Carlos Alcaraz has dominated Wimbledon in the last two years, but his first-ever loss came from a strange source.
The Spaniard looks a sure-fire bet for another Wimbledon title, especially after Alcaraz scooped yet another Queen’s Club win.
Alcaraz has four grass court trophies in three years, with two Wimbledon trophies and two Queen’s Club crowns already under his belt.
Alcaraz’s first taste of Wimbledon came at the Juniors event, where he lost to a star who has never got past World No. 175.
Carlos Alcaraz lost to Martin Damm at Wimbledon Juniors in 2019
Alcaraz competed at the Wimbledon Juniors event in 2019, when he was just 16-years-old, but he ended up crashing out at the quarter-final stages.
The tournament also featured Holger Rune, but the future five-time Grand Slam champion ended up crashing out to a star who failed to set the world alight on the ATP Tour.
Alcaraz suffered a straight sets defeat to American Martin Damm, a player who has failed to translate his success to the professional game.
The American, who is now 21 years old, has managed just two wins on the ATP Tour since making his professional debut.
Those wins came at the 2024 Miami Open Zhizhen Zhang in the first round and Tommy Paul in the second, the latter of which came from his opponent retiring.
Alcaraz also played in that tournament, reaching the quarterfinal stages before succumbing to Grigor Dimitrov.
Why did Carlos Alcaraz and Martin Damm’s career paths differ?
The juniors is rarely the best indicator of who is expected to be the next big thing in tennis as the game is a massive step up at professional level.
The only two players to crack the ATP Tour top ten out of the Wimbledon’s Juniors crop from 2019 were Rune and Alcaraz.
The winner of the event, Shintaro Mochizuki, is currently World No. 164 and has failed to get past the first round of any of the four Grand Slams.
The careers of Mochizuki and Damm are a far cry from the dominance Alcaraz has shown since making his professional debut.