Carlos Alcaraz gears up for comeback at Queen's Club Championships after French Open cramping injury

Carlos Alcaraz has decided to put the unfortunate end to his claycourt season behind him as he gears up for the grasscourt swing ahead of 2023 Wimbledon.

On June 9, Alcaraz's 2023 French Open campaign came to a disappointing end when he suffered cramping issues in his semifinal match against eventual champion Novak Djokovic. The much-awaited clash opened with a thrilling and evenly-matched display as Djokovic claimed the first set and the Spaniard secured the second.

Despite the third set looking poised to continue in a similarly engrossing fashion, the match took an unexpected turn when Alcaraz abruptly halted play at 1-1 due to severe cramping issues. In accordance with the rules, the 20-year-old forfeited a game to Djokovic in order to receive treatment.

The Spaniard's performance was visibly hampered for the remainder of the match as he only won one game before the Serb claimed a 6-3, 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 victory, rendering Alcaraz unable to reach his maiden Roland Garros final.

On June 13, Carlos Alcaraz took to social media and shared an image of himself in action on grass and expressed his excitement for his impending return to the tour at the Queen's Club Championships in London, which will be his maiden appearance at the ATP 500 event.

Also known as the Cinch Championships, the tournament is scheduled to begin on June 19. Alongside top seed Carlos Alcaraz, second seed Holger Rune and third seed Taylor Fritz will also be in action.

Additionally, fourth seed Frances Tiafoe and fifth seed Cameron Norrie will contest the title in London. Two-time defending champion Matteo Berrettini will also feature, alongside Sebastian Korda and Andy Murray.

How Carlos Alcaraz fared during grasscourt season in 2022

Carlos Alcaraz at Wimbledon 2022

In 2022, Carlos Alcaraz had limited exposure to grass courts as he was forced to pull out of the Queen's Club Championships due to an elbow injury. As a result, the Spaniard's sole grasscourt event in the lead-up to 2022 Wimbledon came at the Hurlingham exhibition event.

Alcaraz's first grasscourt match of the season ended in a straight-set defeat to Frances Tiafoe. The 20-year-old was unable to register a win prior to the grasscourt Major as he lost his subsequent match at the exhibition event to Casper Ruud, once again in straight sets.

Despite his less-than-ideal preparation on grass ahead of the 2022 Wimbledon, Alcaraz showed off his skills as he battled past Jan-Lennard Struff in five closely-contested sets in the first round of the Major. Subsequently, he secured straight-set victories over Tallon Griekspoor and Oscar Otte to advance to the fourth round.

The Spaniard was then ousted from the tournament by Jannik Sinner as the Italian claimed a 6-1, 6-4, 6-7(8), 6-3 victory and advanced to his maiden Wimbledon quarterfinal.