Wimbledon 2024: Disadvantage for Carlos Alcaraz as His Recent Setback Puts Jannik Sinner and Novak Djokovic on Top

Tommy Paul celebrated a massive victory at the Queen’s Club and emerged a glorious champion in London. While the fans were busy embracing their grass-court victor, Wimbledon authorities kept the excitement rolling for the swing as they shared the seeds for the men’s singles. Carlos Alcaraz should’ve drawn at the top but had to experience a hit because of his current run on grass. 

According to the recently released list of seeds for Wimbledon, the Jannik Sinner has been awarded the top spot after recently claiming the world number 1 crown. Novak Djokovic, even after going through immense struggles throughout the season, sits at second seed. While both these positions can be justified, the fact that last year’s champion, Carlos Alcaraz, was seeded comes as quite a shock.

Alcaraz is the third seed due to his unexpected and early exit at the Queen’s Club Championship. The Spaniard entered the event as the defending Wimbledon and Queen’s Club champion, faced a shocking defeat by Britain’s Jack Draper in the last 16. Draper secured the biggest win of his career by defeating Alcaraz 7-6, 6-3. Along with that, the defeat also marked Alcaraz’s first loss on grass in nearly two years.

Saddened by his recent defeat, the Roland Garros champion said, “Of course it’s tough to deal with the losses, but I think it’s part of our lives. We have to (deal with it) as good as you can. After the losses, you have to take the positive things and of course the negative things just to improve to the next tournament.”

Even after his early exit, Alcaraz appears to be optimistic and is “hungry to be better” at Wimbledon. With the tournament set to begin soon enough, it is yet to be witnessed if he has managed to transition his grip from clay to grass. However, the Spaniard doesn’t seem to be affected by the seed as he has already started with the preparations.

Paul Annacone drops a unique verdict as Carlos Alcaraz begins training

Carlos Alcaraz seems to be more concerned about his form in the grass-court season. While his early exit at the Queen’s Club Championship came in as a sheer disappointment, he didn’t waste any time and landed in Wimbledon to begin his training sessions. With Novak Djokovic’s situation in doubt because of the recent surgery, Jannik Sinner stands to be his toughest competitor.

Renowned coach Paul Annacone analyzed this rivalry and, therefore, dropped a statement on it. “Although he’s moving much, much better now, he’s a tall boy. I think this is one of the disadvantages compared to a tennis player who moves like Carlos Alcaraz. It will probably move more evenly than Sinner will on grass,” said Roger Federer’s former coach, highlighting the difference between Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner on grass.

The world number 3 is currently determined to make his run at Wimbledon stronger and lift the trophy once again. Although the top seeds are offered to Djokovic and Sinner, they will find a tough competitor in the Spaniard.