Carlos Alcaraz says he is watching clips of Andy Murray and Roger Federer in bid to improve on grass
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Updated 21/06/2023 at 11:57 GMT+1
Carlos Alcaraz started his grass season with a hard-fought win over Arthur Rinderknech at Queen's. The world No. 2 dropped the opening set but rallied to advance at the tournament. He says that the "most difficult part of playing on grass is being able to move well" and he plans to "play more aggressive all the time". Alcaraz plays Jiri Lehecka in the last 16.
Alcaraz survives scare to beat Rinderknech in three sets at Queen's
Video credit: SNTV
Carlos Alcaraz is hoping an aggressive approach will help him adapt to grass as he looks to find his best form ahead of Wimbledon.
Alcaraz arrived in London at the weekend after returning home following his French Open semi-final defeat to Novak Djokovic.
He is playing just his third career tournament on grass this week at Queen’s, with all six of his previous matches on the surface played at Wimbledon.
Despite his inexperience he showed some encouraging signs at Wimbledon last year as he reached the fourth round, where he lost to Jannik Sinner in four sets.
He is hoping to continue to improve on grass this summer and thinks moving well is one of the keys to success for him.
“After the French Open I had four days off to rest a little bit and turn my mind off,” he said ahead of his first-round win over Arthur Rinderknech.
“I picked up a racquet and practised for three days back at home but that was on a hard court. I tried to make similar movements on the hard courts that you’d make on the grass but obviously it’s never the same.
“The most difficult part of playing on grass is being able to move well. You have to be more careful than on the other surfaces; but the most comfortable thing for me is being able to go to the net and play more aggressive all the time.
“That side is similar to the other surfaces so playing that style is comfortable and natural for me - I really like it.
“There are a lot of players who slide on grass and I’m not one of them, so I have to think a lot more about my movement and be really focused on every move and every shot I make.
“It can be more tiring because you’re constantly moving - it’s totally different to the other surfaces and I have to put in a specific type of work to get ready for it.”
Alcaraz leads the field at Queen’s ahead of world No. 6 Holger Rune, world No. 8 Taylor Fritz, and British No. 1 Cameron Norrie.
And the Spaniard says his aim is to imitate some famous names from the game.
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Alcaraz backs Kyrgios to challenge Djokovic at Wimbledon
Video credit: SNTV
"I've always said that you have to move well on grass and from there everything else follows," Alcaraz added.
"Speaking for myself, I like to put on videos of [Roger] Federer, of [Andy] Murray, who are among the players that move best on grass. I'm not going to talk about Djokovic because he slides like he's on clay and that's not going to be the case for me.
"It's not about how they strike the ball, because everyone has their own style, but seeing how they move, and trying to imitate them."
Alcaraz won the US Open last summer and reached world No. 1.
He was top of the rankings heading into the French Open but slipped to No. 2 following Djokovic’s victory. He could get back to No. 1 if he wins Queen’s, with Djokovic not in action until Wimbledon.
Reflecting on his win over Rinderknech, Alcaraz said: "It was really difficult for me at the beginning to adapt my tennis, my game to the grass.
"For me it is tough playing here but of course I enjoyed playing on the grass and playing at Queen’s. It is a tournament that I really wanted to play. It was a good performance from me on my first match on grass."
Alcaraz is working alongside Samuel Lopez at Queen’s as regular coach Juan Carlos Ferrero is taking the week off to spend time with his family.
Ferrero will return to Alcaraz’s team ahead of Wimbledon, which starts on July 3.
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