Carlos Alcaraz Reveals the Key Improvement in His Grass-Court Game This Year

Carlos Alcaraz is yet to lose a match on grass this season. In fact, he’s currently on an 18-match winning streak at the Wimbledon Championship. He produced an electric performance on Sunday (July 6) to beat Andrey Rublev in the fourth round. After the match, he opened up about the key improvements he has added to his game on the grass court this year.

Alcaraz is arguably the best grass-court player in the ATP or maybe just after 24-time Grand Slam winner Novak Djokovic. Before arriving at the All England Club, he claimed his second Queen’s Championships after beating Jiri Lehecka in the final. The Spaniard has won Wimbledon two consecutive times and he is now seeking to win it the third time.

The 22-year-old faced a tough test in the fourth round of the tournament against Rublev, who was seeking to make a statement at the tournament. The Russian star landed the first blow after displaying a clinical performance in the first set tiebreak, overpowering the defending champion.

But Alcaraz immediately responded with a much better display with top-notch forehand shots and some of his trademark drop shots that drew a resounding ovation from the crowd. He continued with the performance in the third set, sliding perfectly on the grass while giving Rublev no chance for a comeback.

The World No.2 won the match 6(5)-7, 6-3, 6-4, 6-4 in two hours and 43 minutes to reach the quarter-finals of the Wimbledon Championship. During his press conference, he revealed that some improvements he has added to his game at the tournament are sliding well on the grass and more freedom on the court:

This year I started sliding better than last year, although I can’t tell you exactly. Last year, I didn’t slide well until the match against Tiafoe, but this year I started doing it well at Queen’s. For me, it’s very important to slide well on grass because that gives me a lot of confidence in movement. I try to show myself with a lot of freedom when I have to move, especially to defend myself. At Queen’s, I was a bit afraid before the second round, in the early hours on grass, but then when I started sliding, all those thoughts went away, and I felt more comfortable.

Alcaraz claimed his 22nd consecutive tour-level win after beating Rublev. The last time the Spaniard lost a match was at the Barcelona Open final in April. Since then he has been on a winning form and he’s the favorite to win the Wimbledon Championship, just over a month after winning the French Open.

Carlos Alcaraz says staying positive against Andrey Rublev was the key to his comeback victory

Carlos Alcaraz began his match against Andrey Rublev poorly and needed time to get to his level. That gave the Russian the opportunity to outmaneuver the Spaniard, winning the first set. But as the match continued, Alcaraz began to find his rhythm and then dominated the match with his style of play.