Carlos Alcaraz is maintaining the mindset that every tournament he goes into he can win as he continues to find his footing on the grass.
The Spaniard will be the top seed at this week’s Cinch Championships at Queen’s which will only be the third grass-court ATP event he has played in his career. His two previous experiences were at Wimbledon where he reached the second round in 2021 and then the fourth round in 2022.
Despite his inexperience, the 20-year-old is hoping to continue what has been a mainly solid season for him. Since February, Alcaraz has compiled a win-loss record of 35-4 and has won four titles. More recently, he reached the semi-finals of the French Open before losing in four sets to Novak Djokovic.
“The most difficult part on grass is moving well. You have to be more careful than on other surfaces. What I find most comfortable is going to the net, playing aggressively, I like that style,” Diario AS quoted Alcaraz as saying.
“I thought about the match against Novak trying to get positive things and learn. The next time will be different. I will deal with the pressure and the nerves better. I learned a lot from that match.”
While Alcaraz maintains a positive outlook on the prospect of playing Djokovic on the grass, he admits that his chances of beating him are less. The Serbian has won four consecutive titles at Wimbledon between 2018-2022 (the 2020 tournament was cancelled due to the pandemic). The last player to beat Djokovic on the grass was Marin Cilic in the final of the 2018 Queen’s tournament.
“I have always said that I think I can win in every tournament I go to. Djokovic along with Federer are some of the best to ever play on a grass court, so it’s going to be difficult. I am not going to say that I am not capable of beating Djokovic, but on this surface I have fewer chances,” he said.
Should the two lock horns in the coming weeks, there are also questions about how Alcaraz’s body will hold up. During their meeting in Roland Garros, the world No.2 started guns blazing before cramping hampered him and enabled Djokovic to dominate proceedings.
Speaking about his recent setback, Alcaraz states that he is at a good level physically. Despite his young age, he has suffered from issues with his abdomen, leg and hamstring over the past year.
“I know that I am at a good level physically,” said Alcaraz. “There are people who believe that what happened to me against Novak was an injury and I don’t take it that way; they were cramps. It is very normal for players, everyone has had cramps at some point.’
“This last year I have had some injuries more than other times. But I know that I have to improve my ability, but physically I think we are doing a good job”.
Alcaraz will play his first round match at Queen’s on Tuesday against France’s Arthur Fils.
