Carlos Alcaraz is a real phenomenon. At the age of just 22, no one seems capable of stopping him from winning the Wimbledon triple. The Spaniard's secret to success: short breaks from tennis.
26.06.2025, 05:30
26.06.2025, 07:01
SDA
After his second-round defeat in Halle, Jannik Sinner admits that he is now glad to have a few days off after the epic French Open final. His opponent two and a half weeks ago? Carlos Alcaraz seamlessly continued his terrific clay form on grass and triumphed at the traditional tournament at London's Queen's Club - to his own surprise.
"I came here without any expectations," explained Alcaraz after winning the final against Jiri Lehecka in over two hours. "My aim was to play two or three matches, get used to the footwork on grass and see what I still need to work on." The answer: nothing really. The 22-year-old from the southern Spanish province of Murcia will start the tournament in Wimbledon next Monday as the heavy favorite and is well on his way to making history once again.
In the footsteps of the big three
The tennis world looked on somewhat anxiously as the era of the "Big 3" with the players of the century Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic came to an end. After his two finals victories over Djokovic in the last two years, Alcaraz could become only the fifth player in the professional era (since 1968) to win the grass court classic three times in a row, after the Serb (four times from 2018 to 2022), Roger Federer (five times from 2003 to 2007), Pete Sampras (three times from 1993 to 1995 and four times from 1997 to 2000) and Björn Borg (five times from 1976 to 1980). Last year, he also became only the sixth man after Djokovic, Federer, Nadal, Borg and Rod Laver to win the Paris/Wimbledon summer double in the same year. Only Borg and Nadal have achieved this more than once before.
Strikingly, after a mixed three months at the start of the season with defeats to Djokovic, Lehecka, Jack Draper and David Goffin, Alcaraz only really got going with the imminent return of Sinner after his three-month doping ban. As if he needed the competition from his first challenger and the only player currently ranked ahead of him. Since the start of the sand season, Alcaraz has 27 wins and only one defeat, in the final against Holger Rune in Barcelona in mid-April. The Spaniard was ailing at the time and subsequently missed his second home tournament in Madrid with a heavy heart.
More complete than Federer or Nadal
The huge potential of Alcaraz, who is a more complete player at this age than Federer, Nadal or Djokovic, was already evident in his breakthrough season in 2022, when he won the US Open, the tournaments in Miami and Madrid and became the youngest world no. 1 in history. Alcaraz has it all - the talent, the physicality, the wit, the mental strength, the charisma - an unprecedented combination of all the factors that make an outstanding tennis player. The biggest question mark was and is his health. His explosive game makes him prone to injury.
But Alcaraz seems to have learned that regular breaks are essential. After the semi-final in Indian Wells, he took a short vacation trip to Cancun on the Mexican Riviera. After the emotionally and physically draining five-and-a-half-hour marathon in the final of Roland Garros, Alcaraz went to Ibiza for a few days.
Finding joy in tennis again
"That was the key," says the Spaniard. "Simply switching off for five or six days without picking up a racket or standing on a tennis court. After the vacation with my family in Cancun, I found the fun again and was looking forward to playing tennis again." It's the right balance that a young player has to find - and one that the Real Madrid fan and his coach Juan Carlos Ferrero are getting better at.
As the grass court opener went so well, Alcaraz can now take it easy this week. "Not back home again," says the Spaniard with a laugh. "But I hope to be able to enjoy London a little." Things get serious on Monday, when he opens the tournament as defending champion at 1.30 pm on Centre Court.
