“He Doesn’t Have Any Doubt,” Former World No.2 Sends Clear Warning About Carlos Alcaraz’s French Open Title Defense

Carlos Alcaraz will be heading to the French Open in his best form this season as he has just lost only one match on clay.

“He Doesn’t Have Any Doubt,” Former World No.2 Sends Clear Warning About Carlos Alcaraz’s French Open Title Defense

Carlos Alcaraz (via X/Carlos Alcaraz Daily)

Carlos Alcaraz is the favorite to win the Roland Garros for the second consecutive time following his excellent form on clay. The World No.2 is the only player to have won two titles on the clay-court this season. Former World No.2 Alex Corretja has no doubts that the Spaniard will defend the French Open title.

Alcaraz claimed his first French Open last year after defeating Alexander Zverev in a five-set thriller in the final. The World No.2 is considered by many as the favorite to once again triumph in Paris.

The former US Open champion opened his clay campaign by winning the Monte Carlo Masters in April. He then continued his excellent run at the Barcelona Open, reaching the finals, but fell to Holger Rune in straight sets due to injury. The adductor muscle injury forced him to withdraw from the Madrid Open.

However, he did his best to get fit before the Italian Open and participated in the ATP Masters 1000 tournament. In Rome, he defeated Jannik Sinner 7-5(5), 6-1 to win his first Italian Open title. Alex Corretja revealed during a conversation on TNT Sports ahead of the Roland Garros that Alcaraz’s win over Sinner is important for his success in Paris.

I think it’s such an important win for Alcaraz, coming into Paris – winning in Rome. More than even Monte Carlo, because Monte Carlo was the start of the [clay] season, but then he had a little bit of a down after Barcelona, when he had his issue, then couldn’t play in Madrid, so you have some doubts: ‘How I am going to be ready to do well and succeed again?'

He added that Alcaraz now has a boost of confidence ahead of the French Open, which is completely different than what he had in 2023. In that edition of the Roland Garros, Alcaraz struggled with cramps against Novak Djokovic in the semi-finals, which led to his loss. Corretja continued:

Then all of a sudden you end up winning the tournament before Roland Garros. That should give him [Alcaraz] a boost of confidence, considering also that he won last year. He knows already that he can do well there [in Paris], he knows that he can win. He doesn’t have doubts like a few years ago when he had issues in the semi-final against Novak.

Alcaraz would also hope for an injury-free French Open campaign as he aims to win the French Open. In Rome, he looked agile and full of energy, which is good heading into the clay-court Grand Slam.

Alex Corretja says Carlos Alcaraz will have to be smart at the French Open

Carlos Alcaraz will enter the French Open as the second seed after overtaking Alexander Zverev, who has been struggling this season. That gives the Spaniard the opportunity to face very low-ranked players early into the tournament. Like he did last year, he didn’t drop a set until the semi-finals against Jannik Sinner.

Alex Corretja has urged him to be smart and avoid unnecessary use of energy in the opening rounds of the Roland Garros:

Now he enters the tournament, the only thing he needs to go is to don’t try and win the tournament on the first day. The tournament lasts 15 days and you need to get through every single round the best you can, trying to be smart and not complicate your life in matches where you can finish maybe in two hours, not in three hours. That amount of time you spend on court, you might need that as the tournament goes on.
Carlos Alcaraz (via X/Carlos Alcaraz Daily)
Carlos Alcaraz (via X/Carlos Alcaraz Daily)

In Rome, Alcaraz showed moments of lapses against Karen Khachanov in the fourth round, which forced the match to a deciding set. That was the only match he dropped a set, and he learned from it and never repeated the same again.

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