The first thing you saw was the hat, a bucket hat made of white linen, and then Carlos Alcaraz’s happy smile under the narrow brim. He wore this hat again for his second appearance on the television section of the All England Club. Whether Alcaraz actually grabs the clothes box seemingly indiscriminately, on a whim, that is an open question when looking at the embroidered logo. Calculation or not: The hat suits the image of “Carlito”, the boy from Murcia, Spain, who takes the change of power in the tennis hierarchy quite loosely.
Carlos Alcaraz Garfia is 20 years old and has been at the top of the world rankings for a while. He took over the management role in September and has held it, including a number of position changes, for a total of 24 weeks. He won his first Grand Slam title last summer on the hard court of the US Open. And now, when it comes to the biggest prize in his sport, he’s blithely taking on all of them. After his first-round win against Frenchman Jeremy Chardy (6-0, 6-2, 7-5), Alcaraz was asked what specifications he had come to Wimbledon with. “Winning the tournament,” he replied, grinning. “That’s the most important goal for me now. I’ve gained a lot of confidence.”
Just a few weeks ago, the bookmakers on the island would not have done the best business with this happy forecast, because at the last Wimbledon edition in 2022, Alcaraz was clearly inferior to Jannik Sinner, who was two years older, in the round of 16. “You have to be more careful on grass than on any other surface,” was his conclusion afterwards. But he adapted because he learns quickly – faster than AI, artificial intelligence, as The Times already suspects: Two weeks ago he secured the title of the prestigious tournament in London’s Queen’s Club. For Alcaraz it was only the third field test on the treacherous turf, in the same competition that also showed 17-year-old Boris Becker the way to his first Wimbledon triumph in 1985.
Tennis pros can give impromptu keynote speeches about the peculiarities of the ball game on Wimbledon’s ryegrass (for gardeners: lolium perenne); about flat ball bounce, knee loading, swing adaptation. Alcaraz, however, does not approach the task in the special biotope with reverence, but under the guidance of his trainer Juan Carlos Ferrero with the enthusiasm of an adventurer on a jungle tour. “You learn something new every day,” he said after the first round match: “Every time I go out on the pitch, it’s better for me.” He summarized the learning content of the 1:53 hour session against Chardy in two words: “Gain experience.”
Defending champion Novak Djokovic is also warned about Alcaraz
What was surprising for the spectators in this match was that the adjustment difficulties were not observed in 20-year-old Alcaraz, but in 36-year-old Chardy. The Frenchman, who had experience like few others on the Tour, said goodbye to his sport that day at Wimbledon. It took him a while to control the power of Alcaraz’s forehand returns and when he left Court Number One, the spectators rose to applause. So one career came to an end while another gathers momentum.
For his colleagues, Alcaraz is still “Carlito”, as they call him; but Wimbledon titleholder Novak Djokovic also suspects that he has to be prepared for something if Karlchen, the little one on the other side of the net, becomes Carlos. The 23-time Grand Slam winner, who has measured himself against the likes of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal for more than a decade, is used to rivalries. “There are, there were and always will be challengers,” he said recently, before praising Alcaraz’ “maturity, intensity and energy” in detail.
A month ago in Paris at the French Open, Alcaraz lost to Djokovic in a match where he suffered from cramps (3-6, 7-5, 1-6, 1-6). From this, too, he reported at Wimbledon, he had drawn his conclusions. “The reason for the cramps was the tension I was under because I played against Novak in the semifinals. I think the experience was important for me, I learned a lot from it. Next time I’ll get better with the tension handle when I’m in the semifinals of the French Open.”
Only one thing bothered him a bit on Tuesday: namely the fact that Roger Federer, who as a tennis pensioner paid a visit to the tournament he first won 20 years ago, was sitting in the Royal Box on Center Court next to Princess Kate . And not with him, on Court Number One. “Of course I wish Roger Federer would watch one of my matches,” he said. “I was a little jealous.” Then the world number one grinned under the rim of his hat and didn’t look a day older than 20: just like Carlito.
