Carlos Alcaraz WEIRDLY snubs Novak Djokovic by claiming Roger Federer and Andy Murray are the best movers on grass

The Spaniard prioritizes movement over stroke-making and considers former Wimbledon Champions Federer and Murray the best movers.

Carlos Alcaraz WEIRDLY snubs Novak Djokovic by claiming Roger Federer and Andy Murray are the best movers on grass

Roger Federed, Carlos Alcaraz, Novak Djokovic (Image via The Mirror, ATP Tour)

In a recent interview, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz opened up about his strategy to improve the grass-court gameplay. He considers Swiss maestro Roger Federer and Brit Andy Murray to be the best movers on grass.

Notably, Roger Federer has registered the most grass-court wins in tennis history, at a staggering 192. Andy Murray on the other hand, tops the list amongst active players, with 117 wins on grass. However, more interestingly, Novak Djokovic, with 7 Wimbledon titles against Murray’s 2, falls just short with his tally of 109 wins.

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Alcaraz believes that movement on grass is trickier than on other surfaces. To him, sliding on grass is not an option and that’s exactly why he does not consider Djokovic’s sliding technique as viable for himself.

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“Speaking for myself, I like to put on videos of [Roger] Federer, of [Andy] Murray, who are among the players that move best on grass. I’m not going to talk about Djokovic because he slides like he’s on clay and that’s not going to be the case for me,” Alcaraz said.

Furthermore, Alcaraz was quick to point out that movement comes first and foremost in playing good tennis on grass. “I’ve always said that you have to move well on grass and from there everything else follows,” Alcaraz believes.

The young Spaniard further clarified that he did not emulate anybody else’s ball–striking as it is unique to a player in his opinion. “It’s not about how they strike the ball, because everyone has their own style, but seeing how they move, and trying to imitate them.”

Also read: Roger Federer DISCLOSES reason why he can’t undertake commentary job post retirement

Carlos Alcaraz’s grass court season so far, and what lies ahead

Carlos Alcaraz at Queen's Club Championships 2023
Carlos Alcaraz at Queen’s Club Championships 2023 (Credits: Sports Max)

Alcaraz is competing in the ATP 500 at Queen’s Club Championships in London and will face Czech Jiri Lehecka in the round of 16. About his campaign so far, Alcaraz has expressed facing difficulty in translating his game to the faster, fickler surface of the grass. “The most difficult part of playing on grass is being able to move well. You have to be more careful than on the other surfaces. 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.”

Alcaraz is currently 400 points behind no. 1 Novak Djokovic, who has decided to rest till Wimbledon. Alcaraz lost the world no.1 rank to the Serbian following his semifinal defeat to Djokovic at the Roland Garros this year.

If he goes on to win the tournament here, not only will he be crowned no. 1 going into Wimbledon, but he will also walk in the footsteps of fellow Spaniards Rafael Nadal (2008) and Feliciano Lopez (2017 and 2019) who have been crowned champions here in the past.

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