Djokovic tips Carlos Alcaraz to win French Open

Djokovic tips Carlos Alcaraz to win French Open
Alcaraz

Tennis world number one Novak Djokovic believes Carlos Alcaraz is among the favourites to win the French Open after his outstanding performances in Madrid last week.

Djokovic, the world No 1, was beaten by Alcaraz in the semi-finals of the Madrid Open after the Spaniard had already beaten his compatriot Rafael Nadal. 

The 19-year-old then went on to overcome Alexander Zverev in the final on Sunday, his latest victory in a remarkable run of successes that has led him to four titles this season and helped him rise to No 6 in the world.

After the final, Zverev described Alcaraz as “the best player in the world” at the moment and Djokovic, who was beaten 6-7, 7-5, 7-6 the previous day, was happy to endorse that view. 

“He definitely is special,” the Serb said. “Already he’s breaking a lot of records as a teenager. So far he’s the best player in the world this year, no question, with the results that he’s been getting.

 “At Roland Garros, he’s definitely one of the main favourites, no doubt, even though he has never reached the second week of a grand slam. With everything recently that he has achieved, he deserves to be one of the favourites.

“The way he was dealing with the pressure in our match, how calm he was until the end, was impressive. He’s a really complete player; he can play equally well offensively and defensively. He’s the talk of the sport. It’s great for tennis to have somebody that young who is bold enough to challenge the best players in the world.”

After his success in Madrid, Alcaraz has opted to skip the Italian Open this week to remain fresh for the French Open, which is set to begin on May 22.

Djokovic, 34, and Nadal, 35, are both in Rome, however, in the final tournament before they appear together at a grand-slam event for the first time in a year. In Paris, Djokovic will attempt to draw level with Nadal’s record of 21 grand-slam singles titles, which he claimed by winning the Australian Open in January. Djokovic was absent from that event after his visa was cancelled because he did not meet Australia’s Covid vaccination requirements.

“Having both of us and all the other best players in the world is great,” Djokovic said. “Probably Roger [Federer] is the only one missing. Hopefully I can go deep in this tournament and arrive in Paris well-prepared.”