Alcaraz sees off qualifier on ‘most beautiful’ Centre Court

Carlos Alcaraz

Carlos Alcaraz said Wimbledon's Centre Court is "the most beautiful court that I have played on" after brushing off the cobwebs to beat Estonian qualifier Mark Lajal in the opening match of his title defence.

The Spanish third seed was taken to a tie-break in the opening set and trailed 2-0 against his unheralded opponent in the second but held his nerve to win 7-6 (7/3), 7-5, 6-2.

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Alcaraz, still only 21, is chasing his fourth Grand Slam title and hopes to become just the sixth man after Rod Laver, Bjorn Borg, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic to win the French Open and Wimbledon back-to-back. "Stepping on this court, the Centre Court of Wimbledon, it is the most beautiful court that I have played on," he said.

"I still get nerves when I am playing here. I played for 45 minutes here on Thursday and it is the first time I get nervous practising. I'm glad and I am a privileged guy to play on this court," he added.

The Spaniard was asked whether he was getting flashbacks to last year, when he beat Djokovic in a thrilling final. "A little bit, but this is a new year, a totally different tournament, I have to be focused on my game," he said.

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