Carlos Alcaraz has put his 2024 Roland Garros win in the rear-view window shifting his focus fully on the upcoming Cinch Championships and the grass season.
The 21-year-old had a tremendous two weeks in Paris, recently becoming the youngest player to win a Grand Slam on every surface. He did it by winning Roland Garros after winning Wimbledon and the US Open in years past.
After putting clay season behind him, Alcaraz is now back on the grass and ready for the challenge. The last time he played on the grass, the Spaniard bested Novak Djokovic to lift the Wimbledon trophy.
It was a year ago, but he's not one to think about the past. During his press conference in London, Alcaraz confirmed that he's fully focused on the upcoming Cinch Championships.
"We have to be focused on the tournament we’re playing right now. Obviously, Roland Garros was a fantastic two weeks for me and a dream come true to lift the trophy but right now my mind must be here on the grass."
His participation at the ATP 500 tournament at Queen's Club was surprising to some degree, as the Spaniard could just take time to recover after Paris, but he's back. One week after lifting a trophy at the French Open, Alcaraz is back on the courts, and he's glad to be back and ready for the challenge.
"I’m really happy to be back, I arrived yesterday morning and was on the grass for 25 minutes before the rain came. Today, I had over two hours practicing, playing sets and tie-breaks which helped me a lot to be ready before we start the tournament."
Grass is a surface that didn't come naturally to him, but he fell in love with it at Queen's last year. Winning the trophy certainly helped, and he went to Wimbledon with a lot of confidence.
He then won the trophy there and hopes to do something similar this year. It will be a process that will take time, but he's embracing it.
"I have more matches under my belt on the grass now and had a great run last year across the two tournaments. I know a little bit more about how to play and I’m more mature on the surface."
"The first practice I did here, my movement wasn’t as good as last year but it’s a slow process - I have to be really focused in my practice and every match I play but I’m sure I’ll get to 100%."
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