Sunday, December 22, 2024

Carlos Alcaraz: What next for Wimbledon champion after winning title?

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Djokovic has only lost three of his 10 Wimbledon finals – and two of those have been to Alcaraz.

He has won a major on all three surfaces and, perhaps most ominously for his rivals, the Slams seem to bring out his most tenacious qualities.

He has an astonishing 12-1 record in fifth sets, having not lost one since the 2022 Australian Open when he was just starting to break through, and he came back from two sets to one down at both Wimbledon and Roland Garros.

His big-hitting is suited to hard courts, he has the movement for the clay and the touch for grass-court success.

However, he has struggled with injury in recent years. The Spaniard missed the end-of-season 2022 ATP Finals because of an abdominal problem and the Australian Open a few months later with a hamstring issue.

“The one enemy in Alcaraz’s career so far has been injuries,” said Kyrgios.

“This is only his eighth event this year, so if he’s able to get on top of that and find what works for his body, nothing is going to be able to stop him in my eyes.”

With attention now turning to the Olympics, on the Paris clay where Alcaraz won his third Slam, many will be wondering who will challenge him for the title.

With Djokovic in the latter part of his career, eyes shift to younger players, with Henman citing Italy’s Jannik Sinner, Denmark’s Holger Rune and American Ben Shelton as having the potential to challenge Alcaraz.

“There’s plenty who are going to want to stand up – Jannik Sinner is the world number one right now and they have a great rivalry ahead of them,” Henman said.

“But for me Alcaraz’s variety, the strings to his bow that he’s able to utilise on every surface, is a pleasure to watch.”

Alcaraz said: “I think it is good for tennis to have new faces winning the big things and fighting for the big tournaments.

“I think it’s great for the sport and I think for the players as well.”

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