“Tennis can surprise even the pundits.” This statement has often been proven true in a sport where even the masters face unexpected challenges from both their opponents and the surface. Carlos Alcaraz, the rising Spanish star, has recently found himself in a similar scenario. Despite his remarkable prowess on other surfaces, Alcaraz has yet to witness something exceptional on the grass courts this season. To his surprise, the young Spaniard has now lost his coveted spot.

Carlos Alcaraz was on his grass court venture in the Queen’s Club championship. However, since the first match, he was seen struggling for victory. He faced a tough challenge against Francis Cerundolo in the second set when he was trailing 2-5. However, his troubles did not end there as he faced more challenges in the second round.  He lost in straight sets to the Stuttgart Open winner Jack Draper 6-7,3-6. But what has impacted him more is the ATP rankings.

Defending Queen’s Club Champion Alcaraz lost 500 points soon after the beginning of the 2024 edition of the tournament. Besides, his first-round victory also gave him only 50 points making him lose 450 points in total. This deduction pushed him one rank below to stand at the 3rd spot with 8130 points. It also ended his 13-match winning streak on grass. Meanwhile, Novak Djokovic, with 8360 points has once again reached closer to World No. 1 Jannik Sinner, securing the second rank.

Novak Djokovic has been out of the courts since the French Open after suffering a meniscus tear in the right knee. Since then, he has been struggling to return back especially ahead of the grass-court Grand Slam Wimbledon. Meanwhile, Draper could not help but praise his opponent despite winning the match.

“I knew…,’ Jack Draper is all praises for Carlos Alcaraz despite handing him defeat

Both Alcaraz and Draper entered the second-round match on a winning streak. While Alcaraz proved his mettle at Roland Garros, Draper mesmerized his fans at the grass courts of Stuttgart. While the British player surprised the Spaniard, he could not help but praise his skills. 

Speaking at the post-match interview, Draper, said it was not easy for him to play against the French Open champion. “It was a really tough match.” Continuing further, he added that he was aware of the Spanish star’s potential on grass. “I knew coming out here Carlos is defending champion here, obviously won Wimbledon last year. [He is an] incredible talent and so amazing for the sport. So I had to come out and play really well and luckily I did today, so thank you.”

Meanwhile, this defeat has raised several questions about Alcaraz’s preparedness for the grass-court Grand Slam. With Wimbledon already nearing, the 21-year-old has a lot to do to turn things in his own way ahead of the tournament.