Carlos Alcaraz is a brilliant player, there is no denying that. He seems to be confident with every shot, whether that be a slice, a dropshot, or an overhead smash. But as Wimbledon draws near, the more important question is whether Alcaraz is confident on every surface?
The Spaniard has only played two ATP singles matches the grass, not including the Giorgio Armani tennis classic exhibition matches. Both matches were at Wimbledon in 2021.
The first he played against Yasutaka Uchiyama and won in a five setter. The last match he played against the Russian, Daniil Medvedev, and lost 6-4, 6-1, 6-2. So, it is quite clear that the young Spaniard does not have much experience on grass. This makes it interesting to see exactly how he will approach playing matches against the best players in the world on the surface.
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Most people class Alcaraz as aggressive baseliner. However, Alcaraz does have an all-court game, although he prefers to stay up on the baseline and attack from that region, he does well both defending at the back of the court and finishing points up at the net.
This ability to play from anywhere does not mean that Alcaraz should just take his chances, play like he normally does and only adapt if need be. In fact, it points to the complete opposite, instead Alcaraz can use tactics a bit more fitting for the grass.
Due to not playing on grass much, one place where Alcaraz may need some practice is in his movement. Luckily, Wimbledon is well suited to the faster pace points and thus movement in long points is not something to worry about, as long as Alcaraz works to play points on the shorter end of the scale (of 1-4 rally shot length).
Grass courts do favour people with powerful serves which allows them to play shorter points. Alcaraz can aim for a similar type of effect if he utilises a powerful body serve to jam up the opponent’s backhand side. If he uses this serve at the right time, it may just catch his opponent off-guard and earn him a few easy points.
Alcaraz loves to build points in a backhand rally and then when his opponent has been pushed enough or lulled into a false sense of security, either attack on the forehand or hit the occasional dropshot.
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This is also very effective on grass, however, Alcaraz will need to not hesitate for too long before pulling the trigger. Grass courts are faster and thus instead of having to pull the opponent completely out of the court before attacking, Alcaraz can move faster through the attacking zone of the court.
The aim of the game for Alcaraz should be to get on his forehand as much as he can, and to get to the net as fast as he can. He should favour the higher percentage plays; however, he should be willing to pull the trigger more than he would do on clay or hard.