John Lloyd says what he finds ‘scary’ about men’s tennis after seeing Carlos Alcaraz’s first round match at Queen’s

Alcaraz commenced his campaign by defeating Australia’s Adam Walton in an entertaining straight sets match.

The Spaniard is up and running at Queen’s and will aim to increase his level match by match on a surface he has mastered over the past two seasons.

John Lloyd says he finds something ‘scary’ about men’s tennis after watching Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s

Carlos Alcaraz won his 14th successive match after beating Walton 6-4, 7-6(4) at Queen’s.

The 22-year-old impressed in the hot London sun, but he was tested by the lucky loser who earned two set points while leading 5-4 in the second set.

These were the only set points Alcaraz faced and he wrapped up victory in one hour and 42 minutes. Commentator John Lloyd watched the match and was impressed with his performance, but admitted he found something frightening about the men’s game as a result.

“That’s scary. I would give him about an eight out of 10. First match on grass and you come up against someone who has played some matches,” he told BBC Sport.

“But the scary thing for me is how strong the men’s game is, when Adam Walton lost in the qualifying. That’s how good the standard is. He pushed Alcaraz in the second set.

“I thought Carlos played well. He just has to clean up a few things. First day back movement, maybe the returns are not as good as normal, at his best. But for his first game back at least an eight out of 10.

“I like the way he interacts with the crowd and he’s just so happy to be out here. When he hits a great shot it’s not arrogance but he does that smile and he just enjoys it as much as the crowd. He is so fabulous as an entertainer.”

Carlos Alcaraz assesses his own performance after winning his first match at Queen’s

Alcaraz was pushed hard by Walton but he ultimately produced his best tennis when it mattered most.

It can take some players time to adjust from the slow and high-bounce surface of clay to the surface of grass where the ball keeps lower and moves faster off the court.

Alcaraz made the adjustments to secure his first grass win of the season and he was pleased with his level of play.

“He has played a few matches already on grass, so I am going to say that he is a little more experienced this year on grass, coming from a few matches,” said Alcaraz, who plays compatriot Jaume Munar on Thursday.

“It is better than no matches in the bag. But I am really happy with the performance I had today. First match, I feel great.

“There are obviously a lot of things to improve and a lot of things I have to put into work to feel a bit more comfortable on the grass, but in general, I am happy to get through.”