(Provided by Tennis World USA)
Carlos Alcaraz says moving well is the most difficult part of playing on the grass but also highlighted that being aggressive and frequently coming to the net is for him the easy part about playing on the surface. Alcaraz, 20, is a very strong force on clay and hard but he has yet to figure out how to dominate on the grass.
On Tuesday, No 1 seed Alcaraz kicked off his grass season with a hard-fought 4-6 7-5 7-6 (3) Queen’s first-round win over world No 83 Arthur Rinderknech. Although it wasn’t easy, Alcaraz managed to scrape past Rinderknech and avoid an upset loss in his first grass match of the year at the Queen’s Club.
Alcaraz on the most difficult, easiest part about playing on the grass
“The most difficult part of playing on grass is being able to move well. You have to be more careful than on the other surfaces; but the most comfortable thing for me is being able to go to the net and play more aggressive all the time.
That side is similar to the other surfaces so playing that style is comfortable and natural for me – I really like it. There are a lot of players who slide on grass and I’m not one of them, so I have to think a lot more about my movement and be really focused on every move and every shot I make.
It can be more tiring because you’re constantly moving – it’s totally different to the other surfaces and I have to put in a specific type of work to get ready for it,” Alcaraz said, via Eurosport. After Queen’s, Alcaraz will also compete at the Hurlingham exhibition next week.
Going into Wimbledon, Alcaraz is hoping to get a few wins under his belt and get a better feel for the surface. But for now, Alcaraz’s focus remains on this week’s run in Queen’s. It remains to be seen how well can Alcaraz do during this year’s grass season.
