Alcaraz the man to beat in Paris, says Djokovic
The 22-time Grand Slam winner will be in action at French Open
Serbian Tennis star Novak Djokovic has said that the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz is the man to beat on clay while also calling the latter a hot favourite for The French Open.
Alcaraz has won back-to-back tournaments in Barcelona and Madrid this year and will regain number one spot in the rankings after playing in the upcoming Italian Open.
The 35-year-old called Alcaraz “worthy” for the number one position and also praised his game.
“He’s going to be number one after this tournament whatever happens. Deservedly so,” he added. “He has been playing some very impressive tennis, a great level. He’s the player to beat on this surface, no doubt.”
Rafael Nadal, a 14-time champion at The French Open, has been dealing with a hip injury he suffered at the Australian Open in January and fears are growing that the Spaniard may miss the Paris Grand Slam.
Nadal has competed at the French Open every year since winning the first of his men's record 22 major titles in Paris in 2005. The clay court major begins on May 28.
While talking about the favourites for the tournament, Djokovic wasn’t shy to mention his rival Nadal, who is unstoppable at Clay, but he couldn’t stop himself from calling Alcaraz one of the top contenders for the tournament as the youngster is in red-hot form.
“Of course, it depends on if Nadal is going to play in the French Open or not. But Alcaraz is one of the top favourites without any dilemma,” said the world number one.
Djokovic, who missed the US Open last year as he wasn’t vaccinated for Covid-19, hopes to meet Alcaraz in the final of the French Open.
“We faced each other only once last year in Madrid,” said Djokovic, who lost that match in three sets. “If we get a chance to face each other here, it would be in the final. I think we would both love to play in the final.”
The 22-times Grand Slam champion said he had overcome a right elbow problem that kept him out of Madrid.
“It’s all good. There’s always some things here and there that bother you at this level. It’s normal,” Djokovic said. “When you’re not 25 anymore, I guess you experience that a bit more than what used to be the case. It takes a bit more time to recover.”
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