Carlos Alcaraz was forced to stop his Queen’s Club trophy presentation after making a blunder which risked upsetting a major sponsor. The young Spaniard claimed the honours on Sunday, beating Jiri Lehecka to win the tournament for the second time in three years. It marked his 18th victory in a row, ensuring he will go into Wimbledon in red-hot form.

After the match, Alcaraz was presented with the trophy and was all smiles as he soaked up the applause of the crowd. However, it took him a while to realise that he had made a crucial mistake. After spotting the error while having his picture taken, the 22-year-old laid down his trophy and made a dash for his bag.

Alcaraz had forgotten to wear his Rolex watch and was seen frantically putting it on before returning for more pictures. The watch in question was a Rolex Daytona in yellow gold with a turquoise blue lacquer dial, worth in the region of £32,000.

The reigning Wimbledon champion has been a Rolex ambassador since 2021 and his deal is reportedly worth around £6million each year. Many of these sponsorship agreements require players to wear their watches in presentation ceremonies.

Rolex will be pleased that Alcaraz remembered to fulfil that duty, even though it initially slipped his mind. He will be hoping to avoid making the same mistake if he successfully defends his Wimbledon title over the coming weeks.

Speaking after the Queen’s Club final, he said: “It’s really special, this trophy and this tournament. I’m happy to lift this trophy once again. Jiri, you had an incredible week and it’s a nightmare to play against you.

“Great week, great job and keep it up for Wimbledon. It has been an incredible week. I came without expectations and just wanted to play good tennis and to get used to the grass.

“I came without expectations at all. Just to play good tennis, trying to be as ready as possible for the grass. I have to say thank you to my team for the whole week.

“I am lucky to have my family, a lot of friends here that made me feel really comfortable on and off court. Without them it wouldn’t be possible.

“Thank you to my team, family, and friends, and all the people who supported me the whole week. It has been really special playing in front of all of you every year. I can’t wait to come back next year.”

Alcaraz is the early favourite to secure another Wimbledon title despite heading into the tournament as the second seed. Jannik Sinner is the top seed but was recently beaten by Alcaraz in arguably the greatest French Open final of all time.