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Andrey Rublev Sends Warning to Carlos Alcaraz About His Form Ahead of Wimbledon Clash

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Gouri Das | Last updated Jul 5, 2025 10:05 AM ET

Carlos Alcaraz has inched closer to his third consecutive Wimbledon title as after knocking out Jan-Lennard Struff 6-1, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 on Friday (July 4), he scheduled a fourth-round clash with 14th seed Andrey Rublev. The Russian ace scheduled the match against Alcaraz after moving past Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 7-5, 6-2, 6-3.

Rublev is a quarterfinalist at Wimbledon, reaching the stage in 2023. He lost to eventual runner-up Novak Djokovic, who he could face if they both reach the final. Last year, he suffered an opening-round exit. Following his win over Mannarino, Rublev, at the press conference, expressed confidence about his form.

I’m playing well. I’m hitting the ball well. I’m starting to feel that, yes, the level is there, and it’s just a matter of time in terms of results. Even during all the months, I was practicing hard, it seemed like I was doing things right and not hitting the ball poorly, but deep down I felt that something was missing. But finally, now I know that I’m hitting the ball, again, really well.

Against the five-time Grand Slam champion, the 27-year-old trails 1-2 in the head-to-head record. In their previous encounter, Alcaraz defeated Rublev in the round-robin stage of the 2024 ATP Finals. They have not yet faced each other on grass.

Alcaraz, against Struff, now holds a 4-1 head-to-head lead. It was also their second encounter at Wimbledon following the 2022 season when they met in the first round.

Carlos Alcaraz has won 21 consecutive matches

Carlos Alcaraz has not yet lost a match since the Italian Open. After winning his first indoor hard-court tournament in Rotterdam, Alcaraz played three events without reaching the final, including in the two Sunshine Doubles campaigns.

Then he started his campaign on the clay swing, only to wrap it up as the most successful player, reaching four finals and winning three titles, including the French Open. The final that he lost was at the Barcelona Open against Holger Rune.

He won the Monte Carlo Masters and lost the Barcelona Open, following which he played the Italian Open, where he denied his arch-rival Jannik Sinner the title in front of the home crowd. Alcaraz then once again beat the three-time Grand Slam champion, this time, in the French Open final.

Before starting his Wimbledon campaign, the Spaniard moved past Jiri Lehecka to lift his career’s fourth grass-court title at the Queen’s Club Championships. Alcaraz, who last lost a match at the Barcelona Open, is on a 21-match winning streak, but he doesn’t think he played his best tennis in these matches. He said at the press conference,

I haven’t played my best tennis in all 21 matches I’ve won, but I’ve remained very, very calm in the tough moments of all those 21 victories. I have been playing very good tennis lately, with a lot of confidence. As I’ve said many times, I feel like I’m approaching matches in a magnificent way, and that makes me happy.

Alcaraz has dropped a combined nine sets at the French Open and Wimbledon. He survived a scare in the first round here against Fabio Fognini, winning the match in five sets.

Alcaraz is aiming to complete the Channel Slam for two consecutive seasons. In the previous two Wimbledon finals, the 22-year-old defeated Novak Djokovic, who he is projected to again face in the championship match.

The youngster has won his previous 17 matches on grass. He will become just the second fifth man in the Open Era if he wins his third consecutive title here. Alcaraz is also bidding to win his sixth title of the season.

This article first appeared on FirstSportz and was syndicated with permission.

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