Although number one in the world and recent winner of his first tournament on grass, at Queen’s, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz repeated on Sunday that the defending champion, Novak Djokovic, was the big favorite, in particular because he “does not do anything wrong on grass”. “Obviously, for me, the big favorite is Djokovic”, explained Alcaraz in a pre-tournament press conference.
“He makes everything very, very simple. He moves really well. He hits the ball really well (…) It’s very difficult to find weaknesses in his game, ”admitted the 20-year-old, who will face Frenchman Jérémy Chardy in the first round.
Beaten by “Nole” in the semi-finals at Roland-Garros, when he had suffered from cramps “in the whole body” at the start of the third set, Alcaraz also underlined the “pressure” that his Serbian rival puts on his opponents. “I would say it’s the pressure he puts on everyone. Not just me (…) For me, it’s probably the hardest thing when I face Novak, ”he explained. Released in the round of 16 by the Italian Jannik Sinner, last year, he assured in any case that he did not feel “too much pressure linked to the fact” of being “number one”.
Since being crowned at the other London grass tournament, Queen’s, a week ago, the Spaniard admits that his “confidence has increased a lot” on this surface which he thinks he can domesticate. “I think my style of play is to always play aggressive. And I think that’s the most important thing on grass: be aggressive, try to get to the net, try to hit hard. It’s what I try on all surfaces and I think it really suits the grass well.