Carlos Alcaraz won his second Queen's Club championship on Sunday but was left reeling after an awkward blunder during the trophy presentation.
The world No2 defeated Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 in an enthralling final at the west London venue.
The victory extended the Spanish player's remarkable winning streak to 18 consecutive matches.
The 22-year-old claimed his 21st career title and fifth of 2025, having lost just once since April - to Holger Rune - in the Barcelona final.
Alcaraz's triumph at Queen's adds to his recent French Open success and positions him as the overwhelming favourite for Wimbledon, where he will attempt to secure a third successive title when the Championships begin on June 30.
Carlos Alcaraz won his second Queens title on Sunday evening
Reuters
The match began with Alcaraz breaking late in a highly competitive opening set before serving out for the lead.
Lehecka, who had defeated an ailing Jack Draper in the semi-finals, responded brilliantly in the second set.
Neither player created a break point opportunity until the tie-break, where they traded mini-breaks in a thrilling display.
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The Spaniard beat Jiri Lehecka 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-2 to lift the trophy
Reuters
The Czech prevailed on his first set point after hitting an ace, having recovered from the disappointment of being lobbed following a superb drop shot.
However, Alcaraz demonstrated his championship credentials in the decisive third set, breaking early and dominating with his serve whilst producing exceptional winners to seal victory.
The trophy presentation provided an amusing moment when Alcaraz suddenly halted proceedings mid-photograph.
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The Spaniard realised he had forgotten to wear his Rolex watch and promptly placed the Queen's trophy on the ground before rushing to his bag.
After retrieving his £32,000 Rolex Daytona yellow gold timepiece with turquoise blue lacquer dial, he resumed posing for photographers, ensuring the watch was prominently displayed.
The 22-year-old has been a Rolex ambassador since 2021 in a deal reportedly worth up to £6million annually.
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Jiri Lehecka beat British No1 Jack Draper on Saturday to get to the final, but couldn't find the same form against Carlos Alcaraz
Reuters
As part of such sponsorship agreements, players are expected to wear their watches during presentation photographs.
After the blunder, Alcaraz expressed satisfaction with his preparation for Wimbledon: "I came without expectations and just wanted to play good tennis and to get used to the grass."
The five-time Grand Slam champion has compiled an extraordinary 27-1 record since April, with his sole defeat coming against Holger Rune in Barcelona.
"This is really special, this trophy and this tournament for me," Alcaraz said. "The goal this week was just to compete and have a few matches on the grass, and this final was a gift for me."
He continued: "I’m going to say it's really complicated, [switching] from clay to grass in just a few days, because that's the time I had before the tournament began. [I had] just two days of practising and then I had to compete here.
"So I came here with no expectations at all. I just came here with a goal to play two, three matches, [trying] to feel great on grass moving, and give myself the feedback of what I had to improve, what I had to do better."
Since 1979, eight players have achieved the London grass double of winning both Queen's Club and Wimbledon in the same year, including Alcaraz himself.
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