Carlos Alcaraz is ready to roar again and take back the No.1 ranking from Novak Djokovic for a third time. The Spaniard is one game away from sealing his first grass court trophy at Queen’s Club after beating self-proclaimed ‘Wimbledon favorite’ Sebastian Korda, 6-3, 6-4.
The 20-year old will become #1 for the 4th time should he beat Australian Alex de Minaur in the final and he wanted to let others know how motivated he is for the task.
“It’s an extra motivation for me,” revealed Alcaraz. “During the match, I’m not thinking about that but is an extra motivation for me to go into the final with extra energy. I’m gonna go for it. Being top seed at Wimbledon, being No.1 is still a dream for me. It will be crazy to be top seed at Wimbledon.”
“I think Novak and I, we are having a beautiful fight for the No.1. I’m gonna go for it. It would be crazy for me to be the top seed in Wimbledon.”
Alcaraz in his R1 match showed some signs of rust against Arthur Rinderknech whom he defeated in three sets after recovering from a lost first set. However, he didn’t drop a set in his remaining three matches at one of the only two (Halle Open being the other one) ATP 500 event on grass.
The US Champion talked about his improvement on grass, claiming he feels like he has been playing on the grassy lawns for 10 years.
“I’m playing great and feeling great. I’m really happy to play my first final on grass, and even more here at Queen’s,” said Alcaraz.
The Spaniard continued, “I’m getting better, I’m feeling better every match I play. I feel like I’ve been playing for 10 years on grass, I didn’t expect that. I think I’m moving well on the grass right now. I started the week with doubts about movement, about hitting the ball.”
Alcaraz is bidding to reclaim #1 spot, as he takes on ‘Demon’ in a second meeting.
The Cat and Mouse Ranking Battle between Novak and Alcaraz
After beating Casper Ruud at the US Open last year Alcaraz became the youngest #1 in history. Since then the Serb and Spaniard have swapped the top spot for five times.
Here is the timeline for the top dog race between the 23-time Grand Slam Champion and last year’s US Open Champion:
Sep 12, 2022: Alcaraz wins US Open and dethrones Daniil Medvedev to take #1 rank.
Jan 30, 2023: Novak Djokovic clinches his 10th Australian Open title to return to the #1 slot.
March 2023: Alcaraz bounces back to win both Indian Wells and ATP #1 spot.
April 3, 2023: Alcaraz fails in the defending Floridian Masters and thus losing #1 rank to Novak.
May 22, 2023: Alcaraz once again embraces the top of the ladder after entering ATP Masters 1000 Rome for the first time.
June 12, 2023: Novak Djokovic defeats Alcaraz (in semifinal) enroute to a record breaking 23rd major title and becomes #1 seed (for the 9th time) after defeating Norway’s Casper Ruud in the final of Roland Garros.