WIMBLEDON/WASHINGTON, June 24, 2025 (by Michael Dickens)
After defeating Jiri Lehecka to win his second HSBC Championships title in three years at Queen’s Club Sunday, World No. 2 Carlos Alcaraz showed why he’s the man to beat at the Wimbledon Championships, which begins June 30 at the All England Club in southwest London.
The top seed from Spain lifted the Queen’s Club trophy after defeating Lehecka, 7-5, 6-7 (5), 6-2, for his 18th straight victory while competing in his fifth-straight ATP Tour final. Since the beginning of April, Alcaraz has gone 27-1, losing only the Barcelona final to Holger Rune. He’s won a pair of Masters 1000 titles, at Monte-Carlo and Rome, and also captured his second-straight Roland-Garros crown two weeks ago, after defeating World No. 1 Jannik Sinner in a five-set epic thriller.
Against the 30th-ranked Lehecka, who was the first Queen’s Club finalist from Czechia since Ivan Lendl won the title in 1990, the 22-year-old Alcaraz did not face any break points while firing 18 aces and hitting 33 winners en route to winning his fifth title of the season and 21st of his career. He became the first player since Rafael Nadal in 2008 to win Roland-Garros and Queen’s Club in the same year.
Qué semana. @carlosalcaraz | #HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/KrN70aillu
— HSBC Championships (@QueensTennis) June 23, 2025
When Alcaraz steps on Centre Court at the All England Club to begin defense of his gentlemen’s singles title next week, he will be going for a three-peat after winning back-to-back crowns in 2023 and 2024. Overall, he’s won five major titles, lacking only the Australian Open to complete a career Grand Slam.
Looking back, Alcaraz made the transition from clay to grass look easy this season – and he even found time to squeeze in a quick holiday trip to Ibiza before arriving in London.
“It’s really complicated, the switch from class to grass in just [a] few days, because that’s the time I had before the tournament began,” Alcaraz said during his champion’s news conference Sunday. “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.
“So what I’m more proud about this week is the way that I have been improving every day. You know, since the first day until today, I think I’m a different player on grass. I just got used to it really quick.”
Dreams fulfilled, a week of firsts & Carlos reclaims his crown ✨
Looking back on the best moments from @atptour week at the #HSBCChampionships ↓
— HSBC Championships (@QueensTennis) June 23, 2025
Not lost among the many milestones that Alcaraz achieved during his week at Queen’s Club, which included earning his 250th career ATP Tour-level victory – and tour-leading 42nd victory of the season – was this: he became just the third Spaniard following Nadal and Feliciano Lopez to win four grass-court titles. Among the trio, he’s the youngest at 22 to achieve the feat – Nadal was 29 and Lopez 37.
“Obviously, it’s pretty good, I’m not going to lie, being the third Spanish player to achieve that,” Alcaraz said. “Achieve four tournament [titles] on grass, I think it’s great to be with Rafa, to be with Feli, such great players from our country, from tennis.
“I have done it [at] just 22. Sometimes, you have to sit down and think a little bit about it and realize, this is a great thing, and I appreciate that.”
The man of the hour
An incredible week it was for @carlosalcaraz @QueensTennis | #HSBCChampionships pic.twitter.com/fY1rDmejLc
— ATP Tour (@atptour) June 22, 2025
While Alcaraz said he would not have time to return to Ibiza – and will, instead, spend this week in London before Wimbledon begins next Monday – he admitted: “I wish, but I’m a player who needs days, days off, days to enjoy, days for myself to spend with my friends, with my family, just to turn off my mind. I need that, and the good thing is that I know that.
“The days in Ibiza helped me a lot, just to feel like I’m not a tennis player, just to enjoy life a little bit with my friends, have fun, enjoy those days, and then come back to the court with more energy, I mean, to be more hungry to play again.
“So that was really really helpful for me. I’m not going to say that I win the tournament because of Ibiza, but yeah, you know, after this tournament, I can’t go back home. I’m going to stay here in London, hopefully enjoy London a little bit.
“Let’s see how it’s going to be the next [few] days, but I’m going to have my days off to rest up, to enjoy, and then be back and preparing [for] Wimbledon the best way possible.”
We’ve seen this before
Carlos Alcaraz wins his fifth Grand Slam title at the exact same age that Rafael Nadal reached the same feat at Wimbledon 2008 pic.twitter.com/2iuEdejGDw
— Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) June 9, 2025
By the numbers
Carlos Alcaraz extended his lead over Jannik Sinner in the battle for ATP Year-End No. 1 race. By winning the HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club in West London Sunday, Alcaraz increased his lead over the World No. 1 Sinner to 2,240 points. Sinner bowed to eventual-champion Alexander Bublik in the second round of the Terra Wortmann Open in Halle, Germany.
Alcaraz currently has 6,240 points while Sinner has accumulated 4,000 points. The PIF ATP Live Race To Turin is the measuring stick for the year-end No. 1 battle.
“Quotable …”
“I think that was the key, just to have five, six days off, not grabbing a racquet, not stepping on the court. Just go to vacation with my family, to turn off my mind, to think ‘what should I have done better?’
“And that was the key. You know, after, yeah, it was after Miami, after the vacation that I had in Cancun with my family, I just got the joy back, and I started to enjoy playing tennis again – to enjoy stepping on the court, competing again. And I think that was the key, to have my days with my family and realizing what is the most important thing for me, that I go there.”
– Queen’s Club champion Carlos Alcaraz, during his Sunday news conference, explaining what made a difference in his attitude and game after an early-round loss at the Miami Open. Since then, he’s gone 27-1 and won four titles.
