‘I really want to win': Confident Alcaraz targets rare Wimbledon three-peat
Carlos Alcaraz is chasing a slice of tennis immortality as he arrives at Wimbledon's pristine lawns, where he has the opportunity to join an illustrious but short list of men who have won the grasscourt Grand Slam three years in a row.
The Spaniard could join an elite club of just four men -- Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic -- who have claimed three consecutive Wimbledon titles in the Open era.
Yet the 22-year-old Alcaraz, radiating confidence that belies his youth, says the only thing on his mind is the trophy itself and not its legacy.
'I'm coming here thinking that I really want to win the title, I really want to lift the trophy, not thinking about how many players have won three Wimbledons in a row,' Alcaraz told reporters on Saturday.
'I just want to be ready, to prepare myself in the best way possible to start the tournament with a lot of confidence. Obviously I feel a lot of confidence right now,' he added with a smile.
'Two weeks could be really long in a Grand Slam but right now I'm not thinking about who I could join if I win three Wimbledons in a row.'
Such confidence is not misplaced, after he cemented his status as the Prince of Clay when he won a 5-1/2 hour epic to beat Jannik Sinner in the French Open final earlier this month.
The world number two is now seeking to extend his reign on the grasscourts as well, warming up for Wimbledon by winning the Queen's Club Championship for a second time.
Once billed as a claycourt specialist as he climbed up the rankings, Alcaraz now speaks of grasscourts with the reverence of a true convert, saying that the 'most beautiful tennis that we can watch' is on grass.
'The style that the people bring to the court when they play on grass, I think is so beautiful. The sound of the ball, the movement is really tough -- but when you get it, it's like you're flying,' he said.
Also read | Djokovic feels Wimbledon-2025 is his best chance of winning record-breaking 25th Grand Slam
'It's just pretty to me because I really want to hit slices, dropshots, go to the net all the time and play aggressively. I think on grass it's the style that you have to play, so that's what I like the most.'
What truly sets Alcaraz apart from other players is his fearlessness in the face of adversity, evident from how he saved three championship points against Sinner to eventually lift a second straight title at Roland Garros.
'When I'm playing without thinking about anything else, but just playing or just thinking about the enjoyment, I think I get that freedom to play whatever I like -- I just enjoy,' he explained.
'When that happens, I always show my best tennis, my best level. So far I'm feeling the most freedom that I've played.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Jannik Sinner won't say why he fired two team members right before Wimbledon
Jannik Sinner confirmed that he recently fired two members of his team — fitness coach Marco Panichi and physiotherapist Ulises Badio, who themselves were replacements for people involved in the player's doping case — but declined on Saturday (June 28, 2025) to explain the reason for the change ahead of Wimbledon. Sinner, who has been ranked No. 1 for more than a year, said that he decided shortly after losing in the second round of the grass-court tournament in Halle, Germany, this month to make the change. Sinner has not yet found substitutes for Panichi and Badio, who both used to work with Novak Djokovic. 'Nothing seriously bad happened. They did great work for (the past) three months. Sometimes, things happen,' Sinner said at his pre-tournament news conference. 'The timing obviously isn't the best, but having done a lot of work (together) before, it won't affect this Grand Slam a lot. I feel well physically and mentally and ready to compete.' Play begins on Monday (June 30, 2025) at the All England Club, where Sinner was a quarterfinalist in 2024. He will play Luca Nardi in an all-Italian matchup on Tuesday (July 1, 2025). Last year, Sinner tested positive twice for a trace amount of an anabolic steroid in March; the case wasn't made public until August, shortly before the U.S. Open, which he ended up winning for the second of his three Grand Slam titles. He initially was completely cleared, based on the defense that he accidentally was exposed to the banned substance, Clostebol, via a massage from his then-physiotherapist, Giacomo Naldi. Sinner said his fitness trainer at the time, Umberto Ferrara, purchased a product in Italy and gave it to Naldi for a cut on Naldi's finger. Naldi then treated Sinner while not wearing gloves. The World Anti-Doping Agency appealed the exoneration, and Sinner agreed to serve a three-month ban that ended right before the Italian Open in May. On Saturday, Sinner was asked repeatedly in English and Italian what led him to part ways with Panichi and Badio. 'There's not one specific thing,' Sinner said. He was the runner-up to Carlos Alcaraz at the French Open three weeks ago, wasting a two-set lead and three match points in a final that lasted 5 1/2 hours. As for adding new team members, Sinner said on Saturday (June 28, 2025): 'I haven't thought about replacements. It's not the time to think about my options. But there are a lot of options.'
