The London tapas bar that has powered Carlos Alcaraz to three Wimbledon finals

With Carlos Alcaraz's successful track record and his strong rapport with local dining, punters might consider betting on him to maintain his winning streak in upcoming matches, especially against Jannik Sinner.

In a quiet, moneyed pocket of west London is a Spanish tapas bar called Cambio de Tercio, and it is here that the reigning Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz, seeks much of his fuel for each tournament. The Spanish ace has been a regular at the restaurant for years now, swinging by whenever he’s in town for Britain’s greatest tennis competition.

Cambio, unassuming but proudly high-end, with walls of red and deep ochre and crisp white linen tablecloths, is on Old Brompton Road in South Kensington and has long been a favourite haunt of sports stars and celebrities. Rishi Sunak is one, Piers Morgan another, while Alcaraz’s fellow tennis stars Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Andy Murray are all fans. It isn’t difficult to see why the restaurant attracts such important clientele.

Cambio’s menu is one of Spanish classics, some served traditionally with minimal fuss, others more grandly, doing away with “authenticity” and instead leaning heavily on fun and frivolity. It is a warm restaurant and a cosy one, and boasts the sort of familiar, relaxed but proficient service that might be considered a rarity in London today. The croquetas de jamón are soft and bouncy and would rival any in London; an order of patatas bravas – chef Luis Navacerrada’s self-described “elegant” recipe – is a bowl of perfectly formed, lustfully crisp potatoes cooked in rich olive oil.

It might be that Alcaraz, who, then aged 20, saw off seven-time Wimbledon champion Novak Djokovic in five hard-fought sets in 2023 to claim his first Wimbledon title, ordered croquetas during one of his many visits to the restaurant. The world number one was spotted dining there again in 2024 – when he won again – and, true to form, he went back last week with the contest in full swing. Alcaraz plays the Italian Jannik Sinner on Sunday as he eyes his third championship in as many years. It will be a tough outing, but Alcaraz might just be the favourite.

Born in El Palmar, Murcia, in the south of Spain, Alcaraz may have been drawn to the gambas, too, which arrive flame-licked from the grill alongside homemade mayonnaise, and the blow-torched sea bream with yuzu and aji amarillo, a hot chilli native to South America. One would hope he tried one of Cambio’s best dishes: tomatoes cooked low and slow for eight hours, served bathing gently in sweet oloroso sherry alongside Spanish blue cheese.

Alcaraz apparently ventured to Cambio five times while in town when he first made it through the entire two weeks of Wimbledon, his family in tow. These days his adoration of the venture lives on – when he gets home from the courts late in the day, he often orders in, clearly reliant on a taste of home while smashing his way through the competition. Owner Abel Lusa told the Telegraph that the tennis star’s favourite dish is the crispy salmon nigiri, a Spanish take on Japanese sushi. At Cambio, Spanish vinegar is used in place of rice vinegar, and five pieces of moreish, fatty fish arrive on a bed of smooth chipotle sauce.

Incidentally, Alcaraz has known the owner since he was 16, but the tennis star is never demanding of the restaurant, rarely going off piste. The Spaniard requires no tweaks to dishes, only asking Lusa and his team to bring whatever’s good on the day. His one rule, at least while in the throes of a contest, is that he only drinks water. A shame, given the nature of Cambio’s excellent wine list, but understandable. And all this is unlike last year’s runner-up, Novak Djokovic, who is famed for his restrained if somewhat curious diet (he is “mostly vegan” and avoids gluten).

Alcaraz has talked about his love of food in the past, as well as the fact that – in typical Spanish style, perhaps – he affords himself licence to enjoy it, irrespective of the need for prime athleticism. “I really try to look after myself, but if I see something I like, I’m really happy to have it,” he told ATP Tour. “There are people who won’t eat a certain food, but not me. I’m happy to eat whatever they put in front of me.”

With such a relaxed attitude to dining, Cambio would be the ideal location for any Spanish tourist in London. It is somehow modern but old-fashioned all the while; a homage to garlic and alioli; a place of juicy fish, fine Iberian pork, and lamb chops worthy of any Wimbledon champion.

This article was originally published in July 2023 but has since been updated.

In a quiet, moneyed pocket of west London is a Spanish tapas bar called Cambio de Tercio, and it is here that the reigning Wimbledon champion, Carlos Alcaraz, seeks much of his fuel for each tournament.

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