“Carlos must be playing with his left hand,” Andy Murray gets the better of Carlos Alcaraz in practice set at Queens; fans react

Carlos Alcaraz to play Francisco Cerundolo in the first round, while Andy Murray plays Alexei Popyrin in the opening round of the Queen's Championship.

“Carlos must be playing with his left hand,” Andy Murray gets the better of Carlos Alcaraz in practice set at Queens; fans react

Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray (via Imago)

French Open champion Carlos Alcaraz is in London ahead of the Queen’s Championships. The 21-year-old is hoping to adapt to grass season after a great clay season. In a bid to do that, he practiced with tennis legend Andy Murray but was surprisingly stunned 5-3 by the British, as he lost the practice set.

It was a shocking loss to tennis fans on social media, who are hoping for the Spaniard to defend his Queen’s Championship with ease. However, a practice loss may not say much when the tournament starts for Alcaraz, but it matters because it shows how prepared he is for the competition. The 21-year-old is just returning from Ibiza, Spain, where he went to celebrate his French Open victory.

The Spaniard had missed the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open due to a forearm injury. He competed at the Madrid Open, still feeling pains in his forearm. There he managed to reach the quarterfinals, losing to eventual champion Andrey Rublev. He then skipped the Italian Open to focus on the French Open, which he went on to win.

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On the other hand, Murray has been struggling since returning from his ligament injury in May. The British legend has won only one match in five, with his recent loss being in the first round of the Stuttgart Open. At the French Open, he exited in the first round of both the singles and the doubles. His last win was in the first round of the ATP Challenger in Bordeaux.

The five-time Queen’s champion will be hoping to turn his fortune around, despite not being among the favorites to win the title. Perhaps, with a win in practice against World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz, he will get the right confidence going into his opening-round match against Australian Alexei Popyrin.

Meanwhile, Alcaraz will be hoping to forget the 3-5 practice session loss against Murray as he opens his campaign against Argentina’s Francisco Cerundolo on Tuesday. The 21-year-old is the favorite to win and defend his title.

Fans react to Carlos Alcaraz’s loss to Andy Murray in practice

Fans on social media reacted to Carlos Alcaraz’s loss to Andy Murray in their practice session ahead of the Queen’s Championships. Even though both players are still trying to adapt to the grass season, a win in a practice session means a lot.

Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray
Carlos Alcaraz and Andy Murray (Images via IMAGO)

Nevertheless, fans were surprised with Alcaraz’s loss, knowing he just returned from winning the French Open a few days ago. “Carlos must be playing with his left hand,” a fan wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter). Here are a few other reactions from fans:

Murray will be desperate for a win tomorrow when he faces Alexei Popyrin in his opening match. It is the British legend’s 1000th tour-level career match.

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