Wimbledon 2024: Skeptical Boris Becker Refuses to Put Carlos Alcaraz on a Pedestal Amid Growing Peer Threat

Carlos Alcaraz failed to hold on to his second spot in the PIF ATP Rankings after losing to Jack Draper in the R16 of the Queen’s Club Championships. Can he now defend his crown at the Wimbledon Championships this year, or will the tennis world see yet another change of hands? Well, German tennis legend, Boris Becker, who himself is a three-time champion at Wimbledon thinks the road won’t be easy for the 21-year-old Spaniard.

Becker is currently at the Balearic Islands for the Mallorca Championships. On Saturday, he was caught up having a discussion with Toni Nadal and Tommy Haas on Tennis Talk about how difficult it is to defend the title in Wimbledon. He said, “40 years since I won my first Wimbledon, and then, the difficult thing is to win for the second time. Because you only have to continue improving and mentally you have to find motivation and inspiration .“

Boris Becker became the youngest-ever Grand Slam winner at the 1985 Wimbledon Championships. Then a year later, he successfully defended his title by defeating Ival Lendl in the finals. His third and final title came in 1989. That’s the story of how he once dominated the grass court! What about the new generation? Becker, heaped praise on the Spaniard highlighting his “charisma” on the court.

The German tennis legend said  Carlos Alcaraz “Plays spectacularly, has a lot of charisma and I like to see him on the court. ” However, his loss to Draper has given a major blow to his ATP rankings. Novak Djokovic has now overtaken him with 8360 points to become the new number two. Carlos Alcaraz currently sits at the third spot with 8130 points.

22 different men have the Wimbledon singles titles since the start of the Open Era. However, only 12 of them have successfully managed to lift the trophy more than once. Can Carlos Alcaraz become the 13th player to win multiple titles at the All-England Club? Well, despite the claims of several tennis experts about having new champions at Wimbledon this year, Carlos Alcaraz ain’t ready to cool down his hunger at the moment!

“I’m hungry” – Carlos Alcaraz speaks on his chances at Wimbledon this year

Recently, he witnessed his first defeat on a grass court in nearly two years. Perhaps this result might have played in the minds of someone like Laura Robson while making a prediction for the 2024 Wimbledon. The former British number one thinks there will be a new winner this time, but who will it be? With injury issues dampening the flare of Novak Djokovic at All-England Club this year, Robson says, “I’m going with Jannik Sinner. He made the semis last year, is now the world No 1 and I feel like Carlos Alcaraz doing it back-to-back will be even harder.” What does Alcaraz think about his changes this time?

Shortly after his defeat at the hands of the new British number one, Alcaraz stated, “Right now I’m hungry just to be better, to practice, and that’s all I have to do.” He added, “I’m really excited to start Wimbledon. Of course, I really want to win every title I (play for), and I think Wimbledon is even more special.” Share your thoughts on this. Do you think Carlos Alcaraz can successfully defend his title at Wimbledon this year?