"It's a dream" - Carlos Alcaraz takes aim at Novak Djokovic's World No. 1 and Wimbledon top seed spots
Carlos Alcaraz revealed that he didn't know he could return to the World No. 1 spot before the Queen's Club Championships began.
Alcaraz has had the best grass court tournament of his career so far at Queen's, reaching the final without too many problems.
The Spaniard defeated Arthur Rinderknech, 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3), in the first round, Jiri Lehecka, 6-2, 6-3, in the second round, Grigor Dimitrov, 6-4, 6-4, in the quarterfinals, and Sebastian Korda, 6-3, 6-4, in the semifinals on his way to the final, where he will play against Alex de Minaur.
That means that the 20-year-old is just one win away from overtaking Novak Djokovic as the World No. 1, as he is 120 points behind the Serb in the live rankings, and will win 200 additional points by winning at the Queen's Club Championships this Sunday.
"Honestly, at the beginning of the week, I didn't know that. I didn't know that I could recover the No. 1, but I would say, when I won yesterday, in the press conference they told me and I was like: 'Oh my God, that's extra motivation.'" Alcaraz admitted during the on-court interview.
"In the press conference they told me and I was like 'oh my god!" 😂
@carlosalcaraz on potentially recovering the No.1 spot tomorrow.
@QueensTennis https://t.co/E9m09RW3lx
Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz have been overtaking each other at the No. 1 spot for a while now, with the Serb doing so after winning the 2023 French Open.
After his semifinal win over Korda, the Spaniard admitted that once again being the best-ranked tennis player in the world is something that he wants to do as soon as possible.
"Right now it's something that is in my mind and someting that I'm going to go for. For me, being the top seed at Wimbledon, being the No. 1 - it's a dream. As I said, it would be a big way to recover [No. 1 spot] in Queen's by winning the title," Alcaraz said.
Carlos Alcaraz believes Wimbledon title is in his future
Carlos Alcaraz hasn't had much success at Wimbledon so far in his career, but he is sure that will change at some point in the future.
The 20-year-old has shown that he is more than capable of playing good tennis on the grass at the 2023 Queen's Club Championships, where he reached the final with ease.
If he wins the title, he will reclaim the World No. 1 spot and also be the first seed at Wimbledon 2023.
"I feel like I have a lot more experience than in previous years, I see myself as more mature on this surface and I think that as I play more games on grass, I will be able to become a great player here," he said during the tournament.
The Spaniard has lost in the second and fourth rounds of Wimbledon the two times he has entered the main draw, but nevertheless, he believes the trophy will be his one day.
"I try to learn from the best, and I'm more and more comfortable. I think I will win at least one Wimbledon," Alcaraz added.