Alcaraz wants to take off on his way to another Wimbledon quarterfinal | ATP Tour

Wimbledon

Alcaraz wants to take off on his way to another Wimbledon quarterfinal

The Spaniard will face Humbert on Sunday at the Central Court

July 06, 2024

With each match he plays at the All England Club, Carlos Alcaraz’s confidence and morale grows exponentially, and the defending champion, after his hard-fought five-set victory over Frances Tiafoe, will once again take to Centre Court with the aim of returning to the quarter-finals in London.

In fact, in just his fourth appearance at Wimbledon, the Spaniard has already chained ten victories on the grass of the third major, with a total record of fourteen wins and just two losses, and will seek this Sunday his 15th victory at the event in which he managed to be crowned in 2023, for what would be his 9th quarter-final at Grand Slam events.

On the other hand, opening the day on the Central Court, Alcaraz will have a particular rival: the Frenchman Ugo Humbert, sixteenth seed and the only Top 20 player in the PIF ATP Rankings that the Spaniard has never faced on the circuit, a factor that will multiply the need for attention in the Murcian.

Thus, Juan Carlos Ferrero’s pupil will have to try to take the match to his terrain, that of exchanges and seeking to have dominance and control of the match against an opponent who usually varies his repertoire from the back and in attack.

The 21-year-old’s improved serve will once again be a powerful weapon. “For many years, it was the unfinished business I had: trying to improve my serve,” said the No. 3 in the PIF ATP Rankings. “At key moments, the serve has saved me from many problems. On grass it is even more important than on many surfaces,” he said.

Humbert, meanwhile, was already champion of Halle in 2021 and has been present twice in the second week of Wimbledon.

Did you know…?
Alcaraz is only the seventh Spanish tennis player in the Open Era to reach the second week of Wimbledon on three or more occasions, along with Rafael Nadal (10 R16 at Wimbledon in 16 appearances), Feliciano Lopez (6), David Ferrer, Fernando Verdasco, Roberto Bautista Agut (all three 5s) and Juan Carlos Ferrero (4), Alcaraz’s current coach.