Carlos Alcaraz’s remarkable record on grass courts continued as he won his second title at the Queen’s Club and his fourth overall on the surface with another thrilling display to beat Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-7(5), 6-2.
The pure joy Alcaraz sprinkles on a tennis court was felt by all fortunate enough to have a seat at the iconic London tournament, as the 22-year-old became the first player to do the Roland Garros and Queen’s Club double since his fellow Spanish icon Rafael Nadal back in 2008.
His record on grass is now a remarkable 29–3, with his 91 per-cent win rate the best any players has ever achieved on the surface, including grass court legends Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Bjorn Borg.
After admitting he came into Queen’s with low expectations after his incredible French Open final win just two weeks ago, Alcaraz’s decison to take a few days off with his friends in Ibiza prior to this event was the subject of heated debate in the build-up.
Yet as he got his hands on the magnificent silver torphy at the Queen’s Club once again, Alcaraz suggested that decision to take time away from the game after his Paris in against Jannik Sinner in the final was he key to his latest tournament win.
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“A lot of people ask me the same question: Are you going to go back?” said a smiling Alcaraz as he was asked if his sparkling form at Queen’s Club confirmed he was right to take a mini-holiday ahead of the tournament.
“I’m a player who needs days, days off, days to enjoy, days for myself to spend with my friends, with my family, just to turn off my mind. I need
that, and the good thing is that I know that.
“The days in Ibiza helped me a lot, just to feel like I’m not a tennis player, just to enjoy life a little bit with my friends, have fun, enjoy those days, and then come back to the court with more energy, I mean, be more hungry to play again.
“So that was really helpful for me. I’m not going to say that I win the tournament because of Ibiza, but yeah, you know, after this tournament, I can’t go back home. I’m going to stay here in London, hopefully enjoy London a little bit.
“Let’s see how it’s gonna be the next days, but I’m going to have my days off to rest up, to enjoy, and then be back and preparing Wimbledon the best way possible.”
Member of Alcaraz’s team spoke out against his decision to go to Ibiza after he won the French Open last year, but it again proved to be an effective plan as he went on to defend his Wimbledon title.
He went on to suggest the plan to have time away from tennis also worked for him after he suffered a shock defeat at the Miami Open in March, as he has gone on a 27-1 winning run since then.
“Well, I had so much hate when I lost in Miami. Instead of practice after that, I took a break and I went to Cancun with my family,” he added.
“I had too much hate then, because a lot of people, you know, start to say, like, ‘what’s going on with this guy that he just lost in the first round, and he didn’t practice, he didn’t go to the court and keep practicing just to be better?’
“And I think that was the key, just to have five, six days off, not grabbing a racquet, not stepping on the court. Just go to vacation with my family, to turn off my mind, to think what should I have done better? And that was the key.
“It was after the vacation that I had in Cancun with my family, I just got the joy back, and I start to enjoy playing tennis again, to enjoy step on the court, competing again.
“And I think that was the key, to have my days with my family and realizing what is the most important thing for me, that I go there. I’m gonna say that.”
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