Vukic on Alcaraz: 'You could tell he was going to be special'

As dusk set across The All England Club on Monday night in London, Aleksandar Vukic leaned back on his chair and let out a sigh of relief. The Australian had just earned a gruelling five-set victory against Sebastian Ofner, saving a match point en route to reaching the second round at Wimbledon after three hours and 49 minutes.

His reward? A meeting with defending champion Carlos Alcaraz.

A smile broke across the Australian’s face when he was told his second-round opponent's name. Gazing into the distance, Vukic recalled his first meeting with the 21-year-old Alcaraz.

“I remember first seeing him when I played him at French Open qualifying in 2020,” Vukic told ATP Tour.com. “I think he was 17 or something. You could tell he was going to be special. There was a lot of hype around him. I actually won that match. I saved a match point there and beat him in the first round. But there was so much hype and you could just tell he had that raw power to him. And age 17, he was destroying the ball. It was obvious something was going to happen. I think two years after that he was World No. 1. It is just a crazy rise.”

Since Alcaraz made his breakthrough on Tour in 2021, he has gained a reputation of being humble and warm. The defending Wimbledon champion often has a smile on his face when walking around site and looks excited when on court.

Vukic praised Alcaraz’s demeanour and believes tennis is in a good place with the Spaniard at the top.

“I practised with Carlos in Beijing last year and he's a super nice guy,” Vukic said. “The way he handles everything, he's becoming an icon of the sport. The way he handles himself with the crowd, with other players, with everyone, is impressive. At such a young age, he embraces that side of the sport, gaining a lot of attention but he embraces that. I have a lot of respect for him.”

When Vukic walks onto No. 1 Court to face Alcaraz on Wednesday, it won’t be the first time he has played a Top 5 star this year. In Indian Wells in March, the 28-year-old pushed Novak Djokovic to a third set before eventually falling short.

The No. 69 player in the PIF ATP Rankings is hoping to use the experience he gained against the Serbian in his match with Alcaraz, which will once again be in front of a capacity crowd.

“That was that was such a great experience to play Novak on the big court there in Indian Wells. It will be a similar experience with Carlos and I think one of the biggest challenges is to play tennis and not to play the guy across. I think I did a good job of that at Indian Wells,” Vukic said. “I think the more I'm able to play these guys, the less it becomes overwhelming and the more you get accustomed to it.”

Vukic played college tennis at the University of Illinois and broke the Top 100 for the first time in May 2023. The Australian reached his first ATP Tour final in Atlanta last year and arrives at Wimbledon off the back of a semi-final showing at the ATP 250 grass-court event in Eastbourne.

Confidence is high, but facing Alcaraz is a daunting task. The former Next Gen ATP Finals presented by PIF champion became the youngest player to win a major on all three surfaces when he triumphed at Roland Garros last month, while he has earned victory in 14 of his past 15 grass-court matches.

“He's got a lot of weapons, but I have got to play my game,” Vukic said. “My game does revolve a lot around my serve, my forehand and being very steady on the backhand. I really have to maximise that and go for my opportunities and be brave against him. I really need to have that mindset of going out there and going after him. I'm going to have to play great.”

Away from the court, Vukic is an avid chess player and enjoys watching football. The Australian is staying in a house with his team in west London and revealed his off-court interests help him switch off after long days on site.

“I am playing chess whenever I can. There are actually a few tennis players I've played, a few of the French guys, so it's nice,” Vukic said. “I was playing in ‘s-Hertogenbosch as they had a board, and playing a bit now in London. It's not relaxing, but it tests your brain in other ways, so I really do enjoy it. It kind of helps the brain stay active, and then I have been watching the Euros. I'm in a fantasy league with Popyrin and Demon is in there as well, so that makes you really into it. Initially I just picked a lot of the Arsenal players, so Saka, Havertz, Saliba. Fortunately, they've all been doing well.

“It's so nice because we have a house here, so we just chuck the games on. It takes our mind off tennis as well, because sometimes we'll go back and we'll watch tennis, but we're at the court for 12 hours a day, so we need to watch some football or something else.”

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When Vukic wakes up on Wednesday morning, attention will be fully on facing Alcaraz. But what can fans expect to see from the Australian if they are watching him in action for the first time?

“I try to pride myself on how I compete,” said Vukic, who is aiming to reach the third round at a major for the first time. “If I can walk off that court and say that I have given it my best and made it tough for him I will be pleased. I want him to think ‘He’s tough to play, he doesn't go away’. That's what I want to achieve because I think that is something that I can do and that is something that makes you such a big competitor and very annoying to play for a lot of players.”