Mumbai: Right here’s how the 4 singles finalists who appeared on the concluding weekend of the French Open a few weeks in the past fared of their subsequent match look:
Coco Gauff: First spherical, Berlin.
Aryna Sabalenka: Semi-final, Berlin.
Jannik Sinner: Second spherical, Halle.
Carlos Alcaraz: Champion, Queen’s.
The Roland Garros to Wimbledon route is probably the most difficult on the skilled tennis calendar. The floor change from the slowest to quickest is complicated, and the turnaround time – of lower than a month and involving, at finest, one match for the highest gamers – is subsequent to negligible.
It’s unforgiving even for the reigning ladies’s French Open winner in Gauff and the present males’s world No.1 in Sinner. For the boys’s French Open champion, nonetheless, it’s enterprise as typical.
Alcaraz went from being the prince of the Parisian clay to the king of the Queen’s grass in a fortnight. And he’ll go along with a spring in his step to Wimbledon that begins subsequent Monday on the All England Membership.
Because the flip of the century, solely 4 gamers have completed the London double of capturing the Queen’s and Wimbledon back-to-back. Alcaraz, in 2023, was the final (Lleyton Hewitt, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray being the others). Solely two males have ever completed the French Open-Wimbledon double in the identical season on multiple event: Nadal (2008, 2010) and Bjorn Borg (1978, 1979, 1980). Alcaraz has accomplished half one in 2024, and half of half two in 2025. He now heads to Wimbledon with in all probability twice the boldness in comparison with final yr.
In 2024 between these triumphs in Paris and London, Alcaraz turned up at Queen’s and exited within the second spherical after shedding to Jack Draper. The early defeat wasn’t completely sudden, given the Spaniard was nonetheless driving the celebratory wave of capturing a primary French Open title (younger Gauff might nicely relate to that feeling now).
This yr the 22-year-old had an identical Paris excessive, and the surge that adopted in Queen’s was sudden even for a participant whose final defeat got here again in April.
“I got here right here with no expectations in any respect,” Alcaraz mentioned after his title win on Sunday beating Jiri Lehecka within the ultimate. “I simply got here right here with a objective to play two-three matches, attempt to really feel nice on grass and provides myself the suggestions of what I’ve to enhance.
“However I bought used to the grass actually fast, and I’m simply actually proud about it. My objective was full, not speaking about lifting the trophy or making the ultimate.”
Alcaraz might solely get a few days of follow on grass within the “sophisticated” swap from clay earlier than his first match at Queen’s. The French Open ultimate in opposition to Sinner, thoughts you, would have been among the many most bodily and emotionally draining matches he’d have performed in his profession so far.
Alcaraz spent just a few days holidaying within the Mexican metropolis of Cancun for his Paris after-party. Switching off from the game and happening these quick breaks is one thing the younger Spaniard has completed ceaselessly within the latest previous. It’s additionally one thing for which he was criticised after his early ouster in Miami in March.
It really works for him, although, no matter whether or not he loses in his first spherical in Miami or goes all the best way in Paris.
“That was the important thing, simply to have five-six days off, not grabbing a racquet, not stepping on the courtroom,” Alcaraz mentioned. “After the holiday that I had in Cancun with my household, I simply bought the enjoyment again. I began to get pleasure from enjoying tennis once more, to get pleasure from stepping on the courtroom, competing once more.”
Extending his unbeaten streak that started from the clay courts of Rome in Could, it looks as if Alcaraz hadn’t gone anyplace. Two weeks after arguably his finest Grand Slam triumph, Alcaraz was again to profitable one other title. Challenges of the quick turnaround and clay to grass diversion however, it’s enterprise as typical for Alcaraz heading into Wimbledon.
