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Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon Preparation Remains Questionable as ATP Queen’s Club 2025 Doubts Loom

Sankalp Harikrishnan

The 22-year-old is the defending Wimbledon champion.

Days after his grand success at the 2025 French Open, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz faces the dilemma of kick-starting his grass court season. The 22-year-old Spaniard is defending the golden crown at Wimbledon this year, having beaten Novak Djokovic in straight sets in the 2024 final. Ahead of the grass court major, several players will be heading to Queen’s Club in West London for the HSBC Championships. Will Alcaraz join them?

‘Carlitos’ overcame World No. 1 Jannik Sinner to lift the Coupe des Mousquetaires on Sunday night. It was an iconic final that lasted 5 hours 29 minutes – making it the longest summit clash in the history of Roland Garros. It took a monumental denial of three championship points for the Spanish bull to pocket his fifth Grand Slam trophy.

READ ALSO: WTA Queen’s Club Championships 2025 Round of 16 Schedule – Who Faces Whom for a Spot in the Last Eight?

Carlos Alcaraz Undecided Over Queen’s Club Participation

For the past couple of years, Alcaraz has been preparing for Wimbledon by taking part in the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in London. The tournament is staged approximately two weeks prior to SW19, and culminates a week before players head to the All England Club. But as the former No. 1 cools off after a hectic fortnight at the French capital, his participation in Queen’s remains in question.

Head coach Juan Carlos Ferrero was asked about Alcaraz’s plans for the grass court swing. He provided no confirmation. “The plan is to play [Queen’s], but we will make a final decision in a few days,” the 45-year-old revealed. “We talked about it mid-tournament, and Carlos told us he was looking forward to going.”

“After these days of rest, on Thursday or Friday, we’ll do a test to see how he feels physically and mentally. (…) We are going to Wimbledon with great enthusiasm. Carlos loves playing there.” Post his French Open glory, Alcaraz was seen holidaying in Ibiza to celebrate a fairytale ending to the European clay court season.

Alcaraz’s Rich Association With Queen’s Club

The Spaniard has been travelling to London for the Queen’s Club competition for the past two years. He was the top seed on both occasions. In 2023, Alcaraz captured his first title on grass at the event. He defeated Alex de Minaur 6-4 6-4 in the final – and managed to reclaim the World No. 1 ranking from Novak Djokovic in the process. Matteo Berrettini was a two-time defending champion, but pulled out of the tournament.

Looking to retain his crown in 2024, Alcaraz started as the top seed yet again. He opened his account against Francisco Cerundolo of Argentina, and emerged as a 6-1 7-5 victor. In Round-2 however, he ran into the British brick wall Jack Draper. The southpaw produced a flawless display of groundstrokes to send Alcaraz packing in straight sets.

READ MORE: Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz Among the Top Stars Tumbling Down the Rankings

Do you think Alcaraz will book his flight to Queen’s Club ahead of his Wimbledon title defense? Let’s wait and watch.

A passionate sports fan through and through, I am currently pursuing my MA in Global Sports Journalism. I specialise in tennis and football writing at The Playoffs News, and I have prior experience working at EssentiallySports and Sportskeeda. Born and raised in Bengaluru, India, sport was my safe space right from my childhood. After trying my hand at multiple sports and representing my educational institutions in cricket, badminton and table tennis, I found sports media to be my calling.

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