Carlos Alcaraz ready for Wimbledon defence after surging into elite group
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Spain's Carlos Alcaraz overcame a forearm issue to win his first French Open title in June, and will now turn his attention to his Wimbledon defence.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Carlos Alcaraz propelled himself into the Grand Slam all-surface elite following his triumph at Roland Garros, and will arrive at Wimbledon hoping to further cement his place in the big league by retaining his title.
The 21-year-old overcame a forearm issue to bag his first French Open title earlier in June, emulating greats including Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi with Major wins on clay, hard and grass courts.
The Spaniard’s triumph on the Parisian red dirt was the third Grand Slam trophy of his young career, and followed the world No. 3’s breakthrough title at the 2022 US Open and epic Wimbledon victory 12 months ago.
The latter success stood out for the way he won back-to-back titles – including his Queen’s Club triumph – after arriving for the 2023 grass-court season with only a handful of tour-level match wins on grass.
“I have more matches in my bank on grass (now) and with the great run I had last year at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon, I know a bit on how to play and understand the game on grass,” said Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in five sets in last season’s Wimbledon final.
“I’m more mature playing on this surface. The first practice I’ve done here, my movement wasn’t as good as last year but it’s a slow process. I have to be really focused in every practice and every match.”
Blessed with a forehand cannon and an all-action style, the Spaniard will be one of the favourites at the All England Club despite his Queen's Club title defence ending prematurely last week.
He was beaten in straight sets by home favourite Jack Draper in the round of 16 but he vowed to return stronger at the manicured lawns of Wimbledon on July 1.
“It’s tough to deal with losses,” said Alcaraz, who has a 20-4 record on grass. “But after losses, you have to take the positive things and the negative things to improve for the next tournament.
“Right now I’m hungry just to be better. I’m really excited to start Wimbledon. I really want to win every title and I’m excited to start the first match.”
With concerns over Djokovic’s fitness, standing in Alcaraz’s way would be Jannik Sinner, who is 19-10 on grass.
The Italian goes into a Grand Slam as the top-ranked player for the first time and can put more distance between himself and the chasing pack by winning his second Major of the year.
After lifting his maiden Grand Slam title at the Australian Open, Sinner became the first Italian man to reach the summit of men’s tennis after Djokovic’s withdrawal due to injury in the French Open quarter-finals.
The 22-year-old, who was defeated in five sets by Alcaraz in the Roland Garros semi-finals, would have preferred to secure the top spot a bit differently but he has been in peak form with triumphs in Rotterdam, Miami and Halle.
“For sure, it means a lot to me being world No. 1, it means you had a great year,” he said.
“Being No. 1 in the world is an achievement and now we’ll see how much I can stay there. On the other hand, you have to play the biggest tournaments (at the Slams) and I’m just looking forward to the next challenges.”
Sinner’s vastly improved serve and endurance have been a feature of his game and he can pack a punch on either flank despite his reed-thin frame.
He showcased those qualities again by winning his first title on grass in Halle, which has primed him for more success at the All England Club.
Behind the top three of Sinner, Djokovic and Alcaraz, world No. 4 Alexander Zverev has reached the Australian Open semi-finals and French Open final this season but is still in the hunt for his first Grand Slam title.
The German is an Olympic champion but the 27-year-old runs the risk of being consigned to the lost generation of players who showed massive potential but failed to win a Major. At his age, he is now being upstaged by younger players such as Alcaraz and Sinner.
There are also underdogs who could surprise, not least Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz, who rose to a career-high seventh in the world this week.
Tommy Paul, the new King of Queen’s, is seeking to become the United States’ first men’s Grand Slam winner since Andy Roddick won the 2003 US Open. REUTERS
