Carlos Alcaraz had ‘no expectations' ahead of tennis grass season
Carlos Alcaraz said he had 'no expectations' coming into the grass-court season but he installed himself as a clear favourite to retain his Wimbledon title after beating Jiri Lehecka to win the HSBC Championships.
The Spanish top seed regained his crown as the King of Queen's Club and replicated his debut triumph of two years ago with a 7-5 6-7 (5) 6-2 victory.
Alcaraz lifted the trophy just a fortnight after his epic five-set victory over Jannik Sinner in the final of the French Open.
The 22-year-old made the tight turnaround from clay to grass look simple, even though he took time out for a holiday in Ibiza before heading to London.
'It's really complicated, the switch from clay to grass in just few days, because that's the time I had before the tournament began,' he said.
'Just two days of practising and then I had to compete here. So I came here with no expectations at all.
'I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, try to feel great on grass moving, and, you know, give myself the feedback of what I have to improve, what I have to do better.
'So what I'm more proud about this week is th e way that I have been improving every day. You know, since the first day until today, I think I'm a different player on grass. I just got used to it really quick.'
Jiri Lehecka was the first Czech finalist in 35 years (Adam Davy/PA)
It was an 18th-straight match win for Alcaraz – in his fifth consecutive final – following his title successes in Rome and Roland Garros.
World number 30 Lehecka had knocked out home hope Jack Draper on Saturday to become the first Czech finalist since Ivan Lendl won the title in 1990.
The 23-year-old played his part in a high-quality final with some huge serves and powerful groundstrokes, forcing the match to a decider via a tie-break.
But Alcaraz did not face a single break point and slammed down 18 aces on his way to a 21st career title, proving he will be the man to beat at SW19 again with a stylish win in two hours and eight minutes.
Alcaraz celebrated with the ballkids (Adam Davy/PA)
There will be no trip to the party island to celebrate this one, though.
'I wish,' he smiled. 'I'm a player who needs days off, days to enjoy, days for myself to spend with my friends, with my family, just to turn off my mind. I need that, and the good thing is that I know that.
'The days in Ibiza helped me a lot, just to feel like I'm not a tennis player, just to enjoy life a little bit with my friends, have fun, enjoy those days, and then come back to the court with more energy, I mean, be more hungry to play again.
'So that was really helpful for me. I'm not going to say that I won the tournament because of Ibiza, but, after this tournament, I can't go back home. I'm going to stay here in London, hopefully enjoy London a little bit.
'I'm going to have my days off to rest up, to enjoy, and then be back and preparing Wimbledon the best way possible.'
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