the heartbreaking loss, Spain's Davis Cup captain David Ferrer shared his feelings regarding Alcaraz's absence in the final. Ferrer acknowledged the reason behind Alcaraz's absence and praised the Spaniard.

"We were lucky to have Carlos, but it's true he had that injury... and that's about it," Ferrer told reporters. "I think Marcel explained it very well; I don't need to tell them anything: they're capable of great things."

While talking about whether Alcaraz's participation affected the outcome of the game, Ferrer added:

"We weren't lacking anything. For me, we've done something huge: surpassed ourselves and made them believe in themselves. That's what I'll take away from it. I've really enjoyed it: I've felt things again that I hadn't felt since I stopped being a professional. I've been captain for two years, and this year they've given me that adrenaline rush. Now it's time for them to rest... and so will I (smiles). I'll go cycling, a little bit of everything."

Ferrer also acknowledged that both Sinner and Alcaraz will make another history in tennis, just like their predecessors, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic did.

How Carlos Alcaraz's Spanish team lost against Italy?

The Davis Cup Final lasted only two matches and both went Italy's way. The Italian team, which was also without its best-ranked player (Jannik Sinner), scheduled Matteo Berrettini to play against Spain's Pablo Carreno Busta in a singles match. The Italian registered a victory in straight sets, 6‑3, 6‑4.

Next up was a do-or-die game for Spain and they chose to go with Jaume Munar against Italy's Flavio Cobolli. Munar took the first set, but Cobolli came from behind to win the next two sets and the match, 1‑6, 7‑6(5), 7‑5.

With this, Italy became the only team to win three straight Davis Cups since the "Challenge Round" era ended (1972).