The back and forth between Carlos Alcaraz and Novak Djokovic at No. 1 continues this week, as Alcaraz reclaims the top spot on the ATP rankings from Djokovic after capturing his fifth ATP title of the year – and the first of his career on grass – at Queen’s Club.
After cramps spoiled his blockbuster match against Novak Djokovic in the French Open semifinals earlier this month, and raised some questions about his fitness level, Carlos Alcaraz reminded the tennis world of exactly why he is the sport’s reigning heir apparent on Sunday.
Carlos Alcaraz outclassed Alex De Minaur 6-4 6-4 to claim his first Queen’s Club Championships title, a week before Wimbledon gets underway. The Spaniard started strong before he needed a medical timeout to nurse a thigh problem, but that didn’t hinder him as he returned to court to rally to victory in two sets.
“It means a lot to have my name on the trophy,” Alcaraz said after the match.
“I’ve fought in this tournament since I started playing tennis. It’s special for me to play here, so many legends have won here.
“Seeing my name on the trophy, surrounded by the great champions, it’s amazing for me.”
Having previously won Buenos Aires, Indian Wells, Barcelona and Madrid, Alcaraz is now tied with Daniil Medvedev for most ATP titles this year with five. And with his five wins en route to the Queen’s Club title he’s now 40-4 on the season – at .909, it’s the best winning percentage on the men’s tour in 2023.
More impressively, while Alcaraz has proven to be a force on hard court and clay over the past two seasons, he has relatively little experience on grass. In fact, this was just his third tournament on the surface.
Djokovic remains the heavy favorite for the Wimbledon title when it gets underway next week at the All England Club, but Alcaraz, whose best result at the event was a fourth-round appearance last year, now enters as the top seed brimming with confidence and momentum. But while fans might now be dreaming about a potential final clash between these two at the end of the fortnight, Alcaraz sounded slightly more measured about what to expect.
Alcaraz wasn’t the only player raising his stock and collecting some new hardware this week.
Sunday’s title marked the 11th of Alcaraz’s career, which is certainly remarkable, but it’s not exactly Petra Kvitova level. The former world No. 2 hoisted the 31st trophy of her esteemed career Sunday after defeating Donna Vekic 6-2, 7-6 (6) in the Berlin final. She now has the second-most titles on the WTA tour among active players, behind only Venus Williams.
Two more Queen’s Club standouts also make notable moves this week: Italy’s Lorenzo Musetti rises from No. 16 to No.15, his Top 15 debut, after reaching the quarterfinals in London; and American Sebastian Korda jumps from No.32 to No. 25, his Top 25 debut, after a run to the semifinals.
Rounding out the week’s tour-level tournaments, Alexander Bublik upset Andrey Rublev 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 in the Halle Open final for the biggest title of his career. With the win, Bublik is now at a new career-high ranking of No. 26. He adorably celebrated the milestone with his family after the match.