Carlos Alcaraz last year he became the seventh tennis player capable of win consecutively on the grass at Queen’s and later on Wimbledon.
History knocks again on the door of the Murcian in the third big one on the calendar. This time because he aspires to be the sixth racket professional, in the Open Era, capable of lifting the Roland Garros and Wimbledon trophies in the same course.
“I want to put my name on that short list“, warns the tennis player from El Palmar, who has done everything he can to reach the prestigious British tournament in the best conditions.
Since winning the Musketeers Cup on June 9, Carlitos has only rested for five days. He spent three of them in Ibiza on a mini vacation after his victory in the French Open. The automation on the grass has nothing to do with tennis on clay or on a hard surface..
I slide on land, but here I don’t dare
“We try not to change our game. But the movement changes a lot because I slide on land and here I don’t dare. You have to play more crouched, not get up, not slip…“explains the pupil of Juan Carlos Ferreroa preparer who takes care of every last detail.
As a last test before the debut with Mark Lajal, I had prepared a Sunday workout for him with Jack Draperthe British who ended Carlitos’ streak of 13 victories on grass.
the rain appears
After 20 minutes the rain appeared and the practice was suspended. Alcaraz is ready because he liked green since he was little. I was 16 years old when I stepped on a grass track for the first time.. It was at Wimbledon where he played the third Grand Slam draw in the junior category in 2019. He won three games before losing in the quarterfinals with Martin Damtoday 180th in the ranking.
Further down the world rankings is Mark Lajal, the opponent this Monday in the first round of the center, an honor reserved for the current champion. Lajal, number 262 in the ATP, has only two victories on the circuit. Mark comes from a family of athletes, but it has nothing to do with tennis. His father raced motocross and his grandfather raced in rallies.
His hobby as a child was motorcycles until he decided to play tennis when he moved to France at the age of 15, specifically to the Patrick Mouratoglou Academy.
Carlitos has a special memory of his first experience on the courts of the All England Club because he had the opportunity to play with Roger Federer himself before his quarterfinal match with Japan’s Kei Nishikori.
Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner have scored the first two majors of the season, confirming the generational change that Novak Djokovic resists. With Roger Federer, retired, and Rafael Nadal, dosing their presence to reach the Paris Games well, the Serbian is the only representative of the Big Three in the running and with options. The big three have shared 62 of the last 76 majors.
Djokovic resists
Outside of Nole, winner in 2023 in Australia, Roland Garros and US Open, and in 2022 at Wimbledon, they have not won since Nadal won the French Internationals, in 2022. Djokovic appeared last year at the event with 34 consecutive wins on grass until the young man from El Palmar appeared to end that unbeaten record.
The double change of surface –from dirt to grass and back to brick dust for the Paris Games– has caused many casualties of players who are not willing to do so. Nadal resigns from Wimbledon and Andrey Rublev, Karen Khachanov or Ben Shelton skip the Olympics. “I’m going to go and give my all for my country,” says the world number three. Now it’s Wimbledon and there is no better way to face it than to think green.
