Alcaraz steps on Djokovic’s grass

In a sport where tradition rules, Wimbledon is the jewel in the crown. Since we wielded a racket, with that pristine white as a hallmark, it is the tournament that resonates most strongly in the mind of a tennis player. As much as we love clay, as much as the hard surface takes up much of the calendar, no venue has the prestige of the All England Club.

London returns to focus the attention of the circuit for the next two weeks. It is the great event of the season and a place where times do not change easily. We grew up dominated by Roger Federer, an icon of the sport who rose to legend on British turf with his eight crowns. For years, no one was able to master a game-changing surface like he did. Although the baton has been taken by force by Novak Djokovic. The Serbian, champion of the last four editions of the tournament, starts as the main figure to beat in the British capital. As the all-time leader of the men’s Grand Slams, Wimbledon represents an impregnable fortress in their hands. To this day, it is perhaps the biggest challenge that the circuit poses to its rivals.

Novak will arrive in London without having competed on grass in 2023. Someone with the experience of the Serbian, who accumulates more wins at Wimbledon than the rest of the top 20 On the whole, you can afford that move. His adaptability is worth admiring, taming the grass is not an easy adjustment, and he will clearly start as the top favorite for the title. His authority, however, will try to be challenged with new faces. For the first time in 20 years, the top seed of the British great does not answer to the name of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic or Andy Murray. Carlos Alcaraz, who has turned precociousness into a routine, will be in charge of crowning the Wimbledon box. Quite a responsibility and, especially, a sample of his professional height.

On his own merits, Carlos must start as one of the main contenders for the title. Although he has little experience on grass, given his young age and the few years he has been on tour, he has shown in recent weeks a total ability to adjust his game to the surface. Trust me, it’s one of the most complicated adaptations our sport demands. The title won at Queen’s, one of the most demanding on the ATP circuit, gives good proof of his hunger for challenges.

But Wimbledon is a tournament different from all. It places you before the absolute silence, something difficult to see in the rest of the events. It places you before the weight of history, an aroma that is breathed in every corner of the club. And it shows you an audience that is respectful of your work, attentive to each of your movements, capable of camping out in the open for days to have the option of attending your matches. It is an event where every detail is taken care of with care, in which everything seems measured to the millimeter, in which the player tries to keep that bubble intact on the way to his goals. That environment has been dominated by Djokovic like no other player in recent years. That environmental balance has fitted perfectly into his mentality, one of the most prodigious in our sport to face the seven rounds of the major British. And on that path Alcaraz will try to cross, a match that we would only see in the grand final.

In a tournament where the generational change costs a world, a young man will try to get closer to the most established of all. London prepares the great event of the year on grass. Ready for the show.

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