Alcaraz's Queen's Club Participation In Doubt After Coach Ferrero's Comments
NewsWednesday, 11 June 2025 at 22:22
Organizers of the 2025 Queen's Club Championships will be nervous after Carlos Alcaraz's coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, could not guarantee his involvement at the tournament.
Alcaraz's first grass court title came at the Queen's Club in 2023. Despite him already being a Grand Slam champion at that stage, that triumph at the ATP 500 tournament was unexpected since he had very little experience on grass.
Since then, the five-time Grand Slam champion has gone from strength to strength on the surface. He won the 2023 and 2024 Wimbledon Championships, overcoming seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in both finals.
Alcaraz's only disappointment on grass since the start of 2023 was losing in the second round at the Queen's Club last year. The Spaniard fell in straight sets to home favorite Jack Draper after an uncharacteristically lackluster display.
Some questioned whether Alcaraz should have taken more time off after winning last year's Roland Garros. There is only a one-week gap between the French Open and the ATP edition of the Queen's Club Championships.
Those questions are relevant again after Alcaraz defended his Roland Garros title by winning an extraordinary final against Jannik Sinner. The 22-year-old saved three championship points in the fourth set before eventually prevailing in a deciding set tiebreak.
Alcaraz's long-term coach, Juan Carlos Ferrero, spoke about his chances of featuring at the Queen's Club this year. He said Alcaraz expressed enthusiasm about playing mid-tournament at Roland Garros, but a final decision will be made later this week.
"The plan is to play, but we'll make a final decision in a few days. We talked about it mid-tournament, and Carlos told us he was looking forward to going. After these days of rest, on Thursday or Friday, we'll do a test to see how he feels physically and mentally. (...) We're going to Wimbledon with great enthusiasm; Carlos loves playing there."
The former ATP world No. 1's participation at the Queen's Club Championships was announced several months ago, and he will undoubtedly receive a huge appearance fee if he plays at the tournament.
Alcaraz will have to balance that incentive with any physical and mental fatigue he feels after that remarkable five-hour and 29-minute final with Sinner, a match he triumphed in despite winning fewer points than his rival.
In contrast to Alcaraz's possible withdrawal from the Queen's Club Championships, Jannik Sinner's participation at the 2025 China Open in September was announced. The Italian won that tournament in September.
Last year's China Open final also featured an epic final between Alcaraz and Sinner. After over three hours of drama, the Spaniard outlasted the two-time Australian Open champion in a deciding set tiebreak.
Alcaraz beating Sinner in tight matches is a consistent theme since the start of 2024. He has won their last five encounters, four of which were in the deciding set. Remarkably, Sinner's record is 91 wins and three losses against all other opponents since 2024 began.
Sinner and Alcaraz's only grass court meeting was at the 2022 Wimbledon Championships, which the Italian won in four sets. It would be fascinating to observe what happens if they play each other at this year's Wimbledon.
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