Alcaraz Ready To Implement Aggressive Game On Grass
Alcaraz Ready To Implement Aggressive Game On Grass
Refreshed after his Roland Garros semi-final defeat against Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz is excited to compete on grass this week at the Cinch Championships, where he will make his debut.
The Spaniard arrived in London on Saturday and quickly took to court in an attempt to adjust from the Parisian clay to the lawns of west London.
“I arrived in London Saturday morning and I had my first practice on grass yesterday,” Alcaraz said during his pre-tournament press conference on Sunday. “I was not able to practise too much at home as we have no grass courts. I need to adapt my movement and shots on the grass, but I am really happy with the practice I have had here.”
Alcaraz is making just his third tour-level appearance at a grass-court event this week at the ATP 500, having advanced to the fourth round at Wimbledon last year. The top seed, who revealed he rested for four days following his defeat in Paris, has lifted 10 tour-level titles in his career, with seven coming on clay and three on hard courts.
Determined to make his mark on grass, Alcaraz shared his thoughts on the surface.
“The most difficult part is to move well on grass. You need to be more careful than other surfaces, so for me to move on grass is the most difficult,” Alcaraz said. “The most comfortable is going to the net and playing aggressively all the time. For me it is similar to other surfaces with my style. Playing that style is comfortable and I like it.
“There are a lot of players who slice on grass. I am not one of them, so I have to think about the movement. I have to be focused on every movement and shot. For me it is more tiring when you are moving on grass. It is totally different, so you have to be really specific.”
World No. 2 Alcaraz will begin the quest for his fifth tour-level title of the season against French qualifier Arthur Fils. The 20-year-old will be working alongside Samuel Lopez in London, with coach Juan Carlos Ferrero taking the week off to spend time with his family. The Spaniard will return to Alcaraz’s team next week ahead of Wimbledon.