After his second-round loss in Halle, Jannik Sinner admits that after the epic French Open final, glad to be a few days off. His conqueror two and a half weeks ago? Carlos Alcaraz seamlessly ties on his grandiose sand shape on lawns and triumphs at the traditional tournament in the Queen’s Club in London – to his own surprise.
“I came here without any expectations,” Alcaraz explains after the final victory against Jiri Lehecka, which was won over two hours. “My goal was to play two or three matches, get used to the footwork on lawn and see what I still have to work on.” The answer: actually nothing. The 22-year-old from the southern Spanish province of Murcia will climb into the tournament in Wimbledon as a high-home favorite next Monday and is on the best way to write history again.
In the footsteps of the big three
The tennis world looked at the end of the “Big 3” era with the century players Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. After his two final successes against Djokovic in the past two years, Alcaraz could become the fifth player in the professional era (since 1968), who wins the lawn classic three times in a row, after which Serbs (four times from 2018 to 2022), Roger Federer (five times from 2003 to 2007), Pete Sampras (three times from 1993 to 1995) and BJörn Borg) (five times from 1976 to 1980). Last year he was also the sixth man after Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Borg and Rod Laver, who won the summer double Paris/Wimbledon in the same year. So far, only Borg and Nadal have achieved more than once.
Striking: After the three months to start with defeats against Djokovic, Lehecka, Jack Draper and David Goffin, Alcaraz only really started with the approaching return of Sinner after his three -month doping lock. As if he had needed the competition through his first challenger and only played players in front of him. Since the beginning of the sand season, Alcaraz has been in 27 wins and only one defeat, in mid -April in Barcelona in the final against Holger Rune. Then the Spaniard was struck and subsequently left the second home tournament in Madrid with a heavy heart.
More complete than Federer or Nadal
The huge potential of Alcaraz, who is the more complete player at this age, when it was Federer, Nadal or Djokovic, was already shown in the season of his breakthrough in 2022, when he won the US Open, the tournaments in Miami and Madrid and became the latest world number 1 in history. At Alcaraz, everything is right, the talent, the physique, the wit, the mental strength, the broadcast – a combination of all the factors that are hardly ever seen, which make up an outstanding tennis player. The biggest question mark was and is health. His explosive game makes him prone to injury.
But Alcaraz seems to have learned that regular breaks are essential. After the semi -final in Indian Wells, he switched on a short holiday trip to Cancun on the Mexican Riviera. After the emotionally and physically extremely exhausting five-and-a-need-hour marathon in the final of Roland Garros, Alcaraz moved to Ibiza for a few days.
Joy of tennis found again
“That was the key,” says the Spaniard. «Simply switch off five or six days without taking the racket in hand or standing on a tennis court. After the holidays with the family in Cancun, I found the fun and looked forward to playing tennis again. » It is the right balance that a young player has to find – and that the fan of Real Madrid together with his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero is increasingly better.
Since the lawn opened so well, Alcaraz can take it easy this week. “Not back home again,” says the Spaniard with a laugh. “But I hope to enjoy a little London.” From Monday, it will be serious when he opens the tournament at the Center Court as a defending champion at 1.30 p.m.
