“It’s the toughest surface to adjust to because the season is so short,” Coco Gauff once said, perfectly summing up the challenge of switching tennis surfaces. Two-time Wimbledon finalist Ons Jabeur echoed the sentiment: “You need a couple of days adjusting to the bounce.” She emphasized how much hard training it takes to find the right rhythm on grass. Even the sport’s biggest legends—the ‘Big 3’—have struggled with this transition. And yet, 22-year-old Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz seems to be making it look effortless, almost bizarre. So, what’s his secret? Hear it in his own words…

Talking about success, last year, after winning the French Open title, Carlos Alcaraz defended his crown at Wimbledon by defeating Novak Djokovic by 6-2,6-2,7-6(4) in the final. Even this year, he seems to be following a similar track! After beating Jannik Sinner at the 2025 Roland Garros final, he secured his fifth major title, and shortly after that, he came up with an impressive title-winning run at the HSBC Championships. Can he now make full use of his incredible winning streak (18 matches) and complete the three-peat at Wimbledon?

Time will tell! But his incredible ability to make swift and smooth transitions has caught the attention of the tennis world. During the June 24th episode of the Nothing Major Show, former American pro-Sam Querrey shared his thoughts on Alcaraz’s unique ability. He said, “Usually, most players it takes a little bit of time to be successful on grass, even like the great grass courters. But I don’t know, I feel like this day and age, the way he (Carlos Alcaraz) plays, the way (Jannik) Sinner plays, most of the guys, their games translate on hard courts, clay courts, grass courts, like everyone kind of plays the same type of tennis. So that makes a like that doesn’t really make a difference when you’re going from surface to surface.“

If we take a look at the numbers, Carlos Alcaraz has a win-loss record of 163-36 on clay, while it’s 29-3 on grass. Further stressing more on the secret to success in these transitions, Querrey added, “If you hit the ball hard as Alcaraz does on the forehand, backhand, and he’s talented at the net. He moves around well; it doesn’t matter the surface, it’s literally irrelevant. And I don’t know, I just like..it’s irrelevant as well, like who’s on the other side of the net with him right now. He’s just flying high on confidence.”

Talking about confidence, well, Alcaraz didn’t look too confident before entering the HSBC Championships. Although after his win against Jiri Lehecka, he admitted that he feels at home every time he plays on grass, however, he also spoke about the challenges while making this transition from one surface to the other. He said, “Well, yeah, it’s really, yeah, I’m going to say it’s really complicated, switch from clay to grass in just a few days because that’s the time I had before the tournament began.”

The Spaniard further added, “Just two days of practicing, and then I had to compete here. So I came here with no expectations at all. I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, try to feel great on grass moving, and, you know, give myself the feedback of what I have to improve, what I have to do better.“ Despite having the least expectations, he found success in his first campaign on the grass courts in 2025, but at Wimbledon, the expectations will be higher surrounding the defending champion. Can he deliver at SW19, yet again?

American legend analyses Carlos Alcaraz’s chances of defending the title at Wimbledon

In the 138th edition, Carlos Alcaraz will be aiming to become the fifth man in the Open Era to win the Wimbledon Championships for the third time in a row. Interestingly, Carlitos hasn’t faced a defeat on this surface since the 2024 Queen’s Club Championships. So, that’s a 12-match winning streak on grass. Quite staggering, isn’t it?

Now, in the recent episode of the Tennis Channel Live Podcast, Andy Roddick was asked whether he thinks Carlos Alcaraz will extend his winning streak further by winning the title at Wimbledon. In reply to that, the American said, “I think so, I wouldn’t bet against it.” Although he also kept Jannik Sinner in the frame, however, he added, “Carlos was the favorite at Wimbledon before Queen’s, and he’s favorite after Queen’s as well. I don’t think anyone would argue against that.”

Amidst all the predictions, another former tennis player, CoCo Vandeweghe, dropped a very interesting take on Carlos Alcaraz’s successful transition from clay to grass. She said, “What amazes me each and every time I watch him transition from hard to clay to grass is how well his game just seamlessly just moves onto the next surface. I don’t think we’ve seen any player really do that. I mean, we can think of the greats of Roger Federer and Rafa (Rafael Nadal) and even Novak (Djokovic), and they all struggled for a little bit, especially in their years to get that transition from the different surfaces and make their game work.”

Carlos Alcaraz now just needs seven wins to secure his sixth major title. Do you think he can find success yet again at this historic tournament? Share your thoughts in the comment box.