Alcaraz Heads to Wimbledon with Fresh Mind

LONDON, SUNDAY — Carlos Alcaraz has arrived in England to begin his efforts to defend his Wimbledon championship title. With a refreshed mindset after a short holiday, Alcaraz will compete in the ATP 500 tournament in London from June 16 to 22.

With a broad smile, Alcaraz arrived in London, England, on Saturday (14/6/2025) night from Spain. He did not arrive from Villena, Alicante, his residence in Spain, but from Ibiza, an island also located in his country in the Mediterranean Sea. It was on that island that Alcaraz usually took short vacations after the French Open and before Wimbledon with his friends.

As in 2024, this year, he refreshed his mind after winning the French Open. Alcaraz defended his title after competing intensely for two weeks on the clay courts of Roland Garros, Paris.

In the final, he defeated world number one and fiercest rival Jannik Sinner. Alcaraz won in five sets after saving three championship points from Sinner in the fourth set.

"That (holiday in Ibiza) is like a break in the middle of the competition season after the intense rivalry on clay. My friends always go to Ibiza every year, and I go there too. My goal is to refresh both physically and mentally so that I can compete on grass as well as possible," said Alcaraz at the tournament press conference on Sunday.

Before attending the press conference, Alcaraz practiced at the venue of the ATP 500 London, the grass courts of Queen’s Club, with his coaching team. He adjusted to the fast-paced court after three months of competing on the slow clay courts.

The 22-year-old tennis player competed in the ATP London as a warm-up for Wimbledon since 2023. He became the champion after defeating Alex de Minaur in the final, and then went on to win the title at Wimbledon.

A year later, Alcaraz was eliminated in the second round, but he bounced back at the All England Club to defend his Wimbledon title. In two Wimbledon finals, Alcaraz defeated Novak Djokovic.

Like other tennis players, Alcaraz must take advantage of the short break (three weeks) between the French Open and Wimbledon. Players who were eliminated in the early rounds of the French Open immediately move to England or Germany to adapt to the grass courts.

Meanwhile, those who reach the final stages take advantage of the first week after the French Open for a short holiday, then compete in grass court tournaments in London or Halle, Germany in the following week. By the third week, the tennis players are usually gathered at the All England Club for Wimbledon.

Alcaraz will face Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the first round, then either Jaume Munar or Jordan Thompson in the second. The toughest opponent in the top half of the draw is Ben Shelton. The American is a big server who generally thrives on grass.

In addition to Alcaraz, four top ten ranked tennis players are using the ATP London as a warm-up for Wimbledon. They are Draper, Taylor Fritz, Holger Rune, and Alex de Minaur.

Two other tennis players in the top ten, including Jannik Sinner, chose the ATP 500 Halle to adapt to grass courts. Sinner, who was defeated by Alcaraz in the French Open final, will compete against Alexander Zverev, who played in the ATP 250 Stuttgart last week and lost to Fritz in the final.

In Halle, Sinner will navigate a winding path to defend his championship title. He has the opportunity to meet other ATP Halle champions from the second round if he can overcome the qualifying player in the early rounds.

Sinner could meet the 2023 ATP Halle champion, Alexander Bublik, in the second round, after which he has the opportunity to face Hubert Hurkacz (2022 champion) in the quarterfinals. Meanwhile, some potential opponents in the semifinals include Zverev, Daniil Medvedev, Francis Cerundolo, and Ugo Humbert.

Sinner stated that he had difficulty sleeping after being defeated by Alcaraz in the French Open final. "However, with the new tournament, it feels quite good for me because I will be playing a new match and trying to forget the negative things. I also always receive support from my family and friends. Let's see what I can do in Halle," said Sinner.

In the same week, top female tennis players from around the world gathered in Berlin, Germany to compete in the WTA 500 tournament. Except for the seventh-ranked player, Iga Swiatek, those who are in the top ten rankings also participated in the competition.

French Open champion, Cori Gauff, is seeded second behind the world’s top-ranked player, Aryna Sabalenka. Meanwhile, Jessica Pegula and Jasmine Paolini are seeded third and fourth, respectively. In addition to these names, Grand Slam champions Elena Rybakina and Naomi Osaka also add to the competition.

The presence of these big names has created the potential for "intense" competition from the early rounds. Rybakina, the 2022 Wimbledon champion, will face the fifth seed, Zheng Qin Wen, in the first round.

Another early round that could be tightly contested is between Australian Open champion Madison Keys and Marketa Vondrousova (2023 Wimbledon champion). Additionally, there is Osaka who will face the 2021 WTA Berlin champion, Liudmila Samsonova. The winner of this match will meet the third seed, who is the defending champion, Jessica Pegula, in the second round. (AFP)