Just In: Tim Henman to coach Carlos Alcaraz and Arthur Fery as Brit out for revenge
Tim Henman wants to put things right as the Laver Cup returns to London. Co-created by Roger Federer, the team tournament is the Ryder Cup of tennis, and the likes of Carlos Alcaraz and Alexander Zverev will represent Team Europe in the O2 Arena this weekend. It comes four years after Federer retired from professional tennis in the same venue, playing a final doubles match alongside long-time rival Rafael Nadal.
Henman became the vice-captain of Team Europe last year, working alongside former French Open champion Yannick Noah. But they lost to Andre Agassi’s Team World in San Francisco – and want to claim the trophy back on home soil in London.
Former British No.1 Henman exclusively told Express Sport: “I think what was so special in San Francisco was the camaraderie, the way these individuals came together under Yannick’s leadership. I’d never really spent any time with him, and he was absolutely brilliant.
“But at the end of the day, we were in San Francisco to win, and we didn’t win. And so that’s what we want to put right here in London.”
There will also be British interest, as Arthur Fery has been called up as Team Europe’s alternate. The British No.1 stormed into the Wimbledon semi-finals as a wildcard ranked outside of the top 100 this summer.
Last weekend, the world No.36 helped Britain reach the Davis Cup Finals with a 4-0 victory over Ecuador in the nearby Copper Box Arena.
And Henman, 52, said: “It’s been amazing to watch Arthur’s progress throughout the whole year. He was in qualifying in Australia, beat [Flavio] Cobolli in the first round, and was ranked well outside the top 100.
“That semi-final at Wimbledon was amazing, and it’s transformed his career. To get the opportunity at Laver Cup is brilliant and coincides so nicely with being in London.”
Fery, 24, will share a bench with Alcaraz, Zverev, Cobolli, Jakub Mensik, Casper Ruud, and Rafael Jodar.
The Laver Cup allows rivals to become teammates, and in years past, Federer joined forces with Nadal or Novak Djokovic on the doubles court. World No.3 Alcaraz also teamed up with Ruud last year.
Henman and Noah now have a unique opportunity to coach some of the game’s best players as they prepare to face Team World’s Taylor Fritz, Alex de Minaur, and co.
The retired British ace said: “It’s a learning curve for me as the vice captain. Coaching is a lot about strategy. It’s not about trying to teach Alcaraz new shots, but it’s about how his game matches up against an opponent. It’s understanding which shots are effective against different players.
“I’ve also talked about doubles, and a lot of these players probably don’t even play doubles throughout the year. So to get them on the doubles court and build that chemistry on the doubles court so that they have an understanding for those matches, because doubles most definitely plays an important part in the outcome of this event.”
