The desire for a "hat-trick"
With no time to rest, just over 2 weeks after winning Roland Garros for the second time , history once again called Carlos Alcaraz's name.
The Spanish tennis player just opened Wimbledon 2025 with a spectacular chase with veteran opponent Fabio Fognini (38 years old) - after 4 hours and 37 minutes.
The two weeks of Wimbledon are a golden opportunity for Alcaraz to soar to new heights. This is not just another Grand Slam, or another title; nor is it just another victory in London – the most sacred place in tennis.
A sixth major title not only puts Alcaraz on a historic pedestal, but also lights up the prospect of a major title.
At 22, Alcaraz continues to march forward. He has the chance to make another great breakthrough, to take himself one step further up the ladder of fame. Carlitos can do it at the All England – an iconic but extremely harsh playground, where many legends have fallen.
The great Andre Agassi, for example, won only one title here, while Ilie Nastase, Ivan Lendl or Mats Wilander never engraved their names on the championship trophy. Grass – gorgeous but also challenging.
Behind the scenes, the name Alcaraz resounded endlessly. From staff, fans, club members to other players – everyone asked the question: how far will this talented young man who reached the top soon go?
Faced with all the praise and pressure from expectations, Alcaraz still tries to keep his composure. Now ranked second in the world , he has clearly changed the way he speaks: still ambitious, but somewhat more modest.
“I really wanted to win it again here, I came in thinking I could do it,” he said.
“I don't think about how many people have won three Wimbledons in a row,” Carlitos added.
History points to four great icons: Bjorn Borg, Pete Sampras, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic – the men who won three consecutive Wimbledon titles (while the women's players are Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf).
Borg (1976-1980) and Federer (2003-2007) each dominated the grass court for five seasons; Djokovic has completed a four-title streak (2018-2022, except 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic), following the previous glorious period of Sampras (1993-1995 and 1997-2000), who won seven titles in eight tournaments.
Stability
“Right now is the time when I feel the most free on the field,” Alcaraz confided.
Experts unanimously consider him the number 1 candidate for the championship: besides Djokovic, no one has the same movement and flexibility as the 22-year-old on this court.
Rafael Nadal is an example: although he won Wimbledon twice (2008, 2010), he only truly mastered the grass court when he entered the prime of his career, after the age of 30, despite his previous resounding victories over Federer.
Alcaraz has a long way to go. Despite his young age, he is already in the same league as some of the greatest players in history.
He is in the top 10 players under 23 with the most titles – 21 trophies, equal to Lleyton Hewitt, but far behind Nadal's 36 and especially the 46 titles of "alien" Borg – who retired at the age of 26.
If he needs more motivation, Alcaraz also has the chance to be on par with two Wimbledon icons: John McEnroe and Boris Becker - who won the "Holy Land" three times but only had a total of 6 and 7 Grand Slams in their careers.
“He is a genius. When he is really challenged, when his ego is touched, when he has motivation, Alcaraz reaches a level that no one else has,” Becker commented two weeks ago.
The German legend, who coached Djokovic to four Grand Slams, concluded: “The variety of shots, the power, the feel for the ball… I don’t know of any player in history who has such a special combination.”
“Yeah, I’ve never felt so free,” he said, despite a really tight opening game. Alcaraz is more consistent now, less vulnerable, more solid.
The real test of his status, though, will come at the end of the season – a period he has yet to fully master in previous years. First up, it’s Wimbledon, where Alcaraz will be able to carve his name into history.
Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/carlos-alcaraz-o-wimbledon-theo-buoc-federer-va-djokovic-viet-su-2416940.html
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