"Straight from the Rafael Nadal playbook" - Carlos Alcaraz's pre-match warmup at Queen's Club Championships catches tennis journalist's eye
Carlos Alcaraz's pre-match warmup at Queen's Club Championships has evoked a comparison to Rafael Nadal from tennis journalist Jon Wertheim.
Alcaraz is enjoying an excellent tournament debut at the ATP 500 event. The Spaniard started his campaign with a victory over Arthur Rinderknech, winning 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) after battling back from a set down. He then defeated Jiri Lehecka 6-2, 6-3 to advance to his first-ever grass-court quarterfinal.
On June 23, the World No. 2 continued his best-ever run on grass after defeating the 2014 champion Grigor Dimitrov. Alcaraz put on a clinical performance to claim a 6-4, 6-4 victory, setting up a clash with Sebastian Korda in the semifinal.
During the match, Wertheim took to social media and shared an image of Carlos Alcaraz's pre-match warmup. The photo captured the Spaniard mid-air as he jumped at the net during the coin toss, urging Wertheim to draw a comparison to Rafael Nadal.
"Friend sends this photo from Queens Club....straight from the Nadal playbook, no? Wertheim tweeted.
friend sends this photo from Queens Club….straight from the Nadal playbook, no? https://t.co/tRcefmeCg9
"He's a friend, it's going to be a really good match" - Carlos Alcaraz looks ahead to Queen's Club Championships SF against Sebastian Korda
Carlos Alcaraz expressed satisfaction with his performance during his win over Grigor Dimitrov at the 2023 Queen's Club Championships.
"I just played really well from the beginning until the last ball," he said in his post-match interview.
Looking forward to his semifinal clash against Sebastian Korda, the 20-year-old lauded the American's high level and shared his expectations for a special and competitive match.
"Sebi, he's a friend. He's coming with great tennis. Of course I would say it's going to be a really good match. I hope the crowd enjoys that match because it's something special," Alcaraz said.
The World No. 2 was also thrilled to learn that with Korda, Alex de Minaur, Holger Rune, and himself reaching the semifinals, all four title contenders were under 25 years of age.
"It's great to play against the young players like me. We are setting the generation and obviously we are going to play a lot of matches at such great events, great tournaments. It' going to be really fun to play," he said.
Sebastian Korda defeated Cameron Norrie in straight sets, 6-4, 7-6(1) to book his spot against Carlos Alcaraz, who leads 2-1 head-to-head against Korda. The Spaniard won their most recent encounter at the 2022 French Open in straight sets, 6-4, 6-4, 6-2.