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Over the last decade or so there’s been lots of talk about whether the grass courts at the All England Club have slowed down too much - thus giving the players more traditionally associated with clay court success an advantage.
Some say it’s a bit of a myth, others argue the opposite. Speedy serves of over 130 mph will still be a huge weapon on a grass court.
However, it’s interesting to note the success achieved by Carlos Alcaraz last year at Wimbledon, he’s just announced he’s going to play Queen’s Club, the traditional warm-up event before the hotly anticipated Grand Slam in SW19. What are his chances this year?
Will Alcaraz lead again?
Known for his right-handed two-handed backhand shot, Carlos Alcaraz only made his ATP tour debut in 2020 but has come so far. In just three short years he’s been ranked number 1 on the circuit but currently stands at world number 2.
He cemented this by becoming the winner of the 2023 Cinch Championships and is the current Wimbledon champion. In the last few weeks, he’s become the first player to enter the year’s prestigious grass court warm-up tournament held annually at The Queen’s Club and the traditional precursor to Wimbledon and some of the best tennis betting sites are pinning their hopes on him having another good run at the title.
Grass court champion
Last year, Alcaraz didn’t lose a match during the grass court season - a surface that’s not universally loved by many of his compatriots. After he defeated Australian Alex De Minaur 6-4, 6-4 in the final, Alcaraz regained the number 1 slot in the world rankings.
So far in his illustrious career, he’s won twelve ATP Tour singles titles - with two majors, the 2022 US Open and the 2023 Wimbledon Championships.
He’s also won four ATP Masters 1000s. However, once he’d won his first grand slam at the tender age of nineteen he also claimed another record, becoming the youngest man to get to the number one ranking in ATP singles.
Alcaraz is delighted to be back playing Queen’s Club and stated how much his 2023 season affected him - saying it was a very special year that he’ll always remember. He also professed his love for grass court tennis and has said how much he’s looking forward to competing again this summer.
Youngest winner since Boris Becker
Last year’s Wimbledon final was an intense ride for everyone. Running to five sets and played out over five hours, Alcaraz produced some fine tennis to see of seasoned Wimbledon Champ Novak Djokovic, making him the youngest champ since Boris Becker in 1985. The feat was even more amazing given it was only his fourth ever grass court tournament.
It was also a momentous occasion as it prevented Djok from winning Wimbledon for a fifth straight year and also put a dent in his chances of winning eight titles (to equal Roger Federer).
This year bookies are currently placing him at 7/4 (at the time of writing) in terms of his chances of winning this year's All England Club championship. Djok currently leads at 11/8 to win outright - making the chances of these two crowd favourites meeting up in the final once more, likely. Rafael Nadal who has been beset by injury issues is down at 14/1 this year.
Whether or not there’s a changing of the tennis guard underway remains to be seen - but one thing is for sure, you wouldn’t want to bet against this young Spanish player going much, much further during the next four or five years. Time will tell.