The Hindu
40 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Wimbledon 2025: Novak Djokovic figures the grass-court major gives him his best chance at a record 25th Grand Slam title
It's become part of Novak Djokovic's routine now, particularly at Grand Slam tournaments: He shows up and gets asked — at the start of the event, during the event, after the event or sometimes all three — whether this will be his final appearance there. Happened again Saturday at Wimbledon, and his response was the same it tends to be, which essentially amounts to: Who can tell? 'Whether it could be my last dance,'' the 24-time major champion began, repeating the phrase used by the reporter who posed the question, 'I'm not sure — as I'm not sure about Roland Garros or any other Slam that I play next.' And then Djokovic continued, offering something of a mix of seemingly trying to quiet any talk about whether he truly is pondering retirement at age 38 while also being realistic about where things stand. 'My wish is to play for several more years. I would love to be healthy physically and also mentally motivated to keep on playing at the highest level,' he said. 'That's the goal. But you never know at this stage.' What Djokovic did concede is that the All England Club might offer the likeliest spot for him to gather one more Grand Slam singles title, which would allow him to raise his career haul to 25 — a number that no tennis player ever has reached. 'I would probably agree that Wimbledon could be the best chance, because of the results I had, because of how I feel, how I play in Wimbledon,' said Djokovic, who faces Alexandre Muller in the first round Tuesday. 'Just getting that extra push mentally and motivation to perform the best tennis at the highest level.' Djokovic has won seven championships at the grass-court major and come oh-so-close to making his total eight — the number Roger Federer won, and one behind Martina Navratilova's record nine women's trophies — but lost in the 2023 and 2024 finals to Carlos Alcaraz. All told, Djokovic has appeared in the title match each of the past six times the tournament was held (it was canceled in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic), winning it in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022. His most recent Wimbledon loss came all the way back in 2017, when he was defeated in the quarterfinals by 2010 runner-up Tomas Berdych. As for the persistent questions about Djokovic's future, it's the same type of topic that was presented to Federer, Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams as those greats of the game neared their farewells. Now it's just Djokovic's turn. But just because he hasn't won a Grand Slam trophy in more than 1 1/2 years — he collected three in 2023, capped by the U.S. Open that September — don't think that Djokovic isn't capable of grabbing another. As he reminded anyone listening Saturday, he made it to the semifinals at the Australian Open this January before stopping after one set because of a hamstring injury, and got to the final four at the French Open this month before losing to No. 1 Jannik Sinner. After that one, Djokovic took time as he left the court to kiss his hand and lean down to touch the clay, then said it could have been his last match at Roland-Garros. There also was the not-so-small achievement of claiming a gold medal for Serbia at the Paris Olympics less than a year ago by beating Alcaraz, no less. 'These tournaments give me the biggest drive, still,' Djokovic said. 'I like the way I feel right now, physically. Tennis-wise, I've been playing good on the practice sessions. Obviously completely different when you start a tournament. I'll try to have a very good tournament and go as far as I can.' And maybe even return in 2026.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
San Diego's Tomás Ángel comes through in stoppage time for 3-2 win over Dallas
Jun 29, 2025 09:41 AM IST FRISCO, Texas — Tomás Ángel scored late in second-half stoppage time and MLS Western Conference-leading San Diego FC rallied to defeat FC Dallas 3-2 on Saturday night. HT Image Ángel, a second-half substitute, scored with a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the upper left central zone. The goal was assisted by Anders Dreyer, with a second assist by Jasper Löffelsend. Expansion San Diego trailed 2-1 early in the second half and didn't draw even until the 77th minute when Hirving Lozano scored with a left-footed shot from the center of the box to the central bottom zone. He was assisted by Milan Iloski, with a second assist by Dreyer. Dreyer, who finished with a goal and two assists, scored the first goal of the match with Anders Dreyer with a penalty in the 26th minute. Petar Musa of Dallas scored with a right-footed shot from the center of the box to the bottom right corner, making it 1-all in the 44th minute. Sebastian Lletget made it 2-1 for Dallas when he scored with a left-footed shot from the center of the box in the 56th minute. Dallas had only two more attempted shots the rest of the game, including Petar Musa's header from the center of the box that went over the goal in the third minute of stoppage time. CJ dos Santos made four saves for San Diego, which scored on all three shots on goal against Maarten Paes of Dallas . Dallas hosts Minnestoa on Friday. San Diego hosts Houston on Saturday. ___ soccer: /soccer This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text. Stay updated with the latest sports news, including latest headlines and updates from the Olympics 2024, where Indian athletes will compete for glory in Paris. Catch all the action from tennis Grand Slam tournaments, follow your favourite football teams and players with the latest match results, and get the latest on international hockey tournaments and series.
