After a three-day stint of staying up late and partying in Ibiza, Carlos Alcaraz is ready to resume his offensive on the Tour at The Queen’s Club.
The world No.2 returns to the grass courts in London a week after his sensational comeback victory in the French Open final, which lasted a record five hours and 29 minutes. Alcaraz recovered from a two-set deficit and then saved three match points in the fourth before beating Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old has won five Grand Slam titles in his career with the Australian Open being the only major he is yet to triumph at.
“I have seen a lot of videos from that match, that moment from match point down,” Alcaraz said during his pre-tournament press conference at Queen’s on Sunday.
“I still watch it sometimes and can’t believe I came back from that moment. Sometimes it is difficult to realise that I am in this position, that I won Roland Garros. I still watch the videos and am still in shock sometimes.”
After conquering Paris, Alcaraz took a brief break from the sport and headed to Iibiza with his friends. Something which he also did during the same stage of the season last year.
“It was fun, but honestly, I was there more mentally than physically. I had fun, just three nights, three days, and I think that was more than enough,” he said of his trip.
“The craziest thing was probably staying out really late. I danced a bit, but nothing more than what a normal person would do. I’m getting older, my body doesn’t keep up anymore!”
Alcaraz will be the top seed at this year’s Queen’s tournament where he is making his third main draw appearance. He currently has a win-loss record of 6-1 at the tournament, claiming the title in 2023 and reaching the semi-finals last year.
The only player to have beaten him at the event is Jack Draper, who will be seeking to become the first British champion since Andy Murray. Speaking to reporters, the world No.4 believes his opponents’ rivalry with Sinner is ‘amazing’ for the sport.
“Having those two guys especially, who were being incredibly consistent showing that level of the game, in one of the biggest tournaments in the world, and dragging more attention to the sport, that only helps them, helps players like myself, helps the game in general to keep on moving in the right direction and keep developing,” said Draper, who plays Jenson Brooksby in his opening match.
“Obviously the spectators will feel it, but players will feel it as well. When we haven’t got a Rafa (Nadal) or Roger (Federer) or Andy (Murray) in the changing rooms it’s a bit different, but having players who are asserting themselves in that league, I think that’s amazing for tennis.”
Alcaraz will get his Queen’s campaign underway against compatriot Alejandro Davidovich Fokina.
