Carlos Alcaraz, who makes his Queen’s Club Championships debut this week, knows that he has a lot of adjustments to make if he is to be a contender at the grasscourt event and at Wimbledon.
The 20-year-old Spaniard is coming off a disappointing French Open where he suffered severe cramps during a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 loss to Novak Djokovic in the semi-final. Till then, he had warmed up well for the claycourt grand slam with titles in Barcelona and Madrid.
Now, Alcaraz will be playing in only the third grasscourt tournament of his career at the tour level and said his practice on the surface had been limited.
“I arrived in London on Saturday morning and I had my first practice on grass,” he said. “I wasn’t able to practice too much at home as we have no grass courts.
“I need to adapt my movement and shots on the grass, but I’m really happy with the practice I have had here.”
Alcaraz, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon last year before winning the US Open, said how well he moves on grass would be key.
“You need to be more careful than other surfaces,” Alcaraz, who plays Arthur Fils on Tuesday, said. “The most comfortable is going to the net and playing aggressively all the time. For me, it’s similar to other surfaces with my style.
“There are a lot of players who slice on grass. I’m not one of them so I have to think about movement. I have to be focused on every movement and shot.
“For me, it’s more tiring when you’re moving on grass. It’s totally different, so you have to be really specific,” the world No. 2 added.
