"You have to be more careful than on the other surfaces": Alcaraz admits difficulty curbing aggression on grass

Carlos Alcaraz has began his grass court season with victory over Arthur Rinderknech 4-6, 7-5, 7-6(3) at Queen's Club Championships and he spoke about his time away from the court after Roland Garros.

Alcaraz said he turned off instead of being disappointed after issues with cramp against Novak Djokovic.

“After the French Open, I had four days off to rest a little bit and turn my mind off," said Alcaraz post match.

“I picked up a racquet and practiced for three days back at home but that was on a hard court. I tried to make similar movements on the hard courts that you’d make on the grass but obviously, it’s never the same.”

Read also

Connors calls Alcaraz cramping 'unacceptable' while analyzing Djokovic clash at Roland Garros

A surface he is not a big fan of, Alcaraz spoke about why he struggles on grass and said it is down to the movement.

“The most difficult part of playing on grass is being able to move well,” added Alcaraz.

“You have to be more careful than on the other surfaces, but the most comfortable thing for me is being able to go to the net and play more aggressively all the time.”

“That side is similar to the other surfaces so playing that style is comfortable and natural for me – I really like it. There are a lot of players who slide on grass and I’m not one of them, so I have to think a lot more about my movement and be really focused on every move and every shot I make.”

“It can be more tiring because you’re constantly moving – it’s totally different to the other surfaces and I have to put in a specific type of work to get ready for it.”

“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.”

Read also

Carlos Alcaraz survives tough test in grass season opener, takes deciding set tie-break at Queen's