Carlos Alcaraz has warmed up for Wimbledon by spending some time with two-time winner Andy Murray.
As defending champion, the Spaniard opens up proceedings on Centre Court on Monday afternoon, taking on wily Italian Fabio Fognini in the first round.
Victory there could set him on course for a third successive title, a feat achieved by only four men in history – Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic.
And his preparations have gone pretty smoothly, thanks to success on the grass at the Queen’s Club Championships.
“I played some golf,” he revealed. “Actually, I played with Andy Murray on Monday and a few more players.
“[I] just wanted to go to the centre [of London] a little bit, walk around, have good food, and just have quality time with them, doing some stuff that probably I wouldn’t be able to do while the tournament is on.”
Alcaraz has been spotted wearing a sweat-controlling chest patch ahead of the tournament. He hopes that will give him the extra edge ahead of a tilt at another Grand Slam crown.
He admits that triumph, his fifth major title overall, means he is in a pretty good place.
“When I’m playing without thinking about anything else, but just playing or just thinking about the enjoyment, I think I’ve just got that freedom to play whatever I like, I just enjoy,” he continued.
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“When that happens, I always show my best tennis, my best level. So probably so far, I’m feeling the most freedom that I’ve played [with] so far.
“I’m coming here thinking that, yeah, I really want to win the title. I really want to lift the trophy. Not thinking about how many players have done it, winning three [in a row].
“I just want to be ready and just want to prepare myself in the best way possible, just to start the tournament with a lot of confidence. Obviously I feel a lot of confidence right now.
“But just thinking about still going forward, it’s still doing the good things, and starting the tournament.
“So two weeks could be really long in a Grand Slam, but right now I’m not thinking about who I could join if I win three Wimbledon [titles] in a row.
“I think the most beautiful tennis that we can watch is on grass,” he added. “The style that the people bring to the court when they play on grass, I think is so beautiful.
“The sound of the ball. The movement is really tough, but when you get it, it’s kind of [like] you’re flying.
“It’s just pretty well to me because I really want to hit slices, drop shots, going to the net all the time, playing aggressively.
“I think on grass it’s the style that you have to play. So that’s what I like the most.”
Carlos Alcaraz and Joao Fonseca interact during a training session ahead of Wimbledon
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Ahead of the tournament, Alcaraz has been practicing with up-and-coming Brazilian Joao Fonseca.
The 18-year-old reached the third round at Roland Garros this year, his best performance at a major. That means he has risen as high as 54th in the world rankings.
And, despite being young in age, he has already impressed Alcaraz, who added: “I was excited about hitting with him.
“The last time that I hit with him it was in [the] Masters in 2023, if I’m not wrong. It was really kind of a long time ago. I was excited to hit with him when he came to the ATP.
“He’s quite new on grass. I’ve been talking with him. He’s not really an experienced player on grass.
“But his style, he loves to play aggressive, to hit big forehands, go to the net. So I’m pretty sure he’s going to get the level on grass really, really soon.
“Right now, a few things that he has to learn obviously because he’s so young, and he is just starting to play the new tournaments. But his level is pretty, pretty high so far.”
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