June 21, 2023 
By India Today Sports Desk: 2022 US Open winner Carlos Alcaraz has said that it was really difficult to adapt his game to grass following his first round win over Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the Queen’s Club Championships.
Alcaraz started off his Queen’s campaign by beating French lucky loser Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) at the ATP 500 event. Speaking after his win, Alcaraz said it was difficult to adapt his game to grass courts, adding that he really wanted to participate in this tournament.
“It was really difficult for me at the beginning to adapt my tennis, my game to the grass. For me it is tough playing here but of course I enjoyed playing on the grass and playing at Queen’s. It is a tournament that I really wanted to play. It was a good performance from me on my first match on grass,” said Alcaraz.
He went on to say that he has never played any other grass-court tournament apart from the Wimbledon Open. The Spaniard recently lost against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals of 2023 Roland Garros.
“I have never played a tournament except Wimbledon on grass and I wanted to play here. I have watched this tournament on TV and I always thought it looked like a beautiful place to play and be. I am enjoying every single second. The crowd was amazing and the court was unbelievable,” Alcaraz added.
The 20-year-old said he came a few days early to practice on grass courts before the start of the tournament. Alcaraz could return to the world number 1 rank if he wins the Queen’s Club Championships.
“I could not play tennis on grass at home but I could practise the movement on grass when at home. I came here a few days before to play here and practise a bit. I felt really good,” Alcaraz said.
Alcaraz will now face Jiri Lehecka of the Czech Republic in the next round of the grass-court tournament.
July 20, 2024 
