Carlos Alcaraz jokes about his 'very good' acting skills after Laver Cup triumph

Move over, Javier Bardem: Carlos Alcaraz is in town. The four-time Grand Slam champion, basking in the glow of his Laver Cup-winning efforts on Sunday, said that the true key to his MVP-caliber performance was not his forehand, backhand or serves, but his acting skills.

Alcaraz, playing in the Laver Cup for the first time, contributed eight points to Team Europe's eventual 13-11 win over Team World, which included a 6–2, 7–5 win over Taylor Fritz in the final match. But despite the immense pressure on the rookie's shoulders, Alcaraz swung freely for the entirety of the final day—particurlarly late in the match against Fritz, where he won three straight games to clinch the Laver Cup after Fritz was two points from forcing a third-set match tiebreak.

"Where did you see tension today?" joked the Bulgarian in Team Europe's final press conference when a reporter asked Alcaraz to compare the pressure of delivering for his team to the other high-profile finals he's played in his young career.

But for Hollywood stars and Grand Slam champions, reality isn't always as it seems.

"That means that I'm pretty good actor. Very good actor," Alcaraz replied. "I mean, I was nervous, I'm not gonna lie. After Sascha's match, he did a really good job. It was time for me to do my job."

"It was kind of like I had to win," Alcaraz continued. "After that comeback, I have to win. I had nerves, I was a little bit nervous. I try not to show Taylor that I'm nervous, but, you know, I think I played one of my best matches so far. Tried to be as match-calm as I can and hit it as good as I can."

Read more: Carlos Alcaraz clinches Laver Cup victory for Team Europe

Alcaraz came to Laver Cup after going 3-0 for Spain to earn the country a spot in November's Davis Cup quarterfinals, with the two team events marking his first match action since he was surprisingly bundled out of the US Open in the second round.

A team environmeny proved to be the perfect place to get back on track, the Spaniard said.

"Comparing to other tournaments, I mean, it's a different feeling," Alcaraz said. "Obviously, having them supporting me behind me, so it's different. They try to just stay there and show me good energy all the time that makes me feel really comfortable on court and trying to pull out all the nerves and make good tennis."