Wimbledon Men's Singles: Three Talking Points
Can anyone stop two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or world number one Jannik Sinner lifting the Wimbledon men's title?
The two standout players in the world have gobbled up the past six Grand Slams between them, earlier this month playing out a French Open final for the ages.
Novak Djokovic is the last of the "Big Three" still standing, refusing to give up on his dream of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, while Jack Draper shoulders British hopes.
AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the tournament, which starts at the All England Club on Monday.
Alcaraz is aiming to become just the fifth man to win at least three straight Wimbledon titles in the Open Era after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic.
Alcaraz, who has beaten Djokovic in the past two finals, arrives at the All England Club fresh from winning Queen's for a second time, taking his grass-court trophy tally to four.
After defeating Roberto Bautista Agut in Saturday's semi-final, the 22-year-old Spaniard said "grass-court mode is activated", a message that will send a shiver down the spines of his opponents.
Sinner, 23, remains the world number one and has impressed since returning from a three-month doping ban, reaching the final of the Italian Open and the French Open, both of which he lost to Alcaraz.
Alcaraz stormed back from two sets down to beat Sinner in an epic Roland Garros final, securing a fifth successive victory against his Italian rival.
Sinner then lost early at the Halle grass-court tournament but does have a strong track record at Wimbledon, reaching the semi-finals in 2023 and the quarter-finals last year.
Djokovic is still dreaming of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming the most successful singles player in history.
Currently the Serb is locked on 24 Grand Slams with the long-retired Margaret Court and has not won a major since the 2023 US Open.
He came up short against Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in 2023 and 2024, though he beat his young rival in a captivating Olympic final on clay last year.
Djokovic also has the added incentive of drawing level on a record eight men's Wimbledon singles titles with the retired Federer, the king of Centre Court.
The 38-year-old, who won his 100th tour-level title in May in Geneva, first lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2011, with his most recent triumph coming in 2022.
The question is whether Djokovic, now ranked sixth in the world, can get past Alcaraz or Sinner at their best -- he lost to Sinner in straight sets in the semi-finals at Roland Garros.
Djokovic may need the current top two to stumble somewhere along the way but it would be foolish to write him off.
Wimbledon this week announced plans to honour two-time champion Andy Murray with a statue -- showing the esteem in which the retired Scot is held.
The current British men's number one is Draper, who has enjoyed a breakthrough season, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells and reaching the final in Madrid.
The 23-year-old world number four, who has an explosive game, can boast previous wins against Alcaraz and Sinner.
But he has never been beyond the second round at Wimbledon and has only reached one Grand Slam semi-final, at last year's US Open.
Draper, who lost to Jiri Lehecka in the Queen's semi-finals, goes into Wimbledon in good heart.
"I've really felt the home support all week, it's a real advantage and it helps drive me on," he said. "But at the same time, I've got a job to do and I'm not thinking about pressures like that.
"I'm going to go into Wimbledon feeling great about myself, and I'll go in at a position I've been dreaming of since I was a little kid." Novak Djokovic is aiming for a record-equalling eighth men's Wimbledon title AFP Britain's Jack Draper is fourth in the world rankings AFP Carlos Alcaraz (L) and Jannik Sinner are the dominant forces in men's tennis AFP
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Int'l Business Times
17 hours ago
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Wimbledon Men's Singles: Three Talking Points
Can anyone stop two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz or world number one Jannik Sinner lifting the Wimbledon men's title? The two standout players in the world have gobbled up the past six Grand Slams between them, earlier this month playing out a French Open final for the ages. Novak Djokovic is the last of the "Big Three" still standing, refusing to give up on his dream of a record 25th Grand Slam singles title, while Jack Draper shoulders British hopes. AFP Sport looks at three talking points ahead of the tournament, which starts at the All England Club on Monday. Alcaraz is aiming to become just the fifth man to win at least three straight Wimbledon titles in the Open Era after Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic. Alcaraz, who has beaten Djokovic in the past two finals, arrives at the All England Club fresh from winning Queen's for a second time, taking his grass-court trophy tally to four. After defeating Roberto Bautista Agut in Saturday's semi-final, the 22-year-old Spaniard said "grass-court mode is activated", a message that will send a shiver down the spines of his opponents. Sinner, 23, remains the world number one and has impressed since returning from a three-month doping ban, reaching the final of the Italian Open and the French Open, both of which he lost to Alcaraz. Alcaraz stormed back from two sets down to beat Sinner in an epic Roland Garros final, securing a fifth successive victory against his Italian rival. Sinner then lost early at the Halle grass-court tournament but does have a strong track record at Wimbledon, reaching the semi-finals in 2023 and the quarter-finals last year. Djokovic is still dreaming of putting an exclamation point on his incredible career by becoming the most successful singles player in history. Currently the Serb is locked