Carlos Alcaraz, world number three and current Wimbledon champion, found out this Friday the way to defend the crown in the third major of the course. He will debut against the Estonian player, Mark Lajal, 262nd in the ATP at 21 years old and from the previous. Despite being the same age, there are no precedents between the two.
The tennis player from El Palmar has fallen to the top of the draw, so he would have a hypothetical semifinals with Jannik Sinner, world number 1 and whom he already beat in that same round at the recent Roland Garros. Carlitos could face in the quarterfinals Casper Ruud or Tommy Paul, who has just won the Queen’s Open 500.
Alcaraz’s path to the Wimbledon final
- Segunda Ronda: Sebastian Ofner
- Third round: Frances Tiafoe
- Eighth: Ugo Humbert
- Quarters: Casper Ruud/Tommy Paul
- Semifinals: Jannik Sinner
- Final: Novak Djokovic
Alcaraz seeks to become the sixth capable tennis player to chain triumphs on the dirt of Roland Garros and the grass of Wimbledon in the same season in the Open Era.
A little hand of racket legends did it: Rod Laver, Björn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer y Novak Djokovic. The Australian Laver was the first to 1969. Borg was later the one who showed a better adaptation to the change of surfaces because he chained crowns three consecutive seasons, from 1978 to 1980.
Almost three decades later, Nadal joined that select club in 2008. He finished off Federer twice in the finals in Paris and London. The All England Club grass had changed and allowed playing without problems from the back of the court.
Rafa was followed by Federer a year later. The Swiss resisted Roland Garros and finally lifted the Musketeers Cup against Robin Söderling. The Swede had acted as Nadal’s executioner in the round of 16. The last to successfully complete the connection between clay and grass of the two greats was Djokovic.
Three weeks to spare
The Serbian joined that prestigious club in 2021. He could not repeat in 2023 because of Carlitos. It should be remembered that the leaders of the All England Club delayed the start of Wimbledon by one week in 2015, which has since then allowed the players to have three weeks and not two between the end of the second major and the start of the third on completely opposite surfaces.
Eight Spaniards
As for the rest of the men’s ‘Armada’, Pablo Carreño will start with Tallon Griekspoor, Pedro Martínez with Paul, Roberto Bautista against Maximilian Marterer, Alejandro Davidovich will face Sebastian Korda, Roberto Carballés will face Alexander Zverev, Jaume Munar will make his debut with the British guest Billy Harris and Alejandro Moro, who passed the qualification, will play his first match in a major with another local wild card Jacob Fearnley.
