London [UK], June 18 : Refreshed after his French Open 2023 semi-final defeat against the 23-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic, the World No.2 Carlos Alcaraz is excited to compete on grass this week at the Queen's Club Championships, where he will make his debut.
The Spaniard arrived in London on Saturday and quickly took to the 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 said.
Alcaraz, who reached the fourth round at Wimbledon the previous year, is playing in just his third tour-level match on grass this week at the ATP 500. The top seed has won 10 tour-level championships in his career, seven of them have been won on clay and three on hard courts. He recently claimed that he rested for four days after his loss in Paris.
Alcaraz communicated his ideas on the surface, determined to leave his mark on the grass.
"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. 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," Alcaraz said.
"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," he added.
World No. 2 Alcaraz will begin his Queen's Club Championships campaign against French qualifier Arthur Fils.
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