Alcaraz: I have less chance to beat Djokovic on grass

Carlos Alcaraz, the first seed of Queen’s, assured that on this surface he has “less chance” of beating Novak Djokovic, who has not lost a match at Wimbledon since 2017, but he did not rule out a surprise. The Murcian, who has already trained twice on grass, arrived in London yesterday to take part in Queen’s, after a week in Murcia during which he rested for four days and trained on hard surfaces for three.

“The hardest part on this surface is to move well”, said the Spaniard at the press conference. “You have to be more careful than on other surfaces. What I’m most comfortable with is going to the net, playing aggressively, playing the style I like and that’s comfortable.”

Grass is Murciano’s most inhospitable surface, having barely played two official tournaments on it, Wimbledon in 2021 and 2022, along with a junior tournament in 2019 and a few exhibitions at Hurlingham last year. “I’ve always said that I think I can win every tournament I go to,” Murcian responded to Nick Kyrgios’ claims that he was the only one who could beat Djokovic on this surface.

“It’s true that it’s more complicated on grass. I don’t have that much experience anyway and it was a bit difficult for me in the games I played. Along with Federer, Djokovic is the best player to step onto the grass courtso it will be tricky. Kyrgios has already been to the Wimbledon final, he has a very good game here. I won’t say that I’m not capable of beating Djokovic, but on this surface I have less chance,” explained Alcaraz.

He already fell against the Serb in the semifinals of the last Roland Garros, in a match marked by cramps that plagued the Spaniard from the beginning of the second set. “I was thinking about the match against Novak, about what happened, trying to take positive things and learn, but a few days after that you have to turn the page and think about the tour on grass. It was only my second semi-final Grand Slam. Novak is never easy to play with. The second time will be different. I will cope better with pressure and nerves. I learned a lot from that game.”

On whether the physical problems he suffered in recent months, from a ruptured stomach at Paris-Bercy to cramps at Roland Garros, affected his preparation and made him think about whether it was adequate, Alcaraz denied it and stated that he is physically fine. “I know that I am physically at a good level. There are people who believe that what happened to me against Novak was an injury, and I don’t see it that way; there were ramps. It’s very normal for players, everyone has had cramps at some point. Two days later it was perfect. This past year I had more injuries than usual. But I know the ability I need to improve, but physically I think we are doing a good job.

For the next month, if all goes according to plan, Murcian will be in London, first playing Queen’s, then Hurlingham and finally Wimbledon. “It will be a bit of a different month, spending the whole month here in London. We have a house where we are all. In the end, you live differently at home, spending more time with your loved ones. You are at home. I am happy that my father is here and as the days go by, more people will come from Murcia. We play board games, try to separate ourselves and have a good time.

This week, Alcaraz will accompany Samuel López, Pablo Carreño’s trainer, as Juan Carlos Ferrero will go on vacation with his family. “El Mosquito” will rejoin the world number two team after Queen’s.