Ferrer on Alcaraz: "He told me he wanted to play".

David Ferrer has had a great career, but he hasn't given up on the world of tennis, as he is now captain of the Spanish Davis Cup team.

Interviewed after his team's fine 3-0 victory over the Czech Republic, Ferrer was asked about Alcaraz's selection for the doubles, even though the match had already been won.

In comments relayed by Punto de Break, the former French Open finalist (2013) explained: "As far as the doubles were concerned, of course I wanted Carlos to play.

We had already discussed the fact that this was going to be a very intense week for him. In the end, all the points add up, so it was very important to win the match by 3-0.

All the teams here have great players and in the end, I know it's going to be very close.

From my point of view, it was a duo that I knew could do well. I didn't need to talk to Carlos, because as soon as I saw him in the dressing room, he told me he wanted to play."