It was not too long ago that the pressure of facing Novak Djokovic in a significant match was far too overwhelming for Carlos Alcaraz, as he cramped up in the middle of their French Open semi-final and fell away. A week later, Alcaraz arrived at the Queen’s Club in London still trying to figure his life out on grass. He struggled with his movement as he was nearly beaten by a lucky loser, Arthur Rinderknech. “Honestly, my expectations in this tournament are not too high,” he said.
Within a few weeks, both issues were remarkably fully resolved. On Sunday Alcaraz defeated Djokovic in the Wimbledon final after five brutal sets in just his fourth tournament on grass, extending his winning run to 12 matches on the surface. It is an astounding achievement, a reflection of the talent at his grasp with his destructive shot-making, athleticism and complete game.
