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Carlos Alcaraz Credits Fearless Mindset for Unlocking his Best and ‘Freest’ Tennis

Originally posted on FirstSportz | By Ermina Reyaz | Last updated Jun 29, 2025 7:43 PM ET

Carlos Alcaraz is the prodigy that the tennis world has eagerly awaited in the final years of the Big 3 era. An all-surface player and a 5-time Grand Slam champion at the age of 22, Alcaraz is simply a class apart from other players of his generation. The Spaniard will be aiming to accomplish a three-peat at Wimbledon, a feat accomplished only by Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer, and Novak Djokovic previously.

Alcaraz is set to commence his title defense at SW19 on Monday, facing Italy’s Fabio Fognini in the opening round. Ahead of the grass-court Grand Slam, Alcaraz spoke to the press, giving a peak into his mentality:

When I play without thinking about anything else, that’s when I feel freest. I enjoy those moments a lot and always try to give my best. Right now is when I feel freest with my tennis, yes.

Alcaraz’s last three tour consecutive victories will be a huge confidence boost as he competes at Wimbledon. He is on an 18 match win streak across two surfaces, demonstrating his incredible flair in adapting from clay to grass.

Speaking of his ability to transition between both surfaces, Alcaraz is also one of the six men in the Open Era to achieve the elusive Channel Slam. Should he achieve it once again this season, he will be the third person to have multiple Channel Slams to his name, followed by Borg and Rafael Nadal.

Carlos Alcaraz’s incredible record on grass

Although he has amassed big titles on all surfaces and reached his third consecutive season winning a title on each surface, Carlos Alcaraz‘s record on grass in particular is phenomenal. The World No. 2 has a staggering 91% win-loss record on grass. This puts him ahead of grass-court legends like Roger Federer (87%), Novak Djokovic (86%), and Rod Laver (85%). After grass, Alcaraz’s next best surface is clay where he has an 84% win-loss record.

He will be aiming for his fifth grass court title at Wimbledon, fresh after winning his second title at the Queen’s Club Championships. With the victory at Queen’s, Alcaraz became the third Spaniard to win four titles on grass after his idol, Rafael Nadal, and Feliciano Lopez. Known for both his fighting spirit, and his elegance and poetic shot-making on court, Alcaraz delved into the beauty of grass-court tennis:

I think the most beautiful tennis is played on grass. The style people bring to the court when playing on grass is very attractive. The sound of the ball… the movement is complex, but when it goes well, it’s like you’re flying. I adapt well because I like to use slices, drop shots, approach the net, play aggressively… and I think this is the tennis that should be played.

It is perhaps saddening that the grass-court swing is so short, and without a Masters 1000 tournament. Nonetheless, it will be exciting to see how Alcaraz fares at Wimbledon as he aims for his fifth title of the season.

In the previous two editions, he defeated Djokovic at the Wimbledon finals. The Serb will be on his quest for a 25th Grand Slam and an 8th Wimbledon title to tally Federer’s record. Other strong contenders include World No. 1 Jannik Sinner against whom Alcaraz had a momentous victory at Roland Garros, saving three championship points, and World No. 4 Jack Draper, who upset Alcaraz at Queen’s last year and made it to the semifinals of the tournament this year.

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

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