Eight days before the start of Wimbledon, Alcaraz, 20, won his first trophy on grass, in only his third tournament on this surface.

The Spaniard is thus assured of returning Monday in the rankings in front of the Serbian Novak Djokovic, who had recovered the world throne earlier this month thanks to his final victory at Roland-Garros, his 23rd Grand Slam title.

He succeeds a certain Rafael Nadal, winner in 2008 in this tournament, just before his first triumph at Wimbledon at the end of a mythical final in five sets against Roger Federer.

"It means a lot to have my name on this trophy," the player said after the match.

"It helps me a lot to arrive at Wimbledon as world number one, for me it's unbelievable," he also admitted.

In the final, against the 18th player in the world, much more accustomed than him to the surface since he won the Eastbourne tournament in 2021, Alcaraz was very comfortable, especially on the fly by winning 67% of the points at the net.

"I didn't start the tournament very well. I had to adapt my movements on the grass, but it was an incredible week, with a lot of energy and quality," he said.

No feeling

His seven aces, compared to one for his opponent, were often valuable, such as the one that erased the first break ball of the match in the 8th game of the first set.

De Minaur cracked at the worst time. At 4-4 and 30-30, after an excellent first ball, he sent a two-handed backhand near the net in the middle of the corridor, before conceding the break on a forehand too long (5-3).

It was again on an ace, on his second ball of the set, that Alcaraz won the first set.

The London public held their breath when a physio appeared at that time to massage and strap the right thigh of the Spaniard, the one who had betrayed him against "Djoko" in Paris.

And De Minaur, with his excellent footwork and delicious touch, gave him a lot of trouble. But to no avail.

"It's been a great week for me. We were close to each other, but I didn't manage to get the upper hand today. (Carlos was) too good," conceded the Australian.

Carlos Alcaraz faces Australia's Alex de Minaur at Queen's Club, June 25, 2023 © Adrian DENNIS / AFP

At 1-1 in the second set, his magnificent retro cushioning in extension forced Alcaraz's admiration to the point that he reached out to tap into his opponent's.

But when an opening presented itself to remake the hole, he did not make any feelings. At 2-2, 30-30, de Minaur chained a direct fault and a double fault, paving the way for success for the Spaniard.

With authority and power, like this incredible forehand slap at 6-4, 4-2, timed at 171 km/h when the ball was almost at a standstill.

There was a small alert at 0-30 when he served for the match, but Alcaraz scored four points to become the first player under 21 to win his first final on grass since Richard Gasquet, against Max Mirnyi, in Nottingham in 2005.

© 2023 AFP