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France: Carlos Alcaraz has joined the elite group of Grand Slam all-rounders after his French Open triumph and will head to Wimbledon looking to further cement his place in the majors by successfully defending his first Grand Slam title.
The 21-year-old overcame forearm problems to capture his first French Open title, following in the footsteps of greats like Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andre Agassi by notching major wins on clay, hard courts and grass.
Alcaraz’s triumph on the clay of Paris was the third Grand Slam trophy of his young career, following the Spanish world number three’s breakthrough title at the 2022 US Open and an epic triumph at Wimbledon 12 months ago.
The latter success was notable because Alcaraz had only a handful of tour-level match wins on grass during the 2023 British grass-court season, but quickly adapted to his least familiar surface, winning back-to-back titles.
“I have more matches to play on grass and I had really good performances last year at Queen’s Club and Wimbledon and I have some understanding of how to play and understand grass,” said Alcaraz, who beat Djokovic in five sets in last year’s Wimbledon final.
“I’ve become more mature playing on this kind of surface. When I first practiced here, my movements weren’t as good as they were last year, but it’s a slow process. I have to stay focused in every practice and every game.”
Alcaraz, who has a powerful forehand and an all-out attacking style that can overwhelm top players, will be one of the favorites to win the All England Club title despite his Queen’s Club title defence coming to an early end last week.
Playing without the assistance of coach Juan Carlos Ferrero, Alcaraz lost in three sets to home great Jack Draper in the round of 16, but he vowed to return stronger at Wimbledon on July 1.
“It’s hard to accept defeat, but I think it’s part of our life,” said Alcaraz, who has a 17-3 record on grass courts. — Reuters
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