Carlos Alcaraz will be the top seed at Wimbledon this year after winning the Cinch Championships at Queen’s on Sunday.
The top seed roared his way to a 6-4, 6-4, win over Alex de Minaur to claim his first-ever ATP title on the surface. Prior to the tournament, Alcaraz had only played an event on grass twice which were both at Wimbledon. The triumph means the Spaniard will overtake Novak Djokovic in the ATP standings on Monday to become world No.1.
Alcaraz is the youngest champion at Queen’s since Lelyton Hewitt back in 2000 and he has become the 17th active player to have won at least one ATP title on all three surfaces. In his showdown with de Minaur, he broke twice and fired eight winners. He has now won 11 out of 14 Tour finals contested so far in his career.
“It means a lot to have my name on the trophy. It has been so special for me to play here. So many legends have won here and to see my name surrounded by those great champions is amazing,” the new champion said during his on-court interview.
“My team has been a great support all week. It’s amazing to lift trophies in front of them.” He added.
Playing in his maiden grasscourt final at 20, Alcaraz was sternly tested by de Minaur early on in the match. Trailing 3-4, the top seed fended off two break points during a lengthy service game. He saved his first by producing a 137 mph ace and then a forehand shot from his opponent drifted long on his second. Gaining momentum, the Spaniard then broke in the following game with the help of back-to-back errors from de Minaur which placed him in a position to serve for the set. Racing to three set points, he converted his second with the help of another ace.
After taking the lead, proceedings were briefly halted after Alcaraz unexpectedly called for a medical time-out. The physio was seen treating the upper part of the Spaniard’s right leg before placing bandaging around the area. It is not the first time the world No.2 has been troubled by injury with a leg problem delaying his start to the season and more recently he suffered from cramping during his clash with Novak Djokovic at the French Open.
Despite the injury scare, Alcaraz continued moving around the court and showed no signs of discomfort. Five games into the second set, he broke once again during what was an error-stricken de Minaur service game that ended with a double fault from the Australian. Closing in his fifth trophy of 2023, he earned his first championship point after a de Minaur forehand crashed into the net. Alcaraz then secured victory with a serve out wide that his opponent returned out.
“Tennis is my life, tennis is everything. I always dreamt of being in this tournament. Once I get onto the court, I had a smile on my face and I enjoy every second,” Alcaraz said of his love for the sport.
“I try to enjoy every single second and try to make those watching my tennis happy.”
Alcaraz’s focus now switches to Wimbledon where he will be only the second Spanish man in the Open Era to be the top seed after Rafael Nadal. It will only be his third appearance in the main draw of the Grand Slam. In 2021 he lost in the second round before reaching the last 16 in 2022.
“It helps a lot to come into Wimbledon being the number one seed at such a great event,” he said.
“For me, it’s amazing but once again it wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for the support I have received all week. I didn’t start the tournament very well. I had to adapt to my movement. But it has been an amazing week and I end it with a lot of energy.”
Alcaraz has won 13 out of 16 meetings against top 20 players so far this year.
