Carlos Alcaraz is already back in England and preparing to defend his Wimbledon title.
However, before he takes to that hallowed turf once more, as the outstanding favourite due to Novak Djokovic’s absence and his recent Roland Garros triumph, he must first try to retain his Queens throne.
Already the player list for those competing was set to be stacked, but with the draw having just been made, it now promises to be even harder than was first imagined for the Spaniard.
And, understandably, fans have been left stunned by it…
Fans react to Carlos Alcaraz’s Queens draw…
Whereas Americans Taylor Fritz and Ben Shelton were gifted an easier Queens draw, both facing easier first-round opponents, Alcaraz will have to battle through a top-level player at every stage if he is to retain his title.
First, he faces a stern task just to overcome Francisco Cerundulo, who has already proven himself a tough outfit for many of the top players this year.
Then, he will have to overcome the newly-crowned British number one Jack Draper, who is showcasing his penchant for this surface by storming into the Stuttgart Open final, to be played later today.
A date with either Tommy Paul or Alejandro Davidovich Fokina then awaits, before he will have to overcome one of Grigor Dimitrov of Ugo Humbert in the semi-finals.
And finally, should Alcaraz have somehow surpassed all of this talent, one of Holger Rune, last year’s finalist Alex de Minaur, Fritz or Shelton will await him.
Fans have reacted rather appropriately…
One fan did suggest that such a difficult draw is more useful than it is worrying, as they wrote: ‘I love his draw. Dangerous opponents but it’s good to play them so win or lose it will be useful experience for Wimbledon.’
Carlos Alcaraz seeking to defend Wimbledon title
Queens marks the first stop on what promises to be a hard-fought defence of his Wimbledon title, although admittedly, the competition will likely not be as fierce as previous years.
That is thanks largely to Novak Djokovic’s injury, sustained at the French Open, which will put him out of contention in SW19.
It marks a huge blow to the strength of the draw, but players like Alcaraz, Jannik Sinner and more will be thankful that the seven-time champion will no longer be in contention.
However, given their respective seasons, Alcaraz’s presence will likely be the one people fear most.
Having showcased his immense proficiency for the grass last year, beating the Serbian, Daniil Medvedev, Matteo Berrettini and Rune on his way to the title, it begs the question as to who could possibly stop him this time.
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