Carlos Alcaraz propelled himself into the Grand Slam all-surface elite after his triumph at Roland Garros and will arrive at Wimbledon hoping to further cement his place in the big league by successfully defending a major title for the first time.
The 21-year-old overcame a forearm issue to bag his first French Open title, emulating greats including Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi with major wins on clay, hard and grass courts.
Alcaraz's triumph on the Parisian red dirt was the third Grand Slam trophy of his young career and followed the Spanish world number three's breakthrough title at the 2022 US Open and epic Wimbledon victory 12 months ago.
The latter success stood out for the way Alcaraz quickly adapted to his least familiar surface by winning back-to-back titles after arriving for the 2023 British grass court season with only a handful of tour-level match wins on grass.
“I have more matches in my bank on grass and with the great run I had last year at Queen's Club and Wimbledon, I know a bit about how to play and understand the game on grass,” said Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in five sets in last year'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 that can often overwhelm the best in the game, the flamboyant Alcaraz will be one of the favourites at the All England Club despite his Queen's Club title defence ending prematurely last week.
Competing without coach Juan Carlos Ferrero in his corner, Alcaraz was beaten in straight sets by inspired 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, but I think it's part of our lives,” said Alcaraz, who has a 17-3 record on grass.
“After losses, you have to take the positive things and of course 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 Wimbledon is even more special. I have time, and I'm excited to start the first match on Centre Court.”
• Daniil Medvedev is aiming for another deep run at Wimbledon next month but the Russian is unlikely to get his hands on the trophy as his grass court game lacks the variety to unsettle the best players on the surface, tennis analyst Patrick McEnroe said.
The former world number one and self-proclaimed “hard-court specialist” reached the semifinals of the tournament last year for his best result at the All England Club where he was dispatched in straight sets by Alcaraz.
“I think quarters, semis for him are what I would expect,” McEnroe, a former player and current ESPN broadcaster, told reporters on a call.
“He's a good grass court player. In my view, he's not a great grass court player. By the way, there are very few great grass court players.”
Those select players are also the top three in the world — number one Jannik Sinner, seven-time champion Djokovic, and defending champion Alcaraz, McEnroe said.
What they possess that the likes of Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz lack is the dynamic shotmaking and speed that can keep opponents off balance.
“I think Medvedev doesn't have enough variety in his game,” McEnroe said.
"(Sinner) has added a little more variety — the ability to chip, the ability to come forward, play the drop shot, play with a little more finesse.” — Reuters
Alcaraz ready for Grand Slam defence at Wimbledon after surging into elite group
Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images
Carlos Alcaraz propelled himself into the Grand Slam all-surface elite after his triumph at Roland Garros and will arrive at Wimbledon hoping to further cement his place in the big league by successfully defending a major title for the first time.
The 21-year-old overcame a forearm issue to bag his first French Open title, emulating greats including Rafa Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi with major wins on clay, hard and grass courts.
Alcaraz's triumph on the Parisian red dirt was the third Grand Slam trophy of his young career and followed the Spanish world number three's breakthrough title at the 2022 US Open and epic Wimbledon victory 12 months ago.
The latter success stood out for the way Alcaraz quickly adapted to his least familiar surface by winning back-to-back titles after arriving for the 2023 British grass court season with only a handful of tour-level match wins on grass.
“I have more matches in my bank on grass and with the great run I had last year at Queen's Club and Wimbledon, I know a bit about how to play and understand the game on grass,” said Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in five sets in last year'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 that can often overwhelm the best in the game, the flamboyant Alcaraz will be one of the favourites at the All England Club despite his Queen's Club title defence ending prematurely last week.
Competing without coach Juan Carlos Ferrero in his corner, Alcaraz was beaten in straight sets by inspired 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, but I think it's part of our lives,” said Alcaraz, who has a 17-3 record on grass.
“After losses, you have to take the positive things and of course 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 Wimbledon is even more special. I have time, and I'm excited to start the first match on Centre Court.”
• Daniil Medvedev is aiming for another deep run at Wimbledon next month but the Russian is unlikely to get his hands on the trophy as his grass court game lacks the variety to unsettle the best players on the surface, tennis analyst Patrick McEnroe said.
The former world number one and self-proclaimed “hard-court specialist” reached the semifinals of the tournament last year for his best result at the All England Club where he was dispatched in straight sets by Alcaraz.
“I think quarters, semis for him are what I would expect,” McEnroe, a former player and current ESPN broadcaster, told reporters on a call.
“He's a good grass court player. In my view, he's not a great grass court player. By the way, there are very few great grass court players.”
Those select players are also the top three in the world — number one Jannik Sinner, seven-time champion Djokovic, and defending champion Alcaraz, McEnroe said.
What they possess that the likes of Medvedev, Stefanos Tsitsipas, Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz lack is the dynamic shotmaking and speed that can keep opponents off balance.
“I think Medvedev doesn't have enough variety in his game,” McEnroe said.
"(Sinner) has added a little more variety — the ability to chip, the ability to come forward, play the drop shot, play with a little more finesse.” — Reuters
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