Holding the racquet in one hand and the crown in the other! After facing defeat at the hands of world number 28 in the R16 of the Queen’s Club Championships, Carlos Alcaraz is desperate to pounce on his prey at the biggest grass court tournament. The defending champion is currently on a hunt to grab his second slam of the year, but standing in his way are Jannik Sinner (1) and Novak Djokovic (2). How does the Spaniard look at these major obstacles on his road to becoming the only sixth player to achieve historic feats in Paris and London within a gap of almost one month?

Jannik Sinner is one of the favorites to win the Wimbledon Championships. Djokovic is going through a title drought in 2024, and he is hungrier than ever. Both are eyeing vengeance against the Spanish wunderkind, Sinner, for the French Open SF and Djokovic for the 2023 Wimbledon final. 

However, Carlitos has no time to think about his rival. He just wants to focus on his own game! “For me, it doesn’t matter against who I’m going to play. Of course, everybody wants to watch Jannik [Sinner] against me in the semifinal or Jannik or me playing a final against Novak. I think that everybody is waiting for that moment, but it’s a really long process, really long run. Let’s see if I’m going to be in this position,” Alcaraz said about his biggest rivals.

Sinner has already won four titles this year, and he’ll be keen to put their H2H at 5-5, currently 5-4, with Alcaraz in the lead. Djokovic looks forward to opening his account this year and matching Roger Federer’s historic 8 title triumph record at Wimbledon. 

World numbers 1 and 2 have enough reason to play their best if they meet Alcaraz. The young Spanish gun has already gotten off to a flying start in the tournament. Alcaraz defeated Estonia’s Mark Lajal by 7-6(3),7-5,6-2 in the first round, and Australia’s Aleksandar Vukic was next up. How does he look forward to defending his title at this iconic venue?

Carlos Alcaraz feels “special” while entering this iconic tournament as a defending champion

Alcaraz is a man on a mission! He just wants to take it one game after the other and keep his focus only on his next match. Alcaraz shared he was looking forward to defending his title, “It’s even more special coming [back] as a defending champion. I’m trying not to think about the pressure that I have to defend the points or [that I] want to go far. I just want to be better every day, trying to play my best in every match and give 100%.”

The Spaniard believes he has become more mature than last year and has gained quite some experience playing on this surface. With Novak Djokovic making a comeback after knee surgery, Jannik Sinner is surely going to be the biggest rival in his title defense. During an earlier interview, Alcaraz shared his thoughts on his rivalry with Sinner. He said, “He makes me a better player. He makes me wake up in the morning and try to improve.”

Are Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner the potential contenders to replace the iconic ‘Fedal’ rivalry? Share your thoughts in the comments box.