Wimbledon is set to commence its latest edition next Monday, featuring defending champion Carlos Alcaraz, who recently experienced an unexpected exit in the second round of the ATP 500 at Queen’s, a tournament he previously won, alongside local favorite Jack Draper.
Ranked third in the world, Alcaraz engaged in a training session on Monday at the Wimbledon venue, preparing for the third Major of the year. He practiced with three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka. The young Spaniard and the Swiss star trained for two hours, playing two sets which Alcaraz won 6-4. The second set was particularly competitive, starting at 2-2 before Alcaraz secured the victory.
Alcaraz trained under the guidance of Pablo Carreño Busta’s coach, Samuel López, marking their last session before Juan Carlos Ferrero took over coaching duties. This coaching approach mirrored the strategy used last year after the ATP 500 at Queen’s.
In a historic first, an Italian tennis player, Jannik Sinner, will be the top seed at a Grand Slam tournament. Sinner, a prominent contender, is set to begin his Wimbledon campaign among the favorites.
The official seeding list for Wimbledon, released a week before the tournament, outlines that if Novak Djokovic participates, Alcaraz will be seeded third and could potentially face either Djokovic or Sinner in the semifinals. For the 22-year-old Sinner, a potential round of 16 match could pit him against Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton, Holger Rune, or Ugo Humbert.