These are the causes and consequences of Alcaraz's greatness on grass courts

Diego Jiménez Rubio | 23 Jun 2025 | 15.01

Carlos Alcaraz, Love Affair with Grass. Photo: gettyimages

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The numbers are as staggering as the sensations he conveys with his game. Carlos Alcaraz is crafting a historic love affair with the grass, elevating to a superior status how modern tennis can adapt to this surface and shine on its own light. The Murcian understands the particularities of a grass that enhances his virtues and in which he is achieving successes seldom seen. Let's analyze it.

Perhaps many of the readers who have accessed this article are captivated by the level of play Carlos Alcaraz has been showing on grass courts for years, but many may not be aware of some cold, icy data that can help us grasp the historical magnitude appreciated in the relationship between the Murcian and the grass.

- Alcaraz currently holds the best win-loss percentage on grass of all time

Maybe if I tell you that he has won 28 out of his 31 matches played on grass, you may begin to understand, even more so if I emphasize that this translates to a 90.3% win rate, surpassing Federer's 86.9%, who has the best efficiency record on this surface, followed by McEnroe (85.8%) and Djokovic (85.7%). Obviously, the passage of time will diminish Carlos' effectiveness, making this level of excellence unsustainable for much longer. You may also be surprised to see that he has more titles on grass in his trophy cabinet than losses on this surface, with four trophies won and three defeats (Medvedev at Wimbledon 2021, Sinner at Wimbledon 2022, and Draper at Queen's 2024).

Also, as an anecdote, it is worth noting that at 22 years old, he already has the same number of grass titles as Nadal won in his entire career. We could find many more statistics, but as striking as they may be, none can match the feeling of superiority and comfort that Alcaraz conveys on a green carpet. He will be the top favorite in Wimbledon 2025, having earned that status and arriving at the event brimming with confidence.

- Why does Alcaraz play so well on grass?

The first response that comes to mind for anyone is as simple as it is effective: he is a genius. But it is worth delving much deeper; there is room to do so. Carlos shows an unprecedented adaptation to the two natural surfaces where physical demand, tactical intelligence, decision-making, and technical resources have the most significant impact, as well as the ability to defend and counterattack: clay and grass.

While it is true that they are different from each other and until recently it was considered that specialists in one surface struggled on the other, the passage of time demonstrates how there is a type of player capable of performing very well on both surfaces. Musetti is a clear example of this, but far from the excellence of an Alcaraz whose virtues are reinforced by both contexts. Let's focus on grass, which is what concerns us right now.

Another evident and key aspect is his ability to play from the mid-court. If there's one thing Carlos has always been characterized by, it is his exceptional wrist sensitivity, enabling him to make impressive volleys but also deadly drop shots once he has taken the initiative. His lethal forehand loses none of its effectiveness, and his increasing capacity to change the rhythm with sliced backhands makes him a completely unpredictable player for his rivals.

- The speed and power of his lower body, a key argument to understand Alcaraz's greatness on grass

But if there is an aspect of Alcaraz's game whose impact tends to be overlooked and gains significant weight on grass, it is his innate ability to defend from the baseline, retrieve impossible balls, and turn adverse situations into lethal attacks in his favor. The Spanish player's lower body is one of the most powerful on the circuit, something that benefits him in movements on a surface where many tread cautiously, even fearfully.

His leg speed allows him to return shots that would be winners against many others, but also, the strength in his lower body enables him to hit much better supported than others, reversing the course of baseline exchanges with supreme efficiency. In short, a perfect machine on grass courts, elevating the game to an art form on a surface that the vast majority of his rivals are far from mastering as he does. Carlos Alcaraz may leave a memorable legacy on grass.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Estas son las causas y consecuencias de la grandeza de Alcaraz en pistas de hierba