"Beyond all that he does exceptionally, what impresses me the most is his head" - French Open chief Amelie Mauresmo on Carlos Alcaraz
In a recent interview with Le Soir, French Open tournament director Amelie Mauresmo spoke glowingly about Carlos Alcaraz's rise on the ATP tour. Mauresmo hailed Alcaraz for his exceptional shotmaking but said what stood out most about the Spaniard was his maturity.
"What he is doing at his age is simply amazing. It immediately aligns statistics comparable to the very best. Beyond all that he does exceptionally, what impresses me the most is his head," she said.
"The way he manages it all meticulously, at 19! I had met him three years earlier, when I was coaching Lucas Pouille and he already had this attitude, the attention to detail. We will see how far it can lead from here."
The 19-year-old broke into the top 10 for the first time this year after winning titles in Rio, Miami and Barcelona. He added a second Masters 1000 crown in Madrid to his trophy cabinet a couple of weeks later and heads to the French Open as one of the favorites.
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Carlos Alcaraz's road to the French Open final
Carlos Alcaraz has already won two Masters 1000 titles this year and now has his eyes on the biggest prize in the sport -- a Grand Slam crown.
The draw for the French Open were announced on Thursday and unfortunately for the Spaniard, he was placed in the same half as 13-time champion Rafael Nadal, World No. 1 Novak Djokovic and third seed Alexander Zverev. This means he may have to beat two of the aforementioned three to reach the final.
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Alcaraz is projected to face Zverev in the quarterfinals ahead of a potential semi-final meeting with either Nadal or Djokovic. If he does indeed get past the trio, he could face Stefanos Tsitsipas in the final.
Carlos Alcaraz also has the likes of Sebastian Korda, Karen Khachanov and Cameron Norrie in his section of the draw, making for a tricky path to the title. But given the way he has performed this year, very few would bet against him winning his first Major.