on 24 Grand Slams with the long-retired Margaret Court and has not won a major since the 2023 US Open. He came up short against Alcaraz in the Wimbledon final in 2023 and 2024, though he beat his young rival in a captivating Olympic final on clay last year. Djokovic also has the added incentive of drawing level on a record eight men's Wimbledon singles titles with the retired Federer, the king of Centre Court. The 38-year-old, who won his 100th tour-level title in May in Geneva, first lifted the Wimbledon trophy in 2011, with his most recent triumph coming in 2022. The question is whether Djokovic, now ranked sixth in the world, can get past Alcaraz or Sinner at their best -- he lost to Sinner in straight sets in the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Djokovic may need the current top two to stumble somewhere along the way but it would be foolish to write him off. Wimbledon this week announced plans to honour two-time champion Andy Murray with a statue -- showing the esteem in which the retired Scot is held. The current British men's number one is Draper, who has enjoyed a breakthrough season, winning his first ATP Masters 1000 event at Indian Wells and reaching the final in Madrid. The 23-year-old world number four, who has an explosive game, can boast previous wins against Alcaraz and Sinner. But he has never been beyond the second round at Wimbledon and has only reached one Grand Slam semi-final, at last year's US Open. Draper, who lost to Jiri Lehecka in the Queen's semi-finals, goes into Wimbledon in good heart. "I've really felt the home support all week, it's a real advantage and it helps drive me on," he said. "But at the same time, I've got a job to do and I'm not thinking about pressures like that. "I'm going to go into Wimbledon feeling great about myself, and I'll go in at a position I've been dreaming of since I was a little kid." Novak Djokovic is aiming for a record-equalling eighth men's Wimbledon title AFP Britain's Jack Draper is fourth in the world rankings AFP Carlos Alcaraz (L) and Jannik Sinner are the dominant forces in men's tennis AFP
Int'l Business Times
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Wimbledon: England's Garden Grand Slam
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Int'l Business Times
4 days ago
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Queen's Champion Alcaraz In The Groove Ahead Of Wimbledon
Carlos Alcaraz warned his Wimbledon rivals that he "feels great" on grass after the world number two defied his own expectations by winning the Queen's Club title for a second time. Alcaraz battled to a bruising 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 6-2 victory over Czech world number 30 Jiri Lehecka in the final of the Wimbledon warm-up event on Sunday. The 22-year-old has extended his career-best winning streak to 18 matches, putting him in the perfect position to defend his Wimbledon title. Alcaraz has won the French Open, the Rome Masters and Queen's during his blistering run. But the five-time Grand Slam champion had arrived in west London concerned about his ability to make the tricky transition from the clay-court season to the unique demands of the brief grass campaign. Underling the difficulty of the task, Alcaraz is the first player to win Roland Garros and Queen's back to back since Rafael Nadal in 2008. "I'm going to say it's really complicated, the switch from clay to grass in just few days, because that's the time I had before the tournament began, just two days of practising," Alcaraz said. "So I came here with no expectations at all. I came here with a goal to play two or three matches, try to feel great on grass, and give myself the feedback of what I have to improve. "But I got used to the grass really quick, and I'm really proud about it. My goal was complete, and I'm not talking about lifting the trophy or making the final. "It was just to feel great, to feel really comfortable on grass once again." For a player raised on the clay courts of Spain, Alcaraz has become a formidable force on the lawns of Queen's and Wimbledon. He is only the third Spanish man to win four grass-court tournaments after Nadal and Feliciano Lopez. "It's great to be with Rafa and Feli, such great players from our country," he said. "Hopefully now I will not stop here. Hopefully keep going." A key part of Alcaraz's winning formula is his ability to switch off from tennis after tournaments to ensure he is refreshed when he returns to the court. The former world number one partied in Ibiza after his epic five-set French Open final triumph against Jannik Sinner earlier this month. He won't have time for a similar holiday before Wimbledon starts on June 30, but he plans to relax as much as possible in London before focusing on his bid for a third successive All England Club crown. "A lot of people ask me the same question: Are you going to go back to Ibiza? I wish! As I said, I'm a player who needs days off to enjoy, days for myself to spend with my friends, with my family, just to turn off my mind," he said. "I can't go back home. I'm going to stay here in London, hopefully enjoy it a little bit, then be back and preparing Wimbledon the best way possible." While Sinner crashed out in the Halle second round against Alexander Bublik this week, Alcaraz's success at Queen's moved his record since losing to David Goffin at the Miami Masters in March to a formidable 27-1. Alcaraz believes that defeat was a transformative moment in his season. "I had so much hate when I lost in Miami. A lot of people started to say 'What's going on with this guy. He just lost in the first round, and he didn't practice, he didn't go to the court'," Alcaraz said. "I think that was the key, just to have five, six days off, not grabbing a racquet, not stepping on the court. Just go to vacation with my family, to turn off my mind, to think what should I have done better? "I just got the joy back. I started to enjoy playing tennis again, realising what is the most important thing for me."
