Wimbledon 2023: Alcaraz looks every inch the heir apparent at the All England Club

By James Toney at Wimbledon

You don't have to watch a lot of tennis to know that Carlos Alcaraz is stating the obvious when he claims to be 'getting better every match'.

Since winning his first ATP Tour title as a teenager just two years ago, the Spaniard's trajectory to the summit of his sport has been dizzying.

And the world number one, the youngest in men's tennis history, never looked threatened against the durable Alexandre Müller, progressing to Wimbledon's third round 6-4 7-6 6-3.

Novak Djokovic may be favourite for a record-equalling eighth title but Alcaraz is quickly establishing himself as a darling of the crowd and the future of his sport.

We've been spoilt by watching Roger Federer, Djokovic and Rafael Nadal winning all but two of the men's singles titles here in the last two decades.

And then along comes Alcaraz, still just 20 and seemingly a freakish fusion of all three - a player with the Swiss's aggression and desire, Serbian's balletic movement and his Spanish compatriot's tenacity and fighting spirit.

However, the nicest thing about watching Alcaraz is not his speed, defence or the fact he returns every ball with enough interest to break the bank. The Spaniard is always smiling and it's infectious. When you watch him play, you can't help smiling too.

"I think I’m playing really well on grass, I’m not as experienced maybe as other players, but I’m enjoying it a lot," said Alcaraz, who won the pre-Wimbledon warm-up at Queen's Club to underline his title credentials.

“I’m at a good level, getting more experience and getting better with every match I play. It wasn't my best match on grass but I always say that doesn't matter if you play a perfect match, you can always be better.

"I have to be really, really focus until the final. It's a lot of matches ahead, I can't be relaxed."

Third seed Daniil Medvedev took just over two hours to beat France's Adrian Mandarin 6-3 6-3 7-6 while sixth seed Holger Rune had too much firepower for Spain's Roberto Carballes Baena, also securing straight set progress to the third round.

Rune, who lost in the first round of his Wimbledon debut last year, is exactly one week younger than Alcaraz and there is hope for another of those storied rivalries the sport's promoters want to define the next decade.

They remain on course to play in the quarter-finals next week, with Alcaraz taking on Nicolás Jarry and Rune playing Alejandro Davidovich Fokina in the next round.

"I don't feel insecure anymore on the grass, I've realised it's not only about hitting hard," said Rune.

"It's also about playing the right shots and making the opponent play in the important moments. I think it's important to be patient, when you do that, more often than not you win the point.

"It's a fun surface to play on and I'm playing more like unorthodox shots than I would do maybe on other types of court."

Matteo Berrettini's ranking may have dropped to 38 but he underlined just what a threat he is on grass with a 6-3 6-4 6-4 win over Australia's Alex de Minaur.

Berrettini was a beaten finalist here two years ago and reached a career high of world number six before painful hand injury and nasty bout of Covid, which ruled him out of last year's tournament.

"Last year I probably was in the best shape in my career," he said.

"It's such a special tournament for me and not being able to play was something that, even when I was better physically, was really tough mentally to overcome.”

For the latest action on the British summer grass court season, check out the LTA website