“To be the man, you gotta beat the man!” Prakash Amritraj gives a SASSY Ric Flair-like take on Carlos Alcaraz’s situation around Novak Djokovic
Prakash Amritraj entered the conversation regarding the Alcaraz and Djokovic rankings battle at the Rome Open.
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Novak Djokovic, Carlos Alcaraz and Prakash Amritraj( Credits: Bleacher Report, @carlosalcaraz/Twitter, Tennis.com)
Carlos Alcaraz will be making his Rome debut with the aim of reclaiming the World No. 1 spot from Novak Djokovic. While commenting on the situation, Prakash Amritraj declared that the Spaniard needs to first compete with the best to ‘become the best’.
The Spanish player has reached Rome after winning back-to-back titles at the Barcelona and Madrid Open. His first match meeting at the Italian Open is with his compatriot, Albert Ramos-Vinolas. With just his first match appearance, the US Open champion will reclaim the World No. 1 spot ahead of Roland Garros. While in his best form, Alcaraz is excited to compete for another potential title.
The tournament will witness both the top seeds, Alcaraz and Djokovic, competing on opposite sides of the draw. The Serbian had a tough start to his clay season. World No. 1 had an early exit from the Monte-Carlo Masters after he was defeated by Lorenzo Musetti. His following campaign at the Srpska Open resulted in a quarterfinal defeat at the hands of fellow national, Dusan Lajovic.
During the press conference in Italy, Alcaraz stated that he is excited to play in the same tournament as Novak Djokovic. The Madrid Open winner added that he was looking forward to a finals clash with the Australian Open champion.
“Being in the same tournament as Novak is great, having him here and learning from him. It’s always good having the best tennis players in the world in the tournament, it’s great”, he stated at the conference.
“I hope to meet him in the final. Yeah, I always say that as a tennis fan I always want to see the best players in the world, to watch them, learn from them, because you have to learn from everyone”, Alcaraz further added. With the ongoing battle for the number one spot in the ATP rankings, Prakash Amritraj had a ‘Ric Flair style’ response. While presenting for the Tennis Channel, he said, “To be the man, you gotta beat the man”.
The Italian Open has brought ‘extended changes’ with the draw bracket set at 96. Alcaraz with be debuting in the match against Albert Ramos-Vinolas, while Djokovic will be facing Grigor Dimitrov in the round of 32.
Carlos Alcaraz is the leading favorite for the Roland Garros
Carlos Alcaraz is currently ‘unstoppable’ on the clay, with his sensational wins at the Barcelona and Madrid Open. The Spaniard will be entering Rome with dual aims, to reclaim the World No.1 spot and upgrade his current level for a potential title at the French Open.
The Roland Garros are just 10 days away, and the list of contenders is still not finalized. The defending champion, Rafael Nadal, has been raising questions regarding his comeback. On the other hand, Novak Djokovic dealt with an injury last month. With the two favorites under an air of uncertainty, Alcaraz is rising as the ‘new favorite’ for the Roland Garros title. With his ‘aggressive’ style and a record of 29-2 this season, he will pose a huge challenge to all the contenders.
Boris Becker, the former World No.1 had nothing but praise for the Spaniard. He said that World No.2 is actually ‘rewriting’ tennis history with his electrifying tennis.
“What impresses me the most is his powerful style of play. When he hits his forehand with full topspin, there’s no grass anymore”, he said during his Das Gelbe vom Ball podcast.
“Whoever dares take on a rally against him has lost anyway. We used to say that about [Rafael] Nadal and [Novak] Djokovic. But Alcaraz has even more punch and even more topspin in his shots. That’s why he’s rewriting tennis history”, Becker added.
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