Mumbai: Here’s how the four singles finalists who appeared on the concluding weekend of the French Open a couple of weeks ago fared in their next tournament appearance:
Coco Gauff: First round, Berlin.
Aryna Sabalenka: Semi-final, Berlin.
Jannik Sinner: Second round, Halle.
Carlos Alcaraz: Champion, Queen’s.
The Roland Garros to Wimbledon route is the most challenging on the professional tennis calendar. The surface change from the slowest to quickest is complex, and the turnaround time – of less than a month and involving, at best, one tournament for the top players – is next to negligible.
It’s unforgiving even for the reigning women’s French Open winner in Gauff and the current men’s world No.1 in Sinner. For the men’s French Open champion, however, it’s business as usual.
Alcaraz went from being the prince of the Parisian clay to the king of the Queen’s grass in a fortnight. And he will go with a spring in his step to Wimbledon that begins next Monday at the All England Club.
Since the turn of the century, only four players have done the London double of capturing the Queen’s and Wimbledon back-to-back. Alcaraz, in 2023, was the last (Lleyton Hewitt, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray being the others). Only two men have ever done the French Open-Wimbledon double in the same season on more than one occasion: Nadal (2008, 2010) and Bjorn Borg (1978, 1979, 1980). Alcaraz has completed part one in 2024, and half of part two in 2025. He now heads to Wimbledon with probably twice the confidence compared to last year.
In 2024 between those triumphs in Paris and London, Alcaraz turned up at Queen’s and exited in the second round after losing to Jack Draper. The early defeat wasn’t totally unexpected, given the Spaniard was still riding the celebratory wave of capturing a first French Open title (young Gauff could well relate to that feeling now).
This year the 22-year-old had a similar Paris high, and the surge that followed in Queen’s was unexpected even for a player whose last defeat came back in April.
“I came here with no expectations at all,” Alcaraz said after his title win on Sunday beating Jiri Lehecka in the final. “I just came here with a goal to play two-three matches, try to feel great on grass and give myself the feedback of what I have to improve.
“But I got used to the grass really quick, and I’m just really proud about it. My goal was complete, not talking about lifting the trophy or making the final.”
Alcaraz could only get a couple of days of practice on grass in the “complicated” switch from clay before his first match at Queen’s. The French Open final against Sinner, mind you, would have been among the most physically and emotionally draining matches he’d have played in his career thus far.
Alcaraz spent a few days holidaying in the Mexican city of Cancun for his Paris after-party. Switching off from the sport and going on these short breaks is something the young Spaniard has done frequently in the recent past. It’s also something for which he was criticised after his early ouster in Miami in March.
It works for him, though, irrespective of whether he loses in his first round in Miami or goes all the way in Paris.
“That was the key, just to have five-six days off, not grabbing a racquet, not stepping on the court,” Alcaraz said. “After the vacation that I had in Cancun with my family, I just got the joy back. I started to enjoy playing tennis again, to enjoy stepping on the court, competing again.”
Extending his unbeaten streak that began from the clay courts of Rome in May, it seems like Alcaraz hadn’t gone anywhere. Two weeks after arguably his best Grand Slam triumph, Alcaraz was back to winning another title. Challenges of the short turnaround and clay to grass diversion notwithstanding, it’s business as usual for Alcaraz heading into Wimbledon.
