In Carlos Alcaraz’s first match of the grass-court season against France’s Arthur Rinderknech at Queen’s Club, the Spaniard found himself distracted. Still not entirely comfortable with his turbo-powered movement on the slick lawn, he was so focused on maintaining his balance that the rest of his game suffered. Alcaraz was pushed to the brink, narrowly surviving a third-set tiebreak.
There is still so much room for Alcaraz to improve on grass and growth takes time but, after nearly three weeks on the surface and counting this year, the previous discomfort is a long way away. Alcaraz began his first Wimbledon title run as the No 1 seed with a comfortable victory, dismantling Jérémy Chardy of France 6-0, 6-2, 7-5 under the No 1 Court roof.
