Former Wimbledon Champion Calls Alcaraz Best Grass Player

Pat Cash, the 1987 Wimbledon champion, thinks Carlos Alcaraz is the best player he’s ever seen on grass.

Alcaraz started his tennis journey on clay courts and quickly made a name for himself in the ATP Tour. His first big win came at the Croatia Open in Umag, where he defeated Richard Gasquet in the final. But soon after, Alcaraz showed that he could play well on other surfaces too. He won his first Grand Slam title at the 2022 US Open after an epic five-set match against Jannik Sinner.

At first, people thought Alcaraz might have trouble playing on grass. Novak Djokovic was expected to win Wimbledon in 2023 easily. But Alcaraz surprised everyone by winning one of the greatest finals against Djokovic with scores of 1-6, 7-6, 6-1, 3-6, 6-4. Fans might wonder if anyone else can match this talent.

Alcaraz’s Grass Court Success

The following year at Wimbledon, Alcaraz beat Djokovic again with a decisive victory: 6-2, 6-2, 7-6. This was one of the most lopsided Grand Slam finals seen recently. Now he’s competing in Saudi Arabia at an exhibition event called Six Kings Slam and is set to face Jannik Sinner again while Djokovic plays Nadal possibly for their last encounter.

Though it will be some time before Alcaraz returns to grass courts due to upcoming hard and clay court tournaments, Pat Cash eagerly awaits seeing him play again next year at Wimbledon.

Cash shared his thoughts on Sky Sports Tennis about how impressive Alcaraz is on grass—more so than even Roger Federer or Djokovic during their prime years at SW19. “He hasn’t got a weakness,” Cash said. “I almost think he is one of the best…the best player I have ever seen on grass.”

While some older fans might argue that Federer’s peak level was unmatched when he won five consecutive Wimbledon titles from 2003 to 2007 (with Nadal ending that streak), there’s no denying that what we’ve seen from young Alcaraz has been extraordinary.

Do you think anyone else can reach such heights?