Why Alcaraz is ‘red-hot favourite’ for third Wimbledon title

Carlos Alcaraz arrived in London with “no expectations,” but with only eight days to go until Wimbledon, he has sent a ominous message to his rivals as he fights for a third successive title.

The world number two defeated Jiri Lehecka in the Queen’s final, extending his winning streak, which is the longest of his career, to 18 matches, to claim the title for the second time.

The Spaniard claimed “grass-court mode is activated” after winning Roberto Bautista Agut in the semi-final on Saturday.

He wasn’t telling lies.

Novak Djokovic of Serbia is the only active player with more titles on the surface than Alcaraz, as a result of this fourth grass-court title.

Alcaraz said, “I came here with no expectations.”

“I just came here with the intention to play two, three games, feel great on the grass moving, and give myself some feedback on what I need to improve.”

However, I quickly adapted to the grass, and I’m proud of it. I’m not talking about winning the trophy or making the final, but I did it.

Alcaraz lost to Holger Rune in the Barcelona Open final in April, winning five straight ATP finals and winning four titles.

Alcaraz’s victory is a positive sign. In 2023, he won the title, and he won at Wimbledon.

Only eight men completed that double in the Open summer.

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash said on BBC Radio 5 Live, “You can’t really expect better form for him to enter Wimbledon because he’s obviously the player to beat.”

Alcaraz has won five Grand Slam titles in three different competitions, with the Australian Open as the only trophy that is out of his swollen trophy cabinet.

The 22-year-old won the US Open for the first time in 2022, earning his first Wimbledon title the following year.

In the same year, he won the French Open and Wimbledon, joining Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Djokovic, with the same name and as one of just six men in the Open era.

Only two men, Nadal and Borg (1978, 1979, and 1980), have won the clay and grass-court Grand Slams twice in the same season.

Alcaraz won the French Open and Wimbledon, which was almost impossible in the past, but because the grass courts are much harder and have a higher bounce, Cash continued.

He has already won this title and the exhaustion to win a Grand Slam is “a huge effort.”

With a time of five and a half hours and 29 minutes, Alcaraz fought back from two sets down to defeat Jannik Sinner in the longest French Open final of the year.

Alcaraz looks to join another prestigious club before leaving for the All England Club.

Only three men have won at least three Wimbledon titles in a row during the Open era.

Between 1976 and 1980, Borg won five consecutive titles, with Pete Sampras winning three consecutively (1993-1995), before extending that success with four more titles in a row (1997).

When the Swiss dominated for five years from 2003 to 2007, Roger Federer was the most recent to do so.

Alcaraz has consistently won on grass courts, becoming the fifth active male player to win four or more titles, joining Djokovic (eight), Matteo Berrettini (four), Taylor Fritz (four), and Nicolas Mahut (four).

And he joins Feliciano Lopez and Nadal as the only other Spanish men to have won four grass-court matches.

Alcaraz has lost just five games in 2025, but four of those losses occurred in the first three months of the year.

Before March was over, Djokovic, Lehecka, Jack Draper, and David Goffin were all defeated by Rune, who is the only one to have done so.

Sinner’s absence from the circuit coincided with his defeats at Lehecka, Draper, and Goffin, and the Italian received a three-month ban for failing two doping tests.

Sinner made his return in May, just as Alcaraz had broken his 18-game winning streak.

Alcaraz appeared to improve after realizing that his rival was coming and defeated the Italian twice in the clay-court match, including the French Open final.

In 2025, Alcaraz has been able to strike the right balance between his and his work and his personal life.

Alcaraz called in a brief break in Cancun, Mexico to recharge after losing to Draper in the semi-finals of Indian Wells. He claimed that he was feeling “too much hate.”

After winning the French Open, he changed his decision to make a quick stop in Ibiza to get away from the ATP circuit’s constant demands.

Alcaraz said, “That was the key; to have five, six days off, not grabbing a racquet, not stepping on the court.”

I just started enjoying playing tennis again, taking my family there for a vacation, and competing once more.

Before Wimbledon, Alcaraz won’t be playing any other tournaments, so it won’t try to sneak in a quick vacation.

Instead, he wants to discover what London has to offer.

“I can’t go back home,” I said. Alcaraz continued, “I’m going to stay here in London and hope to enjoy it a little bit.”