Carlos Alcaraz warmed up for his Wimbledon title defence by beating Jiri Lehecka to win a second title at Queen’s.
The Czech player took Alcaraz to a third set but appeared to annoy the Spaniard as he demolished him in the decider 6-2.
Alcaraz is going into Wimbledon in seriously impressive form, and playing as he is right now, he’s going to take some serious stopping.
Last year, Alcaraz was beaten by Jack Draper at Queen’s, but he made no mistake this time around and was well worthy of the title.
What Carlos Alcaraz said to his coach before Queen’s final started
The 22-year-old has a brilliant team behind him, and the planning for this tournament looks to have been meticulous.
After beating Lehecka, Alcaraz praised his opponent and also shared what his coach, Samu Lopez, and he were talking about before the match got underway.
He told BBC Sport: “Honestly, before the match began, I talked with Samu (Lopez), my coach, and we had the same feeling that the goal was complete.
“The goal was to play a few matches and feel great, and have confidence on the grass.
“I had nothing else to be worried about. I just tried to go there, and to be in the final was a gift for me. So I just tried to enjoy the moment as much as I could.
“The final, I felt it was not controlled all the time, and I had to lose the second set.
“But I told myself it’s okay, it’s the third set, just try to show really good tennis. The confidence is pretty high, so I had to go there, and it was a pretty good match, I guess!”
What Brad Gilbert has said about Carlos Alcaraz beating Jiri Lehecka
Alcaraz just doesn’t seem fazed by playing on grass or indeed, the transition between clay and grass in such a short space of time.
His game does feel tailor-made for the clay, but he’s showing some serious invincibility on the green courts too.
Brad Gilbert has coached some of the best in the world, and he’s taken to X after Alcaraz’s latest win.
He said: “What escape from Alcaraz. What he’s doing at 22, let alone any age, the transition from clay to grass is simply amazing, the movement on grass is incredible.”
Alcaraz has won the last two Wimbledon titles and once again, it looks as though he’s going to be a formidable player this time around.
On current form, Jannik Sinner’s tag as the world’s best player is based on ranking alone and now Alcaraz has the number one spot firmly in his sights too.
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