Carlos Alcaraz, currently ranked World No. 2, enters Wimbledon riding a wave of momentum after capturing back-to-back titles at Roland Garros and the Queen’s Club Championships.
The 22-year-old Spaniard, who defeated Jannik Sinner in both events, will look to defend his Wimbledon title and join an elite club alongside Bjorn Borg and Steffi Graf by completing the French Open–Wimbledon double in consecutive years.
Alcaraz is enjoying the best winning streak of his young career, with 18 straight victories across clay and grass courts. His dominant run began with a title in Rome, followed by a dramatic five-hour, 29-minute win over Sinner in the Roland Garros final, and continued with a triumph at the ATP 500 event at Queen’s Club.
Now, Alcaraz returns to the All England Club, where he won his first Wimbledon title in 2023 by defeating Novak Djokovic in the final, and repeated the formula in 2024 against the Serbian star.
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain with the trophy alongside runner up Novak Djokovic of Serbia after the Wimbledon final. (Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Alcaraz already became the sixth ATP player in the Open Era to win both majors in the same year, following in the footsteps of legends Rod Laver (1969), Bjorn Borg (1978, 1979, 1980), Rafael Nadal (2008, 2010), Roger Federer (2009), and Novak Djokovic (2021).
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However, the bar set by Borg remains unmatched. The Swedish icon successfully defended both Grand Slam titles for three consecutive years from 1978 to 1980 — a feat Alcaraz will try to emulate.
Alcaraz and Djokovic revisit rivalry on Wimbledon’s Centre Court
Ahead of the tournament, Alcaraz and Djokovic took part in a practice session on an empty Centre Court — a symbolic reunion of the past two Wimbledon finals, both won by the Spaniard.
After the session, Djokovic reflected on returning to one of tennis’s most iconic stages. “As happy as one can be,” the Serbian star told Tennis365 when asked how it felt to be back at Wimbledon. “You feel bad playing on it [Centre Court]. It is so perfect. It looks amazing. It is a real privilege”.
Djokovic also joked about being Alcaraz’s hitting partner. “Carlos Alcaraz as the defending champion gets the right, I am the sparring partner. I am happy he chose me,” he said. “Wimbledon balls are slower than they used to be. It makes it extremely difficult to get past guys like Carlos Alcaraz when they try to get to the net”.
