By Shrivathsa Sridhar
BENGALURU (Reuters) -Carlos Alcaraz will aim to reinforce his status as the new all-court monarch of men’s tennis with a third successive Wimbledon title while his chief challenger Jannik Sinner heads to London for revenge after coming off second best in an epic French Open final.
Seven-time champion Novak Djokovic must defy age and the odds in what may be the 38-year-old’s best opportunity to claim an elusive 25th Grand Slam crown after losing to Alcaraz in the previous two title clashes at the All England Club.
Jack Draper will shoulder the burden of British expectations following Andy Murray’s retirement while other contenders led by Alexander Zverev and Taylor Fritz continue their bid for a first major to end the recent duopoly of Alcaraz and Sinner.
Victory this month in the longest French Open final since tennis turned professional in 1968 meant Alcaraz kept his title while he and Italian Sinner have now lifted seven of the last eight majors to assert their supremacy.
A Wimbledon hat-trick will put Alcaraz in elite company as the fifth man in the Open Era to lift three straight titles at the famous manicured lawns, with the 22-year-old set to join Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Djokovic.
TRADEMARK FLAIR
Adapting to grass after a long clay season is crucial to any player’s chances but Alcaraz has managed it with trademark flair even if the five-time major champion describes the jarring gear shift as “enjoyment and suffering” in equal measure.
“It’s a bit of everything,” said Alcaraz, who improved his career win-loss record on the sport’s slickest surface to 29-3 with a magnificent run to the Queen’s Club title.
“Ultimately it’s a surface we don’t play many matches on each year, and you have to learn from every experience on it, from every match you play.
“Every player is different with a different style on grass. You have to keep learning and getting to know yourself … even when the numbers are in your favour.”
Sinner is a little more accomplished than former U.S. Open winner Alcaraz in terms of hardcourt Grand Slam success but the New York and Melbourne champion sometimes slips up on grass and fell early to Alexander Bublik in the Halle tune-up event.
A premature end to the world number one’s title defence in Germany leaves him somewhat undercooked for Wimbledon, where his best display is a run to the semi-finals in 2023.
The 23-year-old, who served a three-month ban this season for doping violations, said he would benefit from another short break ahead of the Championships that begin on Monday.
“I gave it my all after the Roland Garros defeat, it wasn’t easy. Despite everything, I’m happy enough,” said Sinner, who squandered three championship points during his five-set defeat by Alcaraz in Paris.
“I played two matches before Wimbledon, if there had been more, it would have been better. Now I’ve got to boost myself both mentally and physically, that takes a little time.”
LACKLUSTRE YEAR
Refreshed by his charge to the Roland Garros semi-final in an otherwise lacklustre year, Djokovic will bid to reach another Wimbledon final without playing any tune-up tournaments but few will write him off in his bid for more glory.
While Djokovic will be motivated by the chance to match his now retired rival Roger Federer’s eight Wimbledon titles and go joint top of that list, surpassing Margaret Court’s haul of 24 majors will be foremost on his mind.
“I’m going to do everything possible to get myself ready,” Djokovic said, looking ahead to Wimbledon after losing at the French Open to Sinner.
“My best chances maybe to win another Grand Slam are Wimbledon, or a faster hard court, maybe Australia.”
Hoping to flip the script at Wimbledon will be world number three Zverev, who has lost three Grand Slam finals in his career and is running out of time to add his name to honour roll, while Fritz will fancy his chances after winning the Stuttgart title.
Also in the reckoning are Halle runner-up Daniil Medvedev and his conqueror Bublik, whose unorthodox ways can cause some problems for the big names in the next fortnight.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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